Is The Value Of A Name?

After calling him out of his native homeland, God changed the first patriarch 's name from Abram (meaning 'high father ') to Abraham, which means 'father of many. ' This was the symbol of God 's promise to give Abraham many descendants, which would form their own nation. With the earlier example of Jacob, the Lord actually changed his name to Israel, which means 'He who wrestles with God. ' This name represented both an encounter where Jacob had wrestled an angel as well as his descendants ', the nation of Israel, future habit of turning away from God to idolatry. In the New Testament, Jesus gave many of his disciples’ new names to symbolize their new roles as members of the kingdom of God. For example, Simon bar Jonah received the new name Peter, with Jesus proclaiming, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18, NIV) Thus, in the Bible names were a symbol representing what God 's plan was for that individual 's life. What does this mean in regards to God? Human beings referred to God by many names, and Christians call the Trinity of God by three distinct names: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. What are the purposes of these names? In Exodus 3:13-15, God reveals to Moses His one, true name: YHWH, which stands for 'I am that am. ' This name