Many Profess Faith
“JESUS is wonderful! He is just marvelous!” exclaimed a religious woman in Brazil. Indeed, there is no denying the power of Jesus’ name. Throughout history, people have willingly suffered and died for him.
The apostles Peter and John preached ‘upon the basis of Jesus’ name’ in Jerusalem. For doing that, they were arrested and flogged. Yet they “went their way from before the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy to be dishonored in behalf of his name.”—Acts 5:28, 41.
Antipas was another first-century Christian who esteemed Jesus’ name. In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, Jesus referred to him as “my witness, the faithful one, who was killed by your side, where Satan is dwelling.” (Revelation 2:13) Along with other Christians in Pergamum, Antipas refused to deny his faith in Christ. Antipas held fast to Jesus’ name even at the cost of his own life!
About half a century later, in 155 C.E., a professed Christian named Polycarp faced a similar test when he was ordered to revile Christ. His response was: “Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?” Because of his refusal to deny Christ, Polycarp was burned at the stake.
The apostles, Antipas, and others were willing to seal their witness about Christ by death! What about people today?
Jesus’ Name Today
Jesus’ name continues to stir up strong emotions. In Latin America, the growth rate of churches that profess to believe in Jesus has been at its highest in recent decades. Even the smallest villages have a Pentecostal church. At the same time, the political clout of such churches is growing. In Brazil’s Congress and Senate, for example, 31 seats are occupied by members of these churches.
Jesus is also the focal point of a new religious movement in the United States. Its followers call themselves Promise Keepers. Time magazine reported in 1997 that attendance at their meetings grew from 4,200 in 1991 to 1.1 million in 1996. One of its hymns goes: “Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior forever.”
However, not all sentiments inspired by Jesus’ name have been noble. The banner of war has often been unfurled to the sound of his name. Jews have been massacred, heathens slaughtered, dissenters tortured, mutilated, and burned at the stake—all in the name of Jesus. And more recently, the commercializing of evangelism has become notorious. All of this is a perverse and repulsive misuse of Jesus’ name and what it truly stands for!
Furthermore, it raises some pertinent questions: What is entailed in putting faith in Jesus’ name? And what is the view of Jehovah’s Witnesses on this subject? The next article will answer these questions.