... giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ...
QUESTION: Before you read further, I would like to know what you think is meant by the phrase "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"? Please submit your thinking to me below.
NOTE: No personal information is gathered behind the scenes. Your feedback is utterly anonymous.
Under the hood
In Ephesians 5:20, the Greek text for "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" is "ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ", which consists of:
- 1. "ὀνόματι" (onomati) is dative singular of "ὄνομα" (onoma), which means "name." The dative case in Greek can denote means or instrumentality, hence it is translated as "in the name."
- 2. "τοῦ κυρίου" (tou kyriou) translates to "the Lord." "τοῦ" is the genitive singular definite article "the," and "κυρίου" is the genitive form of "κύριος" (kyrios), meaning "Lord." The genitive case in Greek often shows possession or association.
- 3. "ἡμῶν" (hēmōn) is the genitive plural of the first person personal pronoun, translating as "our."
- 4. "Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ" (Iēsou Christou) is the genitive form of "Ἰησοῦς Χριστός" (Iēsous Christos), translating as "Jesus Christ." The genitive case here indicates that the name belongs to the Lord.
Therefore, in Greek we have five thoughts:
"name", "the Lord", "our", "Jesus", "Christ".
We have been told and taught that in Greek this translates to "in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ". Now—for typical "Koine Greek", I will make no debate or argument. This is a very good translation. However, the purpose of this article is to point out that from the viewpoint of the Messianic Jewish apostle writers, this phrase is anything but common, plain-Jane, every-man's Greek. This is something special—something very special—and this is what we are going to explore.
Allow me to rephrase and present the thought above a little differently: What do you think is in the mind of the apostle Paul when he pens these words?: "name", "the Lord", "our", "Jesus", "Christ"? Are these mere words or are they a packed theological statement? Are they a deeper truth taken from Old Testament ancient Jewish thinking and repackaged in the light of the revealed Messiah?
Yes—I am suggesting to you that this is precisely what these words are pointing at like a giant neon billboard. Our problem is that we are not ancient Jewish believers and we are utterly unaware of the context and connection because we are removed from their context and worldviews of the first century by two thousand years and the filtration of what we have been taught—not what men like Paul thought when they wrote what they wrote. We simply believe what we've been taught. We're not curious and we don't ask questions. Consequently, we don't know. We just swallow what we are fed and drive on.
Modern Messianic Jewish thinking
Can the modern 21st century Messianic Jewish worldview give me any assistance at all? I think the answer is—a little or somewhat.
Modern Messianic Jews are very similar to modern Christians. They take their Jewish upbringing as a baseline and then layer Jewish-Jesus into the mixture as though modern Jews have the truth and they are just missing Jesus as the secret sauce. The raw truth is: Modern Rabbinical Oral Torah Judaism is a close cousin to the same garbage heap of traditions that Jesus encountered in from Pharisees of his day. We will come to and discuss this in more detail later.
A great way to get into the mind of a modern Messianic Jew on the topic of "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" is to see the results of them translating the Greek we brought into view above. For example, below is the resulting transliterate Hebrew from one such translation called, "The Orthodox Jewish Bible" from Artists for Israel International, completed by Phillip Goble in 2002, as an English language version that applies Yiddish and Hasidic cultural expressions to the Messianic Bible.
... b’Shem Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua, ...
Let's translate to English as best we can:
- "b’Shem" = "in the Name of"
- "Rebbe" = "our Master"
- "Melech" = "King"
- "HaMoshiach" = "Messiah"
- "Yehoshua" = "Yehoshua" (a form of "Joshua", often used to refer to Jesus in Hebrew)
I remind you: This is a Messianic Jew reading the original Greek with a modern Jewish mind and worldview. He blatantly tells us that he is using Yiddish and Hasidic cultural expressions, which means Yiddish and Hasidic worldviews that have come down through Rabbinic Oral Torah traditions over the last two thousand years. Notice that the thoughts hold the same except the Jewish mind doesn't add in the "English fluff". Instead, the Jewish mind fixates on the same basic thoughts as the Greek: b’Shem (Name), Rebbe (Master), Melech (King/Lord), HaMoshiach (Messiah or Christ), Yehoshua (Jesus).
