Revelation 2:17
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
I have pondered Jesus giving Simon a new name, “Peter”. This is the only case in which I see Christ actually, literally, giving someone a “new” name. It was done publicly to make a strong statement about Peter’s changed identity and the purpose to which God was calling him.
As I have reflected on this idea of Christ giving each of us a new name when we are “victorious” that only each of us and he will know, I have realized that in our coming to know ourselves as “HIS”, we receive a new identity. In Jesus’ culture one’s name was his identity. As we come to grow in our faith we gain assurance of our salvation in our spirit by the Spirit of Christ in us. It is our right and privilege as believers to know that we are saved. This testimony of our heart is the knowledge and assurance of our salvation which we and Christ alone can know. We know our new identity, our name: we are “HIS”.
Whether this scripture is speaking of individual, discreet unique new names for each person, or is speaking to the issue of each of us knowing in our spirit, with the testimony of His Spirit that we truly are “HIS”, really doesn’t matter. Those of us who are victorious will know soon enough!