I'm reading a book and there the following is suggested:
At birth noone is written in the book of life.
When you, lets call it, turn to Christ you get a new name. And that name is written in the book of life.
Througout the OT we see that God gives people that are really close to Him a new name.
Same in the NT. For example Saul, enemy of Christ gets transformed into Paul the worshipper of Christ.
His old flesh is destroyed completely. According to the author flesh doesn't mean your body but your sinful unconverted nature.
Comments?
Ya, throw the book away . . .he's not at all accurate.
"If" his theory is true, then all newborn babies that die are going to hell. Secondly, the changing of a name in Scripture isn't about those being close . . .Paul was NOT close to Christ . .he didn't even know him. All he knew of him, was what the church taught him . . .the intimacy didn't come until later in the relationship.
For me, the reason there was a changing of the name . . .is God's way of a baptism . . .it's an outward manifestation of an inward transformation. Each situation reveals there is a change in the nature of the person . . .with the change of nature, comes a change in the identity . .or name.