What's in a Name?

In a famous line from Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says 

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.

Lots of people think she’s asking where he is, but she’s actually asking, “Why do you have to be Romeo Montague?” Juliet is a Capulet, and the Montague and Capulet families are old enemies. Romeo’s name is a problem to Juliet, because it means they can’t be together.

Later in that same scene she says

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.

She has a point. What we call things is largely arbitrary – it doesn’t change the nature or existence of the thing in question. In fact, everything has many names when we consider how many languages there are which might all have different words for that rose. I’ve had three surnames in my life but I’m still the same person. 

So what’s in a name? Why are names important?

The folk tale Rumpelstiltskin, although popularised by the Brothers Grimm, is thought to be up to 4,000 years old. In it the mischievous imp threatens to make good on his deal with the princess to take her baby unless she can guess his name. Names have power and if she knows his name she will have power to drive him away.

Why do names have power? Because names are about our identity, our essence, our character. On a very basic level, they are how we recognise who and what everything is. Our names are such a crucial part of our identity that most of us don’t like it when our names are misspelled, misused – my husband is always Roderic not Rod - or mispronounced. Freud saw psychological meaning in the accidental distortion of a person's name. He noticed that aristocrats seemed to mispronounce their doctors' names more often than other people did. He interpreted this as one way the aristocracy had of keeping physicians in their place. I think that’s still true today. I’ve seen people who imagine they are in a position of power deliberately get the name wrong of someone they think is below them. In past days, masters would even choose to call their servants by different names, or their surnames, as a mark of their control over them. 

Deliberately and consistently mispronouncing someone's name is disrespectful and demeaning. Kamala Harris, the US Democratic vice-presidential candidate, has regularly explained how her name is pronounced, and yet right-wing opponents seem incapable of saying it correctly. That's nothing short of subtle, intentional racism. It says, "You're not like us, you're not part of our group, you're different and odd and you don't deserve the minimal effort it would take to show you the respect of getting your name right." I urge anyone reading this to have enough respect for people to call them by the name they would like to be called, even if this requires some work on your part.

The name of the Saviour

The most important name of all is the name of the saviour, Jesus. As you know, “Christ” is not His surname but a statement of who He is. It means the same as “Messiah” – anointed one, chosen one – so it actually makes more sense to call Him Jesus the Christ, or maybe “Christ Jesus”, in the same way that we’d say “Queen Elizabeth” or maybe “Elizabeth the Queen”. The word “Christ” is a statement of what He is, not His name.

As for Jesus, it means “rescuer”, “deliverer” or “saviour”. So when we speak of Jesus Christ we are talking about the one anointed, or chosen, to save. His name and title tell us exactly who He is and what He does for us.

The concept of the name of the saviour is woven through scripture. In this section, look at how many times the word “name” comes up:

And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.

And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.

And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God.

And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts.

I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.
(Mosiah 5:7-12)

I’ll unpack that a bit, since there's a lot in it.

• Jesus’s name – His personal identity - is the only one that saves us.
• When we are born again/saved/enter into a covenant with Him, we take upon ourselves His name. It becomes our family name, if you will, and we must always be true to it, and remember it. If we do, we’ll be metaphorically at His right hand – His people, His family
• We will be called by that name, and by the name He gives us (we learn more about that in the temple) when our Father summons us. We need to learn to answer to it.
• We should, in all that we do at all times, remember, respect and honour that name.
• Those who do not adopt the family name of Jesus Christ are members of some other family and called by some other name.

The Power of Christ’s Name

There is great power in the name of Christ. In John 14:13-14 Jesus tells his disciples “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” Using the Saviour’s name signifies that his authority is behind the ordinance being performed, or that he is the intercessor for the prayer. 

After the saviour’s resurrection, the apostles used the power of Jesus’ name to preach and to heal, including healing a lame man in Acts 3. When the Sadducees asked them in Acts 4:7, “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” they responded boldly, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.” They add, “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

We know, because the Book of Mormon tells us in 3 Nephi 18:19, that when we pray it must always be in the name of Jesus Christ, and must always be to the father. It is invoking the powerful name of Jesus Christ that carries our prayers – our intercessions – to the Father, because Jesus is the one who intercedes for us and puts us right with God. Everything we do when we gather together we do in His name.

Warnings about using Christ’s name improperly

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

It’s important to note that the name of Jesus is not to be used lightly. By declaring the name of Jesus, we are associating ourselves with Him, and that’s a serious matter. In Acts 19:13-17 the seven sons of Sceva “took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?”

In Matthew 7:22-23 Jesus says “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” If we’re going to claim the name of Jesus, and use the power that comes with it, we must not do so flippantly or thoughtlessly. We must make sure we are worthy, reverent and respectful, and truly acting in accordance with the Saviour’s will.

Doctrine and Covenants 63:61 reiterates all this. “Let all men beware how they take my name in their lips.”

In other words, the name of Christ is not a magic spell. Saying his name does not give us any kind of spiritual power or benefit if we are saying it without doing the hard and serious spiritual work of repentance and relying on his grace to receive the spirit. In fact, saying his name without being moved upon by the spirit can actually condemn us. If we are going to use His name in our prayers, our ordinances, then we need to make quite sure that we are using it with due respect and reverence, and because we are acting with the Holy Spirit, and are fully in a relationship with Him whose name we utter.

The name of the church

Our prophet has recently asked us to use the correct name of the church - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His point is simple. The Saviour gave the church its name, and specifically said it should be named for him. When we call it “The Mormon Church” or “The LDS Church” we are leaving out the name of our Saviour. When we call ourselves Mormons we are suggesting that we follow Mormon. Mormon was a great guy, but I don’t worship him, I worship Christ. When we call ourselves Latter-day Saints we are likewise speaking about the people we are, not the person Jesus is to us. 

A year or so ago I visited Thundersley Congregational Church, which is just about a mile from my home. In welcoming the visitors the pastor said, "We're Thundersley Congregational Church, but that's a bit of a mouthful so we like to call ourselves The Beacon." I thought, you think a three-word church name is a mouthful? Try having a nine word church name!

Following President Nelson's admonition I thought about what my response would be when people asked about my faith, since I should no longer say "I'm a Mormon". I have decided that I will tell them that I am a Christian, and that I (usually) attend the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have, after all, been a Christian since I was 14, and only joined the Church of Jesus Christ in my 20s. 

Claiming for ourselves the title of Christian is in a very real way of taking the name of Christ upon ourselves. The full title of the Church isn’t an easy, snappy, soundbyte, but the word “Christian” tells the full story – that we follow Christ.

We need to more fully take the powerful name of Christ upon ourselves, own it, stand up for him, and for His church. We can state proudly that we are His sons and daughters and that we honour His name.