Bible Question:
Hi, John 14:14 You may ask me for anything in "my name" and I will do it. This promise is conditional i.e."in my name". If the request is made not in His name,the request will render itself null and void- of no effect.Jesus is known by several names, which name is He referring to? Your comments,please. Fytrobert |
Bible Answer: Praying in the Name of Jesus 'What does it mean to pray in the name of someone if it doesn't mean saying, "In the name of..."? Here's what it means. 'The name of someone, in the sense that the Bible authors used it, was what the person stood for, the substance of their character, or their authority . . . When we pray in the name of Jesus . . . what we are doing is acting in [his] authority, in [his] stead, according to [his] command, and consistent with [his] desires.' 'When we pray in the name of Jesus it might be better for us to drop the phrase "In the name of Jesus" altogether because generally we don't mean, "I am praying in the authority of Jesus Christ." You know what we probably mean when we say "In the name of Jesus. Amen" ? Practically speaking, it means the prayer is over. That is the Christian exit. Amen. Translated it means, the prayer is over, let's go do what we were doing, or let's eat. 'There is power in praying in the authority of Jesus Christ, by the authority He has given you, consistent with His character, His desire, and His will. It's like when we say, "Stop in the name of the law." The policeman is saying that because he is standing in the place of the law and speaking on behalf of it. To the degree that he speaks for the law, then he can enforce the law and he has authority. When he steps outside of the law, he has lost his authority even though he still says, "Stop in the name of the law." (...) 'If you are praying in a group and you don't want to leave people mystified as to what is happening, you could just simply say, "The prayer is over, let's eat," or, "We're done, let's go on." The important thing is not what you say with your mouth. Dispense with the empty words. Get rid of them. Instead, approach the throne of God based on the authority of Jesus Christ. If you are thinking that way and that is your attitude, it doesn't matter what you say at the end of the prayer. God will hear you according to His promise.' [This article has been edited to fit here within space limitations. To read the entire article, see In the Name of Jesus by Gregory Koukl (www.str.org/free/commentaries/ theology/nameofje.htm)] |