"In the name of the Lord Jesus"

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

As I look at the religious world today, I tend to see a greater and greater misunderstanding of the idea of doing something in the name of Jesus. I think if we look at what the scriptures actually mean by this, it is completely different than what people think today.

When we think of somebody’s name it is only natural to think about what their actual name is or who they are called. Because of this when the scripture talks about the name of Jesus, some assume it is referring to the actual name of Jesus which is “Jesus” or “Christ”. For instance, in Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Because Jesus said to baptize in the name of the Son, some conclude that when one is baptized, it is necessary for the baptizer to say “Jesus” over the person being baptized, otherwise the baptism is of no effect. This, however, is not what Jesus means. This can be more easily understood when Paul says in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Now, does this mean that when we do something we have to say “Jesus” every time we do it? No, that doesn’t make any sense. What is Paul talking about then? Paul simply means when you do something in word or deed, make sure you have the authority from Jesus to do it. This is what the name of Jesus is referred to in most New Testament scripture. It is referred to as authority. This is what Jesus means when he says to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He simply means that when one is baptized, they should be baptized only by the authority of God.

This however, is something that many individuals do not want to accept, simply because they don’t want to follow God’s authority in how the church should be run, how they are to live their lives, etc. They want to do things their own way. We must remember that the only way to Heaven is by doing what God wants us to do. Our way will lead to disaster! “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Jonathan Glaesemann