As we move along, we are going to run into the stark reality that modern Jews do not share precisely the same worldview and mind as their ancient ancestors (i.e., the time of Jesus and before). Indeed, their own worldview has suffered loss and distortion over the last two thousand years. To demonstrate this, we can make a Hebrew word substitution that will reveal the loss and distortion. Let's substitute haShem for b’Shem:
The Name (haShem)
Teacher (Rebbe),
King (Melech) Messiah (HaMoshiach) Joshua (Yehoshua)
Your immediate question may well be:
What is it about substituting haShem for b’Shem that demonstrates a change in worldview?
To understand this requires understanding a major difference between ancient Jewish theology and modern inherited and distorted Jewish theology (as compared to the ancient). This is the topic of the next section.
Ancient Jewish "Name Theology"
Ancient Jewish "Name Theology" starts with Moses and the burning bush. Dr. Michael S. Heiser gives this subject wide coverage in his book, "The Unseen Realm", Part 4, chapter 18. You can also find at least one video and a podcast by him on the same subject.
Prior to 100 AD (2nd century), a part of Jewish theology involved what they called "The Two Powers" of which another Jewish theology called "The Name" theology is a part of. The idea of the name theology is first very clear in the story of Moses as he interacts with God in the burning bush.
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
The relevant part of Exodus 3:14 in Hebrew is written as:
אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה
In literal English, this is often translated as: "I AM WHO I AM"
In the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, this verse is written as: ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν
Which translates to: "I am the Being" or "I am the One Who Is"
Translation Notes:
1. The Hebrew phrase "אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה" (Ehyeh asher ehyeh) is a play on the verb "to be" (היה, hayah). It is in the first person singular imperfect form, which can be translated as "I will be what I will be" or "I am who I am". This phrase is enigmatic and has been interpreted in various ways, but it generally conveys the sense of God's self-existence and eternal nature.
2. The Septuagint translation "ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν" (Egō eimi ho ōn) is more straightforward. "ἐγώ εἰμι" (Egō eimi) means "I AM", and "ὁ ὤν" (ho ōn) translates to "the Being" or "the One Who Is", or even "The uncreated One Who exists". This phrase emphasizes God's self-existence and unchanging nature.
The difference in the translations can be attributed to the nuances of the Hebrew language and the theological interpretations of the translators. The Septuagint translators chose to emphasize God's eternal and unchanging nature, while the Hebrew text can be seen as more mysterious and open-ended, perhaps reflecting the ineffable nature of God.
Thus, ancient Jewish "Name Theology" is born of a combination of Moses' "name" question and the Lord's answer. But wait—there's more to the story than the English translation reveals.
We know for certain that Moses was being raised as an adopted son of Pharoah. We can strongly assume that he was being educated in Egyptian pagan religions and their gods, goddesses, and demigods. Every deity had a name. When Moses sees the "bush that burns, but it not consumed" he does not know what is going on. Moses, the one narrating his own story, tells us that he was curious and "turned aside" to go up the mountain to get a closer look.
And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
Moses sees a bush that is burning. Yes—the angel of the LORD appears to him amid the fire in the middle of the bush, but this "angel of the LORD" language is coming from Moses as he is retelling the story. After the fact, Moses knows who is in the bush talking to him. However, before turning aside out of curiosity at the "great sight", Moses has no idea what's going on. All he initially sees is a bush burning on the top of Mount Horeb and it is not consumed by the fire. Curious, indeed!
It may well be that Moses eventually catches on that this angel of the LORD in the bush is not one of the Egyptian gods. However, from the view of the Jews enslaved in Egypt, it could be any one of hundreds of gods from the Egyptian pantheon. Thus, from the perspective of enslaved Jews, Moses is making a very sensible query: What is your name?
The angel of the LORD's answer to Moses is far more than just letters, syllables, vowels, and consonants strung together. There is a direct link between his question, the angels answer, and the literal presence of the angel of the LORD speaking from the midst of the burning bush. Ancient Jewish name theology has to do with a manifestation of Yahweh as literal presence of Yahweh. Further proof of this can be found in Exodus 23:20 as the "Two Powers" get's looped into Jewish Name Theology.
And the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. ...
Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
Note all of the players on the field of this passage: (1) "I" and "my" (i.e., the LORD or God), (2) "angel", "him", "his", "he" (i.e., angel of the LORD), and (3) "you", "your" (i.e., Israel). Here, the LORD (or God) is a separate entity from the angel of the Lord, who is also God as he has the power to pardon (forgive) transgressions (sins). Only God has this power. Therefore, we are left to conclude that the angel that the LORD sends in Exodus 23:20 is none other than the second member of the godhead.
