"This is 'the stone which was set at nothing by you builders, which has become the head of the corner.' There is not salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:11-12
St. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: "For no man can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11 cf. Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 118:22). And yet many would set aside Jesus and His redemptive work and build upon another foundation -- whether that be the foundation of good works, human will, sovereign election, or manmade traditions.
The religious leaders of the Jews sought to build on their system of temple worship and obedience to the laws of Moses and to the traditions of the elders. Thus, when Jesus came preaching repentance and faith in Him and His redemptive work for pardon and life everlasting, the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus and even had Him crucified.
Strangely enough, even today in so-called "Christian" churches, Jesus and salvation through faith alone in his shed blood are often set aside and replaced with other foundations for faith. It may be our obedience to certain commandments, our decision to follow Christ, our level of devotion to Him, or observing certain church rites and ceremonies.
Simply preaching Jesus and salvation for the sake of His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for the sins of the world often gets in the way of man-made doctrines and traditions. So, rather than preaching Christ alone and salvation through faith in His name, religious leaders often hold up human traditions, specific prayers or forms of worship, and good works as a means to obtain salvation. They reject the Jesus of the Bible and His exclusive claims to be the only way to the Father and seek to be acceptable to God in other ways.
But the truth is that there is only one way of salvation. "There is not salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
To set aside this foundation is to reject the only way of salvation and forfeit the eternal life God offers and gives to those who place their faith in His Son. To trust in Christ Jesus and His sacrifice for sins is to have forgiveness and life everlasting; to reject Him or trust in anything else besides Him results in condemnation for sin and eternal death and damnation (cf. John 3:18,36; 8:24).
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). And the apostle John writes: "He who has the Son has life, and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12).
It's really that simple. We can be justified and acceptable to God in only one way: through faith in Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world!
O precious Savior Jesus, graciously keep us trusting in You alone for the forgiveness of all our sins and for life everlasting, for in You we have eternal salvation and apart from You we are lost forever and under the wrath of God. We ask this for the sake of Your innocent sufferings and death in our stead. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible. Devotion is by Randy Moll. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. More of Moll's devotional writings may be freely read at https://goodshepherdonline.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.]