Genesis 17 — Thoughts

What’s in a Name?

In Genesis 17, God changes Abram's name to Abraham.

"Abraham" is actually a combination of the name Abram with the Hebrew word "hamon," which means "many or multitude." As God goes on to say, this name is given to Abram because God will make him "a father of many nations."

But there's a second meaning to the name change, which becomes a little clearer in the New Testament.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone; the new has come." Of course, Paul also had his own name changed by God. Once, he was Saul, a persecutor of the Church. But when he met Jesus, he became Paul, the first great missionary. His name change symbolized that he was no longer the same person he once was.

We might not have had our own names changed by God when we became Christians, but any of us could have — because we have all been changed by Jesus. In our sin, we were once enemies of God. But Jesus took our sin from us when He died on the Cross, and He gave us His own righteousness when we put our faith in Him. Because of Him, we are not what we once were.

Because of Jesus, we are a new creation — even if we didn't get a new name to go with it.

(Originally written June 20, 2020)