(This post is an edited excerpt from H. M. Riggle's "The Christian Church".)
The provision the Lord Jesus Christ made for the oneness of all the believers in His prayer was his fulfillment of the prediction of Isa. 62: 2: "And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name." Here is a clear prophecy of the transition from the first to the second covenant; from the Israel that was born after the flesh and was of the one nation to the Israel that is born of the Spirit out of all nations. The Jews as a nation rejected Christ, and the kingdom of heaven was open to the Gentiles. An entirely new order was then enacted, and old things passed away. The people (church) of God under the new covenant received a new name, which was given by the mouth of the Lord. The same thing is again spoken of in Isaiah 65. In verse 12 is an awful picture of the destruction of the Jews. "Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer." "And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name." Verse 15. These scriptures were fulfilled when the Lord Jesus said, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.” (John 17:6) There are many reasons why the naming of the church is a matter of vital importance. One object, however, is sufficient to speak of here. Thus prayed the Man of Sorrows, "Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me that they may be one, even as we are. " Verse 11, world. " "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name." John 17: 6, 12.
While men foolishly affirm that there is nothing in a name, the Lord God attaches importance enough to the naming of his church to constitute it a matter of prophesy. He excluded all men's attempts at naming it by preannouncing that it should be "named by the mouth of the Lord.” New Version. The word rendered "through" in the Common Version is “en” in the Greek, and is the same word that is regularly translated “in” throughout the New Testament. Of the twelve translations that are before the writer all except the Common Version render it, "Keep in thy name." Christ fulfilled the prophecy by manifesting the name of God to be the basis of the church title, and prayed the Father to keep the disciples in his name, that they might be one as he and the Father are one. Therefore, even in the name, perfect unity is provided for. The entire church is to be kept in the one name, as a means of its perfect oneness.
Though other names are not the chief cause of divisions, but more generally have come into use because the divisions have been fomented by some factious spirit or false doctrine, yet? Nevertheless, party names have contributed their share to the making of sects. To say that rival names do not help to divide and to perpetuate division is to charge Christ with nonsense; for why did he pray the Father to keep the disciples in his name, in order that they should be one, if they would have been one just the same under various names ? In other words, if oneness in name is not essential to oneness in faith, life, and spirit, why did the Savior pray for the former as a condition of the latter? We admit that sincere, humble children of God mutually cherish much love and enjoy some fellowship with each other while under sectish names; but such names are inconsistent with Bible unity, prevent its manifestation to the world, and become a wedge in the hands of Satan to separate and alienate. Yea, it is a fact clearly seen by spiritual men, that sect names are real idols that men worship and are exceedingly mad upon. But Christ has left no excuse for these names. In giving the one name for the church to be known by, he provides for her unity and condemns all divisions.
"Keep them in thy name." The holy apostles held this prayer of their Lord in profound respect. Let us see how they understood and carried it out. "Feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Acts 20: 28. "The church of God which is at Corinth. " 1 Cor. 1: 2 and 2 Cor. 1: 1. "Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. " 1 Cor. 10 32. "We have no such custom, neither the churches of God." 1 Cor. 11:16. "Despise ye the church of God?" 1 Cor. 11:22. "I persecuted the church of God." 1 Cor. 15:9. "Beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it." Gal. 1:13. "For brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus. " 1 Thess. 2: 14. "We ourselves glory in you in the churches of God. " 2 Thess. 1: 4. "If a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?" 1 Tim. 3: 5. "That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. " 1 Tim. 3: 15.
The word "church" frequently occurs without the qualifying part of the name; because, there being only one church that is of God, it was not necessary to designate it every time by its full name. But that men should not give some appellation of their own to the divine community, we find it twelve times denominated "the church of God, " according to the prayer of the Savior that it should be kept in the name of God, the Father. And lest men should ascribe this heavenly Jerusalem to some earthly god, it is once qualified in full—"The church of the living God." This excludes all dead fraternities of the dead gods of the nations.
The name chosen by divine wisdom beautifully acknowledges the various relations of the church to God. To her it is said, "Thy maker is thy husband." Is it not proper and right that the heavenly bride should honor her husband by assuming his name? Again, the church is the family of God; she therefore naturally inherits the name of the Father. Because of both these relations, to assume any other name is to insult the jealous God, who will not give his glory to another. "For this cause," says the apostle,” I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; of [from] whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Eph. 3: 14, 15. We have seen that the name was given by the mouth of the Lord Jesus, but was derived from the Father. This latter fact is clearly seen in the above passage when correctly rendered; for the Greek preposition ez is defined the same as ek, and signifies, from, out of. Hence it expresses the source or derivation of the name. It is rendered "from" in the Emphatic Diaglott: "For this cause I bend my knees to the Father, from whom the whole family in the heavens and on earth is named." Thus also seven out of the twelve versions render it. We should also observe that this title, "The church of God," acknowledges God as its founder, builder, and owner. It, therefore, not only lays an important foundation for the unity of all believers under the one and only Scriptural church cognomen, but also honors God as its author and possessor. Is there, then, no difference in a name? Would a title that does not indicate whether the church originated from, and belongs to, God, man, or the devil, do equal honor to God with that which ascribes it wholly to him!
The glorious institution that Jesus founded is a complete organization. Now, nothing could well take on regular organic form without designating its name. Therefore about the first clause of every constitution of earthly organizations, reads somewhat as follows: " This society [corporation or joint stock company, etc.] shall be known by the name of," etc. So when Jesus, the Son of God, founded his heavenly Jerusalem on earth, he put on record that this holy community should be kept in the name of the Father, and the apostles were inspired to word the name thus: "The ekklesia of God." In this one name her oneness is to be maintained. Whoever, therefore, imposes or assumes any other church title is not only guilty of disobeying the earnest desire of Christ, but also guilty of creating or partaking of the enormous sin of schism. This is a matter of no small weight in the sight of God.
