In the ancient world, naming was very important, for the essence of the thing named was captured by its name. (See commentary accompanying Mosiah 5:8.) A baptized believer did not join a “club.” He or she literally became something else. When believers named themselves “the church of Christ,” they were identified by that name and committed to become as much like the Messiah as was humanly possible.
Text: There is no chapter break at this point in the 1830 edition.