There is a marked tendency to push all mention of Christianity out of the public forum. Where praise or prayer is still allowed, most insist that the addressed deity be confined to “God”. The name of Jesus is pointedly excluded. Why?
God is generic. Anyone who believes in a god can mentally substitute their own deity into a prayer or giving of thanks, even some discussions – as long as definitive names such as Elohim or Jehovah are avoided. Those who deny the existence of ANY god will be offended in any case.
Jesus is specific to the Christian faith, therefore thanking, praying to, or discussing Jesus will offend far more people – even a few who profess to BE Christian. For there are a growing number of Christian churches that worship God as creator, but want to deny the power of Jesus. But if we deny Jesus, we deny God as well.
- 1 John 2:23 “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
- 1 John 4:3 “and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”
- John 15:23 “He who hates Me hates My Father also.”
- John 5:23 “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
- 1 John 4:15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
- 1 John 5:1 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.”
Jesus came to conquer the works of the devil: sin, sickness, pain, death (1 John 3:8, John 10:10). When Jesus was raised from the dead, God placed all evil under the feet of Jesus. When the end times come, it will be Jesus who judges the world, not God the Father. Any found who deny Jesus as Lord, even if they were faithful church-goers, even if they gave lots of money, served on committees, and sang in the choir; will be judged as evil.
It is the name of Jesus that saves. It is the power of Jesus that heals. To paraphrase John 15:23, He who snubs me, snubs my Father also. Pray to God the Father, glorify the Creator, but don’t forget that it is Jesus who provides the way TO the Father: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
All quotations from NKJV Bible.
