A New Name

A NEW NAME

Passover is a time to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and, through His agony, death, and resurrection, we are reconciled to God for eternal life. It is a time we renew our vows to a covenant of obedience in love by partaking of the blood and body of Jesus Christ and being cleansed in humility toward God. When Jesus died, something else happened we don't think about often enough.

JOHN 1 :29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

From the beginning, the Passover lamb represented the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through that sacrifice, Jesus Christ has been given a new name: The Lamb of God, spoken in honor and worship by all the heavenly host:

REVELATION 5:11-12 And I (John) beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand (100 million), and thousands of thousands (millions); v.12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Jesus' new name perfectly speaks of His sacrifice by those who have been baptized and forgiven in His name. The Lamb portrays His innocence, His silence, and the blood and body He poured out in suffering and death. It also proves He is alive because the dead have no need of names. What greater name could God have given the Savior of the world?

Because He lives, our names are now written in HEAVEN and Jesus will PROFESS our names before God:

REVELATION 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I (Jesus Christ) will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Have you ever considered such a marvel? Your name, my name, and all who have entered into the covenant of sacrifice are written, with perfect lettering, on a scroll located near GOD'S THRONE! God KNOWS each of our names! Our names were selected from the foundation of the world (Romans 8:29-30)! It is humbling to think of it. What could be more wonderful? How about having God's name written in us?

REVELATION 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand (the firstfruits, v4), having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

God will write His perfect and righteous name in us when we are resurrected! What a glorious name it will be that proclaims us to be the beloved children of GOD! Our surname will be the same as God's!

Amazingly, more is yet to come. Not only will Jesus Christ write upon us the name of God, but He will give us HIS name as well:

REVELATION 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I (Jesus Christ) will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Being given the name of God arid Jesus Christ mean they have proclaimed us to belong to them.

REVELATION 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I (Jesus Christ) give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Finally, each of us will be given a new name. A name that is honorable and blessed; one by which others will know who and what we are to God. Only Abram, Sarai, and Jacob were given new names in this physical life but everyone will have new names in the Kingdom. As God honored Jesus Christ by giving Him the name of The Lamb, Jesus will honor us by giving us His Father's name, His name, and each of us a unique, new name! When a child is born, the parents put their names on the birth certificate along with the name they chose for the child. On the day of our spiritual birth, God and Jesus Christ will write their names as parents and give us a name that they have chosen. What a precious gift!

1 JOHN 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called (by name) the sons (children) of God: ...