Prayer In Jesus Name Impacting Christian Life
Praying in Jesus' name is a practice rooted in biblical teachings and has significant implications for Christian life. The concept is derived from Jesus' instructions to his disciples, as recorded in the Gospel of John, where he tells them to ask in his name [4]. This practice is not merely a formal invocation but is deeply connected to the believer's relationship with Christ and their understanding of God's character.
The biblical basis for praying in Jesus' name is found in passages such as John 14:13-14, where Jesus says, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it" [4]. According to Reformed theologian John Calvin, praying in Jesus' name means relying on Christ's merits and worth as the ground for our requests being heard [2]. Charles Hodge, another Reformed theologian, explains that when we pray in Jesus' name, we are to urge what Christ is and what he has done as the reason why we should be heard, rather than trusting in our own merits or character [1].
The significance of praying in Jesus' name lies in its connection to Christ's mediation and the believer's access to God through him. According to Calvin, Christ's role as Mediator ensures that our prayers are heard, and his worthiness is the basis for our acceptance before God [2]. This understanding is echoed in the writings of the early Church Father Augustine, who notes that the daily prayer of the believer, which includes praying in Jesus' name, makes satisfaction for daily sins and is a means of sanctification [6].
Praying in Jesus' name also has implications for the believer's confidence and trust in God's provision. Hodge notes that the promise associated with praying in Jesus' name gives assurance that prayers offered in faith, for things according to God's will, will be answered [3]. This confidence is not based on the believer's own worthiness but on Christ's intercession and mediation.
The practice of praying in Jesus' name is not limited to individual prayer but also has communal implications. Calvin observes that when believers pray for one another in Jesus' name, they are committing each other to God's care and protection, demonstrating their mutual love and concern [5]. This communal aspect of prayer is also highlighted in Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17, where he prays not only for his immediate disciples but for all who would believe in him through their testimony [7].
The impact of praying in Jesus' name on Christian life is multifaceted. It fosters a deeper understanding of God's character and Christ's mediation, promotes confidence and trust in God's provision, and encourages communal prayer and intercession. As believers pray in Jesus' name, they are reminded of their dependence on Christ and the Holy Spirit, who enables them to pray according to God's will [8, 9].
In conclusion, praying in Jesus' name is a vital aspect of Christian prayer and life, rooted in biblical teachings and developed in the theological traditions of the Church. Its significance extends beyond individual prayer to communal intercession and has profound implications for the believer's understanding of God, Christ, and their relationship with both.
Historical Development
The practice of praying in Jesus' name has its roots in the New Testament and was further developed in the patristic and Reformation periods. The early Church Fathers, such as Augustine, understood the importance of praying in Jesus' name as a means of accessing God's grace and mercy [6]. The Reformed tradition, represented by theologians like Calvin and Hodge, emphasized the role of Christ's mediation and the believer's union with him in prayer [1, 2].
The understanding of praying in Jesus' name has continued to shape Christian prayer and practice throughout history, influencing various theological traditions and denominations. Its impact on Christian life is evident in the emphasis on Christ-centered prayer, the importance of communal intercession, and the confidence that believers have in God's provision and care.
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 73: for his sake. Regard for the person in whose name the favour is requested, is relied on as the ground on which it is to be granted. Therefore, when we are told to pray in the name of Christ, we are required to urge what Christ is and what He has done, as the reason why we should be heard. We are not to trust to our own merits, or our own character, nor even simply to God’s mercy; we are to plead the merits and worth of Christ. It is only in Him, in virtue of his mediation and worth, that, according to the Gospel, any blessing is conferred”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: are confirmed and fulfilled in him. 18. And we must carefully attend to the circumstance of time. Christ enjoins his disciples to have recourse to his intercession after he shall have ascended to heaven: “At that day ye shall ask in my name,” ( John 16:26 ). It is certain, indeed, that from the very first all who ever prayed were heard only for the sake of the Mediator. For this reason God had commanded in the Law, that the priest alone should enter the sanctuary, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on his shoulders, a”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 73: implied is expressed. “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to his will, He heareth us.” The promise, however, gives the assurance that all prayers offered in faith, for things according to the will of God, will be answered. The answer, indeed, may be given, as in the case of Paul when he prayed to be delivered from the thorn in the flesh, in a way we do not expect. But the answer will be such as we, if duly enlightened, would ourselves desire. More than this we need not wish. Want of confidence in”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: forward in his own name, and appear in the presence of God, our heavenly Father, to relieve us at once from fear and shame, with which all must feel oppressed, 472 472 French, “Confusion que nous avons, ou devons avoir en nousmesmes;”—confusion which we have, or ought to have, in ourselves. has given us his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to be our Advocate and Mediator, that under his guidance we may approach securely, confiding that with him for our Intercessor nothing which we ask in his name will be denied to us, as there is nothin”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: we all obtain whatever is good is our common Father ( Mt. 23:9 ), every thing which has been distributed to us we should be prepared to communicate to each other, as far as occasion demands. But if we are thus desirous as we ought, to stretch out our hands and give assistance to each other, there is nothing by which we can more benefit our brethren than by committing them to the care and protection of the best of parents, since if He is propitious and favourable nothing more can be desired. And, indeed, we owe this also to our Fath”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 71.--THE DAILY PRAYER OF THE BELIEVER MAKES SATISFACTION FOR THE TRIVIAL SINS THAT DAILY STAIN HIS LIFE.: Now the daily prayer of the believer makes satisfaction for those daily sins of a momentary and trivial kind which are necessary incidents of this life. For he can say, "Our Father which art in heaven,"(4) seeing that to such a Father he is now born again of water and of the Spirit.(5) And this prayer certainly takes away the very small sins of daily life. It takes away also those which at one time made the life of the believer very wick”
- John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on John 17:20: III. Our Lord's Prayer for His Church, and for All Who Would Believe on His Name, Through the Preaching of the Apostles and Their Successor. Joh 17:20-26. See on Joh 17:1 (note). Neither pray I for these alone - This prayer extends itself through all ages, and takes in every soul that believes in the Lord Jesus. And what is it that Christ asks in behalf of his followers? The greatest of blessings: unity, peace, love, and eternal glory.”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 138: clearness with which the truth was presented, or the earnestness with which it was enforced, but on the attending “demonstration of the Spirit.” ( 1 Cor. ii. 4 .) He gave thanks to God that the Gospel came to the Thessalonians “not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost.” ( 1 Thess. i. 5 .) He prayed that God would fulfil in them “the work of faith with power.” ( 2 Thess. i. 11 .) He reminded the Philippians that it was God who worked in them “both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” ( Phil. ii. 13 .) In Hebrews xiii”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 54: as well as with the doctrine which either confounds the operations of the Spirit with the providential efficiency of God, or regards them as analogous, have impressed themselves on the general consciousness of the Church. Every believer feels that he stands to the Holy Spirit in the relation which one person sustains to another: a person on whom he is dependent for all good; whose assistance must be sought, and whose assistance may be granted or withheld at pleasure; and who may come or withdraw either for a season or forever. Such has be”