What's in a Name?

Renewing Your Mind

Ligonier Ministries

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.8 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Throughout the Bible, names carry tremendous significance. They establish someone's identity, display their character, and reveal their calling. Today, R.C. Sproul explains why names matter—and what it means when God gives someone a new name.

With your donation of any amount, request R.C. Sproul's book What Are the Names of God? and two copies of his book The Great Rescue. You'll also unlock lifetime digital access to his teaching series Names of God: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4513/offer

Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Get both ebooks and the digital teaching series with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global

Meet Today's Teacher:

R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.

Meet the Host:

Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast.

Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Transcript

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0:00.0	And he said, your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled
0:07.5	with God and with men and have prevailed.
0:13.2	And then Jacob asked, saying, tell me your name, I pray.
0:18.9	And he said, why is it that you ask about my name?
0:22.4	And he blessed him there.
0:24.5	And so Jacob called the name of the place,
0:28.2	Pinal, for I have seen God face to face,
0:32.6	and my life is preserved.
0:41.3	No. Life is preserved. What's in a name?
0:43.3	Very often there is a lot of significance.
0:45.3	It signifies what family you belong to.
0:48.3	In the past, it may have suggested the vocation or trade of your family.
0:52.3	And even further back in history, it may
0:55.5	have signaled something of your character, or a character trait your parents desired would be in
1:01.1	you. This is the Monday edition of Renewing Your Mind, and this week you'll be hearing messages
1:06.9	from an R.C. Sproll series that we have not featured on renewing your mind for almost two decades.
1:13.4	It's called Names of God. You'll hear four of the 15 messages in this series, so if you'd like to own
1:20.6	it and have access to it in the free Ligeneer app for life, simply make a donation in support of
1:26.8	renewing your mind at renewingyourmind.org.
1:30.3	Well, to introduce us to the importance of names and the names of God, here's R.C. Sprawl.
1:38.3	In this session today, we're going to be looking at the names and the titles that the Bible ascribes to the
1:51.5	members of the Godhead. Names and titles of the Father, names and titles of the Son,
	...

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