Is there power in the name of Jesus?
Peter and John had no money to give the lame man at the temple gate, yet the man walked. Everything turned on a name — which raises the question of what that name actually carries, and whether anyone may use it.
The Name That Worked Where Money Could Not
Commentators read the whole book of Acts as a demonstration of what one name can do.
J T MawsonBut power had come into the world at last, wonder-working power, delivering power, and that power lay in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth. No better title could be given to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles than "The Power of the Name." Peter and John knew its power, and boldly used it.
The same writer turns that against a modern assumption — that the church's real shortage is funding.
J T MawsonThe pity is that what is highly esteemed by men of the world should be so highly esteemed by those who claim to honour the name of Christ. It was said some time ago by a leader in the religious world that what the church needed was more money... There never was a greater delusion. The need is not silver and gold, but a return to the beginning, a renewed realization of the power of the Name.
Why a Name Carries Power at All
A name is not a sound with force in it. It stands for a person who is not physically present, and its weight is the weight of that person.
Walter ScottA name represents a person, and necessarily supposes his absence. The value of what a person is has its force in the name. In the Name of Christ prayer is all-prevailing (John 14:13-14); to it alone God would gather His saints (Matt. 18:20); because of it our sins have been forgiven (1 John 2:12); and because of it God leads His pilgrim people in paths of righteousness (Ps. 23:3).
Not a Magic Word
Some in Ephesus treated the name as a stronger charm than the ones already in circulation. Sceva's sons tried to use it on an evil spirit and were driven out of the house beaten. One writer identifies exactly what they lacked.
C. E. StuartWas that name, then, just a charm, only more powerful than other charms in fashion in the province of Asia?... Two conditions, however, were needed for anyone to use it with effect. Both were lacking in these men. One was genuine saving faith in Christ; the other a true confession of His Lordship. No one can use that name in conflict with demons unless he is a real believer and confessor of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Another writer draws the same line over the promises of Mark 16 — the results follow when the name is used "not as a mere talisman, as Sceva's sons attempted (Acts 19), but in true faith."
The Only Name for Salvation
Its greatest power is not over sickness or spirits but over guilt, and here the name has no rival.
J Wilson SmithBeside His name no other is given under heaven by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12), and so we read: "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God" (John 3:18). The refusal of His name is fatal.
Power in Prayer — With a Warrant
Ending a prayer with the words changes nothing by itself. What the phrase means is that you come with Christ's own authority behind the request.
The Christian's FriendIt could not mean simply saying the words, or closing our petitions with "through our Lord Jesus Christ." That would tie the answer of prayer to a mere formula... Even in human dealings you cannot use another's name without his consent and authority... In the same way we cannot use the name of Christ in our prayers without His warrant — a warrant that must be found in His own Word. When we have this... we appear before God with all the authority of Christ Himself, in all His value and preciousness to God.
What Follows When the Name Is Used
The healing at the gate brought God glory — and immediate trouble for the men who did it.
The Christian's FriendHaving the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth here on earth brings glory to God, and sets the world on fire against the poor vessel, the honoured vessel. There is no poverty in the name of Jesus. There is rejoicing, blessing, light, in having that name... If you do not have this power of the name of Jesus you will not find the world against you — either in hostility or in schemes.
That opposition is temporary. God's settled purpose is "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth."
Summary
- Power. Real power entered the world with Christ, and it rests in His name — Acts is the record of it.
- Person. A name carries the worth of the one it stands for; His name is strong because He is.
- Faith. The name is not a charm. Sceva's sons proved that it works only for those who truly believe and own Him as Lord.
- Salvation. Its highest use is not miracles but rescue: no other name saves, and refusing it is fatal.
- Prayer. Praying in His name is not a closing formula but coming with His warrant and all His value before God.