In Jesus Name?

quietthinker · Jan 21, 2022

In Jesus Name....what does the scripture mean by this or maybe I should ask, what do you understand by this?
Is it a magical formula which when used at the end of a prayer will deliver the goods that not using it won't?
What do you think and why did Jesus say, 'if you ask anything in my name I will do it'?

Lifelong_sinner · Jan 22, 2022

RC Sproul said this, “it means that we believe that our request is what Jesus himself would ask for. We are showing that we are so closely aligned with the mind of Christ that we can make our request in his stead.”
“We have seen that there are certain prerequisites we must follow as we pray. If we ask anything, we must trust in God, knowing that our request is in accordance with the will of the Father and the nature and purpose of Christ. We must have a proper reverence for God as well as the assurance that we are being obedient to what he has revealed to us. We must maintain continuous communion with Christ. After all of these prerequisites have been met, we may have confidence that our prayer will be answered. The crucial thing to notice here is that if we are meeting these prerequisites, we will not ask for anything out of the will of God.”

More is found here.
The Power of Prayer (pt. 2)

michaelvpardo · Jan 22, 2022

I think that Lifelong_sinner's response is reasonable and RC Sproul is pretty sharp as far as theologians go, but I would add that we don't always know God's will in all circumstances, so the essential elements of prayer are our faith in asking and our relationship to the Lord (I don't believe the prayer of a Buhddist, Muslim, or Hindu avails anything unless it is a prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.)
Praying "in Jesus' name" implies that we know Him and have become a part of His body, but clearly the phrase is just a formula if we haven't established a relationship with the Father through the Son.

amadeus · Jan 22, 2022

quietthinker said:
In Jesus Name....what does the scripture mean by this or maybe I should ask, what do you understand by this?
Is it a magical formula which when used at the end of a prayer will deliver the goods that not using it won't?
What do you think and why did Jesus say, 'if you ask anything in my name I will do it'?

To me this "dwelling in His presence" is what Jesus called being "in my name" or what we might call being "in His name".

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt 18:20

The verse quoted above is just one of a multitude of verses found not only in the NT but also in the OT. How can we express exactly what it means? God can and does express it at times to us, but we are likely to have difficulty expressing to others who have never been there.

Many people meet regularly to worship God and when they do, they should really all be in His name to get what God wants us to get when we gather together. Without the "in His name" it is likely no more than a social gathering of people and it may be good, but it certainly falls short of the "very good" that God made in the beginning.

We can be alone with God and "in His name" with no other person present and perhaps that is not the same as it is when other people are present who are also in His name, but they are certainly related. The difference I see is on the one hand preparing as an individual to become a part of the Body of the Christ, while the other is working together with other parts to get to that "fitly joined together" place of which Paul wrote. It is all necessary in God's plan and for anyone who hopes to be part of the end of God's plan.

For me the "in His name" comes sometimes with difficulty and sometimes so easily. The difference is in me. How hard or easy is it to surrender it all to Him? My habitual time is in the morning when I first get up. I'm always the early bird so my wife sleeps on as I go into my study [2nd bedroom of 2- bedroom apartment] to spend my time with Him. I have my Bibles right there and I begin always with what people call the Lord's prayer [Matt 6:9-13 plus verses 14-15]. Some will call this a vain repetition, but I do not read them vainly. I pray them carefully two or three times depending on the day of the week. Some days it is in two languages plus one and other days in three languages plus one. As I am reading, I am always trying to concentrate on what the words are saying. I do the same thing with my regular Bible reading which follows the Lord's prayer. Before and after each chapter read, I will also stop to simply talk [pray] to the Lord or to listen.

Where does the "in His name" come in? Anywhere and everywhere! For me it often comes in an unknown tongue: My tongue directed by His Spirit. This is the "plus one" I mentioned above. This is my morning session. There are no other scheduled special times, but while I am on a Christian forum, I will always look to prayer sub forums and pray for needs expressed there. When I read through or scan the threads/posts on the other sub forums I will also try to pray as I go. When I don't, I may speak when I should be silent, or I may say something better left unsaid. During the course of my day, I will sometimes pray as led to do so. Usually, if not always this is "in His name".

"In His name"? What is it? Where is it? Heaven! When not "in His name" I guess that sometimes I am in hell, but I don't go there as often as I once did. When in heaven, it may simply be first, but quite often I believe it is the second. I cannot say that I've been to 3rd, but God is not finished with me yet.

