The Power of Jesus's Name

By Marcus B. Peter

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) once remarked that "faith is mighty, but without love it profits nothing. The devils confessed Christ, but lacking charity it availed nothing. They said, 'What have we to do with you' (Mark 1:24)? They confessed a sort of faith, but without love. Hence they were devils." The power of the name of Jesus Christ far transcends any notion that any man may possess of it.

In the Gospel of Mark (Chapter 1), we see that demons believe in God. By necessity. They have seen Him. They know Him to be the Holy One. Hence, when beholding Christ who is God Incarnate, they profess that He is, indeed, the Holy One of God.

Prior to the coming of Christ, the name of God was revealed as YHWH, I Am who I Am. This short assertion simply puts forth that God is existence itself. All things exist in and through Him. YHWH became the covenant name of God throughout Scripture. Yet, the Incarnation brought about a radical shift in Covenant Theology and Salvation History. Jesus's coming was a turning point like no other: now, the historical search for the face of God had ceased, for He had revealed His face to us. With this face came a name like no other. A true name above all names, at which every knee must bow and every tongue confess to be Lord to the Glory of God the Father.

Christ is “the mediator and the sum total of Revelation” (Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, n. 2). In the person of Christ, the Christian sees the face of the Father with certitude. We now have access to God in an intimate way. In Christ, man now enters the bosom of the Father. In the name of Jesus Christ, all man are given the inestimable gift of Salvation. This day, let us call upon the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is victor over all that we face in our life. At His name, may the storms of our life cease. At His name, may we find peace.