Bruce Collins, Evangelist

The personal website of Bruce Collins

In His Name

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

(1 John 5:13-14 KJV)

 

Authority of the Name

We are told to believe on the name of the Lord (1 John 5:13, John 1:12), to pray in the name of the Lord (John 14:14, to preach in the name of the Lord (Luke 24:47), to carry out excommunication in the Lord’s name (Matthew 18:20). 

 

Why does the Scripture emphasize the name of the Lord in giving us instruction on these most important aspects of our Christian life?  I believe that when we believe on the name of the Lord, we are believing in His character, reputation and His authority.  His name represents all that He is.  We cannot believe on His name without believing on or in Him. 

 

What does it mean to do something in the name of the Lord?  It means to act as His proxy.  It means that when we do what He has asked us to do, the way He has asked us to do it, it is the same as if He were doing it Himself.  He has given us a blank check that we can sign; but when we sign it, we can only use the check for the things He has authorized.  When we follow His directions, He will honor what we do.  But we need to follow the instructions.

 

Praying

We cannot pray with iniquity in our hearts and expect God to answer.  See Psalm 66:18. I doubt very much that this is talking about unconfessed sin although that may be another reason for hindered prayer.  This however is talking about praying for an evil result for which we should not be praying.  In the new testament that would include getting vengeance on our enemies since we are to pray for those who despitefully use us—just as the Lord did. The Psalmist says if I pray for the wrong thing for the wrong reason, the Lord will not hear me—but He has heard me, so obviously the Psalmist was confident that He had prayed properly. 

 

Preaching

The Lord has commissioned us to preach repentance and remission of sins “in his name” in Luke 24:47. That simply means that we preach the way of salvation that way it is preached in the New Testament.  We can’t add to it and we can’t subtract from it.  When we follow our own logic and forget about the eternal issues of the Gospel, we may make members in our churches, but we won’t make born-again believers who KNOW that they have eternal life. 

 

Excommunication

In Matthew 18:15-20 tells us what to do a brother who claims to a Christian commits a trespass against another.  First the person offended is to go alone and try to get reconciled.  If the offending brother will not hear, the offended brother takes two or three with him.  It the offending brother is in the wrong and will not respond to the two or three (likely elders in the church) then the matter is to be taken to the congregation.  If he still stubbornly refuses to acknowledge his trespass, then he is to be treated as an unsaved man and he is excommunicated.  Excommunication is not church discipline.  It is used when church discipline has failed.  Excommunication is a serious matter, but the Lord says that if the “two or three” have followed His instructions, then He will support what has been done 100 percent.  But the Lord only approves actions that are carried out according to His instructions.

 

Conclusion

According to Romans 14:12, “every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”  I don’t fully understand what the judgment of Christians regarding their service entails, but I am glad I am saved and that my sins have been forgiven from a judicial standpoint.  I know I have eternal life because I have believed on His name.  But it does appear that even Christian are going to face God with regard to their faithfulness to Him in this life.  I would rather hear “well-done thou good and faithful servant” than to hear, the Lord ask, “Why weren’t you just simple enough to do things the way I asked you to do them rather than the way you decided to do them? It would have pleased me, and it would have worked better in advancing the kingdom.  After all, as the designer, I know how things are to work.” 

 

Bruce Collins

 

Meditation for the week of August 18, 2019

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