Friday, December 30, 2011

The Holy Name of Jesus


XVIII. Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ.
They also are to be had accursed that presume to say, That every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved. (The Articles of Religion)

When people ask me what my faith is I reply, ‘I am a Christian!’ I do not say I am Anglican or Episcopalian or Protestant or Catholic. I am a Christian.

To say I am Christian is to say I am not a Buddhist, nor a Muslim, nor a Hindu nor a Jew. Our Articles of Religion are quite clear, “only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.”

Why did Jesus come to us at all? Because we must be saved! Saved from what? From the fires of hell! And how does He do this? He imputes His righteousness into us exchanging it for our sins and their penalty. (2 Cor. 5:21, Is. 53:6) Buddha cannot do it. Mohammed cannot do it. Krishna cannot do it. And we cannot do it!

As St. Paul writes:

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)

So the next time someone says to you is doesn’t make a difference what one believes, remind them of the consequences of sin and the only hope for salvation that can be found in Jesus alone.

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