Articles
A New Name
A New Name
“You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name.” – Isaiah 62:2
What is the new name of the people of God? Isaiah 62 foreshadows the coming of the Messiah and promises a transformation of God’s people. Many people believe that the new name this is referring to is the name “Christian” fulfilled in Acts 11, “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy being called Christians? Perhaps, but there is something much bigger that being called by this new name symbolizes. God’s people are promised to be transformed through the Messiah, and being given a new name is representative of that transformation.
To be given a new name can show a new situation, a new possessor, or a new purpose. Throughout the Bible we see examples of these name changes.
A New Situation
Name changes can come from the individual or others to signify a shift in that person’s identity based on their current situation:
- Naomi renames herself Mara because “the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20).
- The apostles named Joseph the Levite Barnabas “which is translated Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36) because he was such an encourager.
A New Possessor
To name something can also be to claim and possess something. The person who names or renames someone is claiming possession:
- Adam names every living creature (Genesis 2:19-20), showing man’s dominion over the earth.
- Daniel is given the name Belteshazzar (Daniel 1:7) by the Babylonian official to assimilate Daniel into their culture; along with his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were renamed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, respectively. (I have always wondered why we remember Daniel by his original name, but we remember his friends by their Babylonian names. Please let me know your thoughts if you have any.)
A New Purpose
Other places in Scripture, namely Genesis, people are given divine name changes to show their new purpose from God:
- Abram becomes Abraham “for I have made you a father of many nations” (Gen 17:5).
- Sarai becomes Sarah because “she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her” (Gen 17:16).
- Jacob becomes Israel “for you have struggled with God” (Gen 32:28).
What does this mean for me?
In the same way these Biblical examples of name changes were symbolic of a new identity, God giving us a new name has important implications about our identity in Christ:
- A New Situation: God has made our situation new through Jesus.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
- A New Possessor: God has claimed us as His own.
- Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit Himself 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 indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
- A New Purpose: God has called us to share in His purpose.
- Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” --William Speer
