As a child, I learned the importance of praying in the Name of the Lord Jesus from my parents and from godly men as they prayed publicly. In recent years, I have noticed some brethren closing their prayers with a simple “Amen.” Yet it is through Christ that we have fellowship with the Father, and it is in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that we can pray to Him. Knowing Christ is our great High Priest and Advocate allows us to approach God confidently. Praying in Jesus’ Name aligns our requests with His will and purpose, ultimately bringing glory to the Father.
It was the Teaching of the Lord Jesus
In the Upper Room, in response to Philip’s request, “show us the Father,” the Lord answered that He perfectly manifested the Father, proclaiming His deity and unity with the Father (John 14:8-9). He assured them that He will listen to their prayers and graciously answer them: “And whatever you ask in My Name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My Name, I will do it” (vv.13-14). Notice that He says twice that they must ask in His Name. In John 15:16, the Lord again instructed His disciples to pray in His Name, indicating that requests are made based on His merit and authority rather than our own, aligning our requests with His will rather than using it as a magic formula.
The central theme of John 16:23-28 is prayer. In John 16:23 the Lord says, “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My Name He will give you.” Again, in verse 24, “Until now you have asked nothing in My Name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” Still again in verse 26 “In that day you will ask in My Name…” The phrase “In that day” refers to the giving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) and the present Church Age. He is now our Great High Priest, and “He always lives to make intercession” for us (Heb. 7:25).
The Greek word aiteō for “ask” in verses 23, 24, and 26 speak of an inferior seeking something from a superior. This word is never used to describe Christ asking or praying to His Father. Instead, the Greek word “erōtaō” is used when Christ prays to the Father (14:16; 16:26b). He is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father (John 10:30), while we come to the Lord as inferiors, asking and seeking His blessing.
Asking in His Name signifies that the Veil has been torn open and we have direct access to the Father, through the Name of the Lord Jesus. The Lord was telling His disciples that He would soon no longer be physically present with them to ask Him questions. Instead, they would be able to ask the Father in Jesus’ Name, and He would answer their prayers for Christ’s sake.
It was the Practice of the Early Church
Peter, preaching in Acts 2:38, said, “…Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ…” First, there must be repentance from sin for salvation, followed by baptism as an act of obedience and identification with the Lord.
In Acts 3:1–10, Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer and met a beggar who had been lame from birth. The beggar asked them for alms, and Peter confidently said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Had Peter simply said, “Rise up and walk” the beggar would never have been healed. The authority and power resided solely in the Name above every name—the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Acts 4, the gospel was spreading and souls were being saved. Peter and John were taken into custody and brought before the authorities, where they were asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” (v.7) Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter responded, “let it be known to you all, 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 stands here before you whole. This is the ‘STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED BY YOU BUILDERS, WHICH HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (vv.10-12).
The two disciples were ordered to leave while the authorities conferred among themselves (v.15). After much discussion, Peter and John were called back in and they “commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the Name of Jesus” (v.18). Peter’s bold response demonstrated remarkable courage. Unapologetically, they stood firm and refused to obey their authority, claiming a higher authority—the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Later, all the apostles were arrested, beaten, and commanded not to speak in the Name of Jesus before they were released (Acts 5:40).
In Acts 10:44–48, Peter preached in the home of Cornelius and many were saved. In verse 48, “He commanded them to be baptized in the Name of the Lord.”
In Acts 19:1–5, Paul arrived at Ephesus and found some who professed to be believers who had only been baptized into John’s baptism. After hearing the truth and believing in Christ, they were baptized by Paul in the Name of the Lord Jesus. It was through that precious Name alone that they were saved and baptized.
It is Taught in the Epistles
To the Corinthians Paul wrote, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Cor. 1:2). Again, Paul reminded the Ephesians, “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20). Paul exhorted the Colossians to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another…And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:16-17).
Hebrews 2:17 reminds us that our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus, “had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 4:14-16 exhorts, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace [our Mercy Seat], that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow…” (Phil. 2:9-10). As we approach the Father, how can we not offer our prayers in the Name above every name, who always lives to make intercession for us. In our time of need and total dependence, both in private and public prayer, we must ask in the Name of the Lord Jesus.