In Jesus' Name

When we pray in Jesus' name what do we imply and implicate? It seems odd to pray to Jesus in Jesus' name but God's name is one and co-equal, but not interchangeable, and by no means do we pray presumptuously or in an overly familiar pattern like we're being best bud; however, we can pray like one of the family of God.   Jesus exhorted us to ask anything in His name in prayer (according to His will) and Paul said, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.  Does this necessitate knowing Jesus' actual, official name or title?  In  Aramaic, His name was Yeshua or Joshua as we would say it Anglicized.  Are Christians who believe in Jesus and those in Yeshua both saved and praying to the same God?  Today, many youths believe all monotheistic religions pray to the same God, just by different names.

There is nitpicking and anyone who thinks we have to get all our doctrine straightened out to be saved doesn't know the Lord.  It is vital to know to Whom we are praying and Whom we trust, not their official title or name.  The name of Jesus refers to His authority and power at the right hand of God. We may all know Christ by a different name, but what is fundamental and essential is that we know the Lord in our hearts.  Obviously, if you don't feel comfortable with a father figure, you may refrain from calling God your Father (cf. Isa. 9:6), but you have the divine right and privilege to do so, which is a status symbol in heaven.  When we command demons in Jesus' name to leave or begone, we are using His authority, not ours.  They know Jesus, not you!

We must understand that in every tongue they call Jesus by a different name by custom, though by transliteration or close pronunciation (as allowable).  The Spanish refer to Jesus, but pronounce it differently, the Germans may say Jesu, and the Swedes Jesus, but they all pronounce it quite unique to their tongue without a J sound.  What's more important, the spelling or the pronunciation then?  But we all know to whom we are referring--the only begotten Son of God!

Doctrine is important, but it's not everything and even sincerity isn't, where one's heart resides is the most vital link to eternal life.  We will be rewarded for all our deeds done in the name of Jesus, and that doesn't mean according to our perception of it, but to honor and glorify the one and only begotten Son of God.  Some will do good deeds in Christ's name but lack saving faith, simply trusting in their works, not in Christ.  To suffer for the sake of the Name is an honor, though.

The crux of the matter, then, is knowing Him, not in being a linguist!  How do we know that translating a name is copacetic with God and He doesn't forbid it?  Greek translates Hallelujah as alleluia because there's no H!   In Greek, there is no J sound!  They translate Jesus name, nevertheless with it.   With a J sound would've sounded strange to them.  

We know that translating is approved because we have the Septuagint into Greek and it was quoted by the apostles and church fathers, who even wrote in Greek.  We don't go around like Germans telling people to believe in Jesus Christus!  In German a Christian is a "Christ," and a Christ is Jesus Christus, or Jesu Christi!  Just like when immigrants come to America they usually Anglicize their names to they don't sound fresh off the boat.  Though it seems odd that Hispanics name their children Jesus, they call the Lord Senor too like we would say, Mr. Jesus!   Thus, we know the Son of God by the Anglicized name "Jesus."
  Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Name's Sake

God's reputation and character are at stake in protecting us and providing our needs, as well as the testimony we give and the salvation we receive.  For instance, if one of His promises fail, like the assurance of our salvation, God would be a liar and not the great Promise Keeper He is. For example, if we lost our salvation, God would lose His honor in keeping us.   In fact, we are not only justified while we are sinners, but God gives us the gift of righteousness in time and we are stewards of it.  We don't honor God with our righteousness, which is as filthy rags, but praise God by using His righteousness and walking in it to His glory.  Remember, we are engaged in His will doing His work, He is not doing our thing or doing what we want for our pleasure.  Bear in mind, our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to Him.  

Everything we do, say and think ought to be for His Name's sake and to His glory.  We pray in Jesus' Name, not as a formula, but to ensure that our prayers are according to His will, not ours and bring Him glory and honor, not us.   This is the essence of trust:  seeing everything through God's eyes for His will and glory, not our self-interest.  We let go of the sovereignty of our lives before we can own Him as Lord!  We must remain on track with His will daily and constantly renew the commitment because we easily go astray or go rogue unto our own paths or ruts.  Actually, habits can become ruts to get into because they may interfere with God's will and can become hindrances in our walk.  But Scripture says we have all gone astray like sheep, each to his own way (cf. Isa. 53:6).  And we all tend to do what is right in our own eyes! (Cf. Judges 17:6; 21:25).  It is vital to know that the key to staying on course is to realize it's not about us!  The key to failure and depression is to live for self and not love anyone above yourself.


We must grow up and realize that God has our best interest in mind just like a shepherd cares for and tends his sheep--we are really too stupid to map out our own lives and to see the dangers ahead and how to find pasture or supplies for life.  No man is an island or a rock who needs no one!  We cannot survive without our shepherd for all our basic necessities in life--Jesus is that Shepherd!  We must constantly ask ourselves:  are we in the rut we make for ourselves by bad habits and lack of foresight, or are we in God's tracks that are sure to lead to fulfilling God's purpose for our lives?  We all can be on track with God if we renew ourselves daily and get into the Word, prayer, and stay connected through the ministries of the local church as it disciples us and trains us through all the spiritual gifts manifested corporately.