Never mind all of the detail for every person may be different in the details for the Body of Christ consists of many parts with assorted functions... but all "in His name".

Lifelong_sinner · Jan 22, 2022

amadeus said:
To me this "dwelling in His presence" is what Jesus called being "in my name" or what we might call being "in His name".

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt 18:20

The verse quoted above is just one of a multitude of verses found not only in the NT but also in the OT. How can we express exactly what it means? God can and does express it at times to us, but we are likely to have difficulty expressing to others who have never been there.

Many people meet regularly to worship God and when they do, they should really all be in His name to get what God wants us to get when we gather together. Without the "in His name" it is likely no more than a social gathering of people and it may be good, but it certainly falls short of the "very good" that God made in the beginning.

We can be alone with God and "in His name" with no other person present and perhaps that is not the same as it is when other people are present who are also in His name, but they are certainly related. The difference I see is on the one hand preparing as an individual to become a part of the Body of the Christ, while the other is working together with other parts to get to that "fitly joined together" place of which Paul wrote. It is all necessary in God's plan and for anyone who hopes to be part of the end of God's plan.

For me the "in His name" comes sometimes with difficulty and sometimes so easily. The difference is in me. How hard or easy is it to surrender it all to Him? My habitual time is in the morning when I first get up. I'm always the early bird so my wife sleeps on as I go into my study [2nd bedroom of 2- bedroom apartment] to spend my time with Him. I have my Bibles right there and I begin always with what people call the Lord's prayer [Matt 6:9-13 plus verses 14-15]. Some will call this a vain repetition, but I do not read them vainly. I pray them carefully two or three times depending on the day of the week. Some days it is in two languages plus one and other days in three languages plus one. As I am reading, I am always trying to concentrate on what the words are saying. I do the same thing with my regular Bible reading which follows the Lord's prayer. Before and after each chapter read, I will also stop to simply talk [pray] to the Lord or to listen.

Where does the "in His name" come in? Anywhere and everywhere! For me it often comes in an unknown tongue: My tongue directed by His Spirit. This is the "plus one" I mentioned above. This is my morning session. There are no other scheduled special times, but while I am on a Christian forum, I will always look to prayer sub forums and pray for needs expressed there. When I read through or scan the threads/posts on the other sub forums I will also try to pray as I go. When I don't, I may speak when I should be silent, or I may say something better left unsaid. During the course of my day, I will sometimes pray as led to do so. Usually, if not always this is "in His name".

"In His name"? What is it? Where is it? Heaven! When not "in His name" I guess that sometimes I am in hell, but I don't go there as often as I once did. When in heaven, it may simply be first, but quite often I believe it is the second. I cannot say that I've been to 3rd, but God is not finished with me yet.

Never mind all of the detail for every person may be different in the details for the Body of Christ consists of many parts with assorted functions... but all "in His name".

Bob Carabbio · Jan 22, 2022

quietthinker said:
In Jesus Name....what does the scripture mean by this or maybe I should ask, what do you understand by this?
Is it a magical formula which when used at the end of a prayer will deliver the goods that not using it won't?
What do you think and why did Jesus say, 'if you ask anything in my name I will do it'?

"In Jesus' NAME = with Jesus' AUTHORITY.
As the centurion said: "I am a man under authority, and as a a result I HAVE authority".
So a person under Jesus' authority, HAS authority as a result of that relationship.
If you don't know what authority you HAVE, then you're apparently NOT under Jesus' authority, and as a result, you have no authority, and praying "in jesus name" means nothing, and your "Amen" is also worthless.

Pierac · Jan 27, 2022

quietthinker said:
In Jesus Name....what does the scripture mean by this or maybe I should ask, what do you understand by this?
Is it a magical formula which when used at the end of a prayer will deliver the goods that not using it won't?
What do you think and why did Jesus say, 'if you ask anything in my name I will do it'?

Name - This word of course brings to mind an actual name, such as John Doe. But what does it mean to a Jew.

Name - 1. designates more than the external person; it tends to express his basic character, his personality. We might say it is an emanation of the person himself. 2. authority of, expressing attributes, in acknowledgment or confession of (NABD & VED).

This definition helps us in a verse like John 17:26:

"I (Jesus) made known to them your name and I will make it known."

