Submission to God’s Purpose Is Important When Praying: The Problem of Weak Doctrines of Salvation
John 16:24
"Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
It's the night before Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. He's speaking of a shift in their relationship with God, moving from the Old Testament framework to a new reality made possible through His life, death, and resurrection. In his prayers Jesus examples for all direct access to The Father through his name. He’s highlighting a transition in how the disciples (and all believers) will approach God. In the Old Testament, access to God was mediated through priests, sacrifices, and the temple system. And in many modern contexts the Christian traditions have reestablished these old practices. Same systems, new robes, new mantles, and funny hats.
And almost as if he was conscious of this struggle people have with genuine prayer, Jesus offers his prayer, what I would say is the true "Lord's prayer".
Jesus prays:
John 17:1-5
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed."
He’s introducing a new way of relating to God, direct access through Him as the mediator, made possible by His redemptive work. This contrasts with the Old Testament system, where priests, sacrifices, and the temple mediated God’s presence. In this high priestly prayer Jesus is modeling the very access He’s teaching about in John 16:24.
Jesus’ teaching in John 16:24 and His prayer in John 17 cuts through the tendencies to revert back to the old sacramental practices, reminding believers that His work has torn the veil (Matthew 27:51), granting direct access to the Father. His invitation to "ask in my name" is a call to bypass human or ritualistic intermediaries and come boldly to God as children.
Romans 8:15
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'"
Jesus doesn’t go through a priest or temple ritual; He speaks to the Father as His Son, modeling this access for all believers who now have that access through Him.
Ephesians 2:18
"For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."
This sets a pattern for praying "in Jesus’ name", and models that our requests should aim to honor God and advance His purposes. Jesus prays, "Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you." His prayer is centered on the Father’s glory, not his own personal gain. And so, the joy that comes from answered prayer is tied to aligning with God’s will, as Jesus demonstrates here.
Jesus, as our High priest, is defining eternal life as knowing "the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." For the believer the ultimate goal of prayer is not just to receive answers from God, but to deepen our relationship with Him. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we’re seeking to know Him more, which brings the "full joy" Jesus promises in John 16:24. And we're seeking this in complete submission to God's purpose. It's an implicit condition that prayers in Jesus’ name will align with God’s purposes, as seen in Jesus’ own submission in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42).
Why is submission to God's purpose important when praying?
Jesus knows humanity’s tendency to complicate access to God, whether through Old Testament sacrificial systems or modern sacramentalism. His prayer in John 17 and His teaching in John 16:24 are antidotes to this, offering a clear, direct path to the Father. And submission is key to that access. Submission to God’s purpose is central to praying "in Jesus’ name" because it aligns our hearts with God’s will, ensures our prayers reflect His glory, and deepens our relationship with Him, which is the source of the joy promised in John 16:24.
Praying "in Jesus’ name" isn’t just about using His name; it’s about praying in alignment with His character, mission, and will.
It's about keeping it real.
1 John 5:14–15
"If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us"
Submission ensures that our prayers aren’t driven by our selfish desires but by a sincere and committed desire to see God’s kingdom advanced. As God's children, we don’t approach Him with demands but with humility, trusting that His purposes are good, even when they differ from our expectations. Submission in prayer acknowledges that God is our loving Father, not a cosmic vending machine. Through submission we affirm our dependence on Him and our desire to live as His children.
Jesus’ prayer in John 17 shows this trust. He rests in the Father’s plan, knowing that His glory and the gift of eternal life are part of God’s purpose.
He prays for the Father’s glory, not His own. He acknowledges the Father’s authority and plan, trusting in the mission given to Him. He submits to the Father’s timing ("the hour has come" ) and purpose, even knowing it leads to the cross. His request for glorification (v. 5) is rooted in the Father’s eternal plan, not personal ambition. If he had any ambition beyond this, it would be to return to what he had already had from the beginning.
John 17:5
"And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed."
Which in my mind merely underscores His humility and complete alignment with God’s will. Verse 5 specifically reveals Jesus’ longing to return to the glory He shared with the Father "before the world existed," pointing to His preexistence as the eternal Son (John 1:1–2). Which, by the way, stands as a bold example of the doctrine of the trinity.
Philippians 2:6-8 - (More on the trinity)
"[Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Tying It All Together
Jesus’ prayer reflects His complete submission to the Father’s will, His divine identity as the eternal Son, and His humble self-emptying (kenosis) for our salvation. This underscores the Trinitarian reality of Jesus’ relationship with the Father, which informs our understanding of praying "in His name". Jesus’ prayer assumes an eternal, personal communion with the Father, which the Holy Spirit also shares (John 16:13–14).
