Scripture: Acts 4:12
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men, by which we must be saved."
Eric Steven Reamer... Eric S. Reamer... E. S. Reamer... ESR... Oh, hi! You caught me playing around with various combinations of my name. Have you ever done anything like that? Not playing with combinations of "my name", but of yours? For as long as I can remember, I have made it a point to include, at the very least, my middle initial in almost all my signatures and at the end of all my correspondence.
You see, (no offense intended to my parents), but I have never really "liked" the name, Eric. I don't know why... maybe it's a "grass is always greener..." effect. But, my middle name - THAT's a different story! I have always LOVED the name, Steven. For some reason, I always thought the name Steven was, "cool". Those who know me, know that I am far from the commonly accepted definition of "cool", except, perhaps, when I am up on stage, performing.
However, it got me thinking, if my middle name is so very important to me, there must be others in the world that place a high value on their names, and/or the names of others. Being a businessman for more than a decade, I am well aware of the factual statistic that the most beautiful sounding word to any other person, is that of their own name. Call someone by their name, and instantly you have their attention. It is a symbol of recognition that subconsciously, we all love to hear.
But my Bible tells me that there is one name that is more important than any other under Heaven. The setting is serious: Peter and John, the disciples of Christ, were being held by the Sanhedren, the church rulers of the day, and being asked to account for their actions, which had led more than 5,000 men to become saved.
Peter, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, spoke out the name of Jesus, as being the one and only name by which men must be saved. (Acts 4:8-12)
I think the statement in verse 12 is fairly straightfoward, and does not need too much by way of explanation. However, I do wish to draw out a couple of points that interest me in the passage in question.
First, I feel it necessary to explain from what it is we are being "saved". We are being saved from our sin. The Bible is clear in Romans 3:23 that ALL have sinned, and fallen short of God's glory. It is also clear that the wages, or payment for that sin is death (Romans 6:23a). This is spiritual death, not physical - and we are discussing consequences on an eternal basis here. So, it is from sin, and the eternal consequences of sin, that we MUST be saved.
And the second point I would make is simply that... we MUST be saved. This is not an issue of convenience, it is an issue of critical importance. We MUST call upon the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth in order to bring to completion (or, as the New Testament puts it, "perfection") that which we were created to do.
Remember the song, "Looking for love in all the wrong places"? (Wow... THAT dates me!) Well, unless people are looking for salvation in the name of Jesus, they will be terribly disappointed - eternally so. Salvation is not found at the bottom of a bottle. It is not found in the lyrics of a top 40 song. It is not even found in the arms of another... No, salvation can only be found in the name of Jesus!
So, WHAT'S in a name? Depends upon the name... if it is "Jesus Christ", then the answer is eternal salvation, and an eternity in Heaven. If it's "Eric S. Reamer", then the value is RADICALLY reduced!
Copyright © 1996 Eric S. Reamer, all rights reserved