Acts 4:12

In church one Sunday we discussed the name of Jesus, and all the power it holds with it- also, the first few verses in Matthew. And I was sitting there, thinking about Acts 4:12, which goes, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” and I kept thinking "no other name" over and over again- just "no other name," when it hit me! In Matthew, when it talks about the naming of Jesus, that’s the first time in the whole Bible that there is a face connected to a name of God- a name that He gives the world. In the Old Testament, the people give God a name such as Yahweh or Elohim, but those are names the people give God, not the name God gives people. Even Moses, who directly asked God for a name, was simply told, “I am.” And that’s not really a name; it’s more of a state of being… ‘I am.’

It’s also interesting because in ancient times, it was thought that if you knew a person’s name, you had power over them. In fact, in many old cultures people were given a birth name- there true name- and then they went and lived the rest of their lives by another name, so that nobody would have power over them. Neat, huh? That in those times God never revealed a name to call Him.

So, in conclusion, what hit me: the name of Jesus is so powerful because, even though it doesn’t give us power over Him, it allows us to share in the power of Him.