MONDAY
Next, as we talked about, we are to call one another by our true, new name.
When we genuinely believe that Jesus has atoned for our sins on the cross we are then brought into the name of Jesus—we identify with him and he identifies with us.
2 Corinthians 5:17 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Philippians 1:21 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Galatians 2:20 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
When Jesus confronts Saul, later Paul, on the road to Damascus he says,
Acts 9:4 “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Saul was persecuting Christians. Jesus views persecution of Christians as persecution of himself.
When we come to believe in Jesus we are called by his name. In his name we have a new identity and we must remind one another of this new identity. The apostles refer to believers in a number of different ways to emphasize this new identity.
- Saints: holy ones, people set apart for God
- Brothers and Sisters
- Beloved of God
- Elect Exiles
- Called Ones
- Faithful Ones
- Servants
- Children: Paul refers to Timothy and Titus as his children, implying his close mentoring relationship with each of them. In Philemon he addresses Apphia as “our sister.” These familial terms emphasize the closeness of our relationships within the church. We are to view one another as brothers and sisters. In many introductions, God is referred to as “our Father,” implying that all of the believers are children of God.
Jesus is referred to as “our Lord.”