… Names have great symbolic importance in Scriptures. The fisherman Simon is renamed ‘Peter’ by Jesus. ‘Peter’ means ‘rock’, and he is to be the rock of Jesus’ Church (Matthew 16:18). Ironically, Peter shows himself to be quite lacking in the stability and integrity one expects from a rock, often completely misunderstanding Jesus, and denying him three times. But despite his failings, Jesus continues to trust him to fulfill his calling (John 21).
Saul was a fierce persecutor of Christians, so when he became a follower of Jesus himself, a name change seems appropriate. Saul (Hebrew name) also had the Latin name ‘Paul’ and so it seems he used the new moniker as a symbol of his change, as well as his mission to the Gentile; ‘Paul’ being a more familiar name to a Roman Gentile audience.
Historically, many Christian parents name their children with biblical names, perhaps as a sign of the spiritual heritage in which they hope their children to grow up. Some Christians today take naming very seriously and may have their name legally changed in adulthood as a symbol of a particular moment of transformation or the realization of a new identity.
Naming is one of the great privileges given to Adam in the Garden of Eden, the power to define the world in certain terms, to label reality and determine people’s perceptions of it. To ask what your own name is, is really to ask: ‘Who are you?’ or indeed: ‘Who will you become?’
Adam’s naming of the animals raises complex issues, including the deeper meanings of our names. In life, you discover that people are called by three names: One is the name the person is called by his father and mother; one is the name people call him, and one is the name he acquires for himself. The best one is the one he acquires for himself. What name have you acquired for yourself?
Each of us has a name given by God and given by our parents. Each of us has a name given by our stature and our smile and given by what we wear. Each of us has a name given by the mountains and given by our walls. Each of us has a name given by the stars and given by our neighbors. Each of us has a name given by our sins and given by our longing. Each of us has a name given by our enemies and given by our love. Each of us has a name given by our celebrations and given by our work. Each of us has a name given by the seasons and given by our blindness.
Here is the catch – the name you respond to is what will influence your spiritual dimension. What names are you responding to? Personally, I don’t assimilate the names people give me, I call myself by what God calls me and what I call myself. So if you say am disrespectful because I stand for the truth, that is a name you have given me, I won’t respond to it. If you say am a drunkard and I know deep in my heart, am not, I won’t respond to it.
God says I am created in his image, I am a Christian, I am blessed, I am highly favored, I am the apple of his eye, I am his prized possession, God says I am so important that he sent his only begotten son to die for me, these are the names God has given me and this are the names I respond to, not the one’s life, friends and family throw at me.
God gave human beings the ability and power to name. Just as God separates light from darkness and dry land from water, this biblical text affirms that humans – created in the image of God – may seek to bring order to our chaotic and dynamic world through the process of naming.
Why would God play such an important part in naming individuals? I believe that outside of fact that names can have a meaning, I believe that names are spiritually important to the destiny and well-being of the individual. There are several reasons why this may be so but today I would just focus on one, the power of the spoken word. If you have not read any of my previous posts on the power of the mind, tongue, and words then you might want to do so, so you will have an understanding of the issues.
Just take a moment and think about how many times someone will call your name in a lifetime. As a crude calculation, I would say someone might call my name 5 times a day, if I multiply this by 365 (days) and then 70 (years) my name will be uttered 127,750 times. Why should this concern me or you? Well, the bible tells us that there is power in the spoken word and that death and life are in the power of the tongue. We are made in the image of God and just as He has the power to create with and through His Word, we also have a semblance of that creative force in our spoken word. Whenever someone calls me by my name I am convinced that they are re-creating and re-affirming the meaning of those words and making them a reality in my life.
So what is your name? Do you understand the history behind the name your parents gave you at birth? What do people call you? …a gossip, drunk, womanizer, thief? If they call you these names and the names do not reflect who you are, you are safe, but even that, you have to be cautious not to fall into such vices because they are using the names to re-program your destiny. For instance, have you realized when children are not stubborn and we start calling them stubborn they grow up and live to “stubborn” expectations? Or if a child is academically slow and you keep drumming it in his or her head that “she/he has no brains and is daft, “the child will surprisingly turn out to be what you called him/her. When people start giving you names, whether it’s a nickname or pet name, don’t be in a hurry to respond and think it is fun, there are spiritual realities that you have no idea of, and those who know the principle of names will always use names to reprogram people’s destinies.
However, if they call you this negative names and you indeed are what they call you, it means anytime they call you, they are reinforcing your negative attributes. These are serious issues ooh.
I have seen many times the importance, influence, and power of names in my spiritual journey.
