“Take upon you the name of Christ…
“And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved.
“Behold, Jesus Christ is the name which is given of the Father, and there is none other name given whereby man can be saved;
“Wherefore, all men must take upon them the name which is given of the Father, for in that name shall they be called at the last day;
“Wherefore, if they know not the name by which they are called, they cannot have place in the kingdom of my Father” (D&C 18:21-25).
This invitation is repeated in numerous places throughout the scriptures; repent, have faith in Christ, and take His name upon ourselves. What does it mean to take His name upon ourselves?
A Nametag Parable
Imagine you are invited to a party at a mansion. There is a gate leading into the gardens where people are mingling. At the gate, the host meets you, and hands you a nametag. You expect to read your own name, but instead you see the name of the host on the sticker. You protest that this is not your actual name, but the host explains that to enter his party in his garden on his grounds at his mansion, guests must all be called by his name. You shrug your shoulders and comply; it’s just a paper sticker on your lapel, a small admittance fee. You walk through the gate into the garden with the wrong name on your HELLO, MY NAME IS __________ sticker.
A butler calls you by the host’s name, and asks if you would like anything. This amuses you; you mention hunger and thirst; the butler calls forth an army of servants carrying silver platters covered with sumptuous foods, as well as dozens of silver pitchers and glass bottles containing every beverage imaginable. This delights you; you ask for a place to sit. A large banquet table is furnished with a plush chair you worry about spilling food on. You pursue the meal with vigor, determined to sample everything, though you know that you could not possibly eat everything on the table.
You complain of a stiff neck to the butler. He summons a servant who begins setting up a massage table. You begin to discuss your faltering automobile; the butler hands you a set of keys to a sports car. You mention longing to travel; the butler arranges plans for a flight to an island. You mention your dingy studio apartment; the butler assures you that there are multiple mansions and summer homes in beautiful locations around the country where you could reside for any amount of time.
Bewildered by these extravagant party favors, you ask why the butler and the servants are doing all this. The butler tells you it is because the wealthy host who invited you to feast at his mansion had given instructions to all his employees to treat you as though you were he. You inquire how long this special treatment will go on, and you are informed: as long as that nametag is in place.
The host put his name on you when you entered at the gate, that little nametag, and told employees to treat you accordingly. Your hand involuntarily touches the tiny, cheap, weightless piece of paper stuck to your lapel, and you worry that something will smudge or tear or otherwise remove this now-coveted possession. Your host appears, and you thank him for his beneficence. Still bewildered by this indulgent generosity, you ask what conditions he has for his kindness.
“Follow my lead, my specific instructions, when I give them, continue pretending to be me by acting the way I act and becoming more like me all the time, and you can continue to borrow my name and my privileges.” You quickly ask where to sign in order to formalize this new arrangement.
Caution
This parable is fairly transparent. Alas, we are not as eager to take the name of Christ upon ourselves as we would be to wear the host’s nametag in this story. After years of enjoying such lavish privileges, though, we could imagine taking that generosity for granted; something similar happens in the Church. We become careless about the name of Christ.
The scriptures make it sound like we will have to impersonate Jesus Christ in order to enter heaven. His name, his countenance, his heart, must all become ours in order to enter.
“Behold, I am from above…
“…I am…Jesus Christ.
“Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips—
“For…many there be who…use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not authority.
“Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit; and in this there is no condemnation, and ye receive the Spirit through prayer; wherefore, without this there remaineth condemnation” (D&C 63:59-62, 64). It is having the Spirit direct our words that makes it alright to speak the Lord’s name and that keeps us from violating the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,” when we speak it.
Selling Our Nametags
There are other ways to take His name in vain than speaking it casually.
Jesus appeared to His Nephite Apostles when they prayed to know what to call the Church He had established among them, and He responded:
“Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;
“And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day.
“Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake.
“…if it be called in my name then it is my church, if…they are built upon my gospel” (3Ne. 27:5-8).
Then He prophesies to these same disciples: “But behold, it sorroweth me because of the fourth generation from this generation, for they are led away captive by him even as was the son of perdition; for they will sell me for silver and for gold, and for that which moth doth corrupt and which thieves can break through and steal” (v. 32). Priestcrafts led to their destruction.
