Why Does God Change the Names of People in the Bible?

Does God change the names of people in the Bible that is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi, I'm Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

Would love to hear from you and here's our phone number is 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com and you can post your question. One of our social media sites as well.

Let's go to voicemail. We received from one of our listeners named Brian why God change also change. Jacobson named Israel. What is reasonable yes is a great question why does God change people's names in the Bible you think of the book of acts. For example, where you have solved Tarsus. His name is changed to Paul and he becomes the apostle Paul. And then, of course, in Genesis chapter 17 Abram his name is changed to Abraham and then in Genesis chapter 32 Jacob, his name is changed to Israel. Well, just having one on a surface level we know that names have to do with identity and so I think I think one thing we can say in this really relates to us in our in our own an individual walks with the Lord as well is that when an individual has an encounter with the true in the living God. There's this change, there's this change in identity week.

We might say there's a new name that's given a new name that's bestowed and in Genesis chapter 17 with regard to Abraham that that the name change has to do with the fact that Abraham wasn't to be a father of a multitude multitude of nations.

That's exactly what the text says there if you read Genesis chapter 17 is a goddess is changing his name on the basis of what he's going to do in his life of who he's making.

Abraham is making Abraham, the father of a multitude of nations is the promise that was given to him and so is it is a gift really from from the Lord. This this bestow this bestowing of of of the new identity. This grant if you will do the same thing and in Genesis 32.

It's interesting in Genesis 32 Jacob, whose name means NASA planter or deceiver in and certainly that was so characteristic of his behavior throughout the book of Genesis you deceiving his brother Esau seen a sinning against his and his father mean this guy has some serious issues and yet he has an encounter again with God. In Genesis 32 gets into a wrestling match with the angel of the Lord and in the angel of the Lord says to him what's your name, and he says Jacob which in one sense, is almost like a confession confession of sin.

I'm the deceiver I am the Sioux planter and God the angel of the Lord response to Mrs. nope, not anymore. It's not who you are anymore. Now you're Israel and and so you have this this new identity, the grace of God changing transforming this this person if you will, and for us as Christians, we have to understand that in part weed to through baptism and faith have received new identities from from the Lord. Now we are no longer those who are dead in sin and under the law.

Read Romans chapter 6. Now we are those who are alive from the dead and united to Jesus Christ. Those who have been baptized into into the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit and we are called to live in light of that that reality. In light of who we are in Jesus Christ that new new identity if you will that we've received and so it really is. I think what we see in the Bible is this beautiful picture of how God works in our lives. Here he takes us and he and he gives us a new name.

He transforms us by the grace of his Holy Spirit, bestowing his promises upon us is people uniting us as Christians to his son Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and we are called to live in light of that reality. As the children of God is the beloved children of God no longer presenting our bodies and the instruments of our bodies are the members of our bodies as instruments to to send to a basin presenting ourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and the members of our body as instruments for righteousness to serve the true and the living God. Great illustration of hope. Thank you for that Israel.

This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez.

Let's go to Gary who is calling in from Oklahoma City.

Gary, what's your question for Israel Bible?

More like Christian long course and I am struggling to get all prescription drug management and I just wanted" for me on getting off of the medication very difficult for me to do all Gary first.

What I pray for you and I'll invite all of our listeners to pray for you in the struggle as well because I believe in the power of prayer and and I am want to pray for you. So father we bring Gary before you right now man and he's battling right now with addiction to prescription medicine and what I I'm sure that even us were praying for him that there are there others who are in this same fight in the same the same battle with with this addiction and we ask Lord God for the grace of your Holy Spirit to be poured out upon them for freedom for deliverance for the help, Lord God, that they need the accountability also and and care of church community, but also Lord just getting whatever resources that they need to be able to fight this with wisdom and would you give Gary specifically wisdom Lord God about what you want to do in this situation had it how to approach it.

