What's Your Name? ...Continued from page 1

Think for a moment about how even in the name of Jesus, God is showing he is not ashamed of you.  This name is the one God promised Abraham he’d uplift. The very glory of God itself resounds through the universe when “at the name of Jesus” every knee is bowed (Phil 2:9-11). Even the demons, when they shriek out “Jesus of Nazareth…We know who you are,” must tremble at the fearful promise of that name?and must recognize that he is his Father’s son. On the great and terrible day of the Lord, Satan himself will be forced to, through demonically clenched teeth, mouth the same word the angel once spoke to Mary, the name everyone of us in Christ has cried out to for salvation: Jesus.

In his ancient blessing of his people, God commands Aaron and his sons to “put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (Num 6:27). Little did they imagine just how he’d do this. He hides his people in One who is named Immanuel?“God with us” (Isa 7:14), who is named Jesus?“Yahweh saves.” As we bear the name of Christ, that’s our name now.

Even in the saying of his name?Jesus?we’re telling the old, old story of amazing grace. In the saying of that name, our God is telling us that he isn’t ashamed even of the least of us, Jesus’ brothers.

When Jesus asks his disciples who the Son of Man is speculated to be, various names are rattled off: John, Elijah, Jeremiah, and so forth. When asked for Jesus’ identity, one of them announces, what God has already voiced: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16). Interestingly, Jesus refers to this disciple first by his given name: Simon, the son of John. Jesus, though, gives him a new name: Peter?a rock. Again, the name seems incongruous. The “rock” isn’t so solid when Jesus is arrested, and he runs. But Jesus knows what’s in store.

The location of his name change is a place called Caesarea Philippi, a region named after the ruler. Caesar’s name, it was believed, could be preserved through branding a piece of ground after him. I’ll bet it seemed as though that place would last forever. But, hidden in the heavenly places is a New Jerusalem, a city that will one day come down and transform the universe. The gates of that city have names?the names, John tells us, of the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev 21:12). The foundation stones of that city have names too?the names of the twelve apostles of Jesus (Rev 21:14). Caesar’s name is nowhere to be found.

Only in light of Jesus’ identity?the Son of the Father?does Peter learn who he is to be. Only there does he find where he fits in the household of God. The same is true for all of us. When we lose our identity, we find it in Christ.

If you’re in Christ, he’s given you a new name (Rev 2:17), a name you’ve never heard, and that wouldn’t make sense to you right now. But you’ll get used to it. Other re-names, like “Israel” and “Abraham” and “Peter” and “Paul” didn’t make sense either, at first.

More important than your name, however, is hearing it called out by One you’ve come to know, or rather who has come to know you. When you see him for the first time face-to-face, when your legal adoption is fully realized, the Spirit within you will cry out “Abba! Father!” And you’ll hear another voice, louder than all the others, cry out the same thing. You’ll turn to see him, the Messiah of Israel, the emperor of the universe, Jesus of Nazareth. And you’ll call him “brother.”

Russell Moore is Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and executive director of the Carl F. H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement. Dr. Moore is the author of The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective (Crossway, 2004) and the forthcoming Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches (Crossway, May 2009).