Bearing The Name
A few days ago, I shared a short piece on Baptism. That post got me thinking about just how serious becoming part of God’s family is.
Our adoption into the family of God is no small thing. Nor is it a matter of mere words. It’s not a metaphor.
Rather than a figure of speech, it’s a matter of reality—one that is both “already” (in both a past and present sense) and “not yet.” It is a reality beyond our comprehension and our ability to comprehend; we are the children of God.
I’m not sure we truly appreciate what that means, not only in terms of our rights but also of our responsibilities. In searching for a way to drive the latter home, I considered a thought experiment. Imagine that, as an adopted child of God, you bore the last name Christ. Imagine that became your surname at baptism.
How well would your life honor your family name from that point forward? Imagine that everywhere you went and in everything you did, you were carrying that name with you. How would that reflect upon our Father? How would that reflect upon our Lord?
It’s a sobering thought. My first reaction as I considered all this was how unworthy I felt. It felt wrong. Even dangerous. And not because I was usurping the place of Christ, somehow making myself Savior; I knew that wasn’t the nature of the exercise. Still, the idea of attaching that name to myself so closely and permanently was dreadful.
Why?
Because I know how far short I fall. I know the disrepute my bearing that name would bring to my God and my Lord.
When you’re part of a family, you’re part of the family. You’re not just part of the family on a particular day of the week in a particular place doing a particular thing. You’re in, period. All the time.
That’s something that we used to take seriously. Dishonoring your family name was a grave offense. While it’s not taken so seriously anymore - for good or ill is up to you - there’s still a remnant of the idea that persists between parents and their children. Most every parent realizes that their children’s behavior - rightly or wrongly reflects upon them.
Return to the idea of you and I bearing the last name ‘Christ.’ Imagine being that closely and permanently associated with that name, with the name Jesus Christ before which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess is Lord. Now imagine how our lives are perpetually reflecting upon Him. Affecting how His name is perceived. Honoring or dishonoring Him. Aligning with or diverging from His character.
Now imagine standing in front of Him. Not at any given moment but in every given moment. How might we feel? The quality of our lives would shape the quality of that experience. What would we wear confidently? What would we be inclined to try to conceal? What would fill us with a sense of holy pride? What would fill us with a sense of shame?
In short, how would we live if our last name were Christ? How near to that standard are we living now? What might we change? And, what are we waiting for?