What Does it Mean to “Believe in the Name of Jesus”?
I was recently motivated to read 1 John over and over and over again (which is a story for another time), and as I was reading, this verse jumped out at me:
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
— 1 John 3:23
I’ve read this verse dozens, if not hundreds, of times; but for some reason that morning, it really jumped out at me. This is important stuff—not just because it’s in the Word of God, but also because it’s a commandment! What’s more, this phrase appears repeatedly throughout the New Testament:
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, — John 1:12
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. — John 2:23
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. — John 3:18
But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. — Acts 8:12
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. — 1 John 3:23
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. — 1 John 5:13
I understand “I believe Jesus”—that means I agree that what He says is truth.
I understand “I believe in Jesus”—which is to say that I put my faith or trust in Him for the salvation of my soul.
But what does it mean to “believe in Jesus’ name”?
The best way to interpret Scripture is with Scripture, so I started to think about Jesus’ name. Where do we first learn about His name? In Matthew…so, to Matthew I turned:
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” — Matthew 1:20,21
Many others have written on the name of Jesus, so I won’t belabor the point here. Rather, I’ll simply point out that the Greek word for “Jesus” represented the Hebrew name “Yeshua,” which itself is a shortened form of “Yehoshua.” Why is this important? Because “Yehoshua” means “Yahweh saves.” (Yahweh is the covenant name of God, per Exodus 3:15.) This is evident in the angel’s explanation to Joseph why he should name the child Yeshua: “for He will save His people from their sins.”
But it doesn’t stop there. Keep reading:
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” — Matthew 1:22,23
What do we learn from this passage?
Jesus’ Hebrew name means “Yahweh saves”
Jesus will save His people from their sins
His nickname (Immanuel), or title if you will, means “God with us.”
Believing in “the name of Jesus,” therefore, means to believe:
Only Yahweh can save us from our sins (Isaiah 43:11),
Jesus is Yahweh come in the flesh (1 John 4:2), and
Only by trusting in Him can we be saved (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 14:6)
In short, if your Jesus is not God Himself, you *cannot* be saved.
Watch my presentation “What’s All the Fuss About Jesus?” for a more thorough breakdown of this essential biblical doctrine.