Believing on the Lord’s name
The importance of belief in Jesus is attested to by countless scriptures about it and that, for most Christians, belief is the defining quality of whether you are a Christian or not. Unfortunately, Jesus does not define belief this way, nor do the scriptures pointed to by those who do.
Belief in Jesus is not the same as believing in his name. Belief in Jesus can be anything one defines it to be, as attested to by the diversity of beliefs held by those who claim to. Most people who claim to believe in Jesus have no idea what he is like. They’ve never met him, and they don’t bother seeking to learn about him from those who know him, such as by reading the scriptures. For these people, Jesus is a catch-all cosmic idol constructed to be whatever they hope he is like.
Belief in his name is uniquely defined by how he actually is. To believe in the name of the Lord, you must actually find out what he is like, and actually be the same way.7 If you do not act, think, and desire as he did and does, according to the example he gave, you do not believe on his name. You might be able to claim you believe in Jesus while not actually following his example, but you can’t believe in his name while intentionally ignoring and living differently than the example given in the scriptures.8
The degree to which you believe in God is the degree to which you follow his example, as far as you understand it. If you believe on the name of Jesus, you will act, think, and desire as he did and does, as far as you understand him to be. It is through belief in his name, and not in his mere existence, that remission of sins comes.9 If you believe on the Lord’s name, you believe that God is “mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.” (Alma 7:14) If you believe on the Lord’s name, you believe that, through him, you can do anything he shows you he would do in your place: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13) You believe that, in him, you can do all things he commands.10 If you believe on the Lord’s name, you believe he can show you how and why to be sinless.11 If you believe on the Lord’s name, you know that those who do not follow his example are damned.1621
If you believe on the Lord’s name, you will do mighty works by following his example in all things. You believe that when he said, “he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also” (John 14:12), he meant it. You believe that when he said, “greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12), he meant that if you believe him enough to seek and obey him, he can put enough of himself into you to do everything he ever did here and more. When you believe in the Lord’s name, you believe all of this in spite of all your weakness, and all your ignorance, and all of your problems, because you know it is about him and how he is, not you and how you think you are.
Footnotes
- 1. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord. (Exodus 28:38) ↩
- 2. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (John 16:2) ↩
- 3. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. (John 15:19-21) ↩
- 4. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. (Matthew 12:27) ↩
- 5. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:42) ↩
- 6. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13) ↩
- 7. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting life. And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits. (Helaman 14:8, 13) I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one. (D&C 35:2) ↩
- 8. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46) ↩
- 9. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43) ↩
- 10. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. (Alma 26:12) ↩
- 11. And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits. (Helaman 14:13) ↩