Act 4:11-14 “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.”
In the previous verses of this chapter, the high priest and the Sanhedrin Counsel assembled to take Peter and John to task for healing the lame man. They demanded to know by what power this miracle happened. The counsel was terribly upset that Peter had preached to the multitude the day before concerning the resurrection of Jesus. Their intention was to intimidate Peter and John and put a stop to this doctrine.
Rather than being intimidated, the scripture tells us that Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost. God did not leave any room in Peter for fear or doubt. Instead, he began to boldly proclaim again the power of Jesus and His resurrection. He called out the hypocrisy of the counsel in claiming to believe in God while at the same time rejecting His Christ.
They considered themselves to be the builders of that present time. They were what the world today would term the “movers and shakers” of the Jews religion. Yet, they had despised the very foundation stone of the word of God. It is not a wise builder who would reject the very thing that was going to make the building secure.
Researchers tell us that many Christians do not believe that Jesus is the only way to the Father. Either the Bible is true, or it is not. According to the scripture, Jesus is the only means of our salvation. We cannot save ourselves, and other men cannot save us.
There is no other name (authority) under heaven that can bring lasting salvation. No other men of renown have this ability. Peter was not afraid to tell the counsel that all their power meant nothing. Jesus alone MUST save us.
Peter and John were bold because they did not stand there in their own strength. The Holy Ghost of God filled them. The physical evidence of the authority of Jesus of Nazareth was on full display in the lame man that stood there with them. When we realize that, through our sins, we were once lame but are now whole in Jesus, we can stand with the same boldness.
The counsel knew that Peter and John were illiterate men. For this reason, they were even more amazed by the assurance and eloquence in Peter’s preaching. When the word of God is preached today by the power of the Holy Ghost, we continue to hear things spoken that we would otherwise be ignorant of. Hearing the gospel preached with power reminds us still today that these have been with Jesus.
When faced with the might of God’s presence, men cannot speak against it with any authority. The lame man stood there in their presence rendering any denial they would make ineffective. For those who have seen the power of Jesus of Nazareth and experienced the filling of the Holy Ghost, there is nothing men can do to shake that. This is true even if those men are considered builders.
May God always grant us boldness through the Holy Ghost when we have an opportunity to declare that He is still the head of the corner!