The phrase "my name is in him" in Exodus 23:21 has been the subject of much theological debate and interpretation. From an ancient Jewish perspective, the "name" of God was not just a label, but represented the very presence and essence of God Himself. So, when God says "my name is in him" and applies it to the angel (of the LORD), it implies that this angel carries the authority, presence, and essence of God.
The idea of the "Two Powers" in heaven is a concept that was present in early Jewish thought, although it was later deemed heretical by mainstream Rabbinic Judaism (about 100 AD to wall themselves off from Jewish-Christian apologetics). These Jews who rejecting their own former theology are doing so as descendants of those Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and lawyers who rejected and crucified Jesus. In the first part of the 2nd century AD (after 100 AD) it is these Jewish descendants who are changing their theology and their scripture to erase hooks that Christians are using to continue to convert Jews to Jesus.
All in all, the "Two Powers" theology posits that there are two divine figures in the heavenly realm (godhead): the transcendent, incomprehensible God (often associated with God the Father in Christian thought), and a second divine figure through whom God interacts with the world (often associated with the Angel of the Lord, or in Christian thought, Jesus Christ).
In this context, the angel in Exodus 23 is seen as the second divine figure of the two powers. The angel is not just a messenger, but bears the very name (i.e., the presence, essence, and authority) of God. This is interpreted as an early hint of the "Two Powers" concept, with the angel acting with the authority of God in protecting, fighting for, guiding and instructing the Israelites.
JESUS - FULLY GOD, FULLY MAN
Do we have a scripture telling us that Jesus is fully God and fully man that aligns with the ancient Jewish "Two Powers" theology? It turns out that we do, and here is one that I did not know about, nor could I see it because I am not a Greek scholar trained to see such things.
"... who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
— Philippians 2:6-8 ESV
What you are not seeing in the English translation is the depth of the Greek word (used twice). Let's examine a little more closely.
Here are the verses in Greek and then in English:
Greek:
ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ, ἀλλὰ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος· καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ.
English:
Who, being in the form (μορφῇ) of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form (μορφὴν) of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Translation Notes:
The Greek word "μορφῇ" (morphe) is used twice in this passage. The word "morphe" is indeed a deep philosophical term in Greek, often translated as "form" but implying the very essence or nature of a thing. It is not about the outward appearance, but the inward essence that makes something what it is.
In the first instance, "ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ" (who, being in the form of God), it states clearly that Jesus, in His very essence and nature, is God, but did not consider His equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.
In the second instance, "μορφὴν δούλου λαβών" (taking the form of a bondservant), it implies that Jesus became a servant in His core essence at the same time He is fully God. He did not just appear to be a servant, but He became one in His very nature.
This passage, therefore, speaks to the dual (and simultaneous) nature of Jesus Christ - fully God in essence, yet fully man and servant in His incarnation. It emphasizes the humility and obedience of Christ, who, despite being in the very essence God, chose to take on the form of a servant and die on the cross.
CONCLUSION
What we end up with here is an early creedal statement taught to newly minted illiterate Christian converts as a means of putting the "Word of God" in them. These creeds, sung as hymns (like "Amazing Grace") would have been the cornerstone of not only teaching and training illiterate people the story of Jesus and the scripture, but served as a means of evangelizing others by those illiterate people!
It just so happens that this is an extension of the ancient Jewish "Two Powers" theology manifesting itself through Paul and the primitive Gospel.
To sum it up, the "Name" is the essence of God appearing among humans on earth as one of the manifesting Two Powers that is Yahweh, the LORD. What is powerful is to realize that this notion of "the name" appears over and over throughout the Old Testament. In each case, one finds the transcendent Yahweh (Father) taking a possessive stance with his fellow Yahweh (Son). The two are one. In other words, the Father is and is not the Son and the Son is and is not the Father. They are one, but two as one. When one then adds in the Spirit of God from the Old Testament, we end up with the Christian notion of "The Trinity".
I will not attempt to give you an exhaustive list of all of the Two Powers "name" instances from the Old Testament, but a few examples will help to cement the point.
