A Series on the Names of God
Aside from the gospel accounts which documents Jesus' life and ministry, there are few instances where God
explicitly calls upon Jesus. The gospels' record of what title God calls Jesus leaves little doubt to the reader
what God thinks about their relationship.
My Beloved Son
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens
were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the
heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
(Matt 3:16-17; Mark 1:10-11;
Luke 3:21-22)
Through the inspiration of Old Testament prophets, the Holy Spirit uses names and titles of Jesus that affirm God's
divine relationship with Jesus and reveal God's intended role for Jesus with human beings.
Of God's relationship with Jesus:
Son
I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from
him, as I took it from him who was before you. But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his
throne shall be established forever. (1 Chron 17:13-14)
While David would understand this prophecy in the immediate context (1 Chron 22:9-10), Nathan's
prophecy was in the context of the Davidic Covenant and the promise of a King from the seed of David that will last
forever.
My Son
So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for
Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the
prophet: "Out of Egypt I called My Son." (Matt 2:14
[Hos 11:1])
Of God's plan for Jesus' relationship with human beings:
Immauel
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and
bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. (Isa 7:14
[Matt 1:21-23])
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on
His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of
Peace. (Isa 9:6)
My Servant and My Chosen One in whom My soul delights
Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put
My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
(Isa 42:1)
Arm of the Lord
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;
Awake as in the days of old, the generations
of long ago.
Was it not You who cut Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the dragon?
(Isa 51:9)
The Lord Our Righteousness
Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord,
"When I will raise up for David a righteous
Branch;
And He will reign as king and act wisely
And do justice and righteousness in the land.
In His
days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell securely;
And this is His name by which He will be called,
'The Lord (Yĕhovah) our righteousness (tsedeq).'"
(Jer 23:5-6)
In this example, God's name YHWH is given to Jesus as Yahweh-Tsidkenu (The Lord is our
righteousness).
Messiah the Prince
So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild
Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza
and moat, even in times of distress. (Dan 9:25)
The Messenger of the Covenant
"Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord,
whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is
coming," says the Lord of hosts. (Mal 3:1)
Ruler
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For
out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.
(Matt 2:6 [Micah 5:2;
2 Sam 5:2])
Horn of Salvation
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
(Luke 1:69)
The Sunrise from on High
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
(Luke 1:78)
As a messenger of God, unfallen angels reveal names and titles of Jesus that reflect God's intentions of His Son
but within the context of reverence for the supreme act of atonement. In contrast, fallen angels reveal names of Jesus
that reflect only a respect of His person and power.
Of unfallen angels:
Jesus
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in
her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from
their sins." (Matt 1:20-21)
Son of the Most High
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give
Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no
end." (Luke 1:32-33)
Savior
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great
joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)
Of fallen angels:
The Holy One of God
Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
saying, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You
are—the Holy One of God!" (Mark 1:23-24)