"There is no other name on heaven and earth by which men might be saved other than the name Augustus Caesar."
This sounds strangely familiar. Is he mocking the scriptures? Doesn't the scripture say something similar to this?
He is mocking the scriptures, but he is not guilty of plagiarizing. Peter is. Peter took Caesar's statement and revised it to proclaim the truth found in Acts 4:12 -
"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Peter's declaration was a declaration of war between Christ and Caesar. Either men were saved by the name of Christ or by the name of Caesar. Both Christ and Caesar agreed if it was their name, then there was no other. However Caesar is a man and therefore a liar.
Look at the reaction to Peter's war declaration:
- Acts 4:13-18 - 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” 18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
Do you think that the authorities in Jerusalem were concerned about their own safety in regards to Peter's declaration of war with their civil ruler? You bet they were, so much so that they command them to never speak or teach in the name of Jesus again.
According to Paul, aren't they disqualified at this point from preaching the Gospel?
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