Is there power in the name of Jesus?
The name of Jesus is presented throughout Scripture as carrying supreme, divine power — not as a magical formula, but because the name stands for the Person Himself in all that He is, has done, and has been given by God.
1. The Name Above Every Name
God's answer to the deepest humiliation ever known was the highest exaltation ever bestowed. G.C. Willis writes on Philippians 2:9-11:
G.C. Willis"Wherefore God also supremely-exalted Him, and bestowed-on Him the Name, the (Name) supreme-above every name, that in the Name JESUS every knee should-bow, of-(things) heavenly and earthly and infernal, and every tongue should-publicly-confess that JESUS CHRIST (is) LORD, to (the) Glory of God (the) Father."
He adds:
"Supremely-exalted" is one word in the Greek. The Spirit of God through Paul loves to add to many words the little word "huper," (which corresponds to our word "super"), and we have translated it here, "supremely." ... How well this word of "supreme-exaltation" fits the position due to such supreme-humiliation! It is the only place in the New Testament where it is found; as though the Spirit of God had reserved it for this special passage.
And on the universal scope of that power:
"Every knee should bow." I write in a Moslem land, where all around are those who put the name "Mehommed" above the Name JESUS: nor will they bow to that worthy Name, for they will not acknowledge Him as GOD. But the day is coming when every one of them shall in virtue of the Name JESUS bow his knees.
T.B. Baines explains why the name carries this weight — it is God's righteous reward for Christ's voluntary path downward:
T.B. BainesAs God, all dominion and glory were His own; nor could anything be given Him. But as man, He had voluntarily emptied Himself, taking the lowest place, and bowing even to the power of death, in order to carry out God's purposes of grace. God's righteous response, then, to this obedience and devotedness was to exalt Him in the same character in which He had humbled Himself, giving to the man "Jesus" a name at which every knee should bow, and making every tongue to confess that He is Lord.
2. Salvation Is in His Name Alone
Peter's declaration in Acts 4 makes the name of Jesus the exclusive ground of deliverance. W.T.P. Wolston draws this out:
W.T.P. Wolston"BE IT KNOWN UNTO YOU all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Man slew Him, but God raised Him and put Him in glory. His name is down here on earth to be trusted in. And now this moment, as you read these lines, you may know the power of that name. God grant you may! ... The moment a soul trusts in Jesus, it is saved.
3. Power in Witness and the Early Church
The early church healed, preached, and triumphed over opposition in that name — and the authorities targeted the name itself because of its power. C.J. Davis writes:
C.J. DavisThe people wondered at seeing a lame man leaping, whom Peter, "in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth," had healed. Peter tells them that they should not marvel, for the cure was one of the many ways which God took for manifesting that He had "glorified His Son Jesus, whom the Jews had denied in the presence of Pilate."
C.E. Stuart traces this through the book of Acts:
C.E. StuartAt the Temple gate a miracle, which none could gainsay, had been wrought by two unlearned men, professedly in the name and by the power of the One the Jews had so recently crucified; and when charged to speak no more in His name, those two humble fishermen had bid defiance to the council. They could not make them afraid.
W.J. Hocking marvels at the explosive power that attended the confession of His name:
W.J. HockingYou read of a few persons in Jerusalem, persons of little account so far as the world went, but believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and confessing His name, and from them emanates a power which in a single day spreads among those in that city to a marvellous and incredible extent.
4. Power in Gathering to His Name
Jesus promised that where even two or three are gathered to His name, He Himself would be present — and with His presence comes real authority. T.B. Baines explains what this means:
T.B. BainesIn the New Testament, the name stands for the person acting in the character which the name indicates. ... Being gathered in the name of Jesus then, is being gathered to His person, owning His authority, and in accordance with His mind.
Only to those thus assembled are given the presence of Jesus, power with God, and the authority to bind and to loose. Nor, if we understand what it is to be gathered in that name, will these magnificent promises and powers fill us with wonder. Let believers be really assembled in obedience to the Lord's directions, and with hearts bowed to His authority, owning, in simple faith, His presence in their midst, and where is the room for self-will? Where the possibility of mistake?
5. The Son Honoured — The Father Glorified
The power of the name is ultimately about the glory of the Person it represents. W.E. Vine writes:
W.E. VineHe that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which has sent Him. ... To those who believe on the Son, and consequently have eternal life, all this is plain enough, for the Spirit teaches them. It is their joy, therefore, to see the Son honoured, and the Spirit is here to glorify Him.
Synthesis
There is immense, many-sided power in the name of Jesus. It is the name above every name — God's supreme response to Christ's supreme humiliation. In that name, salvation is found and no other (Acts 4:12). In that name, unlearned fishermen defied the Sanhedrin and turned the world upside down. In that name, believers gather with the promise of Christ's own presence and heaven's authority behind their actions. And in the coming day, every knee in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will bow at that name and confess Him Lord. The power is not in the syllables as though they were a charm; the power is in the Person — the risen, glorified Man at God's right hand, to whom all authority has been given, and whose name God Himself has set above every other.