Introduction
In a recent podcast, I heard a preacher say that Saul of Tarsus’ name was changed to Paul after his conversion. He went on to describe the miracle of transformation that occurred in Paul’s life. Because of this supposed transformation, the Lord gave the apostle a new name. The preacher associated salvation with a marked outward change in a person’s behavior. An external proof is often seen as necessary to validate the inward birth. Some people, even today, change their names after being saved in order to indicate this change.
This view is a long-standing misinterpretation by many in the Church, sadly perpetuated by Bible teachers like this podcaster. The truth about Paul’’s name change is far less miraculous. There wasn’t a change at all. I’m sure many who are reading this article already know that Saul was the Hebrew version of his name, while Paul was the Roman or Latin form. He would have been referred to as both, interchangeably, pre- and post-salvation. It should also be noted that the claim that God gave him a new name is pure fiction. At no point in the Bible does the Lord give the apostle a new name.
However, this misconception has become popular and shapes the way some see the use of names in the Bible. A name change is often used as proof of salvation. Faith alone is deemed insufficient for salvation; you also need a new name. Because of this misunderstanding, whole passages have been misinterpreted and misapplied.
Jacob Became Israel
This misconception can be seen in a passage regarding the patriarch Jacob. In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestles with the Angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Christ. After wrestling all night, Jacob is blessed and receives a new name, Israel. This encounter is often seen as the patriarch’s salvation experience. Lordship teachers argue that Jacob’s wrestling and ultimate surrender to the Lord are indicative of his “surrendering” to the Lordship of Christ, which was necessary in order for him to obtain eternal salvation. In this view, before wrestling with the Lord, Jacob was a deceitful man who was greedy and self-serving. However, during his encounter with the Lord, he was humbled. Because the Angel of the Lord brought him down, he was able to “truly” submit to Him. Therefore, Jacob’s new name is seen as the outward proof of his inward spiritual birth.
There are many problems with this interpretation, the primary one being that salvation is by faith alone and not by surrendering, submitting, or humbling ourselves to the Lord—or by wrestling with Him. This is a works-based interpretation of eternal salvation and must therefore be rejected. The lesson to be drawn from this event in Jacob’s life has to do with sanctification. Bob Wilkin writes:
That the fight went on all night shows that Jacob had to persevere to gain what he wanted: a blessing. All believers must fight the good fight in order to receive God’s blessings (1 Cor 9:24-27; 2 Tim 4:6-8). Jacob and the nation that came from him learned a great lesson. We cannot prevail against God. But we can beseech Him and gain blessing.i
The patriarch gained a blessing, not eternal life, from his encounter with the Lord. As for the name change, the new name will be used to identify Jacob’s descendants as a distinct people; it therefore has a wider, corporate emphasis concerning the Lord’s chosen nation.
Abram Became Abraham
Jacob is not the only example of a name change in Genesis. Two more examples help to determine the purpose of name changes. Abram and his wife Sarai received new names in Gen 17:5, 15. Abraham was justified by faith two chapters earlier, in Gen 15:6, but didn’t receive a new name until many years later. Abraham’s name change was not indicative of his regeneration. His name change is significant as a marker of the covenant the Lord made with him. The name Abraham means “father of a multitude,” and indicates the sure promise of the Lord. Abraham would have an heir with Sarah, and through that heir a great nation would be born. The same can be said about Jacob, since the nation would be referred to as Israel. In short, their new names were a sign of the Lord’s promises to the Nation of Israel and of the patriarchs’ role in this plan. It should be noted that the original readers of Genesis—which was written by Moses for the Nation of Israel—would have understood the national significance of these accounts to them as a people. The Genesis 32 account of Jacob’s returning to the land after spending many years in exile would have resonated with the Israelites; they too were returning to the land of promise after their stint in Egypt and the wilderness. This is the account of how the chosen people of God received their name.
Jacob and Israel Were Used Interchangeably
There is another problem with seeing Jacob’s name change as indicative of his salvation. He is consistently referred to by both names. The two names—Jacob and Israel—are used interchangeably throughout the Scriptures, including after Genesis 32.
If the name change was meant to indicate the man’s regeneration, then one would not expect the Lord to refer to him as Jacob again. However, the Lord does refer to Jacob by that name many times and even identifies Himself as the God of Jacob. For example, the Lord identifies Himself in this way at the burning bush (Exod 3:6, 14-16), centuries after Jacob wrestled with the Lord at Peniel. God is clearly attaching a positive connotation to the name Jacob. The Lord also uses the name in a positive way in the NT (Matt 22:31-32; Mark 12:26; Luke 13:28).
In addition to its occurrences in the Gospels, Jacob is used by other NT writers. For example, in the Hall of Faith, the patriarch is given as an example of one with great faith, and he is called Jacob, not Israel (Heb 11:9, 20-21; see also Acts 3:13). In both Abraham and Jacob’s examples, their new names were indicative of both their roles as the nation’s patriarchs and their covenants with the Lord. Neither dealt with regeneration.
Conclusion
At first glance, this may seem a benign issue. Certainly, believers pass from death into life when they are born into the family of God. This is a change in position. L. S. Chafer famously lists thirty-three changes that occur regarding our position when we come to faith in Christ for everlasting life. However, these changes are in our position, not our outward expression or experience. Changes in our experience require time, both in the Word of God as we walk with the Lord, and in our interactions with the people of God. Ironically, Jacob is a classic example of the fact that believers don’t automatically follow the Lord or live righteously. While Reformed and Lordship proponents seek to find an external transformation in Jacob’s behavior after Gen 32, we see many pitfalls and wrong turns in his life, even after receiving his new name. After his encounter with the Lord at Peniel, Jacob is still fearful, has idols in his home, lies to Esau, and continues to exhibit deceitful behavior. In the end, whenever men seek to find assurance in external proofs, rather than the words of Christ, they will only find uncertainty.
While believers are positionally changed at the moment of faith, having been born again into the family of God, this is not the same as present sanctification. A new name can be a way to reflect a job or covenantal status. However, if Bible students associate a new name with proof of regeneration, it can lead to a misinterpretation of the text and even a misunderstanding of the saving message. Jacob wasn’t saved because he wrestled with the Lord, surrendered his life, or received a new name. He was saved the same way his grandfather was — by faith alone in the coming Messiah for eternal life (Gen 15:6; Rom 4:1-4).
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Kathryn Wright and her husband, Dewey, live in Columbia, SC. She is the GES missions coordinator, women’s conference speaker, writer, and Zoom teacher.
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i See this blog by Bob Wilkin: https://faithalone.org/blog/why-and-how-did-god-wrestle-with-jacob-genesis-3222-33/. Last accessed 2/26.2024.