Using God's Name to Heal Others Randomly Explained
The concept of using God's name to heal others is rooted in biblical accounts where divine power is manifested through invocation. The New Testament, particularly the book of Acts, provides instances where healing occurs "by the name of thy holy child Jesus" [1]. This practice is not presented as a random or arbitrary act, but rather as an exercise of faith and divine authority.
In the early Christian community, the apostles performed healings in the name of Jesus. For example, Peter and John encountered a lame man at the temple gate. Peter commanded him, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" and the man was healed [10]. This event led to a public declaration that "his name, through faith in his name, hath made this man strong" [10]. The power was attributed to Christ's name, not to any inherent ability of the apostles themselves. John Gill notes that while the apostles' faith and the lame man's faith were involved, they did not have a causal influence on the cure; rather, they were the means through which Christ was glorified in effecting the healing [10]. Adam Clarke suggests that Peter and John were "suddenly drawn by the Holy Spirit to pronounce the healing name" [9].
The New Testament also records Jesus himself healing those who needed it, speaking of the Kingdom of God and curing the sick [3]. The apostles, following Jesus' example, were empowered to perform similar acts. The book of Acts explicitly states a prayer for God to stretch forth His hand to heal, and for "signs and wonders" to be done "by the name of thy holy child Jesus" [1]. This indicates a belief that invoking Jesus' name was a channel for divine intervention in healing.
The act of blessing, in a broader sense, involves God bestowing gifts, or people thanking God for mercies, or invoking God's blessing for welfare [6]. In the context of healing, names in the Bible sometimes carry meanings related to health or medicine, such as Irpeel ("the health, medicine, or exulting of God"), Jason ("he that cures"), Rephael ("the physic or medicine of God"), and Jesaiah ("health, or salvation, of the Lord") [2, 4, 7, 8]. Hananeel, meaning "grace, or gift, of God," also connects to the idea of divine favor and provision [5].
While the New Testament describes instances of healing through the invocation of Jesus' name, it also highlights the role of faith and divine will. The anointing of the sick with oil, mentioned in Mark 6:13 and James 5:14, was a practice among Jews and early Christians, often symbolizing ease, comfort, and joy, and was used in conjunction with prayer for healing [11]. This practice, like the invocation of Jesus' name, was understood as a means through which God might choose to act, rather than a magical formula. The emphasis remains on God as the ultimate source of healing, with the name of Jesus serving as the authoritative means through which that power is accessed and manifested.
Sources
- King James Version “[KJV] Acts 4:30 — By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Irpeel — the health, medicine, or exulting of God”
- Luke “But the multitudes, perceiving it, followed him. He welcomed them, and spoke to them of the Kingdom of God, and he cured those who needed healing. -- Luke 9:11”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jason — he that cures”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Hananeel — grace, or gift, of God”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Bless — (1.) God blesses his people when he bestows on them some gift temporal or spiritual (Gen. 1:22; 24:35; Job 42:12; Ps. 45:2; 104:24, 35). (2.) We bless God when we thank him for his mercies (Ps. 103:1, 2; 145:1, 2). (3.) A man blesses himself when he invokes God's blessing (Isa. 65:16), or rejoices in God's goodness to him (Deut. 29:19; Ps. 49:18). (4.) One blesses another when he expresses good wishes or offers prayer to God for his welfare (Gen. 24:60; 31:55; 1 Sam. 2:20). Sometimes blessings were uttered under divine inspiration, as in the case of Noah, Isa”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Rephael — the physic or medicine of God”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jesaiah — health, or salvation, of the Lord”
- Acts (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Acts 3:4: Look on us - He wished to excite and engage his attention that he might see what was done to produce his miraculous cure, and, it is likely, took this occasion to direct his faith to Jesus Christ. See note on Act 3:16 (note). Peter and John probably felt themselves suddenly drawn by the Holy Spirit to pronounce the healing name in behalf of this poor man.”
- Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 3:16: And his name, through faith in his name,.... That is, the name of Christ, or the power of Christ, through the faith of the apostles in him, while they made use of his name, and said, "in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth", &c. Act 3:6 or Christ, through the faith of the lame man in him; and when his name was used in this manner by the apostles; not that either their faith, or his, had any causal influence on the cure, but was the way and means in which they, glorifying Christ, he was pleased to effect this cure: hath made this man strong; who was before exceeding w”
- Mark (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Mark 6:13: Anointed with oil many that were sick - This is only spoken of here, and in Jam 5:14. This ceremony was in great use among the Jews; and in certain cases it might be profitable. But in the cases mentioned here, which were merely miraculous, it could avail no more of itself than the imposition of hands. It was used symbolically, as an emblem of that ease, comfort, and joy, which they prayed God to impart to the sick. For various examples of its use among the Jews, see Lightfoot and Wetstein on this place.”