The Theology of the Name

By Dr. Lillie McCutcheon

(The following article is edited for space from the original publication in November 1993)

            Every institution has a name or corporate title. This is to distinguish it from other firms or institutions and to designate ownership. The greatest institution on earth is the New Testament Church. Its ownership and identity is designated by its name as it appears in the New Testament.

            Parents carefully choose names for their children. I’ve never heard of a child named Judas Iscariot. God, the Father, clearly named the physical body of Jesus even before his birth (see Luke 1:31). It is inconceivable for God to omit naming the spiritual body of Christ, which is the church.

            The church was no after-thought with God. From the beginning God designed “A people for His name.” Simon Peter gives reference to the prophecy of Amos, saying, “… declaring how God at first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.” (Amos 9:11-12, Acts 15:14).

            The same Holy Spirit who conceived the physical body of Jesus in the womb of the Virgin Mary, also brought forth from the cradle of the empty spiritual body of Christ, the church.

            The church is unlike any other institution in the world. All other institutions – governments, business corporations, service agencies, labor unions, charity organizations, etc… are humanly created and operated. The church is unique; it is a divine institution. Its members, of course, are people, but its origin, its name, its structure, and its purposes are divine.

            The church is a living organism entered by the new birth. God’s church is composed of all regenerated, born again believers, regardless of whether they belong to a denomination, a sect, a society, etc. – or none of these. By the same measurement, all persons who are not born again are excluded from God’s church regardless of membership in human organizations. The church is bigger than any denomination; neither do all religious bodies compose the true church. Therefore, the name for God’s church must be a name that includes all of God’s children and excludes all who are not.

            There are numerous religious bodies in the world today. The New Testament church did not need a name to distinguish it from other churches because there was only one church. It was sometimes described as “the way,” “the bride,” “a body,” “a flock,” “a vine,” etc. These terms offer analogy and define character but they are not proper names.

            Scriptural evidence is imperative to establish the official name of God’s Church. The name “Church of God” appears at least twelve times in the New Testament and is the only name applied officially to God’s people. A name is very important. It signifies ownership, defines purpose and delineates relationships.

            Jesus speaks of the Church both in a universal sense and as a local congregation. When He said, “I will build My church” He refers to the establishment of His church in the whole world. Jesus gives reference to the local congregation in Matthew 16:17 regarding discipline problems. Jesus explained that the disputes between brethren should be reconciled privately, but if agreement was not possible – then “tell it to the church.” The name for the local church and the universal church is the same. When the plural form of “churches” of God is used in the New Testament, reference is made to multiple congregations of the Church of God.

            We recognize that the use of this name in our modern world is not without problems. In the first place, many different, unrelated groups (perhaps more than two hundred) use this name in some form. That makes identification of a particular group difficult and may often cause confusion or embarrassment. Then, some have said it is arrogant to use this name since no congregation or group can live up to the perfection that name implied. Others say that the use of this name is too idealistic and visionary. Even so, God’s intention regarding a name for His people is plain; we must bear His name with honor. No other name is so universal, so inclusive, and so appropriate for people of all nations and races, so expressive of the divine nature of the church. In this name God is given preeminence of which He alone is worthy. No one else, no system of polity, no single doctrine, no national designation or any worldly label is good enough to be attached to the name Church of God. We carry the name proudly, not arrogantly but in humility. It stretches us to live up to all this name implies.

            The Church of God as a movement uses the name in an inclusive sense, for it is actually a movement in the direction of Christian unity and the re-establishment of the New Testament standard of faith and life. Having one name for all God’s children is a step toward unity. No one has a copyright on the name “Church of God.” It is improper for us to say we are “THE Church,” because there are many, many Christians who are not identified with our fellowship. Neither is it proper for us to say we are just a church among churches. There are numbers of people looking for a Church of God.

            It is understood that the name over the church door does not make a person Christian. The name “Church of God” is not a badge to admit you to heaven after an inspection by the celestial gatekeeper. Jesus did not say we would be known by our advertisement.

            To be identified with God’s Church and carry His name is not a law to be forced upon anyone. We must willingly choose to be identified with the Biblical name and believe it is a high honor to be included in God’s family. We need a conviction and desire to answer the prayer of our Lord when He pleaded with the Father saying, “Holy Father, keep though Thine own name those whom Thou has given Me, that they may be one as we are.” (John 17:11)

            When diplomas or degrees of honor are awarded there is a phrase granting the holder all the “rights, privileges and responsibilities appertaining thereto.” To use the name “Church of God” this also applies. Speaking of names – most important of all is that our name be properly inscribed in the Lamb’s Book of Life!