These are some thoughts about being called by the name of Jesus Christ. The verses and comments seem to indicate to me that those who belong to Jesus Christ are called by His name and that the name was received in water baptism.
The Syriac Bible (an old translation) says in
Galatians 3:27, “For those who have been baptized in the name of Christ have been clothed with Christ.” The copy I have is called “The Holy Bible from the Ancient Eastern Text” and was translated by George Lamsa with a copyright of 1933.
In our King James Bible,
James 2:7 reads as follows: "Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?" The New King James Bible reads the same. Young’s Literal Translation reads: "do they not themselves speak evil of the good name that was called upon you?" The New Living Translation renders it: "Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?" Darby translates it: "And [do not] they blaspheme the excellent name which has been called upon you?" The New Revised Standard Version says: "Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?"
There are alternate readings in some other translations but those cited here seem to indicate to me that a name was invoked or called over those believers at some time. Could that refer to the Name which was invoked as they were baptized in water?
The people who gave us the Amplified Bible seem to think so. In
James 2:7 the Amplified Bible says concerning those persecuting the early Christians, “Is it not they who slander and blaspheme that precious name by which you are distinguished and called [the name of Christ invoked in baptism]?”
In his commentary of James, William Barclay translates the verse, “And is it not they who abuse the fair name by which you have been called?" He goes on to comment. “It is the rich who abuse the name by which the Christians are called. It may be the name 'Christian' by which the heathen first called the followers of Christ at Antioch and which was given at first as a jest. It may be the name of Christ, which was pronounced over a Christian on the day of his baptism. The word James uses for 'called' (epikaleisthai) is the word used for a wife taking her husband’s name in marriage or a child being called after his father. The Christian takes the name of Christ; he is called after Christ. It is as if he was married to Christ, or born and christened into the family of Christ.” This is from page 66 of "The Letters of James and Peter" by William Barclay, revised edition copyright 1976 and published by The Westminster Press
On pages 86 and 87 of “James: Faith at Work” a commentary by Daniel L. Segraves, copyright 1995 by Word Aflame, we read; "The 'worthy name by which ye are called' may well mean the name of the Lord Jesus called over Christian believers in water baptism (
Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5). The Greek epikalein ('call') is an aorist passive, which is used when 'someone’s name is called over someone to designate the latter as the property of the former.' The idea is not just that believers are known as Christians. The aorist tense has to do with a completed action and suggests that this worthy name was called over them at some point in the past 'in an initiatory or declarative way. Ralph Martin pointed out that there 'is a long line of development . . . from the practice of baptism ‘in/into the name of Jesus’ ... to the receiving of the (new) name in baptism ... and the use of the Lord’s name invoked over the candidate in the rite. The newly baptized then become bearers of that name...' The name Jesus is certainly the most worthy or 'noble' (NKJV) of all names (
Philippians 2:10), and it was the name called over believers from the founding of the church. No doubt the first readers understood this reference to be to the name of Jesus.
"The Amplified Bible goes so far as to translate this verse as follows: 'Is it not they who slander and blaspheme that precious name by which you are distinguished and called [the name of Christ invoked in baptism]?' Though
the Greek text does not contain the words 'the name of Christ invoked in baptism,' the translators used brackets to “contain justified clarifying words or comments not actually expressed in the immediate original text.' It is, then, the opinion of the translators that the verse has to do with the name called over baptismal candidates."
In
Acts 15:17 the Apostle James quotes the following from
Amos 9:12, “That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called saith the Lord.” The NIV renders that phrase, “all the Gentiles who bear my name.” I have a note in the margin of my Bible near that verse that references
James 2:7 says: "epi means upon, kaleo means to call, here it is perfect passive form which means at some time the name was called over them and they still bore that name."
These are some excerpts from an article by David Bernard titled “People of the Name” from the August 1990 issue of the Pentecostal Herald. The text for the article is
Acts 15:14 which says, “God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name
"God's people have always been identified by His name....
"In the Old Testament God established a covenant with the nation of Israel. If the Israelites would serve Him, He promised to establish them, make them a holy people, bless them greatly, and make them a witness of Him to all nations; and He expressed this plan by identifying them with His name Jehovah....Throughout the Old Testament, God identified His people as those who were called by His name...
"The New Testament church continued to exalt God's name, the only difference being that they had a greater revelation of God and His name. The God of the Old Testament- Jehovah-manifested Himself in flesh to be the Savior, and the name by which He chose to come was Jesus, which literally means Jehovah-Savior. (See
Matthew 1:21,23.) The name of Jesus is the only saving name (
Acts 4:12), the highest name ever made known to us (
Philippians 2:9), and the name by which the New Testament church is identified.
"God united both Jews and Gentiles into His church, thereby establishing a people of the name of Jesus (
Acts 15:14). New Testament believers have the name of Jesus invoked over them (
Acts 15:17;
James 2:7)....
"The early church taught and preached everywhere in His name (
Acts 5:28, 40, 42). They called on His name (
Acts 9:21), labored for His name (
Revelation 2:3), held fast to His name (
Revelation 2:13), and refused to deny His name (
Revelation 3:8). In fact, they proclaimed that salvation was only in the name of Jesus (
Acts 4:12). They lived a holy life in order to bear witness of His name (I
1 Timothy 2:19). They bore His name to the world, and they suffered for His name (
Acts 9:15-16). They were reproached for His name (
I Peter 4:14), and they even risked their lives for His name (
Acts 15:26). When persecuted, they rejoiced "that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name" (
Acts 5:41). They did not enjoy beatings, imprisonment, deprivation, and martyrdom any more than we do, but they rejoiced that even their enemies identified them with Jesus."
The article in the Herald is also contained in the book, “In the Name of Jesus” by David Bernard copyrighted 1992 by Word Aflame.
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