Matthew 1:1 NIV A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
What's in a name? In Biblical times a person's name was very important. It represented the name of the child according to it's meaning and instead of having a surname, the child was known as the son of the father's name. Some names were prophetic and were recorded in the Old Testament scriptures and prophesied that the child would be born at a later time. The parents were sometimes instructed by the Lord as to what they should name the baby or they named it according to the circumstances surrounding the baby's birth. That baby would often grow up with the same character and nature as the meaning of his name. Matthew begins by telling the genealogy of Jesus Christ by giving the lineage of his family. His name signifies who He was and would become to the world.
We see in Luke 1:26-38 where the angel Gabriel appeared unto Mary and prophesied of the Savior's birth coming through her womb. At that time he told her that she would call His name Jesus.
Luke 1:30-33 NKJV Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
The name “Jesus” is from the Greek (and Latin) for the Hebrew “Jeshua” (Joshua), which means “the Lord is salvation.” “Christ” is from the Greek for the Hebrew Meshaiah (Messiah), meaning “anointed one.” Jesus, the Lord is salvation, is His name. Christ, the anointed one is His title. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus was the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being. He was God in the flesh.
Philippians 2:5-11 NIV Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus, the Lord is salvation, is God the Son. He laid His deity aside to be born into this world as a baby, to live as a human, a servant, and in humility obeyed His Father's will to die a horrible death by crucifixion to pay the price for mankind's sin so we could be reconciled to the Father. Sin separates man from a Holy God and thus must be atoned, or paid for, through the shedding of blood before man can come into God's presence cleansed and free from sin. Jesus paid that price; He was the sacrifice of all sacrifices that once and for all paid the price for man's sin. Jesus Christ, the Savior, the anointed One paid the price for man's salvation through His blood on the cross of Calvary. In His name is salvation and through His blood is forgiveness of sin and reconciliation.
The angel also appeared to Joseph, Mary's finance' to tell him of the birth of Jesus. It is recorded in Matthew 1:18-25:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her until she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
The name “Immanuel” in this portion of Scripture, when speaking of Jesus, means “God with us”. It is another way of identifying Jesus as God in the flesh. The name declared God's presence with His people in an altogether new way. John identifies Jesus as The Word of God in John 1:1-5; 14:
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 nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John goes on to say that Jesus showed us the Father through His life. In other words, He revealed the Father to us by showing us the character and nature of the Father in His human body and the life that He lived here on earth. When we look at Jesus, we see the Father's will in action. Jesus told his disciple Philip in John 14:9 that “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”. John identifies Jesus as God's character and nature in action in John 1:18.
John 1:18 NLT No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart; he has told us about him.
What's in the name of Jesus? Salvation!
Salvation—Greek word “soteria” denotes “deliverance, preservation, salvation.” “Salvation”, as described through Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary, is used in the New Testament in many different scriptures to denote the following:
a. of material and temporal deliverance from danger and apprehension
b. of the spiritual and eternal deliverance granted immediately by God to those who accept His conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom alone it is to be obtained, and upon confession of Him as Lord
c. of the present experience of God's power to deliver from the bondage of sin
d. of the future deliverance of believers at the Parousia of Christ for His saints
e. of the deliverance of the Nation of Israel at the second advent of Christ at the time of “the epiphany (or shining forth) of His Parousia
f. inclusively, to sum up all the blessing bestowed by God on men in Christ through the Holy Spirit
g. occasionally, as standing virtually for the Savior
h. in ascriptions of praise to God, and as that which it is His prerogative to bestow
As you can see salvation includes much more than just forgiveness of sin and so much that can't be given in one blog. This is just the foundation. Jesus, in the fullness of His name, represents all that God is and intended for mankind to have in His salvation. In upcoming blogs we will look at the great salvation that God has provided for His man through the Name of Jesus!
Father, I thank You for Jesus! I thank You for all that He represents in You and what You provided for mankind through His crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Father, I pray that many will come to salvation through putting their trust in Jesus as their own personal Savior and Lord. He is the Savior of the world and may He be seen as the One true God, the Son, who died to provide the forgiveness of sins that we need to cleanse us and usher us into Your very own presence. Father, I pray for those who need salvation for deliverance from danger, whatever that might entail, whether it is through sickness, financial disaster, emotional or mental problems, or demonic oppression. I pray that through the Name of Jesus they would experience the deliverance from danger and apprehension that is offered them through salvation in the Name of Jesus. Father, open our eyes to see all that is included in the salvation that You provided for us through Jesus, the Messiah, the anointed One. Father, I thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Amen.