Jesus obviously did not come to inform the Apostles that God’s name is YHWH. He came to explain God’s character, His attributes, His will, so that we could come to truly know God and follow His ways.

quietthinker · Jan 27, 2022

Pierac said:
Name - This word of course brings to mind an actual name, such as John Doe. But what does it mean to a Jew.

Name - 1. designates more than the external person; it tends to express his basic character, his personality. We might say it is an emanation of the person himself. 2. authority of, expressing attributes, in acknowledgment or confession of (NABD & VED).

This definition helps us in a verse like John 17:26:

"I (Jesus) made known to them your name and I will make it known."

Jesus obviously did not come to inform the Apostles that God’s name is YHWH. He came to explain God’s character, His attributes, His will, so that we could come to truly know God and follow His ways.

This is how I see it as well. Jesus came to reveal God's nature/character.....and his Kingdom is a reflection of that.
Among other things, what stands out is that God is not violent.....he does not use force...either mentally, emotionally and of course physically.
Love and force are two incompatible opposites.

Brakelite · Jan 28, 2022

Bob Carabbio said:
"In Jesus' NAME = with Jesus' AUTHORITY.
As the centurion said: "I am a man under authority, and as a a result I HAVE authority".
So a person under Jesus' authority, HAS authority as a result of that relationship.
If you don't know what authority you HAVE, then you're apparently NOT under Jesus' authority, and as a result, you have no authority, and praying "in jesus name" means nothing, and your "Amen" is also worthless.

I think this is close. I liken it to a traffic officer issuing you with a ticket. He comes "in the name of the law". Behind him he has all the authority of government to carry out those duties to which he has been lawfully given.
The centurion believed Jesus, recognizing that Jesus was lawfully authorized, given Him of His Father to carry out His duties, according to the will of His at Father.
Has Jesus passed on that authority to His church, His body? Too right He has.

Bob Carabbio · Jan 28, 2022

Backlit said:
Has Jesus passed on that authority to His church, His body? Too right He has.

However, it's intrinsic, that if you are under HIS authority, and ACTUALLY HAVE His authority, you'll be aware of it.

If you're not aware that you have His authority - then you don't. Simple as that. DOesn't mean that He won't answer prayers of petition in his grace, but you'd best not try to make a cripple walk, unless you KNOW what ground you're on. Jesus had the Spirit WITHOUT MEASURE, but our faith is "Metered".

michaelvpardo · Jan 31, 2022

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt 18:20

Amadeus, you aren't incorrect, because no matter where you are, Christ is right there with you if you've received Him, but in context, Matthew 18:20 is about discipline in the church and correcting sin.

18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18
This might not be entirely clear just from Matthew chapter 18, but Jesus was a rabbi and taught from the law of Moses and the prophets. It's very important to understand that the law required 2 or 3 witnesses to establish testimony in any legal matter, and everything Jesus did was in fulfillment of the law.

“One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. Deuteronomy 19:15

This principle is repeated in the law, by Jesus Himself, and then again by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:1 and 1 Timothy 5:19.

Even when concerning the testimony of our Lord the same principle is applied:
6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 1 John 5:6-7

This is also critical in putting the last of the Lord's enemies under His feet, those hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places, because their conviction can only be by the faithful and true testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses, not just one.

michaelvpardo · Jan 31, 2022

quietthinker said:
This is how I see it as well. Jesus came to reveal God's nature/character.....and his Kingdom is a reflection of that.
Among other things, what stands out is that God is not violent.....he does not use force...either mentally, emotionally and of course physically.
Love and force are two incompatible opposites.

Not really. Scripture uses terms of corporal punishment as correction as loving.

24 He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly. Proverbs 13:24
God disciplines His children to spare them from destruction and those who aren't disciplined by Him are illegitimate children.

But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Hebrew 12:8

Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
14 You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from hell. Proverbs 13-14

The world calls corporal punishment abusive or "cruel and unusual punishment", but God says that corporal punishment done in love corrects and delivers a "soul from hell."

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In Jesus Name?

quietthinker

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Lifelong_sinner

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michaelvpardo

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amadeus

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Lifelong_sinner

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Bob Carabbio

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Pierac

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quietthinker

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Brakelite

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Bob Carabbio

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michaelvpardo

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michaelvpardo

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