EXAMPLES:
Gen 11:4-9, Exo 3:13-15, Exo 23:20-21,
Psa 8:1, Psa 9:9-11, Psa 20:1-9, Psa 29:1-3,
Psa 86:9-12, Psa 92:1, Psa 72:17-19,
Isa 42:1-9, Isa 52:3-7, Jer 16:19-21,
Eze 36:22-28, Eze 39:6-8,
Dan 9:18-19, Zec 14:9, Mal 1:11-14
Name theology - Old Testament examples
Let's begin our examples with something you will most likely find to be a little flimsy. However, I can assure you that the thread of the "name theology" gets far more substantial as one takes in more and more relevant scripture.
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; ...
Is David referring to utterable name of the Most High or is he referring to "the name" (Jesus) as a possessive of the Most High (e.g., "your name")? Read this in the sense of "your Son" and Most High as Abba, Father.
May we shout for joy over your salvation [יְשׁוּעָה or yeshû‛âh], and in the name of [or from] our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of [or from] the LORD our God.
To a Christian reader, the text ought to stand out at face value. The Psalm is being addressed to the LORD (Psalm 20:1). Therefore, the phrase "your salvation" is a possessive reference to Jesus—that is—"LORD ... your [Son] Yeshû‛âh". The passage continues by stating that our banners (the mark of God on and in us) is "the name" (Jesus) that sets up the banner.
NOTE: The theology of the Trinity is summed up by the words of Jesus like what we find in John 14.
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
One way to say this is: "The father is and is not the son and the son is and is not the father." We can say the same about the Spirit of God: "The Spirit is and is not the son and the son is and is not the Spirit." This shows up perfect in the New Testament where writers like Paul talk about "the Spirit of Christ", which is an expression of the "is-and-is-not" thinking that exists between each member of the Trinity.
In his response to Philip in John 14 about seeing the father, Jesus answers by saying, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me?" The word translated as "Me" is the Greek word με, (me). Even if we might think the meaning is clear in English, there is a deeper Jewish tie to "Name Theology" lurking in με,. Greek words have what is called a lemma. A lemma is the base or root form of a word. It is the form of the word that you would find in a dictionary or lexicon, as opposed to the various inflected forms of the word that might appear in actual text. In the case of με, the lemma is ἐγώ (ego), which is used consistently by Jesus when he refers to himself as I AM—Name Theology!
Furthermore, Jesus is telegraphing what it will be like for the disciples once he has risen and the father has sent the Holy Spirit to them to indwell them, just like the Spirit in Jesus as The Name. The Lord makes the statement: "The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works." Jesus is noting to them how this notion of "in the name" works. One who is participating in the name of God has the essence of the father operating through them. Thus, when we pray from the status of being in the name, our words are not our authority, but that of the father and because of this, the works of the father are released through us to whatever purpose we find ourselves in.
Let us continue with just one more example (there are many). This will be a long one. What I want you to glean from the exercise of reading this how to read with the mind of an ancient Jew with a Christian Spirit-filled, Spirit-led understanding.
(1) Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. (2) He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; (3) a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. (4) He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. (5) Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: (6) “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, (7) to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. (8) I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. (9) Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.
In verse 1, who is speaking? To know this, we back up to: Isaiah 41:21 ESV Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. Who is "the LORD"? YHVH, as a whole, but most likely the unseen transcendent Father because the LORD speaks in the possessive starting in verse 1 by saying, "my servant". Recall Philippians 2:6-8 and the "form of God" and "form of a servant" language regarding Jesus, where we learn that the word form is pointing at the idea of Jesus being the very essence—thus—Jesus is and is not God and Jesus is and is not man. He is both at the same time.
Moving on quickly: "I uphold", "my chosen", "in whom I delight", which takes us immediately to the Baptism of Jesus and the voice from heaven: "This is my beloved son, in whom I delight" and then the Spirit gets involved: The Trinity is on full display! Nevertheless, the language of Isaiah is fully spoken from the possessive. And the possessive language continues in "I have put my Spirit upon him", which also bespeaks Jesus at his water and Spirit baptism!
Verses 2 to 7 wax eloquent in describing what Jesus will do and what the Father will do for the Son. The mission of Jesus is clear as the servant, but the unity of the supernature of God as both Son and Father (Two Powers) is one full display in: "Thus says God [Elohim], the LORD [YHVH], who created the heavens [Jesus/Word/Son] and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who [Father of spirits - Hebrews 12:9] gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: ..."
