There is great power in a name.
If you think about it, to name something gives it great weight. Adam named the animals and they had identity. Our parents named us and now we are known by that name. Or, if we don’t like our given names we give ourselves or are given another name to be known by. My grandfather was named Gains Martin. He went by “Jack.” His son was Gaines Martin. He went by “Skipper.” I once tried to be cool like The Fonz and nickname myself. In college I wanted to be called, “The Newt.” Why? No idea. It all seems silly now but way back in college my dad picked up the nickname “Newt” and I wanted to be one better with “The Newt.” Funny! My friends never called me “The Newt,” though, ending all dreams of naming myself…
Names are interesting things. Back in ancient times, people were given names that had special meaning. Men were often named after their fathers and grandfathers. Women were named after grandmothers. Sometimes, a family’s surname developed from the father’s first name. Sons became “So-and-so, son of ____.” The apostle Peter was named “Simon Bar Jonah,” or “son of Jonah.” In Scotland, the prefix “Mac (“son of”)” was added to family names, leading to classic surnames like MacDonald and MacNeill (son of Donald, son of Neil).
A name can be more than just an identity for a human, though. The process of naming things brings identity to previously unknown species of flora and fauna. It brings identity to medical conditions and social disorders and philosophies. It even brings identity to sins against God and against man. Sometimes calling a spade a spade is a good first step to addressing a problem or avoiding a pitfall.
Here’s what I’m chewing on this week…
Our pastor, Seth, has been preaching all year on how we — those who follow Jesus Christ — can resist the world’s call to conform to its ways of thinking in order to be a people who exhibit the presence of Christ to a world that desperately needs Him. If we march lock-step with the world, then we will not stand out from the crowd. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, Seth preached on how important it is to stay spiritually and emotionally sober and alert so that we can be aware of the presence of God working in situations around us. His example was the late-autumn holiday, when families gather together and, for many, old wounds seem to always get re-opened, leading to stress, hurt, anger and frustration. In the midst of such stress people tend to cope in various ways that “dull the pain” — from alcohol and drugs on one extreme to withdrawal and isolation on the other. But God may be working among our families (and may want to use us!), so to miss that because of our stress… we need to stay sober and alert. We are “people of the day” the apostle Paul wrote in one of that Sunday’s Scripture readings, therefore we need to act as people of the day and not the night.
A big part of being sober and “of the day” is exercising spiritual discernment. Discernment is the ability to name something for what it truly is — a philosophy, a sin, shortsightedness, a blind spot, etc. — and know when it should be avoided. Discernment, I fear, is an exercise sorely lacking among Christendom in America today. We tend to go with the cultural flow and many of us —myself included — adopt the world’s philosophies as our own, often times without even realizing it. Paul wrote to the churches in Rome and Corinth:
“Do not be conformed to this present age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God…” —- “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.” (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4)
In Romans 12, Paul commands the believers, “Do not be conformed to this present age…” By “present age” the apostle is referring to the ideas, philosophies and attitudes that stand in opposition to the Person and ways of God. Human culture, from the Garden of Eden to the present day, has stood opposed to the holiness and intentions of God.
But the idea of conforming to the world’s system of values is not always one of intentional action — a.k.a. you don’t always decide consciously to become like the world. If you already believe in Jesus Christ, the process of conforming to the age is more of a subconscious thing that happens to you as opposed to something you do. Paul’s use of the Greek work for “conform” here in Romans is passive, meaning you wake up one day and *bam* you realize that you’ve slipped into the world’s ways of thinking, the world’s values, and even maybe become a promoter of said values. It’s like a driving a car and falling asleep behind the wheel (which I hope never happens to you or to me!). It usually comes gradually and has a horrible consequence.
In Corinthians, Paul reveals that blindness and vagueness are hallmarks of the “god of this world,” who has put a dark veil over the eyes of all who follow the philosophies of this present age. In their natural state, people are asleep in the darkness of sin and hardness of heart and they cannot see the light of Christ. And so, as a result, the world marches on as if He doesn’t exist, as if God doesn’t exist, or, if He does, then He isn’t anywhere around (present). As for goodness? Not from God, just from people. As for spiritual light? Only from our own inner spirits. All of the above are deceptions of this age.
Even Christians can fall asleep at the wheel, though we know better. We have seen the light of Christ and known His presence. We know right from wrong and can willingly choose the right through the redeeming work of the Holy Spirit inside of us. We need to learn to name the philosophies of this world — a way in opposition to the light of Jesus Christ and inadequate for salvation and happiness — so we would be better able to avoid it and help others do the same.
Learning discernment is a very important part of becoming a mature Christian. The older you get the better you should be at naming the vagueness and seeing the light of Christ in the darkness. However, discernment is not a natural gift for most of us. It is learned primarily through three forms:
- The knowledge of God’s Word in order to know His thoughts and ways. If you do not know God — especially the life of His Son revealed in the Gospels — then you cannot sift between the wheat and the chaff, the good and the bad. Holy Scripture has been preserved through the centuries as a tool that we should use to navigate our way through this fallen and deceptive world. Dive in and learn about the God who saved us and walk in His ways.
- The exercise of community in order to gain wisdom and avoid blind spots. Other believers are a great source of wisdom when it comes to making godly decisions and thinking rightly. They can also identify those areas you may be blind towards. Christians who lack community are more susceptible to being swayed by the philosophies of this world, much like a deer that is separated from the pack is more susceptible to being attacked by a lion. The group provides protection. There have been many times that other believers have been able to “name” my blind spots and sins, or call out my attitudes and encourage me to follow Christ.
- The ministry of the Holy Spirit, who enlightens, convicts and encourages from inside of our hearts. You know that “still small voice” that pops up in your head when you see something that isn’t quite right? It might be God Himself! In John 14 Jesus told his disciples that one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit would be to remind them of the words He told them. Throughout the centuries of the Church, the Spirit has been bringing the words of Christ from Scripture to our minds and hearts so that we would be able to walk in this world in a manner faithful to Him.
So, if you get a cautious feeling inside about something you see, hear or read but cannot name the reason, why not take that thing to other believers, who will probably also listen to the Holy Spirit and search the Scriptures, bringing discernment.
There is great weight in a name, especially when you haven’t been able to figure out what is wrong. Take a step back today and ask the Lord if there are any areas of your life in which you have conformed to the patterns of this world. Look around you at your house, your workplace, your places of recreation… does your lifestyle reflect the philosophies of this world more than it reflects your faith? If you see an area in which you fear you might have compromised the righteous ways of God, ask Him to help you change that area. Seek another believer in private and ask for their wisdom. Search God’s word (together with them is usually best) and see if you can name the ways the world is influencing you.
Wake up behind the wheel! Conforming to the age may be cool for our culture but it is not cool in God’s eyes. Imitate the patterns of Christ. In doing so you will be shining His light into this darkened world as you bring His presence with you.
Be God’s!
J.C. Newton 