As believers, we’re invited into this relationship through Jesus, praying to the Father in His name and by the Spirit. This direct access bypasses human intermediaries, as I've noted earlier, no need for the "new robes, new mantles and funny hats" of modern sacramentalism. And probably the reason this struggle exists is because of the weak doctrines of salvation.
Take for instance the idea that you can lose your salvation. It's an accommodation to human misunderstanding. People experience someone having a crisis of faith and since that can't work out how that happens, they find a need to accommodate their beliefs to address this confusion.
I think this happens primarily due to cheap grace, the seed [the word of God] falling on rock or among the weeds and thorns. And so people question the eternality of salvation rather than questioning the legitimacy of that salvation in the first place. They develop sacramental systems to accommodate this misconception about salvation.
In the book of Hebrews it tells us that we'll be saved if we continue, if we don't fall away. And this is true because if you continue, if you don't fall away, you've proved that your salvation is genuine. But for too many they chose to perceive this as meaning someone HAD salvation and fell away, and therefore they lost their salvation. But it's not saying this at all. What it's saying is you have to inspect the fruit of that salvation in order to know that it ever was indeed a true salvation.
So weak or misunderstood doctrines of salvation often leads to this confusion, which in turn fosters reliance on human systems (sacramentalism) to "secure" or "maintain" our salvation in our depravity. And of course, if you're going to establish these systems, you'll need a team of experts to guide and provide this security. You'll need to establish institutions to give those mediators legitimacy and credibility. And since you're now investing your salvation into this system, it seems like you should have as many mediators as possible to help maintain this fragile relationship with your salvation.
You're afraid that you've fallen from Grace or could possibly do so at any minute, and so knowing this about yourself and others, you get involved in a process that sells Grace for the price of submission to the institution itself, not God (admission really). The institution [dead works] becomes your relationship with God. Which is crazy because now you've replaced your uncertainty about your salvation with an anxious duty fearing excommunication from the institutions if you were to somehow get on the wrong side of their systems. So, you really NEVER have security in Christ, because if you at any time step out of line, you're damned. It's the old Judaic sacrificial order all over again. It's an endless stream of sacrifices of lambs and bulls to maintain your faith and dignity in the eyes of the church. And therefore, Jesus Christ died for nothing.
The writer of Hebrews (probably Paul) talked about this.
Hebrews 6:1-6
"Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt."
These "dead works" are those systems we've been discussing. And the "go on to maturity", is talking about salvation. Let's go on past these Old Testament principles of sacrifices. He's asking if they can quit with the endless going over and over on the basics and get beyond the Old Testament sacrificial orders.
So, look closely at verse 4.
"For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit"
If you walk away now, after all you know, you're hopeless. No sacramental system will prevent you from again and again crucifying Christ. You're going to keep on falling away. The writer of Hebrews is saying you should be FAR BEYOND this season of misunderstanding at this point. And if you aren't, where is your salvation truly?
Maybe you've got head knowledge. You've seen the miracles. But you can't move on into the assurance of salvation in Jesus.
Why?
Why can't you?
Why do you keep needing to reaffirm your position in Christ by fulfilling your own duties in these institutions? Jesus didn't call you to that. Just read his prayer in John 17. You didn't do that. He did that for you. And now all he asks is that you endure the anxieties and trials and remain in your faith. Not remain in your institutions. Remain faithful to faith in Him and His name.
Come to Him who goes directly to the Father. Move beyond "elementary doctrine" toward maturity. Come away from your superficial engagement with the gospel. Progress beyond the basics of the Old Testament order (sacrifices, priests) to the reality of Christ as our High Priest.
Submission to Christ Jesus as your mediator rejects these dead works. Assurance in Christ Jesus brings joy from knowing our salvation is secure in Him. Examine your life for the fruit of genuine salvation (perseverance, love, obedience). If doubts arise, ask, "Am I trusting Christ or institutions?" Let John 17:5 remind you that Jesus’ work secures you. Remember that he is the Son of God and God. Nothing on earth has the authority to take that away from him. You are His child, meditate on your adoption as God’s child. Cry "Abba! Father!" in prayer and rejoice in the direct access and eternal security Jesus' name provides.
Prayer:
Abba, Father, I come to You in Jesus’ name, thanking You for the finished work of Your Son, who secures my salvation forever. Forgive me for any reliance on dead works or institutions to affirm my place in You. Help me move to maturity, trusting in Jesus’ mediation alone, as He prayed in John 17. Let my faith produce fruit that proves Your work in me. I submit [specific request] to Your purpose, seeking Your glory and resting in Your assurance. Fill me with the full joy of knowing You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.