In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

[JustinHesychast]

So my Baptist church does this, and the entire (multi-denominational) group at the mission trip site, always ends the prayers with "In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen." And this is supposedly because we can only pray to the Father through Christ, and any prayers not prayed "In Jesus' Name" are not heard by God. Which, apparently, is also one of the reasons that they do not understand praying to Mary and the saints.

Is this biblical?

[rusmeister]

C'mon, Justin!
You know we say prayers in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If that ain't in Jesus' name, then I don't know what is. We just include the rest of the Trinity as well. Ask why they exclude the Father and the Holy Spirit!

[rusmeister]

Duplicate post

[Matrona]

So my Baptist church does this, and the entire (multi-denominational) group at the mission trip site, always ends the prayers with "In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen." And this is supposedly because we can only pray to the Father through Christ, and any prayers not prayed "In Jesus' Name" are not heard by God. Which, apparently, is also one of the reasons that they do not understand praying to Mary and the saints.

Soooo... the Jews were wandering around the desert and talking to themselves for forty years? And God has some kind of selective hearing that ignores anybody who doesn't jump through this particular verbal hoop that was dreamed up thousands of years after Pentecost? Don't listen to these pseudo-theologians, Justin.

Is this biblical?Not in the slightest!

[Dorothea]

So my Baptist church does this, and the entire (multi-denominational) group at the mission trip site, always ends the prayers with "In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen." And this is supposedly because we can only pray to the Father through Christ, and any prayers not prayed "In Jesus' Name" are not heard by God. Which, apparently, is also one of the reasons that they do not understand praying to Mary and the saints.

Is this biblical?
They're missing the other two important persons of the Trinity. :D

[Ramon96]

They're missing the other two important persons of the Trinity. :D

It is probably an oversight on there part! ;)

So my Baptist church does this, and the entire (multi-denominational) group at the mission trip site, always ends the prayers with "In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen." And this is supposedly because we can only pray to the Father through Christ, and any prayers not prayed "In Jesus' Name" are not heard by God. Which, apparently, is also one of the reasons that they do not understand praying to Mary and the saints.

Is this biblical?

That doctrine is not Scriptural and contrary to Orthodoxy. I am sure God heard the Jews in the OT even though they did not pray "In Jesus Name". :)

Blessings,
Ramon

[ArmyMatt]

yeah, ask why they separate the Son from the other Persons of the Trinity in their prayers. are not prayers truly answered by the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit? does not the Trinity have one Divine Action?

[Rowan]

It's a harmless tradition in my family. It's based on a particular Bible verse, but I've never had it explained that they believe that if you don't say those words that the prayer isn't heard.

I've only seen that logic refuted by another Protestant: he pointed out that prayer in Jesus' name means more spiritually than saying the phrase to close a prayer.

[rusmeister]

Of course there's nothing wrong with prayer in Jesus' name. The trouble only arises when they think we are not calling on Him because we don't express it that way. Also, their failure to pray to the Holy Trinity reveals the (lack of) importance of the Trinity in their theology and Christology - they acknowledge the Trinity, then ignore Them.

[choirfiend]

*speaking of important theological dogma*

The Trinity is not a "them." One would think we are polytheistic!

[MsDahl]

It's a harmless tradition in my family. It's based on a particular Bible verse, but I've never had it explained that they believe that if you don't say those words that the prayer isn't heard.


Same for me. I remember it being explained to me in reference to the verses where the apostles questioned Jesus about those who were driving out demons from people in His name and Jesus replied with "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us."