Finally, the LORD reaches his crescendo description, where he links this suffering servant with "the name" essence of God as Jesus: "(9) I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols." What is his name? Is the LORD pointing a set of letters, vowels, and consonants? OR—is the LORD pointing at "servant = name" and that the glory that belongs to his name he will not share with other names and their carved idols? HINT: It's the latter! It is a comparison by the LORD of the "Name above all names"!
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the Name that is above every name, so that at the name of [who is] 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.
In Philippians 2:8, we learn why God has highly exalted Jesus and bestowed on him the Name that is above every name—humble and obedient to the point of death; even death on a cross. When we read these words, we think in terms of linear time from our point of view. The scripture doesn't do that.
The word bestow (ἐχαρίσατο - echarisato) has the following grammatical structure at this point in this sentence: verb, aorist, middle, indicative, third person, singular. The verb is an action. The aorist tense says that the action has already happened, but doesn't try to specify when it happened (eternity). The middle voice indicates that the subject of the sentence (God) is both doing and receiving the action. Finally, the singular number tells us that this is God (Trinity) as a whole.
Therefore, God in the eternal, witnesses the playing out of events in time (e.g., death on a cross) and in the eternal space (past, present, future), he loving bestows favor on the son (Jesus) to be The Name that is above all names (gods). This is why we find Jesus being the visible injection of Gods presence and essence to the world in the Old Testament and then revealed as Jesus, where he is forever (from our point of view in time) the living expression of God to all creation.
The consistency of the ancient Old Testament "Name Theology" and "Two Powers" theologies flowing into the New Testament is both obvious and stunning. More examples would clearly serve to certainly cement this idea as each one is given, but we don't have time. I invite you to explore on your own! Ask questions. Be curious. Look, seek, knock and let the Lord open it up to you.
Old Testament - Flowing to the New!
The New Testament is not the death of the Old. The story that God is telling in the Old continues on into the New, but with the Name (Jesus) revealed and the promised power of God available to man realized in the work and person of the Name (Jesus). Let's return back to the scripture used at the start of this article: Ephesians 5:20 ESV "... giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ..."
Remember, the "in the name of" phrase (above) in Greek is: ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ or "name", "the Lord", "our", "Jesus", and "Messiah". The Hebrew from the modern OJB is roughly equivalent: haShem Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua ("השם רבי, מלך המשיח יהושע") or "the Name", "Teacher", "Lord", "the Messiah".
ὀνόματι — HaShem (השם) — the Name
(OJB only) — Rebbe (רבי) — Teacher
τοῦ κυρίου — Melech (מלך) — the Lord or King (interchangeable)
ἡμῶν — our
Ἰησοῦ — Yehoshua (יהושע) — Joshua or Jesus or Salvation
Χριστοῦ — haMoshiach (המשיח) — Christ or Messiah
Therefore, "name teacher Lord Jesus Christ" read by an ancient Jew convert to Jesus Christ as a disciple is not going to read this as some arbitrary string of words. He or she is going to read it from the viewpoint of the "Name Theology" expressed in the living, risen, and enthroned Jesus, the Christ, the King, the Lord—the literal embodiment and essence of God as fully God and fully man (Philippians 2 above).
This phrase or collection of words not only captures and Old Testament series of theologies, viewpoints, worldviews, and beliefs, but in the New Testament expands it into the revealed God-man, Jesus Christ. The theology is now fully alive, fully come, fully suffered, fully crucified, fully risen by the power of God because the bearer of this theology understands that death cannot conquer the live Name of the LORD! But there is a reason for the death, the rising, and the enthronement of the Name (Jesus, the Christ, the Lord).
Theology Alive
We now reach the crucible point of this article. Allow me to attempt to sum it up with a statement:
In the Old Testament, the reality of the Name is a found in thoughts like: The Father is and is not the Son and the Son is and is not the Father, which is what makes them separate but one. The same is true of the Spirit relative to both Father and Son. The Spirit is and is not the Son and the Father and the Father and Son are and are not the Spirit, which is why we can refer to the Spirit of God as the Holy Spirit, Spirit of Christ, and so on.
Here then is what makes this critical to us: Because of what Jesus has done on our behalf through suffering, the cross, death, burial, and resurrection, we are no longer on the outside of the Name Theology looking in. Jesus has made the way for us to be on the inside of The Name theology as participants with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. As they are and are not each other, we to are and are not them.
