Introduction 2006

by HYDON, G.M. | Category: Names That Need To Be Known | Jan 2006

Naming things

Adam and Eve no doubt had to recognize distinctions between the many trees in Eden’s garden; but the Lord Himself distinguished and named only two trees, and that on the basis of the effect of consuming their fruit. They were ‘the tree of life’ and ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil’; how important to tell the difference, and evidently Eve could. God’s terms are meaningful and accurate. If only Eve had been content with all the permitted fruits which were evidence of God’s abounding grace meeting her every need! Alas, Adam and Eve were not made to live for ever and also to have the knowledge of good and evil.

It is one of humanity’s peculiarities, often leading to disastrous consequences that we focus too much on some things to the neglect of others. Perhaps this is true when we think of the names which God gives to the spiritual matters upon which He wishes His redeemed to feed, grow and bear fruit. We may feed on one or two truths to the exclusion of others of equal importance; or we may fail to distinguish between them, thinking that they all simply mean the same thing. If so, we may grow to be deformed or distorted believers.

Just as today we may readily remember the variant names given by purveyors of foodstuffs to their different wares, so with similar ease we should be able to list the names God has placed upon His truths for His redeemed. ‘People’, ‘Nation’ and ‘Kingdom’ might come readily to mind and there are more. They are not given by accident, but by design. Surely we are supposed to distinguish different things about the collective people identified by these names, and not just see them as words meaning the same thing. In spiritual things, such lack of discernment is diagnostic of childhood.(1) The way to develop such discernment is by the repeated correct use of the Word of God; it is not done by trial and error, but rather by the continuous practice of what is right. See for example the work of the priest in distinguishing between the clean and the unclean.(2) We need to work out carefully, therefore, what God is saying in His Word by rightly dividing the Word of Truth and then put our understanding into obedient practice. It is perhaps humbling to think that disciples together should be identifiable by their practices and then recognised as such by the appropriate names, or divine titles, God gives to His followers.

The consistency in God’s use of names

In the book of Genesis we find the account of Jacob. Because of Laban’s unfair demands Jacob needed a way to distinguish and identify his sheep from those of Laban.(3) In due time Jacob’s sheep had a different appearance; the difference proving ownership. Of course his and Laban’s sheep were all still sheep.

The terms ‘sheep’ and ‘flock’ are not limited in the Bible to their natural setting. God loves to use them to indicate different aspects of His spiritual sheep and their relationship to Himself; each is lasting. The description begins in the Old Testament and continues into the New. This series will try to examine such continuity and distinctions in divinely given names. We cannot hope to understand the Word of God correctly if we focus only on the New Testament. There are things that become plainer the more we see the Old Testament previews of the greater New Testament truth, and that is what God intended.(4)

The topics of the series

The terms we plan to review include: the Chosen Race; the People of God; the Sheep of the Flock; the Vine & Vineyard; the Church; the House of God, the Holy and Royal Priesthood; the Holy Nation; the Kingdom of God.

The series seeks to alert readers to the different meanings which may be hidden in terms that, at first glance, seem similar and to make such discernment a habit in Bible study. By doing so we shall see how it is unique to find one’s place among the people described by God in these ways. Thus it is not a matter of intellectual curiosity, but seeking from God the right way to live our lives so that our practices conform to His descriptions of us.

The need for care!

Sometimes the same word means different things. For instance, where baptism is mentioned care is needed to determine which type of baptism is meant. When Paul found disciples who had only been baptized (dipped) in water in obedience to John’s teaching he instructed them to be baptized again.(5) The same word therefore describes two different things, and baptism as a follower of John’s teaching could not then substitute for the baptism of a believer as a disciple of Christ. Then Paul describes yet another baptism,(6) which Christ now does with each person at the time of their salvation; He baptizes them, not in water but in the Holy Spirit,(7) into the church which is His Body. Again, Christ’s death, burial and resurrection are called by Him a ‘baptism’.(8) We obviously need to distinguish between the different situations when this word is used if we are to understand and then act properly as individual disciples. The Bible provides instruction too for disciples seen together as a church.

The churches of God exist today because in the 19th century believers saw the need to distinguish carefully between the various uses of the word ‘church’ in the Scriptures. Many believers saw no difference between the scriptural terms: ‘the church which is the Body of Christ’ and ‘church of God’.(9) God provided understanding to those who sought it, so that they were able to see important differences, important because they revealed that some people were in one church but not the other. The different terms were found to contain separate treasures, and failure to distinguish between them had resulted in disadvantages to disciples and less glory to God. The purpose of this revelation was not to create a small sub-group of believers who had a stronger intellectual grasp of the meaning of Scripture. Rather, it opened again a door for all believers to adopt changed practices that were closer to what the Scriptures say and therefore more God-glorifying. It also showed how errors that brought sorrow to the heart of God could properly be corrected. The introductory point before us here is the need to examine all Scriptural terms with the same care.

Peter wrote to people in churches across a wide area. It is evident when we reach 1 Peter 2:9 that he is describing not just individual Christians, but disciples brought together in united testimony, because he uses collective nouns in each case to describe a unique grouping of people. However, his terms can all too easily be disregarded as synonyms - in much the same way as people had traditionally failed to distinguish between the Church the Body of Christ and the churches of God. We must look for the precise sense God intends us to see in each term, and the particular things we should do to put such truth into practice. Such accuracy is not a mere argument about words; Scripture expects us to see and act upon these special characteristics.

The challenge

So, as we consider in this series the various names which God has specifically chosen to apply to those He has redeemed, we shall be challenged in each article to ask:

"What would God have to do so that the name He has given may accurately apply to His redeemed?" and "What behaviour is expected of those so described, to retain the use of the unique name God gives them?"

References:(1)Heb.5:11-14 (2)Lev.10:10: Ezek.44:23; cf. Ezek.22:26; Hag.2:11-14 (3)Gen.30,31 (4)Acts 17:11; 2 Pet.1:20,21 (5)Acts 19:3-5 (6)1 Cor.12:13 (7)Mat.3:11 (8)Luke 12:50 (9)e.g. Eph.1:22,23; 1 Cor.1:2

HYDON, G.M. | Jan 2006
Names That Need To Be Known