by Dave Brown
Ye often hear it said ...
There's nothing in a name ...
But the Apostle Peter stated (Acts 4:10-12):
"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. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
There is no one unique descriptor given to the Lord's church (see article on “Naming” under the Church topic). Instead, various terms provide rich descriptions for this group. This includes the word church itself (ekklesia -- a calling out of).
This does not authorize man to supply an unscriptural name. Our descriptions of the church that Jesus built (Mt. 16:18) must be totally consistent with that given in scripture. This is part of looking to no other authority (name) than that of Jesus Christ.
When we assign names which are not even given as descriptors in the bible, we are going beyond the scriptures (2 Jn. 9), and exalting some other name (authority) above that of Christ.