Lord God in order to be free of this addiction Lord that we know it's it's it's a serious battle so we ask for your help. In Jesus name, amen. I know I know that this is a complex question Gary in and I know that there are many people you know they could get injured on they begin taking prescription medications and it it becomes consuming and there's there's addiction. And so I think I think many many addiction support groups can be can be a good thing here. I mean, obviously you know your body becomes dependent upon these medicines and so and so stopping is is very difficult.

I think there needs to be accountability one and so Gary out. I would buy would want to ask you right now. Are you in a church where you have some church community and what will the one thing I would say that could be helpful is honestly just opening up sometimes with others with with maybe your pastor the elders of that church and saying hey, this is a serious trouble that I have and I need some extra help your I have I have had friends in my life who have gone through difficult things and and had to take certain prescription drugs are there did take certain prescription drugs and they would reach out to me to say just a heads up. I need some accountability here. II need you to ask me questions about you know if I'm if I'm becoming dependent upon these things and and I just I just want some outside eyes on this and some encouragement and I think it's important for you to get that to. That's one of the things that your pastor should want to encourage you and and and help you in depending on how how serious this is. I think that there are other other steps that you could take in and wouldn't you agree with that bill. I do and I think for Gary may be looking at an inpatient treatment opportunity might be that the best way to go when you're severely addicted to something especially like prescription drugs or alcohol sometimes getting into an inpatient treatment program is is the best option and there are many Christian ones around the country that sometimes involves travel.

Sometimes you can find one locally and then of course you mentioned support groups like Narcotics Anonymous would would be a good one to to pursue, but I think the balance of the bat like you said, be open with the people at your church. Some trusted individuals who know you know care about you and then pursuing some mental health options. I think that's the best way to go. At this point and then just addiction is always one of the complex things, but just realizing and and I'm sure that you do this, one of the reasons why your wire colonists Gary that you know you have you have the mental health component you have that the unit the bodily depends component.

You also have that the component of you fighting against those things which take over our lives which God calls us not to, you know to be controlled by, or ruled by anything except his spirit.

Think about what Paul says to the Ephesians you not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.

That is, be under the control of the spirit through the word of Christ. And so what what God wants for you.

Gary is to be controlled ruled by his spirits and that happens is the word of Jesus Christ dwells in us richly and so as you pursue all of these things and it is you get the help that you need and and certainly that's an amine getting accountability and outside help is welcome is a battle you can't fight on your own as you as you do that continue to let the word of Jesus Christ dwell in you richly to go before the Lord every day to read Scripture to cry out to him for help for the help of his spirit to pray as I prayed and prayed for you because prayer is powerful and God works through prayer and so using all of those things together in taking this very seriously. I think this is the most important thing and so may God be with you, Gary, and bless you and fill you with his spirit. And thank you for giving us a call. Thanks so much, will be praying for you and you know Israel for any listeners who are struggling with any type of addiction. I think the other spiritual calling to consider is that Satan will use that he uses that the guilt and the shame that we experience, and then he turns that against us and says you know God would never forgive you and you and and then that drives the person back to numb themselves out out even more with the drug or the alcohol and so they need to turn to the Romans hate want to realize there is no condemnation for them in Christ Jesus. Yeah, that's a great plague it can become this this vicious cycle and that the condemnation of the evil one leading an individual to feel hopeless like they're worthless like there without value. God is through with me in that kind of thing will that's exactly what the devil wants us to believe that whatever your situation is.

It's too big for God, but that is not the case.

One our sin is not too big for God. And we go to the Lord, confessing our sins. He forgives us, but but to even with our weaknesses, our struggles, illness, addiction, those those kinds of things. You know the grace of God is sufficient for you in your weakness and in Christ strength is perfected in our weaknesses with the apostle Paul was told by the Lord and so there is hope is hope for you there's hope in Christ, there's hope, and in the community of faith, there is hope in some of these other resources that we talked about as well and so take advantage of those things with faith.

With hope, and may the Lord show you his love.

