The Only Name

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

(Acts 4:12)

Meditation

I hear people saying there are many paths to heaven all the time. All anyone has to do is earnestly follow the precepts of their religion and they will go to heaven when they die. With that way of thinking even the most murderous zealot of Islam will be in heaven. Anyone who commits a violent act in the name of their god, is paradise bound. All nineteen men who killed nearly three thousand innocent people on 9/11/2001, will spend eternity alongside the some of the very people they killed. Does that really make sense to anyone? Does that sound like a just God?

There are perhaps hundreds of gods from around the world, but none worse or harder to overcome than the god of self. Some think they don’t need any god, let alone an all-powerful one that they must be accountable to. They either worship themselves or they tweak and twist the attributes of the one true God of heaven into something that does not offend their sensibilities. Have you ever heard someone say, the God they worship would never condemn someone for their lifestyle? They are creating their own god, while disregarding the God of the Bible.

Don’t be misled to believe doing a bunch of good deeds will outweigh the bad things you do. Your good works will not save you either. There is no way for anyone to be “good enough” to earn a place in heaven. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus, not by anything you do. That does not mean there are no good deeds involved in the way you live. Your good deeds are the fruit of your faith in Christ Jesus.

There are only two paths we can take through this life. One path leads to the eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire. The other path leads through Jesus to the Father in Heaven. We must call on the name of Jesus! Only his sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead give us hope for our salvation! Jesus is the ONLY NAME we can call for salvation. The false gods of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Scientology cannot help as we take our final breath. Every one of those so called gods or the founder of those religions are dead and in the grave. They are all gods created in the minds of fallible, and often times, evil men.

Daily Prayer

Dear Lord, you are a wonderful and mighty God. You have given us the one and only path back to a relationship with you. You have given us Jesus, the only name we can call on to stand in judgment and be found innocent. Give us the courage to stand up to the voices that claim there are many paths to paradise. That’s the lie of the devil and it’s spread by people in rebellion against you and your Christ. Our salvation comes to us, not by anything we can do or boast about, but by the blood of the Lamb. Thank you, Jesus, for your willing sacrifice. Father help us to live a life that shows our appreciation for what Jesus has done for us. Give us the zeal to share the good news of the gift of salvation with everyone we know. Thank you for the words of scripture that we have for strengthening our knowledge of your will for our lives. When we’re hearing a strange doctrine, give us your Spirit to help us discern what’s true and what’s a lie. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!