Acts 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 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.
After Adam and Eve sinned, satan then became the de facto leader of the human race, and he did put a stranglehold on the entire human family. Thus, God would have us understand, that satan only buckles under pressure that is exerted by Christ. It is true that God offered to humanity the freedom from this tyrannical leader, but emancipation is only accessed through Christ alone.
It is true that Christ’s death on Calvary forever put the devil into reverse gear, yet the raw facts on the ground certainly make it manifest that many people are still in bondage. Thus, the question is: How can this be? How could billions of individuals still be in bondage, when Jesus has already come and done what was necessary to set the captives free? This question begs of another:
Is it possible for a decent law abiding citizen of earth who is well behaved, well educated, and has great credit, to be still in captivity to man’s nemesis? As a general rule, when Jesus speaks of deliverance He is referring to breaking the yoke of sin, by which humanity has been bound to satan, referred to as the person, later on in our study. This is the reason why the breaking off of many bad habits, in and of itself, does not necessarily constitute the Scriptural deliverance Christ speaks of.
Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at naught 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.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!