Furthermore, God, the LORD is not created. He is the highest and uncreated, whereas we are created. By nature, we are not born as him, but by his power, he made the way, invites us in, and empowers us to participate in this God-unified being. What we were unable to be on our own, the LORD has gifted to us and empowered us.
Allow me to demonstrate the thoughts above in action right after Pentecost. Let's read Acts 4 together:
And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Israel was in the midst of a world brimming with ancient gods, goddesses, and demigods (i.e., "names"). As we have seen (and will see more of), the notion of gods and names or God and Name is interchangeable. The notion of name goes beyond the mere idea of the god (or even God), and brings the embodiment to earth. For the gods, this happened in idols. For the LORD God, this happened in the literal manifestation of Jesus. In Acts 4 the manifestation of Jesus was in Peter and John by the indwelling Holy Spirit—just like Jesus at the Jordan river.
Peter and John were about to go into the area of the temple through the Jaffa (Beautiful) gate. They were surrounded by thousands of Jews. All people in this time realized the reality of their time: The world was awash with pantheons of pagan gods, from Romans to Greeks, to Egyptians and even to Norse and Celtic. All of these gods were in competition among people. Each town, city, province seemed to have it higher gods. Egypt during their time waffled from god to god like Rah and Anu. What I am suggesting to you is that the idea of "Name Theology" was larger than just the Jews and everyone knew it!
This means that Peter knew the lay-of-the-land with respect to gods, names, and God and his Name above all other names given among men (of the pagan nations). As such, by publicly declaring a "Name" and then linking Jesus of Nazareth to it, praying for a miracle, and the miracle happening, there was a distinct demonstration of God's "The Name" (Jesus, the Christ, the Lord) as being real and someone to pay attention to and give your allegiance to!
This would ultimately lead to the question posed by the Jewish leaders the day after the miracle. Everyone knew about "Name Theology" and no one more than the Jews with respect to God and his "Name" (now, Jesus, revealed). Therefore, the Jews were trying to lay a trap for Peter and John by inviting them to name some pagan god by which they could accuse them and then have them put to death (like Jesus). What Peter does in response is straightforward: He points to the Jewish "Name Theology" and then ties the person of the resurrected and enthroned Jesus to it. By doing so, he is tying the obvious miracle performed in open public to Jesus and then back to the "Name" as the essence of God appearing in the "Two Powers" theology of the Jews!
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Put this in the context of the same Old Testament story of: "God vs the gods". Stated another way: "The Name vs. other names (lesser elohim gods)", whose names were given among men and not by men. It is not the men who are coming up with and inventing the names of the lesser elohim created gods (names). You see—men tried to do this but failed. They were stopped by God. Do you want to see where? Peter is pointing right at it! The Tower of Babel!
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
What was God so upset about? Why did he disinherit the nations and turn them over to lesser elohim (sons of God) as their "gods" (names given among men - the nations)? To get this, we have to understand they were rejecting The Name promised as God's salvation and reversal of human rebellion in Eden: Genesis 3:15 ESV I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Again—notice—it is "his offspring" and the offspring coming out of the woman: The Name. This is God vs gods and Name vs names!
Therefore, the people were rebelling against God and His offer of salvation. They were going to make a "name" of their very own. They were going to save themselves. It was the ultimate act of human pride and hubris, arrogance and raw stupidity. In response, God said, "ENOUGH!"
Now—thousands of years later, Peter is standing and testify once more of the Name of God that has both saved him and has brought him in to include him in the Name with all the power attending it. Look at what Jesus tells the disciples:
Jesus said to him [Philip], “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Therefore, Peter understands how he is operating in life because of the Son of God, Jesus, the Christ and Lord—the Name! Peter has been brought into participation by the grace, love, mercy, compassion, and calling of our Lord, Jesus. Peter is operating in The Name as a full-fledged, fully-qualified family member. He is and is not Jesus as an ambassador.
SERIOUS NOTE: This is not some "You are your own christ" kind of thing. This is not a "spark of divinity" in you garbage. This is most certainly not "you are gods" as some people attempt to twist John 10 into.
Jesus is Jesus. We are not.
Yet, by the power of our Lord, we are given his full mantle. This doesn't make us Jesus (the One), nor does it make us "a Jesus" (one of many). It means that what was impossible for humans, God has done, empowered, and made a way for—the absolution of sin in the flesh and the elevation of mere men to a place where one day, we will be sitting on thrones next to our Lord, ruling and reigning with him. We will judge angels (fallen ones, former gods, former names).
