All of us born anew believers called on the "name" of Jesus. We believed "into" the name of Jesus. But just what does "name" mean in this context?
If we come in the "name"of Jesus, that means we believe we are acting under His authority and for His benefit. See Acts 16:18.
In John 1:12 we see that we are to believe in (into) His name. Here we are trusting in and depending upon all the promises Christ conferred on those who believe as determined by God.
Let us consider 1 John 3:23-24. Interpretive translation
This is His command, that we must believe the "name" of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we must love one another, just as He gave us the command - the one who keeps His commands abides in Him and He in him. We know by this, that He abides in us by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Now let us attempt to unravel this passage.
We know we abide in Him if we know we are indwelt by experiencing His presence. Ever since I was 15 years old, when I committed my life to Christ, I have felt the presence of God in my life. Thus, I believe I have the "blessed assurance, Jesus is mine."
How do we keep all His commandments perfectly since we know we sometimes behave sinfully? By the washing of regeneration. So we are aware of our sinful behavior, and we are to confess such behavior, and we are to strive to avoid it in the future. Thus we are engaged in progressive sanctification. But the other side of the coin is if God is in us, we do not sin as reckoned by God, having been made perfect by the blood of the Lamb. Another sign of our indwelling, is our view of others. Do we feel hate, disdain, or even apathy? Not a good sign. If we care about others, as Christ did, we will give more than lip service to the command to love one another.
If we come in the "name"of Jesus, that means we believe we are acting under His authority and for His benefit. See Acts 16:18.
In John 1:12 we see that we are to believe in (into) His name. Here we are trusting in and depending upon all the promises Christ conferred on those who believe as determined by God.
Let us consider 1 John 3:23-24. Interpretive translation
This is His command, that we must believe the "name" of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we must love one another, just as He gave us the command - the one who keeps His commands abides in Him and He in him. We know by this, that He abides in us by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Now let us attempt to unravel this passage.
We know we abide in Him if we know we are indwelt by experiencing His presence. Ever since I was 15 years old, when I committed my life to Christ, I have felt the presence of God in my life. Thus, I believe I have the "blessed assurance, Jesus is mine."
How do we keep all His commandments perfectly since we know we sometimes behave sinfully? By the washing of regeneration. So we are aware of our sinful behavior, and we are to confess such behavior, and we are to strive to avoid it in the future. Thus we are engaged in progressive sanctification. But the other side of the coin is if God is in us, we do not sin as reckoned by God, having been made perfect by the blood of the Lamb. Another sign of our indwelling, is our view of others. Do we feel hate, disdain, or even apathy? Not a good sign. If we care about others, as Christ did, we will give more than lip service to the command to love one another.