The scene in Acts 4 is electric with consequence. Peter and John stand before the Sanhedrin, Israel’s highest religious council, only weeks after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, and they refuse to soften the truth that changed them forever. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter answers the council’s question about authority by naming the risen Jesus as the source of the healing at the temple and as the cornerstone Israel’s leaders rejected, then he presses the exclusive claim that “salvation is found in no one else” because there is “no other name under heaven” by which people must be saved (Acts 4:8–12). The courage of that moment is not bluster. It is the fruit of seeing the Lord alive and receiving His Spirit, and its message still steadies the church in a world crowded with rival names (Luke 24:36–48; Acts 1:8).
Peter’s sermon is fastened to Scripture and to Israel’s hope. By quoting Psalm 118 about the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone, he locates Jesus at the center of God’s plan and calls the nation to turn while the door of mercy stands open (Psalm 118:22–24; Acts 4:11). That same note rang one chapter earlier when Peter urged Israel to repent so that “times of refreshing” might come from the Lord and He might send the Messiah appointed for them, Jesus (Acts 3:19–21). The claim is simple and searching. Jesus is the crucified and risen cornerstone. To reject Him is to stumble. To receive Him is to be saved and to be built into God’s living temple by grace (Isaiah 8:14–15; 1 Peter 2:4–6).
Words: 2755 / Time to read: 15 minutes
Historical and Cultural Background
The setting follows a public sign no one could ignore. A man lame from birth was healed at the Beautiful Gate in the name of Jesus, and he walked and leaped and praised God, drawing a crowd that heard Peter proclaim the resurrection and the identity of Jesus as God’s Servant and the Holy and Righteous One (Acts 3:1–10; Acts 3:13–16). That sermon at Solomon’s Portico called Israel to repent so that sins might be wiped out and seasons of refreshing might come, language that lifted hope beyond the colonnade and into the promises of God spoken by the prophets (Acts 3:19–21; Deuteronomy 18:15). The leaders felt the force of that witness and moved to contain it.
Luke notes that the arrest came from priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees, a party known for denying the resurrection, which explains their sharp reaction to apostolic preaching about Jesus’ rising (Acts 4:1–3; Acts 23:8). The next day, Peter and John stood before Annas and Caiaphas with the full council assembled, a room that had recently condemned Jesus and now faced His witnesses who would not be silent (Acts 4:5–7; Matthew 26:57–68). Their question was legal and theological at once: “By what power or what name did you do this?” In their world, power and name belonged together; to name the source was to declare the authority that stood behind the act (Exodus 3:13–15). Peter answered in terms the council understood and could verify.
Peter’s use of Psalm 118 fits the Second Temple context in which pilgrims sang that psalm on festival days and in which builders’ imagery carried weight for a people rebuilding identity in the shadow of empire (Psalm 118:19–29; Nehemiah 3:1–5). The phrase “the stone the builders rejected” tied directly to leaders who saw themselves as guardians of the house yet missed the cornerstone God set in place in His Messiah (Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42). By placing Jesus at the center of that text, Peter declared that God had reversed the council’s verdict. The stone they discarded now anchors the house. That claim struck at the heart of their authority while offering them the mercy that the psalm celebrates—“His love endures forever” to those who call on His name (Psalm 118:1; Acts 4:11–12).
Biblical Narrative
Luke’s account moves with a rhythm of question and answer, sign and Scripture. The council demands to know the source of the healing, and Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, replies that the man stands before them well “by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 4:8–10). He neither flatters nor rages. He states facts the council could investigate: they crucified Jesus; God raised Him; the healed man is undeniable evidence that Jesus’ power continues. The resurrection stands as God’s verdict, overturning their sentence and vindicating His Son (Acts 2:24; Romans 1:4).
Then Peter interprets the event by Scripture. “The stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone” names the council’s position and God’s action, and it turns the healing into a sign of the new construction God has begun in the risen Christ (Acts 4:11; Psalm 118:22). The temple leaders asked for authority, and Peter pointed to a foundation. The true house belongs to the One they cast aside, and He is now the measure of every claim to serve God (Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:19–21). The lame man’s restored feet are like living mortar binding new stones into a living house for God’s name (1 Peter 2:5). The council could punish the messengers, but they could not unbuild what God was raising.