Companies and private persons will do battle in court to claim exclusive rights to brand names, logos, slogans, mottos, trademarks, and other symbols and emblems. Penalties can be huge when a company steals another person’s intellectual property and uses it for their own purposes. What will be the cost if we monetize the name of Jesus Christ, “sell” Him to get rich? This must be another form of taking His name in vain.
Artists, authors, speakers, and anyone else who promotes anything having to do with Jesus Christ and His gospel should check closely to make certain that the Spirit approves of their actions. As D&C 63 reminds us, only the Spirit gives “authority,” and we are supposed to speak by “constraint of the Spirit” when we share the gospel with others.
“…by the Spirit ye are justified…” the Lord tells Father Adam (Moses 6:60).
Imitating Him
Why do we close all our sermons “in the name of Jesus Christ?”
This dates back to the beginning. Adam was sacrificing sheep without knowing why.
“And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
“And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.
“Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forever more” (Moses 5:6-8).
The sudden mention of the name of Jesus Christ in this passage seems like a non-sequitur at first, unless we have a little bit of background about animal sacrifice.
Before a sheep was offered as a sacrifice, the one sacrificing it to atone for his sins would place his own hands on the animal’s head. This was not simply symbolic of him wiping his grimy sins onto this innocent animal; it represented trading identities with it. Remember our little parable about the rich host lending us a nametag? If the host in that story had worn his guests’ nametags, and adopted their poverty, debt, and mediocre living conditions, it would have mirrored reality better.
Jesus took our names, our debts, and the subsequent penalties, onto Himself in Gethsemane and on the Cross. He suffered in our place, and analogies explaining this abound in scripture and modern talks. Seldom do we mention that taking His name upon ourselves is the corollary to that suffering—that when we take His name we get to enjoy His portion of the Spirit, and all the peace and power that entails—borrowing His innocence and joy and freedom from sin is our end of the bargain. These are unlike the physical treasures mentioned in the parable; we cannot buy or sell them; they are so portable that we can carry them with us when we die. But O, how the world is yearning for peace, love, joy, contentment, meaning, knowledge, honorable identity, and loving interaction with God!
It is no digression for the angel to talk to Adam about doing all things “in the name of the Son,” because trading identities with the innocent sheep was part of the sacrifices. We speak in church, perform ordinances, and should be living our whole lives so that at any moment, we might accurately state that we are acting “in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Speaking Well
The Jews became so paranoid about breaking the third commandment that the name of Jehovah becaem unspeakable for the faithful. We Christians tend to be more casual about His name, hanging out at the other end of the spectrum. How do we speak it properly?
“Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;
“For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.
“But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.
“And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say” (D&C 100:5-8).
The Spirit and revelation are like a rudder, the invisible force that steers our words when we speak, teach, or generally share the gospel. Meek hearts and behavior, the tone of our words, is a sign of authentically representing the Lord. Inspired words, spoken solemnly and meekly, are certified by the Holy Ghost to an audience. This kind of testimony may truly be spoken “in the name of Jesus Christ,” for it is what He would be saying if He were in our place.
This attitude of solemn humility is a touchstone we can use to determine whether any messenger is speaking on behalf of Jesus:
“Wherefore he that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances.
“He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God if he obey mine ordinances.
“And again, he that trembleth under my power shall be made strong, and shall bring forth fruits of praise and wisdom, according to the revelations and truths which I have given you.
“And again, he that is overcome and bringeth not forth fruits, even according to this pattern, is not of me” (D&C 52:15-18).
The admonition to be solemn and humble is is not an invitation to completely lose sight of our own goofiness; if we cannot smile about anything, something is malfunctioning (“long-faced hypocrites” was a catchphrase of the Prophet Joseph to describe pious accusers insisting that sour expressions were the essence of godliness. We take the Lord seriously; ourselves, not as much). But at some point we have to be humble and solemn when we take the Lord’s name upon ourselves, or in our lips, or speak in His name, in part because that is how He is, and because His name is our only means of entry into heaven. Eternity hinges on it.
We should jealously guard that little nametag.
