'In Thy Name'

by Geoff Hydon, North York, Ontario, Canada | Category: General | Jun 1995

Some little phrases found in our Bible pass us by with little of our attention devoted to understanding them. In fact they can be full of meaning. 'In the Name' is one of them; let's take a closer look.

Things that Differ:

As a starting point we need to distinguish between things that differ; although our English Bibles often do not differentiate between similar Greek words used by the original writers, differences do exist - even in respect to the little phrase we are focusing on now. The first thing to note is the difference between phrases which in the original writings use the Greek word en and those that use the word eis. The former is the general word meaning 'in' whereas the latter has more of the meaning of our word 'into'. Even in our everyday English we sometimes use these words almost interchangeably; yet there is a difference, as we shall see. Also, in some of the Greek expressions the definite article, usually translated 'the', is missing, but it is uniformly inserted in the English versions as a requirement of the English language. Do these apparently minor differences have any bearing on how we should understand the writer's words? Certainly!

In the Name...:

Many of the phrases where the words 'in (rather than 'into') the Name of the Lord' are used, clearly fit into the category which means simply 'taking action by the authority of the Lord' (Acts 3:6; 1 Cor. 5:4; Jas. 5:10,14). We do not use the phrase 'in the name of' in that way very much today. An illustrative expression which comes most easily to mind is the command, 'Stop, in the name of the law!' Policemen may sometimes use that expression, for they act not under their own authority, but under the powers received from the state as law officers. It is relatively easy to see that use of a person's name implies using that person's authority; we bind ourselves by signing documents - our

name on the document means we are responsible for the contents. So authority and responsibility are linked together when we use our name to get something done. Moreover, we can delegate our authority to others, so that on our behalf they may sign in our name. There are also plenty of examples of what is called 'namedropping'. This expression refers to the mention of a more important name than our own in order to obtain treatment we would expect that important person to receive. These mundane examples help us to see something of the Scriptural use of the term, 'In the Name of the Lord' (see Mark 9:41, 2 Thes. 3:6 and 2 Tim. 2:19). The phrase requires three things to be true:

* The action taken or commanded is an action that the Lord wants to be done;

* The Lord has the authority to require the action to be done;

* The Lord is accountable for the results of the action taken in His Name.

Having arrived at this understanding, it is important to note the application of these requirements in the matter of prayer. We have no licence to ask God the Father for things that the Lord does not want us to have when we pray 'in His Name' (John 16:23). We should be aware from Scripture of the things that the Lord authorizes, and for these things we should pray. When we ask for what the Lord wants, we can rely on Him to provide for our need, because He makes Himself accountable for such things. This kind of faithful use of the Lord's authority is also illustrated for us in the words of Peter, when he commanded the lame man to walk 'in the Name of Jesus Christ' (Acts 3:6), and of Paul, when he commanded the evil spirit to depart from the soothsaying girl (Acts 16:18). At the same moment, such words are both a command to others and an appeal to the power of God. How many of our prayers truly warrant such an appeal to God?

As we continue to examine the force of the term 'In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ', it is important for us to note that Christians are people who have surrendered their will to Christ; He is their Master and Lord. As such, they retain virtually no authority of their own; they should always act in accordance with His desire and upon His command. That is implicit in the use of the phrase 'in His Name'. Therefore, the Scripture speaks of 'always giving thanks for all things in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father' (Eph. 5:20), and 'whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father' (Col. 3:17). At first glance that might seem an unattainable standard, and no doubt it would be if it were not for the fact of God's provision of a new nature, the indwelling Holy Spirit and the instruction of the Word of God, to help us.

God's provision to meet the needs of believers in Christ is abundantly apparent at the time of their new birth. They are baptized by Christ into the Church which is His Body, and they receive the Holy Spirit (John 1:33; 1 Cor. 12:13) who gifts each one with special ability (1 Cor. 12:7); moreover, the fellowship of believers brings together a full complement of gifts to meet the needs of all (Eph. 4:16). This is clearly the divine ideal. We do not always see it in practice; why is that? One fundamental reason is that fellowship of believers can only truly be achieved through mutual obedience to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although the immediate context of Matthew 18:20 is the matter of judgement, it contains a very important statement of principle.

Biblical quotations from NASB.

Geoff Hydon, North York, Ontario, Canada | Jun 1995
General