None Other!

None Other!

Acts 4:12 AMP

[12] And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation].

The verse above is taken from the story of the healing of that lame man at the Beautiful gate, and the harassment and victimisation of Peter and John that followed. How did these so-called political and spiritual leaders of the people at the time miss such a critical opportunity to experience the grace of God that was now made manifest in Jesus? How did their desire to control the narrative, and to remain relevant become more important to them than to see the glory of God made manifest to the people? Be careful of men who seek to draw attention to themselves, at the expense of encouraging men to focus on God and His might. None of the leaders was speaking to the man who was healed, but Peter and John would constantly draw the attention of the people, including the leaders, to the One who made it all possible. Who or what is your focus? 

There are a number of messages in the verse above, and a few bear emphasis here. The first one is God's plan for salvation was His to design and implement the way He wanted to. His wisdom is such that the world cannot fathom or understand, and if He says that this is the way of restoration for man, who else can have a better plan? In His wisdom and timing, Jesus the Son was made manifest in the form of man to walk in our shoes so He could feel what we felt and He could offer the right kind of sacrifice for sin that God would accept as the full and final blow to the power of sin. This position is final, and there is no one or nothing else that can add to or take anything away from what God has done. That leads to another message, which is that if I reject this position laid out by God, what other option do I have for salvation? What else works the same way the blood of Jesus has been set up to work? 

If I reject this free gift of God to the end, there will be a huge price to pay, and the whole of eternity will not be long enough to reverse that decision. There are names, and there are names. In fact, people also give their children the name spelt the same way but pronounced differently, but it may spell the same or look the same, but if it is not Jesus the Son of God, it will not have the same power, effect and impact. God has laid down the standard, and for all of this phase of eternity, the standard remains the same: Jesus is the only way; in fact, He is called the Way, the Truth and the Life. As long as the destination is heaven where Jesus is, I must come through the Way He has laid down. Nothing else works; no one born of woman can offer the same life that Jesus has sealed for me. As always, the decision and response to what has been offered is mine to make. What would it be? God's time of favour is here..