Salvation in No Other Name
Scripture Reading — Acts 4:1-12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven . . . by which we must be saved.
In their rallying cry of Christ alone the Reformers spoke against the church’s tendency in their time to add requirements for salvation. On the basis of Scripture the Reformers declared that the power to save comes from Christ alone—and not from anything else in addition to Jesus.
A single route to salvation may sound strange—if not arrogant—to many in our world today. The assertion solus Christus, “Christ alone,” can provoke resistance and even scorn. That’s just your opinion. How arrogant! How narrow-minded!
But we who have new life in Christ alone know that arrogance plays no part in this declaration. It’s all about humility, recognizing that we can do nothing to save ourselves. We depend totally on Christ for salvation.
We cannot prove to an unbeliever that salvation can be found in Jesus alone. But we can demonstrate the joy and humility that only salvation in Christ brings to our lives.
The foundational teaching of Christ alone is not about religious superiority but about our utter inability to solve our sin problem without Jesus. He is the only one by which humankind can be saved.
Though we can’t argue others into receiving Jesus as their Savior, we can humbly witness with our words and our actions that only his love has saved us.
Not my job or my money. Not my family or church. Not my intellect or education. Not my good works. Only you, Jesus, can save. Help me show the world today. Amen.
About the author — Kurt Selles
Kurt Selles is the director of ReFrame Ministries and serves as the Executive Editor of Today. He is a graduate of Calvin College and Seminary, and received his PhD from Vanderbilt University. Before coming to ReFrame, he served 19 years in Taiwan and China with CRC World Missions. Kurt later taught missions at Beeson Divinity School, where he also acted as the director of the school’s Global Center. Kurt and his wife, Vicki, reside in Grand Rapids and have three adult children.
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