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God’s Effectual Work of Salvation

(Acts 4:10-12)

10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom ye crucified, Whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the Stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the Head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

1.) God effectually works salvation IN SPITE OF the opposition of men. As Peter was preaching to those gathered by God at the healing of the lame man (the people-v.1), the religious leaders were grieved over the message from Peter. What was the offense? V. 2- They were grieved (troubled, offended), first that they taught the people (because they were not associated with the religious leaders and their traditions, and second, they preached through Jesus, the resurrection from the dead. Here is an example of the kind of opposition that preaching the cross of Christ engenders by religious works mongers, who will not have the LORD Jesus receive all the glory in salvation.

Yet, all the while they were exercising their will in arresting Peter and John, God was working in, though, and by their opposition. First, in that the Seed was already sown and ‘many of them which heard the WORD (Christ) believed…about five thousand,’ v. 4. The Seed was already sown in the hearts of THE MANY, whom God had chosen from eternity (Acts 13:48) and for whom the LORD Jesus had already paid their debt, and God the Father justified, once for all by His own precious blood (Mark 10:45). What God has purposed, and the LORD Jesus accomplished, the Spirit of God does most certainly draw to Him savingly in faith. Second, in that the LORD was directing through their opposition for Peter and John to have an unusual opportunity to preach Christ before the Sanhedrin (ruling body of 70 leaders over the Jewish religion). Here is a reminder that all men, angels, devils, and circumstances are directed by the sovereign Hand of God (Acts 2:23)