The expression: “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” is sometimes so commonly perceived in Christianity that after attending church for years, some do not even try to think about what it really means. However, if we delve into the background and essence of the expression: “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” , we will be able to see a most amazing picture. After reading this article to the end and reflecting with us, you can once again be convinced that the Bible can become much more interesting and ingenious for us if we delve into its world and understand the essence of its secrets.
First of all, it is important to understand that the expression: “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” is directly related to the Old Testament expression: “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:15.).
1) ''In the name of the Father...'' or ''The God of Abraham...''
Abraham was a prophetic image of the Heavenly Father and was called the father of all believers. The Apostle Paul wrote:
''By faith Abraham obeyed the call to go to the country which he had to receive as an inheritance, and he went, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the promised land as if it were a stranger, and lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, joint heirs of the same promise; For he looked for a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God'' (Heb. 11:8-10). ''
...what does Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. When did you get imputed? after circumcision or before circumcision? Not after circumcision, but before circumcision. And he received the mark of circumcision, [as] a seal of righteousness through the faith which he [had] in uncircumcision, so that he became the father of all who believed in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be imputed to them also' (Rom. 4:3,10,11).
Being the image of the Most High [''Ancient of Days'' - Dan.7:9,13.], Abraham was old when he was given the promise of numerous descendants (Gen.17:1,2,5-7.). However, when his son Isaac reached adolescence, Yahweh said:
''Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac; and go to the land of Moriah and there offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you” (Gen. 22:2).
This was a prophetic effect [sign] of what the Son of God said:
''God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life'' (John 3:16).
What does it mean - “In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen"
What does it mean - “In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen"?
Hello dear Anatoly.
I wanted to know why at the very beginning of the morning rule we say “In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen"? What do these words mean and what should a Christian put into them and what experiences should be in the heart? Alexey Gribanov. Voronezh " In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen
“—with these great and holy words, in which we invoke the Most Holy Trinity, not only the prayer rule begins, but also every divine service, any prayer, pastoral sermon, and in general everything that is in one way or another connected with the Lord. The Savior revealed these words to us, commanding the apostles to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth and to baptize people in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In essence, these words can be called a dogmatic expression of the consubstantiality of the Trinity. The Lord commands to baptize not in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but in the Name, indicating that all Three have one Name - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, therefore, the Trinity is one God. We believe that God is one, but in three persons: the first Person is God the Father, the second Person is God the Son and the third Person is God the Holy Spirit. All three Persons are entitled to equal power, honor and worship.
These words must be pronounced slowly, with special reverence and a feeling close to solemnity. You pronounce the Name of God, you pronounce the Dogma of the Church. If you were baptized at a conscious age, then it would be good to remember the moment when God opened the Church doors to you with Holy Baptism in the “Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” In these words a new man is born - a man of God. These are the first words that we hear when we become members of the Church, and God grant that they become a worthy completion of our Christian journey. From the moment the priest baptized us in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these words accompany us throughout our lives. We hear these words from our mother’s lips when she teaches us to make the sign of the cross with our childish hand. She will pronounce these same words, blessing us with her mother’s blessing for marriage. With these words we invisibly receive Divine grace through the blessing of the priest. With these words we sign ourselves with the sign of the cross. In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we shade our paths, bless food and begin every good deed. What is so special hidden in these amazing words? Elder John Krestyankin said this: “ God’s grace is that shrine, strength and strength that is hidden in the words of this prayer and in the sign of the cross that accompanies it. The actions of all three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity come into force in this prayer. What God the Father was pleased to have, what the Son of God fulfilled in Himself, the Holy Spirit descends in us, the believers, to appropriate. And this prayer sounds both as our confession of God and as our sermon about faith. And a small prayer invisibly does a great job, sanctifying every human undertaking, giving it great power to become a sacrifice to God, and at the same time sanctifying the one who makes this sacrifice.
