Follow-up Archive

December 6, 2006

Witnessing to those of Jewish Heritage
by Ben Hoyer

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"Salvation is found in no one else, For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Peter spoke this now famous line some two thousand years ago. He and John had been arrested by the temple guard and the Sadducees for preaching and healing in the name of our Lord the Christ. Witnessing the healing and acknowledging that Peter and John were ordinary unschooled men who had been with Jesus the Jewish leaders.

"ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thinking from spreading any further among the people we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."

Acts 4.12-17

The relationship between first century Jewish and Gentile Christians was tenuous at times: which rituals should be maintained, which must be applied to the gentile converts, which must be abandoned by Jewish Christians. The connections between the religion that developed out of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings, and the teachings of Christ were not always clear. But one point was always clear: there is only one name under heaven by which men must be saved. For Jew and gentile alike faith in the sacrifice of the Son of God is the only way to salvation. For a variety of reasons this simple affirmation has been subtly challenged when it comes to the people of Judaism. Some understand scripture to provide an exception of the Jewish race of people.[1] Part of this confusion stems from the Apostle Paul's words in his letter to the Romans.

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