Faith in His Name - Acts 3:16

And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

The King James version of this translation is terrible - here is what is found in the New International Version:

By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

 "Faith in His name" is an interesting concept. A name is the only way to encapsulate something into one word. Much research has been done here (I need to do more myself), but it appears that the name translated as "Jesus" in our scriptures was really "Joshua" or "Yeshua" which means "God is help". "Christ" is the Greek version of the Hebrew word "Messiah" which means "anointed one" or "chosen one". Help is synonymous with salvation, so Jesus Christ means: "chosen savior". Which describes His role in the plan of salvation succinctly. Also, we know that His name before incarnation was "Jehovah" or "Yaweh" which means "Unchangeable one" or "I am". A third name He owns is synonymous with health, strength, power and posterity. But there are many more and unfathomable meanings encapsulated in the name Jesus Christ. As John says: "if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written."

So why is there power and salvation in the name of Jesus Christ? Perhaps there is really no other handle that's practical or appropriate for the everyday disciple to use. I suppose if we possessed some medallion or trinket - the holy grail, or the staff of Moses - we would be duped into something akin to idol worship. As if the thing itself had power. Instead, we must rely on Him whose name we bear. We take his name upon us as disciples. As disciples, we represent Him. As priesthood holders, we officiate in His behalf.

Every particle in the universe is subject to His name. Each scrap of matter remembers His love. His name is stamped on every grain of sand, every atom, everything. The only place it may not already be stamped is in our hearts - we must engrave it there ourselves. That is our task. Faith in His name is equivalent to faith in Him.