Week 2, Day 4. Acts 4:1—12

In this story the author uses the word “save” to describe what has been done to the lame man healed in 3:1—10. Gonzalez assumes that what the author meant by “save” was to “give meaning to life.” Does Gonzalez’s view fit the context of that healing story?

What do you think the author meant by writing,

There is no salvation through anyone else; in all the world no other name has been granted to mankind by which we can  be saved (4:12)

Does the traditional evangelical interpretation of salvation fit the context here? Peter’s comment comes in his defense before his accusers, who have questioned him and John about their healing of a lame man (3:1—10). Does that story of healing say anything about the lame man’s relationship with God? Would it make any sense to propose that this is what Peter means by “saved” in 4:12?

How would our interpretation of the healing story and of Peter’s defense be different if we understood what Luke meant by “save” to have more to do with healing, wholeness, and empowerment than with a personal spiritual experience?