Life Through His Name
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
John 20:31
That ye might have life through Jesus' name. What does that mean? What does that look like? How do we receive it?
The Life of the World
Jesus is the Life of the world. He created the world. He died for the world. The Book of Mormon clarifies that He died for every individual human being. Thus, Jesus isn't just the Life of the world. He is the Life of Aaron. He's the Life of Mikaylie. He's the Life of (insert your name).
He is also the Life in us (D&C 88:7-12). He is our Life source. Just as the Sun is the physical life source for us on Earth, so too the Son of God is the spiritual life source for us on Earth. When His life and light weave their way into us, we are whole. Where His life and light aren't, a void fills the space. Without His life and light, there is a decaying and deadening process to the life and light of our spirit.
A flower blooms when exposed to the life-giving power of the Sun. A human blooms when exposed to the life-giving power of the Son. The best way to feel truly alive? Get as close as you can to Jesus.
Two Meanings
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
Having life through His name, in this instance, has dual-meaning. It means that those who take upon them Jesus' name will inherit eternal life, the greatest of the gifts of God. It also means that Jesus will breathe new life into us NOW. This second meaning is the focal point of this article.
The Life Christ Breathes into You
To breathe life into. It's somewhat of a catchphrase these days. I googled "articles about breathing life into" and these were some of the headlines:
Breathing Life Back Into The Cities
Breathing Life Into Calculus
Breathing Life Into Our Planet
And on and on. It's a great term. Let's dive deeper. What does it mean to "breathe life" into something/someone?
This phrase is defined as to "fill with enthusiasm and energy." Over the years, the meaning of enthusiasm has been watered down. The original meaning of the word?
https://twitter.com/david_perell/status/1472423722812334091?s=20&t=LN1DvbVekhbGrXRNPR0viA
Wow.
This original type of enthusiasm is how you'd describe someone who has had Christ breathe life into them. C.S. Lewis described it this way: "How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it is irresistible."
The Three Bricklayers
So, what does this look like? Here's a parable:
In 1666, London experienced tragedy. In history books, it's referred to as The Great Fire of London. The fire swept through the city for four days. By the time the fire was extinguished, about 13,000 buildings were decimated. Nearly 80% of the city had been wiped out. As many as 100,000 people were left without their homes. The most notable buuilding lost in the fire was the historic and beloved 500-year old St. Paul's Cathedral.
The world's most famous architect at the time was Christopher Wren. The city commisioned him to undretake the task of rebuilding the cathedral. So he began.
Five years into the project, he stopped and talked to 3 workmen, asking them what they were doing.
The first responded, "I'm laying bricks."
The second responded, "I'm building a wall."
The third responded, "I'm building a cathedral to the Almighty."
Can you sense the difference?
Elder David A. Bednar wrote, "The Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to enliven us."
Jesus Christ is the Life of me and you. Let Him enliven you.
The Name of Jesus
Feelings follow action. This is a psychological, biological, and spiritual reality. This is the order:
Actions
Thoughts
Feelings
Thus, if you want to experience, "hav(ing) life through his name", then you'll need to ACT like this, "(being) willing to take upon (you) the name of th(e) Son."
Taking upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ allows Him to give you life through His name. You must initiate it though. He won't do it if you don't.
Taking His name upon you means to do what He would do. Say what He would say. Interact how He would interact. Engage how He would engage. Think what He would think. Learn how He would learn. Lead how He would lead.
Psychologist William James wrote this, "There is a law in psychology that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you keep and hold that picture there long enough, you will soon become exactly as you have been thinking."
The following is also true. If you look to Christ in every thought, and hold Him in your mind long enough, and strive to do what He would do in every aspect of your life, you will find exactly what He promises you: a might change of heart. An ecstasy so invigorating that God has seemingly taken reign over your life.
Life through His name.