Through the work and person of the Lord, Jesus, the Christ—all of us who yield ourselves to his call and submit ourselves to him through allegiance and loyalty to him—denying the flesh—those who do are brought into the family circle—through, by, and into The Name. This is what Jesus is pointing at in John 14. Moreover, it is demonstrated handsomely by the Spirit of God through Peter in Acts 4!
Back in Acts 4, notice the question asked by the Sadducees: “By what power or by what name did you do this?” The "power" language is no accident. They are presuming something demonic. Remember, they accused Jesus of performing the very same types of miracles by Beelzebub (or Baal - one of the "names"). Jesus cautioned them against blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Loop in how Paul talks about "powers" in:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
— Ephesians 6:12 ESV
1. "Rulers" (Greek: archas): This term often refers to high-ranking, powerful spiritual beings. In this context, it's generally understood to mean demonic entities or forces that hold a high rank in Satan's kingdom.
2. "Authorities" (Greek: exousias): This term can mean those who hold power or have the right to command. In this context, it likely refers to demonic beings who have been given authority within the spiritual realm.
3. "Powers of this dark world" (Greek: kosmokratoras tou skotous toutou): This phrase seems to refer to powerful spiritual beings that influence the world in negative, harmful ways, contributing to the darkness of sin and evil in the world.
4. "Spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Greek: pneumatika tes ponerias en tois epouraniois): This phrase refers to evil spiritual beings or demons that operate in the spiritual realm, often influencing the physical world in unseen ways.
Added to the power language is the name language—that is—they are presuming something other than God. If Peter and the others stumble at this entrapment question, the Sadducees will simply turn the people on them, squash the entire Jesus movement in Jerusalem by using Peter's own words against him. They then have the means for putting Peter (and every other Jesus-follower) to death. But—like Jesus—Peter doesn't fall for it because he knows what's going on. He understands by "what name" and "what power" he is operating.
Every believer and disciple of Jesus Christ is placed by the power of God into the circle of power that is found in The Name. We are not on the outside looking in, but by his power and perfect will, we are now operating in The Name, which is why what we ask (in prayer) is before the Son of God enthroned in heaven and responded to. This is what it means to pray "in the name of Jesus" as the Lord alluded to in John 14.
Praying something "in the name of Jesus" is not like some cosmic PEZ Dispenser that pops out cosmic gumball answers and miracles on demand where we run roughshod over the will of God asking whatever we want as though God has given us the keys to the Kingdom willy-nilly. It's just not so! The next section brings this into view as our final point!
You in the Name vs You in the flesh
There are qualifications that must be met before prayers asked in The Name will be answered. James 4 gives us two excellent criteria:
You desire and do not have, so [as a result] you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so [as a result] you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because [1] you do not ask. [2] You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Read this closely and carefully. We have two failings when it comes to prayer. First—we want stuff, but we don't have it because we don't ask. Because we don't ask, we murder, covet, fight, and quarrel, which results in not even being able to get what we want through our own means. Second—we ask, but our fleshly desires, lusts, and passions taint our words. God doesn't listen. He doesn't answer such prayers no matter how many times we scream: "IN THE NAME OF JEEEEEE-ZUZZZZ!!!"
Frankly, we don't pray in the perfect will of God. The Spirit of God writing through Paul in Romans 8:26-27 tells us the God-given solution to our problem. Put simply: When we don't know the perfect will of God for a situation, we are met with the insurmountable obstacle outlined in James and spelled out clearly by Paul: Our one, single, common, human weakness is that we do not know how to pray as is necessary (Romans 8:26). So, what the solution? Pray in tongues! That's what this gift is for. Allow me to demonstrate.
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity (singular): for we know not what we should pray for as we ought (as is necessary): but the Spirit itself maketh intercession (huper-en-tugzano - spot-on-perfect to the will of God prayers on our behalf) for us with for our groanings which cannot be uttered [by us with our own words]. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession [deals and confers with] for [huper - on the behalf of] the saints according to the will of God.
Therefore, praying in tongues in the Spirit in languages of men and of angels that we do not understand is the gift given to us by God to overcome this critical human weakness that we have. It allows us to immediately, instantly, and always be able to pray the perfect will of God for every situation we face, especially when we groan within ourselves because we are frustrated, stymied, and otherwise flummoxed by the situations of life, attacks of the enemy, and anything that is standing in the way of the will of God happening in our lives!
