Using Biblical Principles to Address Name Embarrassment Issues
Biblical Principles for Addressing Name Embarrassment Issues
The concept of being ashamed of one's name or causing shame to others through one's name is rooted in biblical teachings. In the biblical context, names carried significant meaning and were often associated with a person's character, family, or destiny [1, 2].
The Bible addresses the issue of name embarrassment in various passages. For instance, in Psalms 83:16, the psalmist prays that God would "Cover their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O LORD" [3]. This verse suggests that shame can be a catalyst for seeking God. In Leviticus 19:12, the act of "profaning God's name" is prohibited, indicating the importance of maintaining the honor and reverence associated with God's name [4].
In the New Testament, Jesus teaches that those who are "ashamed of Me and of My words" will be similarly treated by the Son of Man when He comes in His glory (Luke 9:26) [7]. This statement underscores the significance of being identified with Christ and His teachings, even in the face of potential shame or embarrassment. The early Christian community faced challenges related to being identified as "Christians," a term initially used in contempt (1 Peter 4:16) [5].
The biblical principle of not being ashamed of one's faith or identity in Christ is echoed in various patristic writings. For example, the early Christian apologist Tertullian argued that Christians should not be judged based on their name alone but on their actions [9]. Calvin also emphasized the importance of approaching God through Christ, who removes the shame and fear associated with sin, enabling believers to pray confidently [8].
In addressing name embarrassment issues, biblical principles emphasize the importance of maintaining the honor of God's name and being willing to identify with Christ, even in the face of potential shame. The biblical concept of shame is complex, sometimes referring to the negative consequences of sin and other times to the proper response to God's holiness and majesty [11].
The biblical teachings on name and shame have implications for how Christians understand their identity and interact with the world. By understanding the biblical perspective on name embarrassment, believers can develop a more nuanced approach to issues of identity, shame, and honor.
The early Christian writers and reformers provide insight into how the early church navigated issues related to being identified as Christians. According to Calvin, Christ's role as Mediator removes the shame associated with sin, allowing believers to approach God confidently [6, 8, 10].
The biblical emphasis on the significance of names and the potential for shame or honor associated with them remains relevant today. As Christians navigate complex issues related to identity and reputation, they can draw on biblical principles to guide their responses to name embarrassment.
Sources
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Pudens — shamefaced”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Shuham — talking; thinking; humiliation; budding”
- Psalms “Psalms 83:16 (BSB) — Cover their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O LORD.”
- Leviticus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Leviticus 19:12: 19:12 To bring shame on the name means to blaspheme (see study note on 18:21).”
- 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 4:16: a Christian--the name given in contempt first at Antioch. Act 11:26; Act 26:28; the only three places where the term occurs. At first believers had no distinctive name, but were called among themselves "brethren," Act 6:3; "disciples," Act 6:1; "those of the way," Act 9:2; "saints," Rom 1:7; by the Jews (who denied that Jesus was the CHRIST, and so would never originate the name Christian), in contempt, "Nazarenes." At Antioch, where first idolatrous Gentiles (Cornelius, Act 10:1-2, was not an idolater, but a proselyte) were converted, and wide missio”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: him for the use of it? By no means. He shows the perpetual efficacy of a pure and pious prayer, that we may be induced in like manner to pray. For the kindness and readiness of God to hear others is malignantly interpreted, if their example does not inspire us with stronger confidence in his promise, since his declaration is not that he will incline his ear to one or two, or a few individuals, but to all who call upon his name. In this ignorance they are the less excusable, because they seem as it were avowedly to contemn the many ”
- Luke (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Luke 9:26: ashamed of me, and of my words--The sense of shame is one of the strongest in our nature, one of the social affections founded on our love of reputation, which causes instinctive aversion to what is fitted to lower it, and was given us as a preservative from all that is properly shameful. When one is, in this sense of it, lost to shame, he is nearly past hope (Zac 3:5; Jer 6:15; Jer 3:3). But when Christ and "His words"--Christianity, especially in its more spiritual and uncompromising features--are unpopular, the same instinctive desire to stand well wi”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: forward in his own name, and appear in the presence of God, our heavenly Father, to relieve us at once from fear and shame, with which all must feel oppressed, 472 472 French, “Confusion que nous avons, ou devons avoir en nousmesmes;”—confusion which we have, or ought to have, in ourselves. has given us his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to be our Advocate and Mediator, that under his guidance we may approach securely, confiding that with him for our Intercessor nothing which we ask in his name will be denied to us, as there is nothin”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 1: Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus — CHAP. IV.--CHRISTIANS UNJUSTLY CONDEMNED FOR THEIR MERE NAME. (part 1): By the mere application of a name, nothing is decided, either good or evil, apart from the actions implied in the name; and indeed, so far at least as one may judge from the name we are accused of, we are most excellent people. (5) But 164 as we do not think it just to beg to be acquitted on account of the name, if we be convicted as evildoers, so, on the other hand, if we be found to have committed no offence, either in the matter of thus ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: are confirmed and fulfilled in him. 18. And we must carefully attend to the circumstance of time. Christ enjoins his disciples to have recourse to his intercession after he shall have ascended to heaven: “At that day ye shall ask in my name,” ( John 16:26 ). It is certain, indeed, that from the very first all who ever prayed were heard only for the sake of the Mediator. For this reason God had commanded in the Law, that the priest alone should enter the sanctuary, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on his shoulders, a”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 83:16: Fill their faces with shame,.... For their sins, or rather through disappointment, not being able to put their desperate and deep laid schemes into execution: or "with lightness" (o); instead of a weight of honour and glory upon them, let them be despised. R. Joseph Kimchi renders it, "fill their faces with fire"; let their faces be as if they were on fire, as men's faces are, who are put to an exceeding great blush, or are most sadly confounded and ashamed: that they may seek thy name, O Lord; not they themselves, who are filled with shame; for it is imprecated, t”