Name Game

When you pray, to whom do you speak?

Several weeks ago, a Dutch Roman Catholic bishop, Tiny Muskens, proposed that Christians call God, “Allah.” He suggested that if all believers in one God would call him “Allah,” it would bring us closer together. “What does God care what we call him?” he asked.

Good question. So which name should we use? It depends on whom you want to reach.

Jews view God’s special name as too holy to speak and say “Adonai” (Lord). Christians pray to God the Father in Jesus’ name. Muslims pray to Allah. Is this just a name game?

Well hold it right there for just a minute. It makes a big difference what we call God.

When you call a friend on the phone, would they respond to another person’s name? They’d probably say, “Wrong number!” And when you pray, you don’t want a “wrong number.”

Here’s the issue: God’s name is not just another name like yours or mine. In the Bible his name tells us something about his character, his nature and his relationship to his people.

When God revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14, he didn’t ask Moses to invent a name for him. Moses asked God for his name and God said, “I AM.”

The God of the Bible is the self-existing God. We did not create him--he created us!

The Hebrew word for this name of God is “Yahweh” (often spelled “Jehovah”). It means “He is” or “He will be.” God said, “This is my name forever.” Seems like God has a preference.

God also told Moses, “I will be with you,” That promise included a form of God’s special name. In effect, God pledged his person and being--through his special name--to be with his people. His name tells us who he is and assures believers of his presence with them.

Jesus applied this special name to himself in the New Testament saying, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM!” The people of his day knew exactly what he meant--he was claiming to be their God. Since they didn’t believe him, they accused him of blasphemy.

The Bible says that an angel appeared to Jesus’ parents before his birth. The angel said, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” “Jesus” means “Jehovah saves.” The angel also said Jesus would be called “the Son of the Most High.”

Those who say Allah is the God of the Bible have a problem. Scholars tell us Allah is not seen as a personal deity in the sense that the God of the Bible is. In addition, the Qur’an clearly denies that Allah has a son. It also considers the idea of a triune God to be a blasphemy.

The Trinity, however, is essential to the Christian concept of God. Jesus revealed that the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. Though it is a great mystery, all three are one God. Jesus was not just a prophet (as Islam claims). He said he was God in human flesh.

When Jesus taught us to pray, he said we should pray to “our Father who is in Heaven.” He also said we should ask in his name. Apparently using the right name IS important.

So, if Allah has no son, “Allah” can’t be the name of “our Father.” And when we pray to the God of the Bible, if we say “Allah,” God could just say, “Wrong number!” And if Allah were God, since he has no son, what difference would prayer “in Jesus’ name” make to him? None.

These are not just a “minor differences” or a “points of discussion.” A Christian’s entire faith and salvation depend upon who God is and what he did through Jesus Christ on the cross.

Speaking of Jesus, the Bible clearly states, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Hmm. “No other name.”

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!