Christ alone! / ¡Sólo Cristo!
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Introduction
Introduction
In the month of October we have considered great truths of the Reformation. These are wonderful truths that recovered the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ:
Scripture alone - Sólo la Escritura
Grace alone - Sólo por medio de la gracia
Faith alone - Sólo por medio de la fe
Today we consider a 4th truth that was recovered during the Protestant Reformation - Christ alone.
This truth speaks to the reality that it is by Christ alone that we are saved. There are no other saviors. Jesus is the one and only savior. He is the unique Son of God who became man.
We will consider this truth by looking at where we learn about what happened after Peter and John had prayed for the healing of the paralytic in . We will consider the following headings:
The miracle
The accusation against Peter and John
The message: Christ alone saves!
I. The miracle / El milagro
I. The miracle / El milagro
God performed a marvellous miracle in .
There was a paralytic man that begged every day for money at the entrance of the temple. He had been paralyzed from birth ().
When Peter and John approach the man he was expecting to beg from them and hopefully receive something. Luke records Peter and John’s reaction
When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.
Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
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.”
Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
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.”
Pedro, con Juan, mirándolo fijamente, le dijo:
—¡Míranos!
El hombre fijó en ellos la mirada, esperando recibir algo.
—No tengo plata ni oro—declaró Pedro—, pero lo que tengo te doy. En el nombre de Jesucristo de Nazaret, ¡levántate y anda!
2.
The Lord did an impossible miracle in this man.
Acts 3:7
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.
Y tomándolo por la mano derecha, lo levantó. Al instante los pies y los tobillos del hombre cobraron fuerza. De un salto se puso en pie y comenzó a caminar. Luego entró con ellos en el templo con sus propios pies, saltando y alabando a Dios. Cuando todo el pueblo lo vio caminar y alabar a Dios, lo reconocieron como el mismo hombre que acostumbraba pedir limosna sentado junto a la puerta llamada Hermosa, y se llenaron de admiración y asombro por lo que le había ocurrido.
Surely this kind of miracle would cause a great commotion in Jerusalem.
This is where Luke introduces us to the legal accusation against Peter and John.
II. The accusations against Peter and John / Las acusaciones contra Pedro y Juan
II. The accusations against Peter and John / Las acusaciones contra Pedro y Juan
The accusations against Peter and John are very serious as they have been brought by “priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees” (4:1).
Peter and John are preaching to the people that have just witnessed this marvelous miracle. Why are the religious leaders in Israel so upset?
Acts 4:
They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
Estaban muy disgustados porque los apóstoles enseñaban a la gente y proclamaban la resurrección, que se había hecho evidente en el caso de Jesús.
They are upset simply because of the message they are preaching. They were proclaiming that the Lord Jesus, who was crucified 2-3 months before, had risen from the dead by the power of God.
This is the message that was so upsetting to the religious establishment.
Let us not forget that this was the same council that had judged the Lord Jesus Christ and put him to death 2-3 months earlier.
But the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will not be interrupted. God will continue to save people. God will continue to work the miracle of salvation in people’s lives. For this reason we read:
Acts 4
But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.
Pero muchos de los que oyeron el mensaje creyeron, y el número de éstos, contando sólo a los hombres, llegaba a unos cinco mil.
What is the message that they believed? They believed the message that Jesus is the savior, that Jesus died on the cross, and that God rose Jesus from the dead. It was a 100% Christ-centered sermon. No stories, no jokes, no gimmicks, it was a 100% gospel saturated Christ-centered sermon.
It is now the next day and Peter and John are being interrogated and asked “By what power or what name did did you do this?” (4:7).
Let us put ourselves in the sandals of Peter and John. They are being interrogated by the same council that declared that Jesus deserved to die. Peter and John could easily have been sent to their deaths. They could have faced crucifixion for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And yet, they do not cower in fear. They do not fear any of these men. Jesus had promised them that the Holy Spirit would give them the necessary words when facing these kinds of circumstances.
“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
»Cuando los hagan comparecer ante las sinagogas, los gobernantes y las autoridades, no se preocupen de cómo van a defenderse o de qué van a decir, porque en ese momento el Espíritu Santo les enseñará lo que deben responder.»
For this reason we are told that Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (4:8).
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), .
III. The message: Christ alone saves / El mensaje: Sólo Cristo salva
III. The message: Christ alone saves / El mensaje: Sólo Cristo salva
The New International Version Chapter 12
11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
Peter cannot understand the reason for their anger and rejection of the man’s healing “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,” (4:8-9).
Peter continues his message, full of the Holy Spirit:
Acts 4:
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.
Sepan, pues, todos ustedes y todo el pueblo de Israel que este hombre está aquí delante de ustedes, sano gracias al nombre de Jesucristo de Nazaret, crucificado por ustedes pero resucitado por Dios.
Notice that Peter will give an account as to how this man was healed. They are asking for an answer. Well, Peter full of the Holy Spirit will respond with certainty and great authority.
This man has been healed by the power of God.
It is “Jesus Christ of Nazareth” who was crucified by these men; he is the same who God raised from the dead. It is the risen Lord Jesus Christ who healed this man.
Peter wants them to understand that a dead Jesus certainly could not have done this. If Jesus were dead there is no way, there is no possibility that he could have healed this man. Yet, because Jesus rose from the dead by the power of God - he did in fact heal this man’s body.
Then Peter quotes a verse from
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
La piedra que desecharon los constructores
ha llegado a ser la piedra angular.
This verse uses an image of a construction site. There are many stones that are being used for a grand building. There is a stone that time and time again is being set aside because it will not fit, it is either too small or too large.
Now, when the building is complete there is one more stone needed for one of the corners. Someone goes to retrieve the stone that no one has used. It has been rejected over and over.
But surprisingly the stone fits perfectly. It was despised and rejected and now it is the most important stone, it is now a stone that has been placed in the most prominent place.
The same is with the Lord Jesus Christ. He was rejected since his birth. He was born amongst the filth and darkness of a cave where animals would sleep the night.
Jesus was rejected during his 33 years of earthly ministry.
On one occasion in his hometown of Nazareth, after reading the scroll of the prophet Isaiah the Bible says the towns people got up and were about to push him off a cliff to kill him.
He was certainly rejected during his trial before the high priest and Pilate.
He was even rejected by many of his own disciples while he hung on the cross.
Nevertheless, he was the chosen one of God. He was the chosen one to be our prophet, or priest, and our king. Jesus Christ is the savior of all those who would believe. Jesus Christ is the one and only savior.
For this reason, Peter goes on to declare the apostolic message of the New Testament Church:
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
De hecho, en ningún otro hay salvación, porque no hay bajo el cielo otro nombre dado a los hombres mediante el cual podamos ser salvos.
This is the message of the Protestant Reformation declaration of “Solus Christus” - There is salvation in Christ alone.
There is no other name, there is no other savior, there is no other way. Jesus Christ is the only savior. We cannot be saved by any other means.
The declaration that Jesus Christ is the only savior means:
The church does not save us
The saints do not save us
Our works cannot save us
Being the children of grandchildren of Christians does not save us
We cannot save ourselves
There is no salvation in any man-made religion
Christ is the one and only savior.
Our baptist does not save us
This declaration is found all throughout the Bible:
This declaration is found all throughout the Bible:
So, if we believe Christ alone is the savior of all those who believe we must:
Examine ourselves to see if we have believed in the Lord Jesus. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today. Ask God to forgive you of your sins.
Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If Christ is the only savior then we must preach the name of Jesus to all those who would listen.
Jesus declared:
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
—Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida—le contestó Jesús—. Nadie llega al Padre sino por mí.