Someone knocks on a door and calls, “Open up in the name of the law!”
Nobody asks whether the law’s first name is William.
We understand the expression. The officer is claiming to act under an authority greater than himself. The words point beyond the person speaking them.
That simple distinction gets lost in some religious discussions. People argue over the spelling and pronunciation of sacred names as though one misplaced vowel could leave a prayer stranded halfway to heaven. God knows whom we are calling upon.
His name deserves reverence. Learning how biblical names were spoken can deepen our understanding of Scripture. The trouble begins when we turn pronunciation into a password and treat everyone with a different accent as though they have called the wrong Savior.
Some traveling exorcists in Acts began invoking the name of Jesus over people troubled by evil spirits. Seven sons of Sceva were among those doing this. They appealed to the Jesus whom Paul preached, putting His name on their lips as they attempted to command an evil spirit.
The answer exposed something their words could not supply.
“Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” —Acts 19:15
The possessed man attacked and overpowered them. They fled the house naked and wounded. They had used His name, but that had not made His authority theirs.
The account spread through Ephesus, fear fell upon the people, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. The men who had invoked His name were humiliated. The Savior whose authority they had tried to borrow was honored.
A badge painted on cardboard does not make its owner a police officer.
Coming to the Father in Jesus’ name means coming through Christ, trusting Him, and bringing our requests beneath His authority. We seek what agrees with His character and will, depending upon His mercy rather than presenting our own goodness as a reason He should listen.
John gives us confidence that God hears when we ask according to His will. That leaves room for honest requests, trembling voices, and words that come out sideways when grief has us by the throat. God understands the person praying. He also knows what that person truly needs.
We may ask boldly while trusting Him with the answer.
The King remains King throughout the conversation.
Adding Jesus’ name to a selfish demand does not turn selfishness into obedience. His name belongs to the Savior whose authority we are invoking. The words at the end of a prayer cannot place Him under the wishes of the person speaking.
That authority reaches beyond prayer. Jesus sent His disciples to teach and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. They were to teach people to observe what He had commanded. They carried His message and answered to Him for how they carried it.
Paul brought that responsibility into ordinary life when he told believers to do everything, in word or deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus. That includes the conversation at the kitchen table, the work nobody notices, and the reply we are about to post while our temper is doing the typing.
His name belongs with His teaching. His authority belongs with His will. We can choose to obey Him, or we can put His name on something He never commanded. He knows the difference, and His name does not make us immune from answering for ours.
The comfort is that we do not need a scholar’s tongue to come to Christ.
We need Christ.
The power belongs to the Savior we call upon.
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” —Colossians 3:17
—Jeff Wager
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