What Jesus means for us cannot be described with words. In the Bible, Jesus has been given many names and titles and He has been described in many ways which can give us an idea of who He is and what He has done for us. This list does not tell us everything, but maybe it can make us interested to read and think more about our beloved Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ – and what His names and titles mean for us personally – now and in eternity!
The Word – the Light of the World
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt [lived] among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4,14 (ESV).
In God’s Word is God’s wisdom, His will, His thoughts. When Jesus came to earth, He did God’s will so completely that the “Word became flesh”, it became His life. In His life people could see the grace and truth and wisdom and power of the Word of God, which is God’s glory. Everything He did and everything He said showed God’s glory. Jesus’ life was a light showing the way to His Father. Now the Word can also become our life by following His example!
Emmanuel – God with us
“Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will call Him, Emmanuel. (Emmanuel means ‘God with us.’)” Matthew 1:23 (CEB).
Sin had separated people from God, but God longs to have our spirit (James 4:5), and wants to have the fellowship again that He had with His creation right at the beginning. Jesus left His home with the Father and came to earth for our sakes. And because He was always obedient to God and did His will, the meaning of this name was really true in Jesus: Emmanuel – “God with us”!
It is only through Jesus Christ that we can come to God. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross we have peace with God, and through His life we have a way back to the Father. Even now, He constantly prays for us, so we can be saved to the uttermost. (Hebrews 7:25.)
Read more: What does it mean to be saved to the uttermost?
The Son of God – the Son of Man
“The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the One who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God's Son.” Luke 1:35 (CEB).
Jesus had no earthly father, but God was His Father. He had the Holy Spirit with Him from birth, and in the power of the Spirit He could do all of God’s will.
But by coming to the earth, He also became a human being, the son of Mary. The name or title Jesus used most for Himself was the Son of Man. As a man, He needed to pray powerfully to be saved from the death that would have come if He sinned even once. But by being obedient to God’s Word and will, He overcame sin – and therefore the power of death. (Hebrews 5:7-8.) In all His trials and temptations as a man, He never sinned! He gave up His own will to do God’s will and totally destroyed the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8.)
Because Jesus did not even sin once, His life could be a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. His sacrifice sets us free if we believe in Him and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, and as our example whom we can follow. (1 Peter 2:21-24.)
“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” Matthew 18:11.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many [payment for the sins of many].” Mark 10:45.
Read more: Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
Jesus Christ – Saviour
“… an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you will call him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21 (CEB).
“The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people. Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 (NCV).
“Jesus” means “God saves”. This was a common name, and Jesus was born in humble circumstances – a human being, the Son of Man. And it was through Him that the world was to be saved! Sin had come into the world through the disobedience and pride of the first man, Adam, but in the Man Jesus, sin was overcome through His humility and obedience to God. By never giving in to sin when He was tempted, He overcame the power of death. Now we can be saved from sin through Jesus’ death on the cross and get the fruits of the Spirit by following His life.
This is why Jesus was also given the title “Christ”, meaning “the Anointed One” or “the Chosen One” (or the “Messiah”), sent by God His Father for this great task.
Think of the love Jesus showed us when He came to earth and fulfilled this work out of His own free will, and what this means for you and me!
Read more: Jesus, our Saviour
I AM – the Beginning and the End
“Jesus said to them, “I give you this eternal truth: I have existed long before Abraham was born, for I AM!’” John 8:58 (TPT).
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Revelation 22:13.
God’s name is “I AM,” and when Jesus also calls Himself “I AM”, He shows that He is one with the Father – eternal, unchanging, faithful and true. He was there from before time began, and will stay for all eternity. But what is so amazing is that He left heaven and eternity and came to earth for a time as a human being! There He was always obedient to the will of the Father.
And when He was crucified and gave His life for us, it was not the end, but it was an entrance back to that glorious eternity where He came from. In all His trials and temptations, He stayed faithful and true, and His spirit could go back to God, untouched by the sin He was tempted to while He was here on earth. His life is a shining example of what God could do in a person.
He became an example for us. If we follow Him, we will come to where He is and be together with Him in all eternity, as examples of what God can do in people who do His will.
King of kings and Lord of lords – the Name which is greater than any other name
Jesus Christ is the One who overcame sin and death. He is the One who humbled Himself the most, and because of that God has highly honoured Him and has given Him a name above every name. Because He glorified His Father with His life, He is now sitting at the right hand of God – to God’s glory! His victory over sin and death is eternal; His glory is forever. He has been given all power in heaven and on earth; and with this power He is mighty to save us. He shall rule forever and ever! (Revelation 11:15.)
“And out of His mouth comes a sharp sword, with which He overcomes the nations: and He shall rule over them with a rod of iron: and He is crushing with His feet the grapes of the strong wrath [anger] of God the Ruler of all. And on His robe and on His leg is a name, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:15-16 (BBE).
“… think the way Christ Jesus thought. He was like God in every way, but He did not think that His being equal with God was something to use for His own benefit. Instead, He gave up everything, even His place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During His life as a man, He humbled Himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused His death—death on a cross. So God raised Him up to the most important place and gave Him the name that is greater than any other name. God did this so that every person will bow down to honour the name of Jesus. Everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will bow. They will all confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” and this will bring glory to God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11 (ERV).
What is almost unbelievable, is that He wants to share this glory with us. He wants us to follow Him in His ‘death to sin’ by never giving in to sin, so that we will also share in His life and get the fruits of the Spirit. (2 Peter 1:3-4.) He wants us to inherit eternity with Him! (Romans 8:16-18.) Faith in this should work a longing in us to give up our own will to follow Him, showing our great love and thankfulness to Him by obeying His laws.
May our lives be an eternal thanks and praise to our beloved Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ – our brother! Jesus’ name be praised in all eternity!