In Mosiah 5:8 we find an interesting statement by Benjamin:
And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. (emphasis mine)
Catherine Thomas poses the question, “What does it mean to receive the name of Christ?” We remember that when we take the sacrament, we signify not that we have fully taken the name, but that we are willing to take the name (see Moroni 4:3; D&C 20:77); compare Mosiah 5:5).
Elder Dallin Oaks emphasized the word willingness, pointing to a future consummation:
… in the inspired dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple, the Prophet Joseph Smith asked the Lord for a blessing upon “thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house” (D&C 109:26).
… [B]y partaking of the sacrament we witness our willingness to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and to receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Savior when he chooses to confer them upon us. (Dallin H. Oaks, “Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ,” Ensign (May 1985): 81, emphasis added)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie also wrote about the meaning of receiving the divine name: “God’s name is God. To have his name written on a person is to identify that person as a god. How can it be said more plainly? Those who gain eternal life become gods!” (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 458)
[M. Catherine Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” in King Benjamin’s Speech: “That Ye May Learn Wisdom,” p. 291]