<...>
let us always remember that this prayer is that saving seal that seals those who receive it for salvation; - it is the key that opens the mind and all the powers of the soul to the acceptance of the Word of God; - she is a guardian who protects the purity of the soul, mind and heart. My dears, let us consciously and thoughtfully accept God’s gift - the sanctity of this prayer - both at the dawn of the beginning of the day, when it places us before the icons for the morning worship of God, and throughout the day, asking for God’s blessing for all our spiritual and everyday needs, and with it Let us begin our evening sacrifice to God before going to bed. “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit , sounds from the pulpit every time , calling our attention to hearing the sermon about God, about the shrine, about the saints .
(Collected sermons of John (Peasant). Instead of the Preface)
Don't rush to say these words. Treat these words as a shrine no less than an icon or holy relics. They must be pronounced with the fear of God, since, according to the teaching of the Fathers, great grace is hidden in these words. These words alone already sanctify our entire day. Saying these words, at least for a while, give your mind and heart to the Most Holy Trinity, as if into the arms of an infinitely loving Father. But according to the teaching of the Fathers of the Church, in no case should you imagine God, no matter how you would like to do this. God is invisible and incomprehensible, but in prayer it is enough to remember His greatness.
In general, speaking about the images and experiences experienced during prayer, it should be said that the Church forbids paying attention to various types of experiences. In prayer you need to look for only one thing - repentance and crying for sins. Some Christians, having fallen under the influence of sectarian preachers, begin to look for “revelations” in prayer and constantly listen to themselves and their thoughts. The Holy Fathers strictly forbid accepting any thoughts that arise during prayer, be they good, neutral or downright bad. The same applies to elevated states. Such exalted states, which are written about in the books of the great hesychasts, were granted to only a few from the entire Christian world. Spiritual experiences, if truly given by God, are completely unlike anything else. Even the very state of the Fear of God is so unlike anything on earth that it cannot even be compared with anything. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov says so: “ The fear of God cannot be likened to any feeling of a carnal, even spiritual, person. The fear of God is a completely new feeling. The Fear of God is the Action of the Holy Spirit
"
So, in everything that concerns spiritual life. Therefore, never expect any experiences or high states, but as St. John Climacus taught, “ Reject the joy that comes with the hand of humility, so as not to be deceived
.”
The phrase “in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” is crowned with the word “Amen.” It should be said that this word, like a number of others (for example, Hallelujah) have not been translated into Russian, but are presented to us in the version they sound in Hebrew. “Amen” is a very multifaceted word in its meaning. In various contexts it can be translated as “firm”, “reliable”, “constant”, as well as “so be it”, “truly”, “indisputably”, etc.
The first time the word “Amen” is used in Scripture is in the book of Numbers. In the fifth chapter, Moses the Seer of God describes a ritual that clearly revealed his wife’s infidelity. The Law says that a husband who suspected his wife of cheating had the right to contact a priest with a request to perform a special ritual. The ritual was that the husband had to offer barley flour as a sacrifice of jealousy for his wife. The priest poured blessed water into an earthen vessel and put there the earth taken from the floor of the tabernacle. Then he uncovered the woman’s head and gave her an offering in her hands and pronounced a curse saying - if you did not cheat on your husband, then this water will not harm you, and if you cheated, then the Lord will give you over to curse and your womb will be fallen, and belly swollen, and you will be cursed among the people. So, agreeing to such a terrible action, the woman had to say twice - AMEN, AMEN, which was, as it were, an aggravated oath and consent to such a Judgment of God.
In the Old Testament, the word "Amen" was used as a spiritual formula for approval or agreement. A prime example is Deuteronomy 27. This chapter describes the ceremony of pronouncing curses on those who disobey the law - “The Levites will shout and say to all Israel with a loud voice: Cursed is he who makes a carved or cast image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of an artist, and places it in a secret place! All the people will shout and say: Amen. Cursed be he who curses his father or his mother! And all the people will say: Amen. Cursed be he who trespasses his neighbor's boundaries! And all the people will say: Amen,” etc.