Therefore, praying "in the name of Jesus" without understanding that we are in The Name and have the power to grow in our understanding of the perfect will of God from which to pray in our understanding and where we lack and pray in the flesh, we can switch to the Spirit and tongues and keep moving forward!
For example, you pray but your prayers seem to fall flat. They don't get answered in a timely fashion relative to the need. And what you're praying for is perhaps all about you and you are not the center of God's will working through your life. God's not about your comfort, but about your participation in his enterprise, which is pushing back fallen gods and demons and promoting the Name, Jesus, as King and expanding the Kingdom of God. He wants you to participate in The Name and has given great promises of answered prayer for those who do!
Addenda
This addenda is added as supplement to this document, providing additional information, correction, or an updates.
Servant Theology - Authority
The basic thought is this: Servants have no authority of their own, but carry that of their master, owner, commander, or others over them. This portion of the addenda is dedicated to passages of scripture demonstrating this either in Jesus or in the discples and beyond.
1. John 5:30: "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me."
2. John 12:49: "For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak."
3. John 14:10: "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works."
Just before Jesus ascends for the final time, he notes that he has already been to the highest heaven (see Daniel 7:13-14) and the father has bestowed on him all authority (that which he laid down to come the first time).
4. Matthew 28:18: "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'"
Jesus goes back to Capernaum and encounters a Roman centurion with a sick servant, who says:
"For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” — Matthew 8:9 ESV
Notice that the point that the centurion is making: "I am like you. You're like me. We're both carrying the authority of someone else. More than that—with this authority, I command others beneath me and the authority I am given, which is just like what you're doing"
Jesus responds to this by labeling the logic as "faith" (πίστιν - pistin): When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith." — Matthew 8:10 ESV
The centurion has laid aside his personal God-given liberty and authority (whereby to rule himself) to take up loyal obedience to someone else, activating his capacity to carry the authority of his commander (master) and to be found worthy to have others like himself under himself. It is this same model that Peter and John will later demonstrate in Acts 3 and 4.
Jesus follows up with:
And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed (ἐπίστευσας - episteusas).” And the servant was healed at that very moment. — Matthew 8:13 ESV
NOTE: Right after this, Jesus heals Peter's mother of a fever by simply touching her hand. And then the story continues:
Matthew 8:16 in the New Testament reads: "When evening came, many [who were] demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick."
The original Greek text uses two different verbs to describe Jesus' actions: "ἐξέβαλεν" (exebalen) for casting out the demons, and "ἐθεράπευσεν" (etherapeusen) for healing the sick. This suggests that the author of Matthew viewed these as two distinct actions, implying that not all sickness was viewed as being caused by demons.
However, it's also important to note that ancient Near Eastern thought often did associate sickness with demonic activity, so it's possible that some people brought to Jesus were thought to be both sick and demon-possessed. The text doesn't make this entirely clear.
In conclusion, while the text does distinguish between casting out demons and healing the sick, it leaves open the possibility that some individuals could have been both demon-possessed and sick. However, it does not explicitly state that all sickness is caused by demonic possession.
Servant Theology - Authority Passthrough
Jesus demonstrates in his words that the power and authority flowing through him as a servant to both God and humanity is not his own. Listen to his response to the healed and delivered Gadarene demoniac's request:
And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” — Mark 5:19 ESV
Jesus does not say, "tell them how much I have done for you and how I have had mercy on you." Who is "the Lord"? This is the Father to whom Jesus has submitted himself. This is Jesus expressing the same story of submission as is told in John 14 and also in Philippians 2.
The same basic idea is found in the parallel story:
“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. — Luke 8:39 ESV
Again—Jesus does not say, "how much I have done", but points to God (YHWH) as it is all three of them (father, son, and Spirit) operating with Jesus in submission to the father and connected and empowered through the Spirit of God.
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. — John 14:10 ESV
... who [Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. — Philippians 2:6-7 ESV
He is emptied (sets aside) of his own authority and submits to the authority of his father, making himself a conduit by the indwelling Spirit of God for the power of God by his submission. This model is the model that will be handed over to the disciples and also to us to follow. Anything else is not following after, being obedient to, or included in what it means to be a Christian and a disciple of Christ.