Peter’s final claim is the beating heart of the passage: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). In a city where the Law was treasured and lineage honored, he announced a name beyond every other—Jesus, crucified and raised, given by God as the only way of rescue (John 14:6; Romans 10:9–13). The necessity is not cruelty. It is clarity. If only One has conquered death and borne sin, then only His name can save. The apostles would keep proclaiming that name in the streets and in homes because they “could not help speaking about what [they had] seen and heard” (Acts 4:19–20; Acts 5:41–42). Their boldness flowed from reality, not from temperament.
Theological Significance
Peter’s sermon declares that Jesus is the cornerstone God chose and set, and that all God’s saving work now aligns with Him. The image says more than that Jesus is important; it says He is the load-bearing foundation of the new house God is building, the point of alignment for every stone joined to Him by faith (Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16). To reject Him is to step outside the lines of God’s construction; to trust Him is to become part of a temple where God lives by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:20–22; 1 Peter 2:6). This stands with Jesus’ own claim that the Scripture is fulfilled in Him and that the builders who lead people astray stumble over Him while the humble find life (Luke 20:17–18; Matthew 11:28–30). The cornerstone theme protects the church from any attempt to treat Jesus as optional or to build on another base.
The exclusivity of salvation in Jesus is not narrowness for its own sake. It is the good news that God has truly provided a Savior whose death and resurrection are enough for the world (John 3:16–17; Hebrews 7:25). “No other name” does not mean that truth is stingy. It means truth has become personal in the Son, and that God now commands all people everywhere to repent and believe because He has given assurance by raising Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:30–31; Acts 4:12). In a religious climate that trusted Law-keeping and heritage, Peter’s word cut through every false refuge and invited sinners into a finished work that saves to the uttermost (Romans 3:21–26; Galatians 2:16). The gate is narrow because the cross is specific, but the invitation is wide because the cross is sufficient.
The role of the Spirit in this courage is central. Luke says Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit,” a phrase that links the bold witness in court to the promise Jesus made that the Spirit would give His people words and strength when they stood before rulers (Acts 4:8; Luke 12:11–12). The same Spirit who healed the lame man through Jesus’ name strengthened Peter to confess that name without fear, and the same Spirit still makes Jesus known through ordinary believers who speak with clarity and love (Acts 3:6; John 15:26–27). Boldness is not bravado; it is the Spirit’s fruit when Jesus is treasured and others need to hear His saving name (Acts 4:31; 2 Timothy 1:7–8).
Peter’s quotations and appeals also carry redemptive-historical weight. He had already declared that if Israel would repent, God would send the Messiah and bring promised refreshment, words that show a real offer to the nation grounded in the prophets (Acts 3:19–21; Deuteronomy 18:15). In a dispensational reading: God orders history in stages. The gospel went to Israel first, and the nation’s leaders largely refused, yet God’s promises to Israel remain firm in His plan and await a future turning when the Deliverer comes from Zion (Acts 1:8; Romans 11:25–29). Meanwhile, the church—built on the cornerstone and formed of Jew and Gentile who trust Jesus—bears witness in this present age until the Lord gathers His people and fulfills every word in His wise time (Ephesians 2:14–18; Titus 2:13). Peter’s sermon fits that pattern: a true offer, a real refusal by leaders, and a sure future under God’s irrevocable call.
The theology of “name” threads the whole scene. In Scripture, the name reveals the person and carries authority; to act “in the name” is to act under and through that person’s power (Exodus 3:14–15; Proverbs 18:10). The healed man stands as living proof that Jesus’ name is not a formula but the presence of the risen Lord at work by His Spirit (Acts 3:16; Colossians 3:17). Salvation in His name is not a slogan but the gift of union with Him who bore our sins and now lives forever. God gives that name under heaven so that sinners may call on it and be saved, and so that the church may carry it to every nation with humble courage (Romans 10:12–13; Matthew 28:18–20).
Spiritual Lessons and Application
Speak the name of Jesus with loving clarity when asked about your hope. Peter answered a direct question about power and name with a direct confession about Jesus, and the church still walks the same road in workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and courts (Acts 4:7–10; 1 Peter 3:15). Clarity is not cruelty; it is compassion. If salvation is found in no one else, then silence is not kindness to those who need that name (Acts 4:12; Romans 1:16). Pray for the Spirit to make you bold and gentle, and practice simple sentences that honor Christ and point to His finished work, trusting that God delights to use plain words from changed lives (Acts 4:31; Colossians 4:5–6).
