In Colossians 3:17, Paul wrote, 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. What does this mean? How can you do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus?
What does faith in the Name of the Lord Jesus mean?
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 317)
Everyone, who has become a new creation and is clothed with the spiritual apparel of Christ, should walk in Christ on earth and do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus.
This doesn’t mean that in all you do, you use the Name of the Lord Jesus as some kind of magic formula, but this means that you walk by faith in the Name of the Lord Jesus and do His will.
You are bought with His blood and belong to Christ. He has sent you as His witness, to represent and preach Him on earth.
You do this, by obeying and speaking His words, keeping His commandments, and in His authority doing the works.
By obeying and speaking the words of Jesus and doing the works of Jesus, you execute His will on earth.
Your words and works show, to whom you belong and whom you serve. Jesus Christ and righteousness or the devil, sin and death.
Jesus came in the name of the Father
I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in My Father’s Name, they bear witness of Me (John 10:25)
Jesus came in the Name of the Father. This means, that the Father sent Jesus and that Jesus represented His Father. He obeyed the words of His Father. He spoke the same words as His Father and did the same works as His Father. Because of this, Jesus was a reflection of His Father on earth (a.o. Matthew 11:27, John 5, Hebrews 1:3).
The words and works of Jesus didn’t originate from His flesh (His feelings, emotions, and will), but the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God and reveals the (deep) thoughts and will of the Father (a.o. 1 Corinthians 2:10-13).
Jesus came to do the will of the Father
Jesus was born of the Seed of God. He was one with the Father, which was visible through His words and works (deeds).
Through His obedience to the words of the Father and doing His Father’s will, Jesus distinguished Himself from those, who belonged to the house of Israel and were born of the seed of man.
Jesus wasn’t prideful. He didn’t put himself above the words of God. He didn’t do the things of God for selfish reasons.
Jesus didn’t have a hidden agenda and didn’t walk in hypocrisy. He didn’t preach one thing while doing the other (Read also: Saying and doing are two different things)
Jesus also didn’t speak about His experiences and all the signs and wonders, He had done. He didn’t exalt Himself, but Jesus was humble.
Jesus was humble, because He walked in submission to His Father doing His will.
Through His words and deeds, He acknowledged the Father as the one and only good God, the Almighty One, and gave all honor to Him.
By faith in God and walking in obedience to God in righteousness and truth, in His power, Jesus established the Kingdom of His Father, and exposed the darkness, and destroyed the works of darkness
Jesus did everything in the Name of the Father
Then answered the Jews, and said unto Him, Say we not well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour My Father, and ye do dishonour Me. And I seek not Mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death (John 8:48-51)
Jesus taught with authority and acted as authoritative. He spoke the words of His Father, which were not always pleasant to hear to the carnal man. That’s because His words called for repentance and obedience to God.
The hard words of Jesus touched the people in their flesh, whereby they were often offended and hurt and walked away and left Jesus (feeling angry).
However, the words of Jesus were Spirit and life. His words contained the life of God and brought forth life.
Obedience to His words led the people on the narrow path to eternal life. But only a few were willing to give up their own lives and walk on that path of life.
Jesus worshiped, exalted, and glorified the Father through His words and deeds
Everywhere Jesus came, He came in the Name of the Father. He represented the Father through His words and deeds that derived from the Father.
And so Jesus revealed and brought God’s Kingdom to the people. He left a trace of righteousness, peace, and joy in the lives of them, who believed in Him and obeyed Him. (Read also: What kind of peace did Jesus bring on earth?)
Through His life; His words and deeds, Jesus acknowledged, worshiped, exalted, and glorified the Father. He gave Him all honor and thanksgiving.
And through His obedience to the Father, the Father was with Him and highly exalted Him and gave Him a Name which is above every name. (a.o. Acts 2:32-33; 5:30-32, Philippians 2:6-9).
As the Father sent His Son Jesus, even so, Jesus sent the believers, who are the sons of God
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you (John 20:21)
As the Father sent His Son Jesus, even so, Jesus sent the believers, who have faith in His Name and by faith and regeneration in Him became sons of God (this applies to both males and females), and together are the Church.
Jesus came to do the will of the Father. The believers in Christ should do the will of Jesus and walk in His commandments. The will of Jesus originates from the Father. Therefore the will of Jesus is the will of the Father. (Read also: The commandments of God vs the commandments of Jesus).
In every believer’s heart, His will should reign. Just like the will of the Father reigned in the heart of Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
Christians speak the words of Jesus (the Word), which are the truth
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:23-26)
As Jesus spoke the words of the Father, so should Christians speak the words of Jesus; the Word. However, Christians can only speak the words of Jesus, if they know the words of Jesus.
By reading and studying the Bible, you become acquainted with the words of God. If you abide in the Word, the words of Jesus abide in you. When the words of Jesus abide in you, you shall speak the words of Jesus.
If you speak His words, which are according to His will and the will of the Father, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done. (John 15:7 (Read also: Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened!)).
Since the words of Jesus are Spirit and life, you shall speak words of Spirit and life.
These words shall be heard and obeyed by those, who belong to God and love Jesus. But these words shall be disobeyed and rejected by those, who belong to the world and love themselves.
The words of Jesus are Spirit and life
The words of Jesus derive from the Spirit and not from the carnal man. His words are life for the spirit, but death to the flesh (and its works).
The words of Jesus reconcile the spirit of man to God, but separate the soulish man from God. His words bring unity among believers, but division and enmity with those, who belong to the world.
But those, who love Jesus and belong to Him, shall obey and speak boldly the words of Jesus. (Read also: What does the Bible say about the words of God?).
As Jesus did the works of His Father and even greater works, the believers shall do the works of Jesus and even greater works
The work of Jesus was to do the will of the Father and to keep His commandments, whereby Jesus did the works of the Father and fulfilled the greater work; the redemptive work for fallen man.
This should also be the work of Christians; doing the will of the Father and of Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments, whereby Christians shall do the same works of Jesus and ever greater works, because Jesus went to the Father (John 5:20; 14:12).
As Jesus was a Witness of the Father and in the Name of the Father did His works and preached and brought the Kingdom of Heaven and called the people to repentance, Christians are witnesses of Jesus Christ and in the Name of Jesus do His works.
These works are, first of all, obedience and doing the will of Jesus; the will of the Father.
Then, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, repentance, and the remission of sins (He that believes and is baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned) and bringing His Kingdom on earth.
The remitting of sins and the retaining of sins, saving souls, teaching them, and making disciples of Jesus, so that they observe all things Jesus has commanded.
And the signs that follow the believers are: In the Name of Jesus shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:47-49, John 20:21-23).
The witnesses of Jesus preach the Word and the Lord confirms the Word with signs following
This is the commandment that Jesus gave to His disciples; His witnesses, who love Him and give their lives to Him and do what their Redeemer and Lord has commanded them to do.
And if the believers are His witness and fulfill His commandment and preach the Word, the Lord shall confirm the Word with signs following (Mark 16:20).
Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: an, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:19-20)
The true witnesses of Jesus shall submit to the Word, which represents the will of the Father. They shall go in the Name of the Lord Jesus.
They shall not be ashamed of Jesus and shall not deny Him But they shall confess Jesus and represent Him to the people.
In the Name of the Lord Jesus, they shall speak the truth of God. They shall teach the people in the truth of God’s Word. They shall walk by faith in His authority doing righteous works, whereby they are His reflection on earth.
Whatsoever they do in word or deed, they do in the Name of the Lord Jesus. So that Christians exalt and glorify Jesus and constantly give thanks to God the Father through Him.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
