Other Names for Sin and Salvation - Part 5

References:

(1) Some will object that it’s extremely NARROW-MINDED for God to have only provided JUST ONE WAY to heaven. But, frankly, in light of mankind’s DEPRAVITY and REBELLION against God, it’s extremely BROAD-MINDED for GOD to provide us with ANY WAY to heaven at all. We deserve JUDGEMENT, but God gives us the WAY OF ESCAPE from judgment (1 Cor. 10:13) by sending His one-and-only Son to die for our sins. Whether someone sees this as narrow or broad, it’s the TRUTH nevertheless.

(2) In his book Tactics Greg Koukl asks this question: “Have you ever considered that if Jesus was WRONG about being the ONLY WAY of salvation, it’s difficult to call Him a good man, a prophet, or a wise religious leader.”

(3) These questions are pertinent: Who will actually enter God’s kingdom? How can I guarantee that I’m going to heaven?

(4) I John 5:11-13). Here is how I view these 3 verses: the PRIZE is eternal life; it is wrapped up in a PACKAGE, in the person of Jesus Christ, and what He accomplished on the cross. If we want the prize, then we will have to accept the package it comes in. It is like if I place a $100 bill in my Bible as a prize. If you want to get the prize, then we will have to accept the package it comes in. It is like if I place a $100 bill in my Bible as a prize. If you want to get the $100 bill, you will have to receive the Bible it is wrapped in.

(5) What then does “His NAME” in John 1:12 and 1 John 5:13 imply? Jesus is “the Son of God” whose name the apostle John refers to in these passages. John, a devoted disciple of the Lord, consistently emphasized the importance of believing in Jesus, the Son of God who came to earth in the flesh.

(6) The name Jesus is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Yeshua, which is etymologically linked to the name Joshua. The meaning of the name is “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” Names held great significance in ancient times, and it is no accident that the Son of God was given the name Jesus. He is our Savior, the Lord who brings salvation, as declared in Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in NO ONE ELSE, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given to mankind by which we must be SAVED.”

(7) It is not solely the name that holds importance, but the Person behind it. Yeshua was a common name among Jewish men, but the Son of God adopted this common name to reveal His purpose. When we invoke the name of Jesus, we refer specifically to the divine Messiah who redeemed us through His blood, fulfilling the angel’s prophecy to Joseph in Matt. 1:21, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

(8) Faith in Jesus is the ONLY means of going to heaven. Those who have faith in Him and what He accomplished on the cross are guaranteed to get there. The key question is: Do you trust in Jesus and in what He did on the cross for your salvation? I pray that you have.

This is episode 183.