Salvation

“And 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

Now that my friend is a very strong command which was told to us by the person who wrote the book of Acts. Which ought to put to rest anyone else who comes around to proclaim that there is salvation found elsewhere.

So what is salvation in the biblical definition? According to the Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary the following is said;

SALVATION — deliverance from the power of sin; redemption.
In the Old Testament, the word “salvation” sometimes refers to deliverance from danger (Jer. 15:20), deliverance of the weak from an oppressor (Ps. 35:9–10), the healing of sickness (Is. 38:20), and deliverance from blood guilt and its consequences (Ps. 51:14). It may also refer to national deliverance from military threat (Ex. 14:13) or release from captivity (Ps. 14:7). But salvation finds its deepest meaning in the spiritual realm of life. Our universal need for salvation is one of the clearest teachings of the Bible.
The need for salvation goes back to the removal of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). After the Fall, the lives of people were marked by strife and difficulty. Increasingly, corruption and violence dominated their world (Gen. 6:11–13). When God destroyed the world with the Flood, He also performed the first act of salvation by saving Noah and his family. These eight people became the basis of another chance for mankind. The salvation of Noah and his family was viewed by the apostle Peter as a pattern of the full salvation we receive in Christ (1 Pet. 3:18–22).
The central Old Testament experience of salvation is the Exodus (Ex. 12:40–14:31). Much of Israel’s worship of God was a renewal of this mighty experience that brought them from tyranny in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land (Ex. 13:3–16). The mighty saving power of God was demonstrated dramatically as the Israelites formed a holy nation of priestly servants of the Lord (Ex. 19:4–6). The Exodus became a pattern of salvation by which God’s future deeds of redemption would be understood.
But just as the Exodus symbolized their salvation, the Captivity of the Israelites in Babylon was a disastrous return to bondage. The people responded to this plight with expectations of a new and better Exodus (Is. 43:14–16) in which God would forgive their sins and restore their hearts to faithfulness (Jer. 31:31–34).
This hope for a new Exodus merged with expectation of a full realization of the rule of God (Ezek. 36:22–38). Since God was Lord and had shown Himself to be righteous and faithful, He must one day overpower His enemies and perfect the life of His people. This hope is expressed through the concept of the “day of the Lord” as described by the Old Testament prophets (Joel 2:1–11; Amos 9:11–15). But this hope also focused on the role of the Anointed King and the coming of the Messiah (Psalm 2).
Even Israel’s return from the Captivity, however, failed to fulfill all their hopes (Hag. 2:3). So a new understanding arose: the full realization of God’s purpose of salvation would involve the coming of a completely new age (Is. 65:17–25). This doctrine of salvation reached its fulfillment in the death of Christ on our behalf. Jesus’ mission was to save the world from sin and the wrath of God (Matt. 1:21; John 12:47; Rom. 5:9). During His earthly ministry, salvation was brought to us by His presence and the power of faith (Luke 19:9–10). Now, our salvation is based on His death and resurrection (Mark 10:25).
The salvation that comes through Christ may be described in three tenses: past, present, and future. When people believe in Christ, they are saved (Acts 16:31). But we are also in the process of being saved from the power of sin (Rom. 8:13; Phil. 2:12). Finally, we shall be saved from the very presence of sin (Rom. 13:11; Titus 2:12–13). God releases into our lives today the power of Christ’s resurrection (Rom. 6:4) and allows us a foretaste of our future life as His children (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:14). Our experience of salvation will be complete when Christ returns (Heb. 9:28) and the kingdom of God is fully revealed (Matt. 13:41–43).

Ronald F. Youngblood, general editor; F.F. Bruce and R.K. Harrison, consulting editors, Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary: An authoritative one-volume reference work on the Bible with full color illustrations [computer file], electronic edition of the revised edition of Nelson’s illustrated Bible dictionary, Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1995.

“This doctrine of salvation reached its fulfillment in the death of Christ on our behalf. Jesus’ mission was to save the world from sin and the wrath of God (Matt. 1:21; John 12:47; Rom. 5:9). During His earthly ministry, salvation was brought to us by His presence and the power of faith (Luke 19:9–10). Now, our salvation is based on His death and resurrection (Mark 10:25).”

Indeed the salvation referred to by the author of Acts refers to the name of Jesus Christ as the only way to be saved from our corrupted self. And not any other name which is being so easily promulgated these days in a time of apostasy. But then again, people are following other false prophets because the “time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have theirs ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and turn away theirs ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4

That’s why false prophets are having a successful run in their respective ministries. =False prophets avoid the unnecessary condemnation found in the cross of Jesus Christ. People do not want to hear about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Although it ought to be our goal to strive as Paul did to “know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,..” Philippians 3:10

When false prophets succeed its because they have an audience. People want to hear them simply out of wanting to hear things that tickle their ears. Its what we call the easy way out. Listening to Jesus Christ crucified and Him being resurrected is not an easy message to come to grips with.

Indeed consider Jesus and Him crucified for a moment? For my sins and yours and not only that but also for the sins of the whole world? A sobering thought to be sure since we need to conclude that we are sinners indeed! Which would entail being “found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” Philippians 3:9