What about you? Do you believe Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven or do you think there's more than one way of salvation? Do you think if a man is faithful and sincere in his religion, no matter what it might be, that he will be saved? Sadly, many people today who profess to be Christians say foolish things like, "Oh, yes, Christ saves, but let's not be unloving by saying that Christ is the only way. That would mean all other religions are condemned." You see, the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be tolerated by most people if it's presented as one way among many. But when it's proclaimed as the only way, the exclusive way, then it becomes offensive.
But is it loving to tell people there are many roads to heaven when Christ said there was only one? (John 14:6) Is it loving to tell people if they are sincere and just do their best then God will save them? No, it's unloving because it's a lie! Peter says in our text that apart from Jesus Christ you will perish! He doesn't tell the Jews that their system of works-righteousness is good and useful. Rather, he said salvation from sin comes only by trusting in Jesus Christ. And the same is true today. There is no salvation in the superstitions, philosophies, or the manmade religions that abound in our world. All other beliefs apart from true faith in Jesus Christ are doctrines of demons sent among men to deceive. Beloved, listen to our text: "Nor is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved."
Now what does salvation mean? It means to be delivered from the greatest evil and brought into the greatest good. And Scripture tells us the greatest evil from which a person can be delivered is sin. Sin is rebellion against God, or as the Heidelberg Catechism reads, "willful disobedience," and it's something that infects every human heart. Sin is an evil corruption of the human nature, and it manifests itself in man's rebellion against the true and living God. Psalm 58 tells us that sinners go astray as soon as they are born, and we read in Romans 8:7 that man comes into this world rebelling against God. But salvation is not only deliverance from sin; it also means to be brought into the greatest good, and the Bible tells us the greatest good is God. "No one is good but One, that is, God" (Matthew 19:17). God, in His very being and perfections, is the greatest good.
Therefore to be saved means to be delivered from the guilt, penalty, and power of sin, and brought into a covenant of peace with God. Salvation means to be forgiven a sin debt we could never pay. The psalmist described it in Psalm 103:12 by saying: "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Salvation is being spared the eternal punishment our sin deserves. It means to be pardoned and accounted righteous in Jesus Christ "as if I had never committed nor had any sins, and had myself accomplished all the obedience which Christ has fulfilled for me; if only I accept such benefit with a believing heart" (Heidelberg Catechism Q60). Beloved, do you know the forgiveness of the Lord? Do you know that Christ has paid in full the penalty of your sins? You can only know this by true faith in the only Savior given among men, Jesus Christ. Listen to our text, "Nor is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved." No one can be saved from the guilt, power, or punishment of sin except by Jesus Christ. No one can have peace with God and escape the wrath which is to come except through trusting in the perfect life and sin-atoning death of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It's only in Christ that all the riches of salvation are found. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace..." (Ephesians 1:7). Only Christ's blood can cleanse from sin. As the hymn writer declared, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus." Only Christ's perfect work earns the righteousness we need to stand justified in God's sight, and only Christ's atoning death pays the sin debt for the forgiveness of all our sins. That's why our text declares, "Nor is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved."
Beloved, are you trusting Christ? Have you abandoned any thought of saving yourself by your own efforts? Are you leaning solely upon Christ? Is He your sure foundation before God? When you sin, to whom do you turn? Do you turn to Christ pleading forgiveness on the basis of His merits, or do you turn to yourself and say "I'll do better next time"? Our best work is only filthy rags before God. We must look to Christ and Him alone because there is no other power or authority to save us from our sins. No one else is commissioned, qualified, or has the power to save. John 6:38-40: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." That's why John wrote in 1 John 5:11-12: "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
In the days of Noah, the ark, which was a type of Christ, was the only place of safety when the flood waters came. In the same way, there is only one place of salvation from the flood of sin, Jesus Christ. And as Noah and his family were completely saved from the flood by trusting God's Word and entering into the ark, so there is full salvation from sin in Jesus Christ even for the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) who, by true faith, believes God's Word and comes to the Savior Jesus.
Beloved, don't ever doubt Christ's power and authority to save! He saves to the uttermost all those who come to Him by faith (Hebrews 7:25). Have you come to Christ? "Nor is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved." There's no salvation in anyone or anything else; not in your works, not in your faith, not in your repentance. Notice I did not say faith, repentance, and good works are unnecessary. They are the fruits of salvation, and without them no one is saved (James 2:17). Nevertheless, faith in Christ, repentance, and good works are not the cause of salvation. Jesus' perfect life and sin-atoning death is the cause of salvation. And we need to continually hear this because it's in the heart of every sinner to say "I am not like other men. I'm a good person. Look at the things I do for the church. Look at my obedience and moral life. Don't they count for something?" As far as earning our place in heaven our works count for nothing, but that doesn't mean good works are unimportant. Good works must be found in our life if we belong to Christ. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are saved unto good works, and the Apostle Paul wrote in Titus 3:8, "This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men." But our works are not the cause of our salvation. The cause of our salvation is only the perfect life and sin-atoning death of Jesus Christ, and if you're trusting in anything other than the work of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins then you're not trusting in Jesus! "Do those also believe in the only Savior Jesus, who seek their salvation and welfare from "saints," themselves, or anywhere else? No; although they make their boast of Him, yet in their deeds they deny the only Savior Jesus; for either Jesus is not a complete Savior, or they who by true faith receive this Savior, must have in Him all that is necessary to their salvation" (Heidelberg Catechism Q30).
The truth of the Gospel is that salvation is in Jesus Christ and outside of Him there is only damnation. "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). This is not a popular message in a society that thinks there are many saviors and many ways to obtain peace with God. But the question is not, ‘what does our society think?' The question is, ‘what does Scripture teach?' Listen to our text: "Nor is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved."
Beloved, can our text be any clearer? How are you saved? How do you get to heaven? What can wash away your sins? There's only one answer; Jesus Christ! He is the Good News for sinners. Are you weary and heavy laden from your sin? Are you looking for rest? Come to Jesus! He will pardon all who come trusting in Him. Listen to the words of Christ in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Look to Him alone because "there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Amen!