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NASB | Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 1:5 He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will-- |
Subject: Die unexposed to Jesus no redemption? |
Bible Note: "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-12 ESV) "Peter's words here are clear; 'there is no name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.' This means that the only way anyone will ever heaven is through the name of Jesus. What does this mean: "First, it means that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. Given the OT background to Peter's assertion here, there is no doubt that in Jesus of Nazareth, God's promised righteousness and salvation is revealed. There will be no one in heaven who is not trusting in Jesus Christ and in him alone. For it is only through the redemption purchased for us by Christ -- in his sinless life and sacrificial death -- and through faith in him (i.e. in his name) that sin can be forgiven, and that men and women can be accounted righteous. There is no other way. "Second, those so-called evangelicals ... who argue that men and women are saved through the name of Jesus, but that there are many roads to Jesus (i.e., the 'faith principle' found in the various world religions), do not have a leg to stand on. It is Paul who explicitly makes this point in Romans 10 when he says, 'How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?' It is clear from texts like Acts 4:12, that Christianity makes an exclusive truth claim to be the only true religion, and that we cannot remove the scandal of the cross, simply because it is such an offense to democratic Americans who think all religions are good, since they contribute to the public morality. But the Scripture says that there is only one way to God, and because in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, all races, tribes and tongues, are called to embrace God's only savior. Indeed, the multitude before the throne, worshiping the only Savior come from every race and tribe upon the earth. "Beloved, there is no way to heaven but through the sinless life and sacrificial death of Jesus. This exclusive claim is not bad news, or a sign of God's narrowness. In fact, the cross is the picture of God's love for a sinful and fallen world, for through the cross God was reconciling sinners unto himself, and through the preaching of that cross, God freely gives salvation in Jesus Christ, the only name under heaven whereby men may be saved." --Dr. Kim Riddlebarger "It comes as a shock to many people, therefore, when they read the words of Jesus: 'I am the way...no one comes to the Father but by me.' Or when they read the words of Peter in an early Christian sermon: 'There is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.' It may be offensive to the modern western mind-set, but the Christianity of the New Testament claims to be the unique and exclusive way of salvation." --Reverend Brian Maiden |