CHAPTER 5
The Name of Jesus
The Name of God in the New
Testament is Jesus—Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus
is the culmination of all the Old Testament Names of God. It is the Highest,
Most Exalted Name ever revealed to mankind. The Name of Jesus is the Name of
God that He promised to reveal when He said, “Therefore My people shall know My
Name” (Isaiah 52:6). It is the one name of Zechariah 14:9 that encompasses and
includes all the other Names of God within its meaning.
To
Jesus is given “the Name which is above every name; that at the Name of Jesus
every knee should bow … and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-10). This is a
fulfillment of a Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 45:23 in which Yahweh says, “I
have sworn by Myself, the Word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness
and will not turn back. That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear
allegiance. They will say of Me, ‘Only in Yahweh are righteousness and
strength.’”
Jesus
is Almighty God. He is Jehovah.
God’s
Name is manifested by Christ. Jesus said in John 17:6, “I manifested Thy Name
…”, where Name embraces the whole Divine Nature revealed by the Son.
The
Name “Jesus” was a very common name. The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia states: “It is not the name ‘Jesus’, but the ‘Name of Jesus’
(Lightfoot), i.e. the Name (LORD) received by Jesus. The Greek name Yeshua
traces back to the Old Testament Name of God, Jehovah (or Yahweh).
Jesus
means Jehovah is Salvation. This is why the angel said, “And she shall bring
forth a Son, and thou shalt call His Name JESUS; for He shall save His people
from their sins (Matthew 1:21).”
Through
the Name of Jesus, God reveals Himself fully. Why is the Name of Jesus the full
revelation of God? Simply because Jesus is Jehovah and “in Him dwell all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians
2:9). This is the wondrous mystery of the incarnation. “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16).
Jesus
is not just any name, but it carries with it all the power, authority and glory
of God. Let us consider what is in His Name.
§ The Name of Jesus is a saving name (Matthew 1:21; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:13).
§ The Name of Jesus is a
healing name (Mark 16:17-18; Acts 3:6,16; 4:7-10,30; James 5:14-15).
§ The Name of Jesus is a
delivering name. With the authority of the Name of Jesus, demons are cast out (Matthew
7:22; Mark 16:17; Acts 16:18). Those bound in chains are set free.
§ The Name of Jesus is above
every other name (Philippians 2:5-11; Ephesians 1:19-21).
§ The Name of Jesus is the
name with all the answers to prayer (John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23-24).
§ The Name of Jesus
accomplishes all of God’s purposes. The book of Acts is full of the use of His Glorious
Name.
§ We teach and preach in the
Name of Jesus (Luke 24:47; Acts 4:17-18, 5:28, 9:15,27).
§ We prophesy in the Name of
Jesus (Matthew 7:22).
§ We speak with new tongues
in the Name of Jesus (Mark 16:17).
§ We receive supernatural
power and protection in the Name of Jesus (Psalms 91:14; Luke 10:17).
§ We gather together in the
Name of Jesus (Matthew 18:20).
§ We baptize in the Name of
Jesus (Acts 2:38) or Father, Son and Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19).
§ The New Testament church is
identified by the Name of Jesus. Jesus said we would be hated among all men for
His Name’s sake (Matthew 10:22). The early Church was persecuted for the Name
of Jesus (Acts 5:28, 9:21, 15:26), and they considered it a privilege to be
counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name (Acts 5:41), or even martyrdom
(Acts 21:13).
Because
of the exalted position of His Name, we are exhorted to rely upon the Name of
Jesus in all we do or say: “Whatsoever ye
do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians
3:17).
For the
Name of Jesus to be effective, we must have faith in His Name (Acts 3:16). We
must know and have faith in the One represented by that Name (Acts 19:13-17).
The
Name of Jesus represents God’s presence, power and work. When we speak the Name
of Jesus in faith, Jesus Himself is actually present and begins to work and
meet the need.
The
most common title given to Jesus is “Lord”. This title indicates His Deity,
Sovereignty and Exaltation (Acts 2:36). The Greek word for Lord is kurios. When the Old Testament was
translated into Greek (a version called the Septuagint) they used the word kurios as a substitute for the Most
Holy, Sacred, and unpronounceable Name of God YHWH (which we pronounce as
Yahweh or Jehovah). When Jesus was called “Lord”, in most instances it was a
reference to His Deity and Him being the Master.
Christ
means “Messiah” or “Anointed One”. Jesus is the Messiah.
The
Name of Jesus is revealed in the Trinity:
Lord =
Father, Deity, God
Jesus =
Son, Jehovah is Salvation
Christ
= Holy Spirit, Anointed One, Messiah
The Scriptures
indicate that the Son proceeds out of the Father (John 1:18, 14:10-11) and they
are one (yet two), and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father (Matthew
10:20; John 15:26) and the Son (Galations 4:6; Philippians 1:19).
Scriptures
also make it clear that Jesus is fully God (John 1:1) and fully man (1 Timothy
2:5). Therefore, He is the Great High Priest who understands our feelings and
infirmities (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Salvation
is in the Name of Jesus (Acts 4:12). If you are reading this and you would like
to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, just pray this simple prayer:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I invite You to come into my heart. I accept You as my
Lord and Savior. Wash away all of my sins and make me clean by Your Blood. I
give my life to You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to live for You all
the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
If you
prayed this prayer for the first time, where is Jesus right now? Do you feel His
Presence in your heart? If so, you are now a child of God and you are accepted
in the Beloved. I would encourage you to get into a good, Bible-based church to
grow in your faith. I would also encourage you to be water baptized as a public
declaration that you are now following Jesus Christ.
Many
blessings to you!