Job said that all of his days he shall wait for his "renewal" (cf. Job 14:14, ESV) and we must wait patiently on the Lord because we are assured He wants what's best for us (cf. Isa. 40:31).  If we had our own way, we would surely mess up our lives--we aren't merely as wise as we think we are as finite beings.  The safest place to be is in His will for our life and this ought to be Job One!  The only happy and fulfilling life is doing God's work and interpreting everything accordingly or seeing God at work in what we do.  We only learn the hard way of the school of hard knocks by resisting God's will and will soon find out that God knew best in the first place!          Soli Deo Gloria!

Do You Know God's Name?

"'Why do you ask My name,' the angel of the LORD asked him, 'since it is wonderful'" (Judges 13:18, HCSB).   "'.... It is beyond understanding.'' (Ibid., NIV).   "'...seeing it is secret?'"  (Ibid, KJV).   "'... seeing it's wonderful'" (Ibid. ESV).  

God has no definitive name, title, or description--we cannot even put Him in a box nor define, limit, peg, or analyze Him according to our human criteria.  Jesus alone has 118 titles in Scripture!  His name is wonderful (cf. Isa. 9:6), beyond understanding and comprehension, and secret!  Moses dared to ask His name and the Lord told Him to tell them "I AM" has sent him!  One Greek philosopher said, "Whatever is, is!" You never step into the same river twice!  This holds true because only God is not in a state of flux and needs no change.  We are always in a process of transformation, change, or decay, being in flux because we are not perfect--God being perfect, cannot change for the worse, and since He's already perfect, He cannot change for the better!

God is an IS-ING, a living Being, not an IS-NESS, or state of Being.  This is the highest form of existence known since God is self-existent (uncreated or caused) and needs no one or nothing, He abides alone making no attempts at describing Himself fully, but makes it plain that we can know Him.  We cannot know Him in full or comprehensively, but we can truly and intimately know Him and have a living, vital, growing relationship with Him.  Notice that when God says I AM that there is no definitive completion to the name (no predicate!)--it's not meant to be a description like we would have one (e.g., "shorty," "curly," "blondie," etc.) but it's not arbitrary either!  God's names are for a reason and make sense, they aren't just conveniences or nicknames!

We cannot fully apprehend God's and without predicate:  I AM THAT I AM THAT I AM ..." The chain may go on ad infinitum.  The Bible gives no completed name (however many titles and forms of address), so we must rely on ad hoc ones that meet our needs for the moment, but the most inclusive one is Father.  There are several so-called Jehovah-texts in Scripture that complete or add predicates to the name or moniker of God.  For instance, He is called Jehovah-Nissi (our banner), Jehovah-Shammah (the Lord who is there), Jehovah-Shalom (our peace), Jehovah-Jireh (our provider), and Jehovah-Ra-ah (our shepherd), among others.  The point is that God is whatever we need Him to be!  He is all we need and that's why idolatry is a sin because it assumes another God to meet our needs and usurps God's prerogative and place in our lives.

God jealously defends His name and the Third Commandment on God's top ten list is not to take His name in vain!  He values and guards His name above all His honor by the integrity of His Word (Psa. 138:2, ESV, says:  "... for you have exalted above all things your name and your word."  God protects His name as He does His Word and they shall not come back void but accomplish His purposes (cf. Isa. 55:11)!   It is a great privilege to be able to address God by name!  Christians have the right to call Him Father, the name Jesus addressed Him as.  Father implies intimacy, subordination, and sonship in our union with God.  Our reverence for God is reflected in how we treat His name; when we use it frivolously or in vain, it shows contempt and unholy attitudes.  Our speech betrays us!  How we address God betrays our attitude, maturity, and relationship with Him; we must beware lest we fit Him into our boxes and our God is too small for our needs--we can never know a God in a box--then He wouldn't be God! 

We know the second person of the Trinity simply by the name Jesus and we have the right to be this familiar due to His not being ashamed of calling us His brothers and friends--confessing this to the Father. It is not presumptuous to speak to God as to our friend in time of our need--look at the thief on the cross calling Him simply, "Jesus."  He's earned the honor of being "The LORD is our Salvation."  When we address Him as Lord, we are bringing attention to our servanthood and His Lordship and lordship over us--that we are subject to His ultimate authority over our lives, to whom all authority has been given ("He is Lord of all")!  Jesus had boldly and clearly announced His Deity:  "... before Abraham was I AM!" "[S]o that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11, ESV).

Another interpretation for I AM is "causes to be," and this means God is the First Cause or Unmoved Mover who is the originator taking the initiative and making the overture for our salvation--not us!  He acted on our behalf and we found favor in His eyes.  We cannot take credit for anything because God made the first move!  One reason the Pharisees hated Him is that it was obvious to them that Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh: He said He was the great I AM! Again, Jesus confessed:  "Before Abraham was, I AM."   In fact, He said that unless we believe He's the great I AM we shall die in our sins (cf. John 8:24).   Soli Deo Gloria!