Pastor Jeff Alexander

By Pastor Jeff Alexander

What is a person? Philosophers have wrestled this question for ages. René Descartes is famous for his “I think; therefore I am,” which is to say that one’s being aware of his existence defines what he is.

Self-awareness and self-determination would pretty much describe personhood. Paul, in discussing the revelation of God to humans, asked, “What man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” (1 Corinthian 2:11). A person knows that he exists because he is conscious of being. He knows. From this, Paul infers a supreme intelligence that is also self-aware, or personal. For someone to know another, that person must reveal himself; so for one to know God, God must reveal Himself. The Bible is the record of that revelation. Without it, we could not know Him. Why is it that many who are skeptical about God have spent little or no time in the Book that reveals Him?

God uses His names to tell us about who He is. We live in a culture where a name merely designates one thing or another. First, middle, and surname distinguishes one from the millions of other persons on the planet. However, in ancient times a name stood for the nature of something or someone.

For example, Jacob was a manipulator, scheming to selfishly secure his own advantage. When God revealed Himself at Luz, Jacob sought to get God on his side (Genesis 28:20-22). God will not be bargained with, but He had already determined that Jacob would be the father of His chosen race (Genesis 25:23). Thus, in spite of himself, God graciously worked to change Jacob’s nature, so that at Peniel God changed also his name to Israel (Genesis 32:24-30). Incidentally, that is what God does in salvation—there is a change of both nature and name (Revelation 2:17).

When the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, God came to deliver them. He called Moses at the burning bush to go to Egypt and to demand from Pharaoh their release. Moses was reluctant, not having left Egypt on good terms with either Pharaoh or the Israelites. He argued that they would ask what God’s name is. The Lord responded, “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14), a name which our English translations render with an all-capital LORD. That name describes how He exists: eternally self-existent and self-sufficient. It explains the absolute perfection of His being in that what He was, He is and ever will be. He does not change so that He will ever be faithful to His covenant people. Again, in Exodus 34:5-8, the Lord “proclaimed His name” to Moses to provide His people with information about how He will act toward them—mercifully, but justly. This information led Moses to bow his head and worship. So, what is in a name? Would you really like to know God? Read the Bible and learn.

Jeff Alexander is pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church is Lamar.