The significance of Jesus’ name was not lost on His first followers. Having been called to account by the rulers and authorities in what name or authority they were healing and teaching, Peter responded by unashamedly identifying that it was all the name of Jesus. He did not however stop there but boldly proclaimed that, in fact, “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Only the name of Jesus.

Matthew tells us that the Father gave the name Jesus to the Son precisely for this reason – because He’d save His people from their sins. When Joseph discovered his fiance Mary was with a child from the Holy Spirit he considered divorcing her quietly until he was visited by an angel of The Lord instructing him not to. The angel continued to explain, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21). The name Jesus or Yeshua (transliterated from Hebrew and Aramaic) is a combination of Ya, (for Yahweh, the name of Israel’s God); and the verb yasha, meaning “rescue,” “deliver,” or “save.” The name Jesus therefore means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” It not only identified Him (as a name naturally does) but also spoke of His mission and power to accomplish it.

Hence the promise in Acts from the Old Testament that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21

No exception. Everyone.

All they need do is call on His name in faith. No other name – only the name of Jesus and all who call upon His name shall be saved.

Salvation IS in the name of Jesus and in HIS name alone.

Such was the boldness and authority these uneducated, common men spoke with about this powerful name that their testimony caused the authorities even more concern leading them to eventually issue a warning. So they decided to charge the apostles “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 4:18). In other words, they sought to shut them up. The power in the name of Jesus to heal and restore the sick, to transform and empower uneducated, common men into bold witnesses and to secure eternal salvation for the entire human race scared them stiff.

Acts 4:17 – 18          But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name. So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

This singular, intense, focused, and unapologetic proclamation and centring on the name of Jesus characterised the early church unsettling and disturbing her opponents.

It is this same focus and centring on Jesus that will continue to unsettle and disturb enemies of the cross even today – the name of Jesus alone that God the Father bestowed on the Son that is above every other name and at which every name will bow and every tongue confess His Lordship to the glory of God.

It is disturbing and unsettling for those who have a different agenda and are resistant to Christ – For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. And who is competent for this? 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 

Has the church today possibly diminished the power of God in Jesus to save by speaking about Him less and proclaiming Him even lesser still? Like the first church, we too need to recover and maintain an unwavering focus on and fearlessly uphold “the only name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

This is the church’s mission even today – to proclaim the name of Jesus – the only name that saves.

In the next blog we will look at and learn from the apostle’s response to the command by the authorities to speak no more to anyone in the name of Jesus.