While the reply could be given in
a single word, the issues involved are far reaching and demand some
detailed consideration. For who can estimate the importance of
communication with God?
The entrance of sin into the world put man at a
distance from God but did not close the door of communication
entirely. God still spoke to man, and He even spoke through man
(prophecy). Thus, Abimelech was told by God in a dream regarding
Abraham “And now, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and
will pray for thee, that thou mayest live” (Gen. 20: 7).
Furthermore, man through prayer could speak
directly to God. Thus
throughout the OT history we find prayer being made by such as
Moses, Manoah, Samson, Hannah, (see Num. 11: 2; Jud. 13: 8; 16: 28;
1 Sam. 1: 10) and many others. When we come to the NT, we find that
the twelve disciples are given the
Lord’s Prayer (not a term
Scripture uses), in which God was to be addressed as Father (see
Matt. 6: 9; Luke 11: 2). However, all this of was before the Lord
Jesus died, rose and ascended to heaven.
The Lord is now in a position there that He
never occupied before—He is at the right hand of God in heaven
as the glorified Man.
Consequent on that, the Holy Spirit has come (see John 7: 39) as
sent by the Father in Christ’s name (see John 14: 26) in order to
carry out a service that He had not carried out before. These are
the two great hallmarks of the present day: Christ as Man in the
glory of God and the Holy Spirit permanently indwelling the saints
on earth. God has now put Christ at “his right hand in the
heavenlies, above every principality, and authority, and power, and
dominion, and every name named … and has put all things under his
feet (Eph. 1: 20–22). Again: “Wherefore also God highly exalted him,
and granted him a name, that which is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly and earthly and
infernal [beings], and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ [is]
Lord to God [the] Father’s glory” (Phil. 2: 9–11). It is because of
this that Paul instructs the Corinthians “But I wish you to know
that the Christ is the head of every man, but woman’s head [is] the
man, and the Christ’s head God” (1 Cor. 11: 3). This is now the
divine order of authority: God, then Christ, then man, and then
woman. This order must be recognised in all divine communication
whether in prayer (man speaking to God) or prophecy (God speaking to
man). God will not have Christ bypassed, and so the believer must
now go to God through Christ. Thus, Paul speaks of believers “giving
thanks at all times for all things to him [who is] God and [the]
Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (Eph. 5: 20, my emphasis). Indeed the owning of the
authority of the Lord Jesus is now all–embracing for we read “And
everything whatever
ye may do in word or in deed, [do] all things in [the] name of [the]
Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father
by him” (Col. 3: 17,
my emphasis).
Sadly, the majority in Christendom—that which
claims the name of Christ—ignore the order that God has laid down.
Thus, the distinction between man and woman that was to be expressed
before the angels (see 1 Cor. 11: 10) is not observed, and the male
hierarchy pray in mitres and skull-caps, and women pray with their
heads uncovered. However, many of those who err in this way also
take pleasure in chanting the
Lord’s prayer, even though it is
not offered in the name of
the Lord Jesus, and, indeed, His name is
entirely absent from
it! This prayer is set in the midst of the so–called
Sermon on the Mount and
was given in connection with the Kingdom (not the Church). It is for
Jewish disciples still under the law (see Matt. 5: 17–19)—hence
forgiveness was made dependant on forgiving (see Matt. 6: 12)—and
was in view of the time when the setting up of the Kingdom was in
prospect. But the King was rejected (see Matt. 12: 24) and thus the
form of the Kingdom changed (see Matt. 13: 1–52), and prayer with
it. Consider what John records on the matter of prayer in his Gospel
(see John 14–16). This takes place in the upper room and on the way
to the Mount of Olives (see Mark 14: 15, 26)
after the close of
the Lord’s public ministry. There are no quotations from the
Sermon on the Mount here
or anywhere else in John and the
Lord’s Prayer is also
absent—indeed the words pray
and prayer similarly do
not appear. However, six times the Lord tells the disciples to ask
the Father, an action which, necessarily, involves prayer.
On every single occasion
it is to be “in my name” (John 14: 13, 14; 15: 16; 16: 23, 24, 26).
Thus, in Christianity, prayer is to be offered to God
in Christ’s name. The
single word answer to the question ‘Is it wrong for a believer not
to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus when praying to God?’ is
YES.
