Why Pray in the Name of Jesus?

Updated: May 27, 2025

Because Jesus told us to! Yet we should understand why He told us to do this and not be careless about it.

You don’t have to be a scientist to understand that God’s universe operates according to law (See also Why Law?). These laws don’t change, or they wouldn’t be laws. They come straight from the lips of an unchanging God. (Laws can be superceded by other laws, but they don’t change.) This world and everyone in it were cursed because law was broken, and — to redeem us all from that curse or penalty – someone had to satisfy the requirements of law. For this to work, God would have to born from a human Jewish virgin without any sexual contact at a certain time in history. He would then have to live on earth as any son of man but still perfectly fulfill God’s law. Finally, He would have to submit to a sacrificial death where His blood would be shed. Clearly mankind was powerless to do all this, requiring God to handle it. Not only did God (in the Son Jesus) get it done, but God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and set Him as the highest authority next to Himself.

The name of a king carries the authority and weight of the king himself. This is understood in any earthly kingdom because it is a reflection of the Creator’s eternal Kingdom of Heaven. (The temporal we see reflects the eternal we don’t see.) Anyone lawfully operating in the name of the King of Kings has the right to ask for anything – and expect to receive it. (See also Why Prayer?)

This is why we pray in the name of Jesus. We do not pray on the basis of our goodness, our ability, our lineage, or any other factor. Why? Because we have no legal standing on those terms. The Bible makes it clear that only on the basis of faith in Jesus can we expect to receive anything from God.
(John 16:23-24 NIV, Isaiah 59:16, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, Philippians 2:5-11, Acts 4:12)