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 before you whole…Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
—Acts 4:10, 12
After Pentecost, the paralytic was healed through Peter and John at the gate of the temple. It was “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” that they said to him, “Rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). As the people in their amazement ran to them, Peter declared that it was the name of Jesus that had healed the man.
As a result of this miracle and of Peter’s discourse, many people who had heard the Word believed. (See Acts 4:4.)The next day, Peter repeated these words before the Sanhedrin: “By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…doth this man stand here before you whole”; and then he added, “There is none other name under heaven…whereby we must be saved.” This statement of Peter declares to us that the name of Jesus both heals and saves.
Peter clearly stated this to the Sanhedrin where, having spoken of healing, he went on to speak of salvation by Christ. (See Acts 4:10, 12.) Salvation will not be complete for us until our bodies enjoy the full redemption of Christ. Shouldn’t we believe in this work of redemption here below? Even here on earth, the health of our bodies is a fruit of the salvation that Jesus has acquired for us.
We see that health, as well as salvation, is to be obtained by faith. The tendency of man is to bring about his own salvation by his works, and it is only with difficulty that he comes to receive it by faith. But when it is a question of healing, he has more difficulty in seizing it. It is much easier for him to accept well-known, earthly remedies for his body. Why, then, should he seek divine healing?
God grants healing to glorify the name of Jesus. Let us seek to be healed by Jesus, so that His name may be glorified. It is the will of God to glorify His Son in the church, and He will do it wherever He finds faith. God is ready to manifest the power of His Son, and to do it in striking ways in bodies as well as in souls. Let us believe it for ourselves; let us believe it for others. Let us give ourselves to believe with firm faith in the power of the name of Jesus. Let us ask great things in His name, counting on His promise, and we will see that God still does wonders by the name of His holy Son.