If we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. (Acts 4:9-10)

When Peter and John were brought before the Jewish Council to explain the healing of the lame man they had encountered in the Temple (Acts 3-4), they made it clear that it was not by their own power or skill that the man had been healed, but rather, it was the power of Jesus — and in His name alone — that the man was made well.

Peter and John had every opportunity to take credit for themselves. These disciples, who had both followed along with Jesus after his arrest, had  been witnesses to the Lord’s suffering and death. These same two were among the first to run to the tomb in response to the witness of Mary, who told them of the empty tomb. Peter and John were among those who experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and had boldly announced the Good News to people of many nations, when earlier, they hid in silence.  Now, through them, the Holy Spirit was actually working miracles of healing similar to those performed by Jesus himself!

It would have been easy, at that point, for Peter and John to talk about the spiritual progress they had made as disciples. In a very short time, they had advanced from doubt and wonder to certainty and conviction, surpassing the other disciples of lesser faith, who had no such miracles about which to boast.

Yet Peter and John did not boast. The made no claim to progress or power. Instead, they denied that they had accomplished anything. They said that Jesus’ name had done it all. Scripture tells us:

When Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus… To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. (Acts 3:12-13,16)

In this story, Scripture gives us another example of how Sanctification really happens in our lives as disciples of Christ.  Too often, we like to speak of our discipleship in terms of moral progress and of our efforts to become “better” Christians. The more we accomplish, the more apparent we can be in showing the effects of our ministry, the higher on the “leader’s board” we can get … and by comparison, show how much further ahead of others we are in our discipleship.

Ironically, in the lives of the disciples in Scripture, the opposite is true. It seems the greater the ministry, the further the outreach, and the more miraculous the results – the less credit they took for themselves, and the more they gave to Jesus. They had learned the lesson that discipleship is a not a personal step-ladder to attain spiritual heights, but rather, it is coming to better appreciation for how God alone is the source of our strength and power. Like Peter and John, we are simply the living “means of grace” that God uses to accomplish his purpose to bring glory to His name.

To put this in terms of the Second Commandment, and what it means that we should “not take the name of the Lord our God in vain” – it means that we who bear the name of Christ take no credit for ourselves but give all glory to his name. It means that as people of faith we do not boast of our own power or piety, but bear witness to the name of the One who is at work in us and through us.

As disciples, we confess that “He must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30). We live our lives in His service, to His glory.  For we know that God’s name is indeed holy in itself and we pray that it may be kept holy among us.