Is Jesus really the only way to God?

Hauled before the Sanhedrin for healing a lame man and preaching the resurrection, Peter — the same man who had denied Christ three times — now stands firm. In this study of Acts 4, Dr. Toby Holt shows how the ruling council demands to know "by what power or by what name" the apostles have acted, and Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, gives them the name: "Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead." The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone — and, Peter declares, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Dr. Holt draws out the apologetic edge of this exclusive claim. The world prefers "all roads lead to heaven," because it does not offend — but to affirm Christ while validating every path that denies Him is, he says, to betray Jesus with a kiss. Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). The claim was hated in Jerusalem, and it is hated now; but the singular question remains: have you trusted the one name that saves?

Questions this study answers:

1. What are the implications of "no other name" for other religions? That salvation is found in Christ alone. Peter's claim excludes every other path; to say all roads lead to God is to deny the very gospel the apostles died to proclaim.

2. What did this exclusive claim mean to Peter's audience? It confronted a works-based religion with the truth that no ancestry, ritual, or checklist can save — only the crucified and risen Christ whom they had rejected.

3. Why does such a claim provoke opposition? Because an exclusive Savior offends a culture that prizes inclusivity. The claim was rejected in the first century and is rejected today — which is exactly what Jesus said would happen.

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." — Acts 4:12 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This study is part of New Geneva Theological Seminary's teaching on apologetics and defending the Christian faith. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.