No Compromise

We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.
–Acts 4:20

The religious leaders in Acts 4 had a problem. Peter and John were proclaiming the name of Jesus. Christianity was exploding. So the religious leaders arrested Peter and John and “commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (v. 18). But Peter and John refused to back down. They said, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (vv. 19–20). They were saying, “You’re free to debate all day about whether we ought to obey you or obey God, but we know what we’re going to do.”

It would have been understandable for Peter and John to say, “We don’t want to give up our platform and our influence in the world. So we’ll compromise and talk about God without using the name of Jesus.” No, they understood there is something special about the name of Jesus.

In May 2018, I was invited to lead the opening prayer for the dedication of the new US embassy in Jerusalem. The day before the event, a politician criticized the president for inviting me to lead this prayer because I had said that Jews can’t be saved apart from Jesus Christ. I spent all night answering questions for the media. Would I pray in the name of Jesus and embarrass our country? The next morning, as I stood before the media and the Israeli officials, I was nervous. I could have tried to be less offensive by not mentioning Jesus. But I decided to close my prayer, “In the name and the spirit of the Prince of Peace, Jesus our Lord, amen.”

I don’t share this story to paint myself as a hero. There have been other times in my life when I have fallen short. But my point is that we cannot compromise when it comes to the name of Jesus. Acts 4:12 says, “There is salvation in no one else.” If we waffle on this truth, we might as well give up on Christianity.

Some people say, “Why does it matter? We all worship the same God.” No. The true God, Yahweh, is revealed in God’s inspired, inerrant Word. Yahweh has a Son, Jesus Christ, and there is salvation in no one else. We cannot compromise when it comes to this truth.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “No Other Name,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

“US Embassy Jerusalem Dedication Ceremony,” May 14, 2018, posted by Trump White House Archived, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_SvNrLbL7w.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.