Hold fast to the cornerstone when pressures urge compromise. The council that condemned Jesus stood before His witnesses with power to punish, and yet Peter’s feet held because they were set on a rock the council could not move (Matthew 7:24–25; Acts 4:18–20). In cultures that prize tolerance without truth, believers must learn the freedom of obeying God rather than people while honoring authorities and seeking peace whenever possible (Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1–7). The key is worship. We speak about what we have seen and heard, and hearts full of the risen Lord can endure reproach and loss for His name because His name is worth more than place or praise (Acts 4:20; Hebrews 13:13–15).
Let Scripture frame your courage. Peter did not rely on volume but on verses, and Psalm 118 gave him a clear way to interpret the hour and to call the leaders to repentance (Psalm 118:22; Acts 4:11). When confusion rises, open your Bible and anchor your words in texts that point to Jesus with light and weight. God’s word equips the church for every good work and gives ordinary saints a sturdy voice in a noisy world (2 Timothy 3:16–17; Isaiah 55:10–11). Learn the cornerstone passages by heart so that you can steady your own soul and serve others with truth when the moment comes (1 Peter 2:6–7; John 14:6).
Keep the door open to Israel with prayer and witness even as you carry the gospel to the nations. Peter’s preaching went to Israel first and held out real refreshment from the Lord, and Paul later promised a future turning by God’s mercy so that “all Israel will be saved” under the Deliverer’s hand (Acts 3:19–21; Romans 11:26–27). Pray for Jewish neighbors to see Jesus as the promised Messiah and for Gentile neighbors to abandon idols and come to the living God, because in this age God is saving people from every family through the same name and building them together on one cornerstone (Acts 14:15; Ephesians 2:19–22). Hope for Israel’s future and zeal for world mission live happily side by side.
Seek fullness of the Spirit for daily faithfulness, not only for dramatic moments. Peter’s boldness began in prayer with the church and continued as God filled them again to speak the word of God boldly, and their lives of generosity and unity bore witness alongside their words (Acts 4:23–31; Acts 4:32–35). Ask, seek, knock, and expect the Father to give the Spirit’s help to those who ask, so that your courage will be tender, your holiness warm, and your words seasoned with grace (Luke 11:13; Galatians 5:22–23). The same Lord who healed a man’s legs can strengthen your voice and your hands today.
Conclusion
Acts 4 shows the early church standing in the same city where Jesus died and saying to the same council that condemned Him that God has raised Him and set Him as the cornerstone of a house no human court can unbuild. Peter’s words cut and heal at once: “the stone you builders rejected” now anchors everything, and “salvation is found in no one else,” so come to Him and live (Acts 4:11–12; Psalm 118:22). The scene is not only history. It is a pattern for the church’s witness in every age—plain truth about Jesus from Scripture, spoken with Spirit-given courage, offered with open hands to friend and foe alike (Luke 12:11–12; 2 Corinthians 4:5–7).
This moment also stands within the wide sweep of God’s plan. The gospel went to Israel first and still invites sons and daughters of Abraham to trust the promised King, while the same message gathers Gentiles into one body built on the same cornerstone until the Lord completes His purposes and keeps His promises to Israel and to the church in His perfect order (Acts 1:8; Romans 11:28–29). Until that day, the church carries Peter’s confession into its streets and courts, unashamed of the only name that saves and eager for the mercy that forgave an enemy fisherman to reach others through our words (1 Timothy 1:15–16; Romans 10:13–15).
Boldness is not the privilege of a few. It is the calling of a people who know the risen Lord and who have the Spirit of God. When asked about power or name, answer with Jesus, the crucified and risen cornerstone. When fear whispers, pray with the saints for fresh filling and open your mouth anyway. The Lord who shook that house in Acts still strengthens His people to speak, and the name He gave under heaven still saves all who call (Acts 4:31; Acts 2:21). Let the church say the name clearly and live the truth beautifully until the day faith becomes sight.
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:29–31)
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