The Name above Every Name

The Third Commandment in the Epistles

3 min

Last week we looked at the way the Lord Jesus honored the name of His Father. In this article, we will expand on the concluding paragraph of last week’s article on the importance of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The “name above every name” has vital practical importance for us as believers who carry His name wherever we go. The Apostle Paul applies the importance of our identity with the name of the Lord Jesus in Philippians 2:5–11:

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Recently, we studied the practical lessons drawn from the Book of Isaiah about the name of God the Father. Here, we will look at the New Testament epistles and see seven of the many blessings that we receive through the name of God the Son.

1. We are united by the name of Jesus.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Corinthians 1:10).

Application: Do I avoid divisions, realizing that all believers share in common the name of Jesus?

2. We are justified in the name of Jesus.

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11).

Application: Do I dwell on my sinful past, or do I rejoice that I am justified in the name of Jesus?

3. We are motivated by gratitude to speak and act in the name of Jesus.

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17).

Application: Do my words and deeds reflect the name of Jesus Christ, and am I consistently grateful to my Heavenly Father?

4. We are purified by the name of Jesus.

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (II Timothy 2:19).

Application: Do I use the holy name of Jesus to encourage myself to confess, repent, and flee from sin?

5. We are healed in the name of Jesus.

“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).

Application: Do I take advantage of the healing power that is in the name of Jesus?

6. We are reproached for the name of Jesus.

“If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (I Peter 4:14).

Application: Do I rejoice that I, who am called by His name, have the privilege to share in Christ’s reproach?

7. We are confident in the name of Jesus.

“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” (I John 5:13).

Application: Do I rest in the assurance that my salvation is guaranteed by the name and authority of the Son of God?

As Christians, we bear the name of the Lord Jesus Christ wherever we go. Let us firmly resolve that we will not bear His name in vain but will seek to glorify His name in every word, attitude, and action.

The final chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22, declares to us many wonderful mysteries of the glory of the new Jerusalem. Described are the pure river of water of life, the fruits of the trees, and the throne of God and of the Lamb. Then, in verse 4, the Apostle John recorded a wonderful promise that is often overlooked in this glorious chapter. That promise, about the relationship between Jesus and believers, awaits us: “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”

One day we are going to carry on our foreheads the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! May God give us the grace today to carefully carry His name here on earth so that we, without shame, may joyfully carry it forever in Heaven.

This article is from our Matters of Life & Death teaching series.

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