The Cornerstone

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE CORNERSTONE 

Acts 4:1-12

4:1 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed. The number of men grew to about five thousand. 5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?" 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'   12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

NIV

Why were these religious men greatly disturbed when the apostles taught about the resurrection of the dead? We know the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, which is confusing because they were supposed to believe in God. They had all the words of the Prophets who foretold the Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled that role. But as Peter told them, they rejected Jesus, yet He became the capstone, or cornerstone, as he quoted the Psalm. In the days when buildings were made of stone, the builders would set the cornerstone, and everything would be built square to it. The cornerstone is the foundation of the whole building. That is what Peter was telling Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John,Alexander, and all the other men of the high priest's family. Jesus is the cornerstone; everything is built on him. There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Salvation is found only in the name of Jesus. There is no Jesus plus anything, and because it was proven by eyewitnesses that Jesus was raised from the dead, and that after appearing to many over forty days, he ascended right before their eyes into the cloud. In the name of Jesus is where everything is. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, the only life. He is the Light who shines into the darkness, leading people to eternal life. We cannot add anything to Jesus for salvation. We cannot earn it by doing anything good, for there is only One who is good. We cannot accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and think we must do more to be a "Good Christian", because there is only One who is good, for that is what Jesus told that rich young man who wanted to know what good thing he must do to have eternal life. In the name of Jesus is the only way. There is no other way. Jesus is the prime number; nothing can be added or subtracted from a prime number. If we added or subtracted from a prime number, it would no longer be prime. We cannot add or subtract from Jesus. How can we do anything to add to Jesus? The truth of the message is that when we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we are saved, period, end of story. That is what Peter was telling them, as he was filled with the Spirit. All power, all healings, all miracles, everything is done through the name of Jesus. He is our cornerstone. "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; No merit of my own I claim but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.