Today, we come to a study of a subject that many people deem unimportant. There is a phrase very common in
most religious circles that goes something like this: "Why, don't you know there is nothing in a name?" Falsely led by
this belief many people fail to understand what the Bible teaches on this most important subject. First of all today, let
us notice: The Importance of Names.
God has always placed significance on names. In Gen. 5:2 we learn of His actions in naming Adam and Eve. He
then gave Adam the authority to name all the animals. Had this not been the case, it would be impossible for you
and me to converse intelligently with each other. Because we have a common understanding of names and
designations, we are able to understand each other. 1ms would be impossible if there were nothing in a name.
Again, we find God recognizing the virtue of a name when He changes Abram's name to Abraham, and Sarai's name
to Sarah, Gen. 17:5-17. Also, in Gen. 32:27 -28, God changes Jacob's name to Israel. This is significant because
the descendants of this man were known as Israelites instead of Jacobites.
In Dan. 9:19 we read, "...thy people are called by thy name." If in the long, long ago the people of God wore His
name, is it any wonder that today God still insists that we wear the name of His choosing? Let us notice what
Prophecy has to say concerning the name:
lsa. 56:5, "Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and
of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off."
lsa. 65: 15, "And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his
servants by another name..."
lsa. 62:2, "And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new
name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name."
From the above three prophecies the following four things are evident:
1. A new name given within God's house.
2. The name given, an everlasting name.
3. The name given to both Gentiles and Jews.
4. The mouth of the Lord was to give this name.
Let us now go to the New Testament and see if we can locate the fulfillment of these prophecies. First of all we
read in Acts 9: 15, "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name
before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel..." From this we see that God has selected Paul to be the
name bearer. Thus, if we can find Paul bearing a name, in the house of God, or church, to Gentiles and Jews alike,
we will have located the name given by God. In Acts we learn of the conversion of Cornelius and his family who were
the first Gentile converts. Thus, after Acts 10 we have both Jews and Gentile in the church. Now in Acts 11:25-26 we
read, "Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: (or Paul-RV) And when he had found him, he brought
him unto Antioch." The divine God given name is "Christian." But let us notice further and see if Paul continued to
preach this name. In Acts 26:28, when before King Agrippa, Paul tried to convert him to the truth. The king, well
aware of the intentions of Paul replied, "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."
For further proof that this is the name approved by God, let us go to 1 Peter 4:16, "Yet if any man suffer as a
Christian,let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." The revised version says, "Let him glorify
God in this name." Thiss is the name in which we are to glorify God. We should wear it with humility and gratitude. It
is the new name selected by God for His people. All other human designations must be rejected. What are you
today? When someone asks you the question, "What are you religiously," how do you answer them? Do you say, "I
am a Baptist," or "I am a Lutheran," or something else? Perhaps you would be interested in the following quotes:
Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher, in the Spurgeon Memorial Library Vol. I, page 168, "I look forward
with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living. I hope the Baptist name will soon perish, but let
Christ's name last forever." Think about it, here one of the great denominational preachers of all time recognized the
hazards of using human names instead of divine names. But notice again. This time we are quoting from the Life of
Martin Luther by Stork, page 289, "I pray you to leave my name alone, and call not yourselves Lutherans, but
Christians. Who is Luther? My doctrine is not mine. I have not been crucified for anyone. St. Paul would not that any
should call themselves for Paul, nor of Peter, but of Christ. How then, does it befit me, a miserable bag of dust and
ashes, to give my name to the children of Christ? Cease, my dear friends, to cling to these party names, and
distinctions: away with them all, and let us call ourselves only Christians, after Him from whom our doctrine comes."
Wouldn't you agree that it is better to call ourselves just Christians, instead of using these human names that come
from man? The Bible plainly tells us what the divine name is, let us use only what the Bible gives.
In studying about the church, just what designations are given by the Bible? Let us notice some of them. First of
all, in Mt. 16:18, when Jesus promised to build the church He referred to it as "my church." This of course shows
ownership. The church belongs to Christ, it is His. Again, in Acts 8: 1, we are told that a persecution arose against
"the church." In this verse we have the expression used most frequently regarding this institution. It is merely
referred to as "the church." Then, of course, there was only one church. Today man has started so many that if you
tell people you are a member of "the church" they think you are trying to be evasive or comical. Again, in 1 Cor. 1:2
we read, "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth..." Here Paul was addressing himself to the disciples who
constituted the church in Corinth and calls them the "church of God." Next, in Romans 16: 16 Paul says, "The
churches of Christ salute you." Again, he is referring to the various local congregations of the church in that vicinity.
The church is also referred to as the body of Christ (Eph. 4: 12), and as the church of the living God (1 TIm. 3:15).
Any or all of these designations are scriptural. They are divine and not human. They may be found in the word of
God. Can this be said of the church to which you belong? When you go to church next Sunday look at the sign over
the door of the building. Is there a human or divine designation hanging there? Can you find it in the Bible? If not,
you need to give serious consideration to the situation.
Next let us notice some of the designations given to individual members of the church. In 1 Cor. 1:2 they are
called saints. In Col. 1:2 they are referred to as brethren. In Acts 20:7 they are Called disciples. And as we have
already noticed in Acts 11 :26, Christians. Also priests in 1 Pet. 2:9. These designations may be used to refer to all
that are in the church. There is no such thing as a special group who are priests or saints. Every Christian is a priest
and a saint. For clarity and ease of study, we have arranged the following chart:
Designations for the Church
My church ………………….…….Mt. 16:18 Designations for Individual members:
The church …………………….…..Acts 8:1 saint…………………….…1 Cor. 1:2
Church of God …………………...1 Cor. 1:2 brethren……………………..Col. 1:2
Church of Christ ……………….Rom. 16:16 disciples………………..…Acts 20:7
The body of Christ ………….…...Eph. 4: 12 Christians……………..…Acts 11:26
The church of the living God…........1 TIm. 3:15 priests……………………..1 Pet. 2:9
We believe that you should investigate the Church of Christ, because it uses only scriptural names and
designations in referring to its members and to the church in general If one is not able to go to the Bible and there
read the name which he wears religiously or the designation of the church to which he belongs, something is wrong.
Don't be deceived by the doctrine that there is nothing in a name. There certainly is. God has always respected and
used names. He named His people under the first covenant, and He also selected a name for them under the new
covenant. Are you wearing it today? If not, you should be.