This score Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. There's a very special group of people we want to say thank you to today we call them our inner core. These are people that support this program on a monthly basis. They really believe in what we do and would like to invite you to join that group of folks yeah if you've been blessed by the work that we do here core Christianity every day. You know, answering your questions about the Christian faith and we love we love hearing from you. It really is a joy for me to to hear your questions and to get to open up the Scriptures and into seek to provide by the grace of God in and through a lot of prayer you know any encouragement and insight from the words that we can and if it's encouraged you if it's bless you listening to these questions, consider joining the inner core is it's a monthly donation of $25 or more and it helps us as an organization continue to do what were doing and ultimately it's all about Jesus. It's all about his glory.

It's all about helping you grow in your relationship with him and in your understanding of his word and in if you join your car will send you a copy of the book core Christianity, written by Dr. Michael Horton. He's a professor I had actually while I was in seminary at a wonderful wonderful man and brother in the Lord and just a lot of great insights in that book about the core doctrines of the Christian faith think that we think are really important for you to understand it. So consider joining a court would love to send you that resource to find out more, just go to our website. Core, Christianity.com/inner core just all one word again. Core, Christianity.com/inner core. Would love to have you prayerfully consider joining that special group of people. We do receive emails here at core Christianity and are our email address is questions at core, Christianity.com Clarice wrote him and she says how do I know if I'm being disciplined by God or if I'm being punished for my sins. I feel really distant from God right now and I wonder if he is punishing me somehow this is a really good question one. What is the difference between discipline and punishment of punishment.

You know, in the idea there I think is is maybe judgment condemnation. I think we can distinguish that from the discipline that the Lord gives us God disciplines us not to condemn us, not so that we would be forever separated from him discipline of the Lord is always restorative. That is, God is always disciplining us out of love and this is what Proverbs say this is what the book of Hebrews says as many as I love I rebuke and chasten is the love of God that leads him to discipline his people when they sin right it is it is something that God does in our lives as believers were sitting against it but but the goal is always so that we would walk with him so that we would honor him with our lives and this is exactly what the apostle Paul says in first Corinthians chapter 11, where he's talking about the discipline of the Lord in particular on the church in Corinth because you know they were coming together in worship, but when they were coming together in worship. They were doing so in a manner that was not pleasing to the Lord. They were there were no neglecting the poor you know you read the book of Corinthians. And there were all these serious issues sexual immorality in the church that had not been dealt with Christians fighting with each other, sinning against each other and in really terrible ways has a positive is a come together to take communion and yet that the church is is really a mess and you're not dealing with the sins in the community of faith and because of that God is disciplining you. He says in verse 31 of chapter 11 first Corinthians. If we judge ourselves. Truly we would not be judged but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world and see the difference there. Then discipline is so that we would not be condemned punishment.

Oftentimes, I think we think of punishment were thinking of condemnation.

God is just through with me he's punishing me because of my sin and and and there's no hope there's no hope for me anymore.

No to the contrary when when we are disciplined by God. It's an act of his love, so that we would not be condemned along with the world, so I think it's really important for us to understand that now, in your case. More specifically, are asking the question, how do I know how do I know when God is disciplining me well if you know you your your thinking about your life and it's like I like I can't see anything that I've I've been doing, you know, sinfully MLM, and obviously we all sin and thought, word, and indeed every day but it's it's not like I'm an active rebellion against the Lord and yet bad things are happening.

I'm struggling with sickness or orbit trail or something like that. I don't think that you should just conclude that there some secret sin that God is disciplining you, forming the reality is, Jesus said it himself in John 16.

In this world we will have tribulation is the reality of living in a fallen world. That doesn't mean that the tribulation that you're experiencing is the result of your sin sometimes other people sin sin against us. And so through that. What were we were longing to do were seeking to do is to be faithful to the Lord and to follow him. Even when we experience those hardships those those tribulations now. It could be that that you are actively rebelling against God and sing in ways you know are not pleasing to the Lord in quenching the Holy Spirit and in. There are things happening in your life that are directly related to that, you know you and and your your thinking.

Oh boy, me to maybe God is disciplining me get it could be that the Lord is disciplining you. But don't let that make you think that God is condemning you or turning his face away from you.

