Solus Christus - Christ Alone
Acts 4:12
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
10-27-19
Christ Alone
This morning we continue our series, Foundations of the Faith, by looking at the fourth “Sola” - Solus Christus - Christ Alone.
As Protestants, we believe that the Bible alone (Sola Scriptura) is our foundation and norm for Christian faith and practice. In the pages of this inspired, sufficient, inerrant, infallible, immutable, invincible Word of Almighty God, we learned that it is by grace alone (sola gratis) through faith alone (sola fide) we are saved.
All three main branches of Christianity, Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant, agree that Jesus is central to our salvation. But what separates us from the others is that little Latin word, “Sola” - Alone.
Catholics would say that our salvation is in Christ “et” (and) baptism, sacraments, confession, attendance at mass, penance, and other good works.
As Protestants, we affirm that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
As we said last week, Jesus + nothing = everything.
If you would turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 4, starting in verse 7.
Prayer
Peter’s Proclamation
In Acts three, Peter and John were going up to the Temple at the time of prayer - three in the afternoon. There was a man who had been lame from birth that begged at the gate called Beautiful. When we asked Peter and John for money, they responded in a way that changed his life:
“Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3:6-11)
All the people were astounded and rushed to Solomon’s colonnade. Peter began to explain the Gospel to them. Members of the ruling council were there and became highly agitated. They had Peter and John arrested and held in jail over night.
The next day, they were brought before the religious rulers and asked, “By what power or what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7)
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said:
“Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:7-12)
Peter doesn’t hold back and tells them that it is in the name of Jesus, whom you crucified but God raised from the dead, that this man was healed.
He then quotes Psalm 118:22 affirming that “the stone you builders rejected, has become the cornerstone.”
But it is last words of this mini-sermon that we will focus on today:
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
I’m thankful to Dr. Steven Lawson and Matthew Barrett for help with the outline this week.
We are going to look at the priority of salvation, the exclusivity of salvation, and the necessity of salvation.
The Priority of Salvation
Peter, an uneducated fisherman, stands fearlessly in front of the most important religious leaders of his day and says that salvation is the greatest need of their soul.
It’s no different today. Our greatest need is not more self-esteem or more money or more popularity. Our greatest need is salvation.
I hope the last few weeks are coming together for you.
Two weeks ago, we studied Ephesians 2 and learned we were dead in our sins, we were defiant in our souls, and we were doomed to hell.
Last week, we began by looking at Romans 3 and discovered that there is “no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Because of our sin, we were separated from God and were hopeless and helpless to save ourselves. No amount of good works could repair the breach in our relationship with God.
God is holy and just and cannot tolerate sin. Because our sin we were were objects of His wrath.
R.C. Sproul wrote a little book with a question that most people have never asked, “Saved from what?”
We needed to be saved from the impending wrath of God.
We see this plan of action visible all the way back in Genesis.
After Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit and had been cursed, God makes a very interesting prophesy when cursing the snake:
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
Theologically, this is the first mention of the Gospel in the Bible. The word “offspring” (or seed) in some of your Bibles is singular. It is one offspring whose heal will be bitten by the serpent but will crush the snake’s head.
God gave the Israelites the sacrificial system to remind them of this promise. When they would sin, an animal would die in their place. The only problem was that it was temporary.
Over and over, animals would be killed and their blood shed as a substitute from their sin. Soon, there was some grumbling - it never ends, we always need more sheep.
Prophets like Isaiah starting declaring that one day there would come a Messiah, a deliverer, a rescuer that would take the sins away from the people in a once and for all sacrifice.
Then a young Galilean rabbi named Jesus burst on the scene and John the Baptist heralded the coming the Messiah by announcing:
“Look, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)
God knew that only He could save us from God! So the second person of the Trinity, took on human flesh. Jesus was God in a bod.
The debt was so great that only God could pay it.
So Jesus satisfied the wrath of God by dying on the cross.
“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:9-11)
As we have heard and will sing later:
“Then, on the cross, where Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.”
Jesus was the sacrifice that paid for our sins.
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (I John 4:9-10)
Jesus was our substitute in the cross, dying in our place, for our sins.
“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God. For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:11-15)
We needed a mediator - someone to step in between us and God:
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
Did you hear that? There is only one mediator. Mary is not a mediator. The saints are not mediators. Solus Christus.
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
By His death on the cross, He reconciled us to God completely. Our sins, past, present, and future were paid for.
By his perfect life, keeping the Law perfectly, His righteousness was given to us.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
The Exclusivity of Salvation
One God - Many Ways?
Through the years, as I’ve shared the Gospel with people, I’ve come across the same reaction from different people.
Imagine a wheel and God is the center of the wheel. Different beliefs are the spokes. In the end, these people say, as long as we are sincere, we all get to the same place, regardless of what we believe.
I always react the same way.
First, you can be sincerely wrong, just like the people that thought the Bears would be good this year.
Second, Jesus didn’t leave us this option. He said that His spoke was the only way and all the other ways are wrong. If His way is the truth, (you can’t have two truths), then all the other spokes are error.
Let’s read Acts 4:12 again:
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Notice that salvation is found in “no one else,” so Peter affirms that salvation is through a Person that was crucified and raised from the dead:
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (I Peter 2:24)
When Jesus started talking about His impending death, the disciples needed reassurance. He told them that He would prepare a place for them and Thomas spoke up and said what everyone was thinking, “We don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5)
Jesus’ answer to this question takes away all doubt about how many ways there are to God:
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Jesus didn’t say He knew a way or that He was a teacher of the way. He could not have said it anymore clearly.
Imagine you a standing in line to a very exclusive club. In order to get in you need tickets. A guy walks up to you and offers you tickets for free, (He bought them). The people in front of you don’t have tickets. They think that they will get in because they are good.
That’s the picture of the North American Church!
But Jeff, that’s so exclusive. That’s so narrow-minded. How about the Mormon neighbor that is a great guy? Loves his family, does a lot of charity, hard worker, great neighbor. He’s sincere. God surely wouldn’t send Him to hell, right?
God doesn’t send anyone to hell. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in shall not perish but have eternal life.
By choosing to reject Christ, the only way to the Father, you are choosing hell:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
It is through Christ Alone, our only mediator, our only Savior, or only Hope, that we can be saved.
As the video said last week, are you trusting your resume or a referral?
The Necessity of Salvation
Let’s wrap this study up by focusing on one word in Acts 4:12:
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
It doesn’t matter what continent (under heaven) you live in - you must be saved.
It doesn’t matter what race you are, what sex you are, what socio-socio-economic class you are - you must be saved.
Remember who Peter was talking to - the ruler religious leaders of the day. The Pharisees and Sadducees all must bow the knee to Jesus Christ for salvation.
George Whitfield was approached by an older lady who said, “Why do you keep saying that I must be saved?”
Whitfield answers, “Because you must be saved!”
This is in the passive voice. If we are going to be saved, it has to come from outside of us. We need to be rescued.
Martin Luther, whose pen started the Protestant Reformation wrote:
Since all of us, born in sin and God’s enemies, have earned nothing but eternal wrath and hell so that everything we are and can do is damned, and there is no help or way of getting out of this predicament…therefore another man had to step into our place, namely Jesus Christ, God and man, and had to render satisfaction and make payment for sin through his suffering and death.”
The writer of Hebrews question should echo through our soul this morning: “how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3)
Why does this matter?
Buddha’s last reported words were, “Keep striving.”
Jesus’ last words, “It is finished!” The debt has been paid.
