What Does It Mean: To Believe On The Name Of The Son Of God?

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 anything 

according to His will, He heareth us: and 

if we know that He hear us, whatsoever

 we ask, we know that we have 

the petitions that we desired of Him.

1John 5:13-15 

     Before I begin I will give the results of yesterday's test. It was both good and bad. The Good: I do not have to have surgery. The bad: I do not have to have surgery. In other words: surgery will not help so I must choose between door b or c. I chose b. That it, I will have to live with the problem. Ok! I will move on! It is what it is and I know that whatever the case: God is with me and that as John wrote: if we believe on the name of Jesus Christ I have eternal life, now, and forever. Amen!

     Scripture is our guide to the truth. No man has the truth1 Scripture alone has the truth. Therefore it is most important to use a translation that is translated from manuscripts that do not leave out verses, and does not contain variations of Gnosticism, and is correctly translated. For me only those Bibles translated from the Textus Receptus meet that criteria, to be translated correctly and does not leave out verses, and does not contain any variation of Gnosticism. This means such Bibles as the King James Version, the New King James Version, the Stephanus Bible, the Geneva Bible and others translated from the Textus Receptus. The Greek used by the Hebrew writers as it was the common language of the day were words that a common person who was Greek or understood Greek and would know as we know English.  

     John informs us as to why he wrote: So that we could believe on the name of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, that we could know and believe that all of God's children have eternal life. That we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, not some angel, not come created being even if for a special purpose, no, that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God. God came, God saves, God creates, God gives eternal life for those who believe that He came, incarnate, to die, to save, and to make intercession eternally for all who believe that Jesus is God, that Jesus by His death saves. 

     What does it mean: To believe on the name of Jesus? This belief is not as it is with Jehovah Witnesses who only use the name "Jehovah" and for them by this name, as in John, or Bill, or Sally, etc., names that they are called by, this name Jehovah has power. It does in this sense: God, Jesus Christ who have a name given to us so that we know to whom we worship and believe is about them, not just some noun, a name. We say, so and so made a name for himself or herself, and we mean the same thing, it is about them, what they are, what they do, what the believe, it is about them not just a name. There is more: you must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. You are not a son of God other than by adoption, this is not true of Jesus for He is the Only Son of God, the Only Begotten Son of God. We can have confidence in that name for as the Son of God, God, His words are true and factual and effective. Yes, believe the noun, Jesus, but believe greater in the name of Jesus. 

      What does it mean that if we ask we receive? Oh how this is tossed around wrongly. We will receive from God if we ask in and according to His will..... no other way. Furthermore, if we ask and do not believe why should we think that God will hear us? If we are living contrary to the will of God, why should we believe that He hears us? God, first and foremost hears this prayer: God forgive me a sinner! That is the will of God, that you believe on Jesus Christ the One He sent forth to save. Next, if we ask for anything after that it must according to His will. How do we know if it is His will? We examine what we want from a study about it in Scripture. We pray for the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth and answer to a matter. Are you loving as John has so succinctly pointed out that any true believer should be doing? Christianity is not a religion, it is a way of life. Yes, according to the world's definition it is a religion, but they have it wrong. Christianity is all about Jesus Christ and our living according to what He has taught us how to live and what is His will for us. 

     Changing from the inside/out is all about faith, but more, it is about changing the way we live and think. This life of a Christian is hard when we only see it from eyes that long for what this world has to offer. Christian life is easy of you keep your eyes on Jesus Christ and the prize (heaven). Fun is one thing, it is temporary, joy, is another thing and it is eternal. Choose one or the other and you will have your chose. I for one: choose joy!

     Sunday is coming, the Sabboth, how will you use it, to play, or to take time to worship and meditate on Him?

For as the new heavens and the new earth,

     which I will make shall remain before me,

saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your

    name remain.

                             Isaiah 66:22

Live according to the the will of God

Richard L. Crumb