Wednesday | 02 April 2025

Old understanding of the name

Within our own stream of churches, the most recent theological influence upon our understanding of baptism, and what it means to be a Christian, has been the doctrine, or revelation, of the name. This hermeneutic was succinctly captured in the song, ‘The fullness of the Godhead bodily dwelleth in my Lord’, including the line, ‘We are complete in Him’.

Salvation in relation to this theological perspective began with conversion. Conversion was necessary for the forgiveness of sins. Regeneration was understood to mean, being made alive to God from the state of having been dead in trespasses and sins. In this regard, ‘born again’ was this regeneration from the death of sin. A person was then placed in the position of a son by adoption. This understanding of the adoption was reflective of Calvin’s notion of adoption as one’s designation, or identification, as a son.

In keeping with the Baptist tradition, following the ‘great awakening’, a believer was baptised after their conversion and new birth from the dead, through regeneration. The name, which Christ received at His exaltation, was given to the believer when they were baptised by water into His name. This made them complete in Christ and able to use His name, by invocation, to overcome sin and the devil.

Significantly, the divine nature as the fundamental element of the new birth was not at all recognised or appreciated. Without this understanding, a believer was left as a unique member of Christ’s body, but indistinct from Him. They were not deemed to be a unique individual with the divine nature as a separate seed from Christ. In this regard, they were still an adopted man; not a son of God by regeneration.