The Gospel for which the martyrs died

The Holy Bible says, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

These words were spoken by a poor and friendless Christian, in the midst of a persecuting Jewish Council. It was a grand confession of Jesus Christ. These words were spoken by the Apostle Peter who a few weeks before had forsaken Jesus and fled: the very man who three times had denied his Lord. Now he stands boldly before priests and Sadducees and tells them the truth to their face - "Neither is there salvation in any other".

No one can be saved from sin - its guilt, its power and its consequences, except by Jesus Christ.

No one can have have peace with God the Father, obtain pardon in this world, and escape the wrath to come in the next, except through the redeeming work and mediation of Jesus Christ. Christ's merit alone can give us a title to heaven.

There is no other person commissioned and appointed by God the Father to be the Saviour of sinners.

The keys of eternal Life and Death are committed to His hand and all who would be saved must go to Him.

We are to venture the whole salvation of our souls on Christ, and on Christ only. We are not to rest partly on Christ and partly on doing all we can ourselves. In the matter of our soul's salvation Christ is to be all.

Heaven is before us and Christ is the only door into it; hell is beneath us and Christ alone is able to deliver from it.

All of our thoughts, words, ways and actions are defective and imperfect. There is no country on the face of the globe where sin does not reign. There is not one happy valley or secluded island where innocence is to be found. The most solitary islands when first discovered have been found to be full of impurity, cruelty and idolatry. The footprints of the Devil may be traced on every shore. Human nature is so tainted and corrupt that no man is fit for heaven. Left to himself, no man could be saved. Man's case is hopeless without a Saviour. There must be a Mediator, Advocate and Mighty Saviour to make such poor sinful beings acceptable with God and there is no other than Jesus Christ.

The more any man considers calmly what God really is, the more he must feel the immeasurable distance between God and himself. God is perfect and he imperfect; if ever he is to stand before Him in judgement with comfort, he must have some mighty Helper, or he is lost.

With such a great and mighty God to give account to, we must have a mighty Saviour.

To give us peace with such a glorious being as God we must have an almighty Mediator, Friend and Advocate on our side, who can answer every charge that can be laid against us and plead our cause with Almighty God on equal terms. And such a Saviour, Friend and Advocate is nowhere to be found except in the person of Jesus Christ.

All through the Bible from Genesis down to Revelation there is only one simple account of the way in which man must be saved. It is always the same! Only for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ - through faith; not for our own works and deservings. One golden chain runs through the whole Bible - no salvation but by Jesus Christ! The revelation of this truth is the grand object of the Bible and all of the different parts and portions of this wonderful book are meant to pour light on it. The Bible contains no ideas of pardon and peace with God except in connection with this truth. If I could read of one soul in the Bible who was saved without faith in the Saviour I might perhaps not speak so confidently. But when I see that faith in Christ, whether as a coming Christ or a crucified Christ, who was the prominent feature in the religion of ALL who went to heaven from Abel in Genesis chapter 4 to the glorified saints in Revelation chapter 7 then I see no salvation, no way to heaven, except by and through Christ. There is no possible salvation without Christ!

There are very many today who have a Christless religion. The god of such people is an idol of their own invention and not the glorious God of the Scriptures. Let us ever beware of a religion without Christ!

Let us ever beware of the least attempt to depreciate and undervalue Christ's person, offices or work. The name whereby alone we can be saved is a name above every name and the slightest contempt poured upon it is an insult to the King of Kings. The salvation of the souls of His people has been laid by God the Father on Christ and no other. If He were not God Himself He could never accomplish it and there could be no salvation at all.

IT IS A VERY GREAT EVIL AND ERROR TO ADD ANYTHING TO CHRIST AS BEING NECESSARY TO SALVATION

A religion that adds anything to Christ, or a religion that puts sincerity in the place of Jesus Christ, is dangerous and eternally damning.

We must not go to priests, confessors, penances, absolutions or masses. We must not turn to Mary or the "saints". These can neither make us safe nor add to our safety in Jesus Christ, as the Bible makes quite clear. We must not turn to any church or religious body. Nothing must come between the poor lost sinner and the Saviour!

"Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

(A slightly-modified version of the text that the Protestant Alliance uses on its County Show leaflets. Used with permission.)