名字的更改—亚伯拉罕
在创世记十七章五节神对亚伯拉罕说，“从此以后，你的名不再叫亚伯兰，要叫亚伯拉罕，因为我已立你作多国的父。”亚伯兰的意思是崇高的父，亚伯拉罕的意思是众民的父。虽然亚伯拉罕是崇高的父，但他不是众民的父，多国的父。然而在十七章五节，他的名字从崇高的父改为众民的父。
在希伯来文里，亚伯兰这名只由四个字母组成，由英文字母A－b－r－m代表。亚伯拉罕这名多加了一个字母h。这指明四加一。四是受造之物的数字，一是造物者的数字。因此，正如四根指头加上一根拇指，成了一只完整的手；照样，人加上神就等于完全。四加一等于五，五是负责的数字。我们是四，无论多好，仍然缺少一。要成为五，负责达成神永远的目的，我们必须加上一，就是神。亚伯兰改名有甚么意义？其意义就是神加到他里面。在十七章以前，亚伯拉罕只是亚伯兰，他是没有加上神的人。但在创世记十七章，因着神加到他里面，不但他的名字改了，他这人也改变了。一个独一的字母加到四个字母里，神加到人里。神是完全的因素；没有祂，我们就不完全。我们都需要神加到我们里面，这才是完全。
人的名字是他的实际。亚伯拉罕的名字改了，表征他这人改变了。他原来的名字指明他是崇高的父，现在神把他的名字改了，指明他要作众民的父。达成神永远目的所需要的，不是崇高的父，乃是众民的父；不是崇高的个人，乃是繁增的人，就是有一大群人作他繁增的人。神需要众多的人来达成祂的目的，为此祂需要一位生产的父。大多基督徒渴望成为崇高属灵的人。他们越寻求这样的属灵，越不结果子，越单独，不能产生后裔。但神需要我们在生产后裔上繁增，而不需要我们在寻求属灵上崇高。
为此，我们需要改名，就是改变我们这个人。崇高的父必须改变为众民的父。寻求崇高属灵的人，必须改变为生养众多的人。这需要那寻求属灵的己被了结。甚至这样的己也必须被了结，使我们成为繁增的人，好达成神的目的。
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Confirming the Divine Covenant with Circumcision (3) – Gen. 17:4-6
The Change of Name — Abraham
In Hebrew, the name Abram is composed of only four letters, represented by the English letters A-b-r-m. The name Abraham has an added letter h. This indicates four plus one. Four is the number of the creature, and one is the number of the Creator. Therefore, just as four fingers plus a thumb make a complete hand, so man added to God equals perfection. Four plus one equals five, and five is the number of responsibility. We are the number four; no matter how good we are, we still lack the one. To become five, to bear the responsibility of accomplishing God’s eternal purpose, we must add the one, which is God. What is the significance of Abram changing his name? The significance is that God was added into him. Before chapter seventeen, Abraham was merely Abram; he was a man to whom God had not been added. But in Genesis chapter seventeen, because God was added into him, not only was his name changed, but his person was also changed. A unique letter was added to the four letters; God was added to man. God is the element of perfection; without Him, we are not perfect. We all need God added into us; this is perfection.
What is our land today? Without a doubt, this land is Christ; He lives in us, and we live in Him. Today we must live in Christ and live by Christ. But many Christians do not practice this. They neither care for Christ being worked into them as the Seed, nor do they care for living in Christ as the Land to fulfill God’s purpose. To them, Christ is neither the land in which they live and by which they live, nor the land where they defeat all enemies. Where can we defeat our enemies? In this land of Christ. Christ is also the land for God’s kingdom, so that God’s dwelling can be built there. If we see this, we will realize that most Christians today only seek God’s blessing, which is a great departure from the goal. We do not need to care too much for God’s blessing, for our Father knows our needs.
A person’s name is his reality. Abraham’s name being changed signifies that his person was changed. His original name indicated he was an exalted father; now God changed his name, indicating he was to be the father of a multitude. What is needed to accomplish God’s eternal purpose is not an exalted father, but a father of a multitude; not an exalted individual, but a multiplying person, one who has a great multitude of people as his increase. God needs many people to accomplish His purpose; for this, He needs a begetting father. Most Christians desire to be exalted spiritual men. The more they seek such spirituality, the more fruitless and individualistic they become, unable to produce seed. But God needs us to multiply in begetting seed, not to be exalted in seeking spirituality.
For this, we need a change of name, which is a change of our person. The exalted father must be changed into the father of a multitude. The one seeking to be exalted and spiritual must be changed into one who begets and nourishes a multitude. This requires the termination of the self that seeks spirituality. Even such a self must be terminated so that we may become multiplying people to accomplish God’s purpose.