You should receive it as his love and is a call to repentance as a call to walk with him and to turn from those things that you know are hurting you and are hurting your spiritual life and so friend may may God fill you with wisdom that he fill you with with peace and with a sense of his love, so that no matter what you're going to fit is discipline for sin you would you would receive it as God, thank you you love me enough, not not to let me just go down this path and if it isn't that you would be able to cling to the words of Jesus who said in this world we will have tribulation, but take heart I have overcome the world. And so you can have hope.

No matter what you face through Jesus great verse to turn to thank you for that Israel. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, we do receive voicemails and you can leave us a voicemail 24 hours a day at this number that you can call over the three-day weekend if you'd like. I 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 let's go to a voicemail that came in earlier this week and will go back down and bind me, I have been baptized into shell that got me at… When I like that I when I became a clicking that I already have a holy angle, thinking maybe it cracking my being baptized in the Holy Spirit and client epic applicant. How can you please clarify how maps may leave that for that question. And then there are people who this is a theology that's out there. You get water baptized but then if you want this for the next level of the Holy Spirit working in your life you need to be baptized, not just in water but you also need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and in this is submitted. That's more prominent in the charismatic Pentecostal circles is as you say, the reality is it we have to recognize first every single Christian by faith is sealed with the Holy Spirit bosses the granted you can even say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

So any theology that it teaches that you know if your baptizer really don't have the Holy Spirit you need that. The second blessing an extra you know big filling baptism of the Holy Spirit as we we gotta be very careful there because the Bible makes it absolutely clear that every Christian, every believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit lives in you that you have the Holy Spirit now are called throughout the Christian life to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

It's imperative. It's a command in Scripture that happens as the word of Christ dwells in us richly. Paul says that in in the book of Ephesians in the book of Colossians as God's word is the word of Jesus Christ dwells in us were were filled more and more with the spirit that is controlled by the Holy Spirit.

So that's it.

That's a lifelong thing you your sealed with the Holy Spirit as a believer.

Paul says in Ephesians, you're called to be filled with the Holy Spirit throughout the Christian life. I don't know that that that means that there is bears this second baptism of the Holy Spirit that every Christian has to go through what what people are typically pointing to when when they talk about this is the book of acts where were prior to Jesus's ascension. He talks about the church being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost happens and and there's this great baptism of the Holy Spirit and people are speaking in tongues and then later on throughout the book of acts of the apostles and disciples are laying hands on people so that they might receive the Holy Spirit, be baptized in the Holy Spirit and and really the big thing there is. God is just communicating to the church at that early stage that the Holy Spirit the message of salvation the promises of God are not just for the Jews that were there on the day of Pentecost there also for the Samaritans for the Gentiles, and as the gospel is going out from Jerusalem to dad the other uttermost parts of the earth.

You see through the preaching of the apostles that the gift of the Holy Spirit and the people are saying wow even even the Gentiles guys even giving the Gentiles the Holy Spirit and so what God is, is trying to communicate.

There is this great shift in the history of redemption that now the people of God aren't just Jews, such as that the Hebrew community of faith, but he's open the door for the Gentiles, that we are also partakers of and participants in the new covenant having received God's grace, having received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and so and so every Christian I would say is in in that sense, through faith in Jesus baptized into the Holy Spirit in another passage that you can reverse that you can read is what Paul says in first Corinthians chapter 12 verse 13 for in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one Spirit, but is what this was just some of you on this is the entire community of faith and friends. We don't realize how how amazing of a gift. This was under the old covenant, the spirit, you know what would come upon the Kings and the priests and the prophets in Israel but one of the blessings associated with the new covenant is now the entire church.

Every single person would have be sealed with filled with the Holy Spirit. It's what Joel prophesied about in Joel chapter 2 and it's what Peter says Wolf was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in acts chapter 2 and we are as the entire community of faith. The heirs of that promise. The recipients of that promise.

So you have the Holy Spirit friends and you are called to be filled with the Holy Spirit to thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer.

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