No Other Name

Some of the earliest (and probably best) Christian sermons are recorded in the book of Acts. Peter’s sermon in the third chapter of Acts is especially noteworthy, since it is there that he makes the following declaration about Jesus: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 2:12) Of course, Peter’s declaration is corroborated by Jesus’ own teaching about himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Put simply, Jesus of Nazareth is not merely another good moral teacher or major religious figure. He is the Son of God, not merely a son of God. He is the only one who can promise – and deliver – the Kingdom of God. Because the very definition of the Kingdom of God is that place wherein God reigns, being ruled by some mere man (even the best man ever) does not truly bring about the Kingdom of God. If having Jesus as our King is going to actually usher in the Kingdom of God, then it is essential that Jesus himself be divine.

The preeminence of Jesus is a scandal to most people, and there is an ongoing effort to deny that Jesus was anything more than a great man. However, if the divinity of Jesus is untrue, then the gulf between God and humanity remains. The fact that Jesus is the incarnation of the eternal Word of God is not a matter of dry theological speculation. That the eternal Word is united to human flesh in the person Jesus is essential to our redemption, since it is in this unification that God and humanity are reconciled.

Of course, the declaration that Jesus of Nazareth is the incarnation of the Word of God remains a matter of faith. There are signs (including Jesus’ miracles and teachings) that point to Jesus’ divinity, but it cannot be proven. There is not some “standard of divinity” that we can devise and apply to Jesus. It is by faith in Jesus – by entrusting ourselves to Him – that we know that He is indeed the Son of God who brings about our salvation.

What, then, is the relationship of Jesus to all the great moral teachers and religious figures? This question has been asked since the beginning of Christianity, and Jesus himself was faced with it. Perhaps the greatest religious teacher and contemporary of Jesus was John the Baptist. Despite John’s greatness, it is said of him that “he himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.” (John 1:8)

We can take what is said of John the Baptist and apply it to all great teachers and religious figures. Even the greatest of them serve only to point to the true light, Jesus. Insofar as they fulfill that role, such people are not to be despised. However, they must remain in their proper place. Even Moses, perhaps the greatest man in Jewish history, is subordinate to Jesus. We read in Hebrews 3:3, “Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.”

As Peter said in his sermon, there is salvation in no one but Jesus Christ. This is not some declaration with which Christians are to brow-beat others. The moment we take such a declaration and begin feeling smug about ourselves, we have driven out the Spirit of Christ and forfeited the salvation of which we speak. Nevertheless, the declaration remains true. Jesus Christ – whom we meet in Holy Communion, and whose body is the Church – is the only one in whom we find the joy of salvation. It is in Jesus that humanity is reconciled with God, and it is by Jesus’ reign in our hearts that the Kingdom of God is truly at hand.