All this indicates that the word “Amen” is used as a kind of spiritual seal, our consent or expression of will to accept responsibility before God in the hope that our prayer will be fulfilled or heard. An example is the Lord's Prayer. What we said at the end of the prayer “Amen” means not only our request, but also our agreement to leave debts to our offenders, so that the Lord will forgive us our sins. That is, we give our consent to God, we promise God to do what is said in the prayer. In this sense, “Amen” is more than just a promise to God, it is rather a consolidation, a kind of spiritual seal.
In the works of Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl, the author of the Explanatory Russian Dictionary, I found an ancient Russian proverb - “ Amen is not the way to get things done ” (i.e., with words, promises alone). This indicates that in the old days the word “Amen” was understood exactly as in the case of the “Our Father” prayer, that is, a Christian not only asks, but is also ready for action.
In the New Testament, the word “Amen” is used as a sign of confirmation and agreement at the end of the doxology. For example, the words of the Apostle Paul - “ They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever, amen
"(Rom. 1:25). In this case, the word “Amen” is said in the same sense as at the beginning of the prayer book. That is, when we say – “In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen,” then “Amen” here will mean nothing more than steadfastness and certainty.
Anatoly Badanov, administrator of the missionary project “Breathing Orthodoxy”
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2) ''In the name of the Son...'' or ''God of Isaac''
- It is interesting that Isaac was sacrificed on Mount Moriah (Gen. 22:2.).
- Subsequently, in the same place, David, the forefather of Christ, built an altar to atone for the sins of Israel (2 Sam. 24: 1, 18, 25.).
- Further, Solomon [who was a prophetic image of Christ - 2 Samuel 7:12-17.], built a temple on the same place (2 Chronicles 3:1.).
- And only there, all Israel, from that time on, fulfilling the prophetic action, had to sacrifice lambs [as an image of the Lamb of Christ].
Before Israel entered the Promised Land, God warned:
''Beware of offering your burnt offerings in every place that you see; but in the place that the Lord chooses, in one of your tribes, you shall offer your burnt offerings...'' (Deut. 12:13,14).
So: at this place [Mount Moriah - later, part of the city of Jerusalem] , a sign was performed with Isaac, which prophetically pointed to the Son of God. After which Abraham was told:
''In your Seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice'' (Gen.22:18. Galat.3:16.).
First prayer
Photo: Elitsy.ru
It is this short prayer that a kind mother and a responsible godfather first teach their baby. By showing a child how to be baptized, parents tell him the words of the main prayer, which he must remember and say throughout his life, starting with every day and every action. It is these words that contain petition, thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.
The Holy Spirit is a seal.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesus 4:30.
“In Him you also, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the earnest of our inheritance, for the redemption of His inheritance, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesus 1:13-14.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Because you did not receive the spirit of slavery to live in fear again, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry: “Abba, Father!” This very Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him, so that we may be glorified with Him.” Rom. 8:14-17.
The Holy Spirit is power.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” Acts Ap. 1:8.
Peter, who just a few days ago had been so weak that he could not confess the name of Jesus even though he wanted to, was suddenly filled with strength when the Holy Spirit came upon him. Do you also feel the desire to live a pure life for Jesus? Do you want to say: “No!” temptation, but you feel like you don’t have enough strength for it? Pray to receive the Holy Spirit! God will give you the strength you need to resist sin that you have never experienced before!
“And because of their prayer, the place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Acts Ap. 4:31.
Also: The Holy Spirit is a great liberating power!
Walk according to the Spirit.
“If we live by the spirit, then we must walk by the spirit.” Gal. 5:25.
From this we see that after we have received the Holy Spirit, we must continue on this path. Walking by the Spirit means being obedient to the Spirit.
“I say, walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh, for the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh: they oppose each other, so that you do not do what you would like.” Gal. 5:16-17.
“Therefore, brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if in the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live.” Rom. 8:12-13.
“Why, as the Holy Spirit saith, now, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the murmuring, in the day of temptation in the wilderness...” Heb. 3:7-8.
“Don’t quench the spirit!” 1 Thess. 5:19.
