Known By Name And Reputation
Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at [him].
Acts 13:9
It may surprise you to learn that the apostle Paul is better known by his humble nickname Paul (which means “little one”) than by his kingly given name Saul (which means “asked of God”).
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But as one scholar described it, the day soon came in the Roman Empire when men would call their dogs Nero and their sons Paul!
Alexander Maclaren probes the significance of Paul’s change of name and his change of direction and attitude.
WALK WITH ALEXANDER MACLAREN
“From the changethe apostle’s name, we may learn that the only way to help people is to get to their level.
“If you want to bless people, you must identify yourself with them. It is no use standing on a pedestal above them, and patronizingly talking down to them. You cannot scold, or bully, or lecture men and women into the acceptance of religious truth if you take a position of superiority.
“The motivation which led to the apostle’s change of name from Saul—with its memories of royal dignity—to the Roman name Paul, is this: ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some’ (1 Corinthians 9:22).
“The principle demonstrated in this comparatively little matter is the same principle that influenced the Master in the mightiest of all events.”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
No matter what name you answer to, humility must be your “calling card” when you present the gospel.
Even the Son of God “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7), that he might bring men and women to himself.
If your reputation or title gets in the way of another’s response to the claims of Christ, it’s time for a change—in you!
After all, the only names that really count are the ones written in the book of life.
