Question
Gramps,
I knew someone from a Messianic Judaism religion who were insisting that the name Yeshua should be used and not Jesus. Because ,as he insisted. man doesn’t have the authority to change God’s name. He even gave an analogy of traveling to another nation. A person’s name won’t change even if they go to other places. What can be said about this? I’m interested to your answer.
Leo
Answer
Dear Leo,
Latter-day Saints are uniquely aware of how sensitive a person can be when it comes to getting his name right (just ask Symonds Ryder). We also know how important it is to get a name right when it comes salvific ordinances. I can tell you from life experience that your friend’s analogy just doesn’t hold up. I have worked with a number of individuals who have requested to be called by an English name. Most memorable is a “Steven” Kim who thought it would be fun to share a name with the pro wrestler Steve Austin.
Jesus insisted that it was essential to get the name of His church right – and that means it has to bear His name. “[H]ow be it my church,” Jesus asks, “save it be called in my name? … if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church.” (3 Nephi 27:8)
Today Christ has seen to it that the Church follow this pattern. “[T]hus shall my church be called in the last days,” He declares, “even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” (D&C 115:4)
Had my coworkers asked to be referred to as Xiaodong or Bixiang, I would have done what I could to learn their names. Instead they told me I could call them John or Sean and no hard feelings exist between us. Jesus has told us that His church ought to be in His name. Rather than telling us to use Jehoshua, Joshua, Yeshua, or Yehoshua, He has asked that we use the name Jesus Christ. Additionally, the additional scripture we’ve received has made it clear that Jehovah is also an acceptable moniker for Yahweh or YHWH (see Moroni 10:34, Abraham 1:16, and Abraham 2:8).
Gramps
