NAMES OF CHRIST R.E. Harlow EVERYDAY PUBLICTIONS INC. 310 Killaly Street West Port Colborne, ON Canada L3K 606 Copyright 1991 Everyday Publications Inc.
Copyright 1991 R.E. Harlow ISBN 978-0-88873-430-1 Copyright 1991 Everyday Publications Inc.
Chapter NAMES OF CHRIST Page Names of Christ 5 Doctrines and Names of Christ 7 Introduction 9 1. Jesus 11 2. Wonderful 12 3. Counselor 13 4. Mighty God 14 5. Father of Eternity 15 6. Prince of Peace 16 7. Holy One 17 8. Lamb of God 18 9. Prince of Life 19 10. Lord God Almighty 20 11. Lion of the Tribe of Judah 21 12. Root of David 22 13. Word of Life 23 14. Author and Finisher of our Faith 24 15. Advocate 26 16. The Way 27 17. Dayspring 29 18. Lord of All 30 19. I AM 32 20. Son of God 34 21. Shepherd and Bishop of Souls 36 3 Copyright 1991 Everyday Publications Inc.
4 Names of Christ Page 22. Messiah 38 23. The Truth 40 24. Savior 42 25. Chief Cornerstone 43 26. King of kings and Lord of lords 44 27. Righteous Judge 46 28. Light of the World 48 29. Head of the Church 49 30. Morning Star 51 31. Sun of Righteousness 52 32. Lord Jesus Christ 54 33. Chief Shepherd 55 34. Resurrection and Life 57 35. Horn of Salvation 58 36. Governor 60 37. Alpha and Omega 61 38. Son of Man 63 39. Life 65 40. Bridegroom 66 Index 69 Copyright 1991 Everyday Publications Inc.
NAMES OF CHRIST (in alphabetical order) Chapter Advocate 15 Alpha and Omega 37 Author and Finisher of our Faith 14 Bridegroom 40 Chief Cornerstone 25 Chief Shepherd 33 Counselor 3 Dayspring 17 Father of Eternity 5 Governor 36 Head of the Church 29 Holy One 7 Horn of Salvation 35 I AM 19 Jesus 1 King of Kings and Lord of lords 26 Lamb of God 8 Life 39 Light of the World 28 Lion of the Tribe of Judah 11 Lord God Almighty 10 Lord Jesus Christ 32 Lord of All 18 Messiah 22 5 Copyright 1991 Everyday Publications Inc.
6 Names of Christ Chapter Mighty God 4 Morning Star 30 Prince of Life 9 Prince of Peace 6 Resurrection and Life 34 Righteous Judge 27 Root of David 12 Savior 24 Shepherd and Bishop of Souls 21 Son of God 20 Son of Man 38 Sun of Righteousness 31 The Truth 23 The Way 16 Wonderful 2 Word of Life 13
DOCTRINES AND NAMES OF CHRIST A. CHRIST IS GOD *2. Wonderful *4. Mighty God *10. Lord God Almighty *12. Root of David *19. I AM *37. Alpha and Omega B. HE HAS ALWAYS EXISTED *5. Father of Eternity C. HE BECAME MAN *20. Son of God *22. Messiah D. HE IS A COMPLETE MAN *1. Jesus *35. Horn of Salvation *38. Son of Man E. HE LIVED A PERFECT LIFE *7. Holy One *13. Word of Life *23. The Truth *28. Light of the World F. HE DIED ON THE CROSS *8. Lamb of God 7
8 Names of Christ G. HE ROSE FROM DEATH *18. Lord of all *24. Savior *32. Lord Jesus Christ H. PRESENT MINISTRY *3. Counselor *9. Prince of Life *14. Author and Finisher of our faith *15. Advocate *16. The Way *21. Shepherd and Bishop of Souls *25. Chief Cornerstone *29. Head of the Church *33. Chief Shepherd *39. Life I. HE WILL COME AGAIN *17. Dayspring *27. Righteous Judge *30. Morning Star *31. Sun of Righteousness *34. Resurrection and Life *40. Bridegroom J. HE WILL RULE OVER THE WORLD *6. Prince of Peace *11. Lion of the Tribe of Judah *26. King of kings and Lord of lords *36. Governor
NAMES OF CHRIST Everybody has a name, great people, little people, rich and poor, educated or not. The most important Person in the universe is our Lord Jesus Christ, and He has the greatest names of all. The Bible tells us many of these names, and we will consider some of them in this book. God the Father wants to give honor to His Son, so we should ask Him to help us understand just what each name means. Find all the Bible verses and think about them. Then give thanks to the Lord Jesus for what He is and what He does. 9
NAMES OF CHRIST *1. JESUS First we will think about the Lord's Name as a Man. He received the Name Jesus when He became a Man and will have this name forever. God promised many times in the Old Testament that He would send a Savior. When the time came He sent His angel Gabriel to a pure young woman named Mary, a descendant of King David. She lived in a small village called Nazareth in the province of Galilee. She had never married, but promised to become the wife of a descendant of David, whose name was Joseph. The angel told Mary that God's Spirit would come on her and she would have a son before she got married to Joseph. She should call Him JESUS and He would become great, be called the Son of the Most High God, and rule over Israel, Luke 1.26-33. - "Son of God" tells who He always was in the past; "Ruler over Israel", what He will be in the future. About three months later the same angel of the Lord told Joseph that Mary would have a Son before they were married. He told Joseph also that they should call His Name JESUS because He would save His people from their sins, Matthew 1.21. In Luke we learn who He is and will be; in Matthew, about His great work, saving sinners. The name Joshua in the Old Testament is the same as JESUS, and contains two words, Jehovah and Savior. The New Testament is God's book about Jesus and we can find this Name over a thousand times in the New Testament, in every book except one, almost every chapter. God has commanded that every person will bow down at the Name of JESUS, Philippians 2.10. So JESUS is both Jehovah and the Savior of the world. We will learn more about these names in chapters *4,*10,*19,*24; and many more wonderful things about JESUS in this book. 11
12 Names of Christ *2. WONDERFUL In the beginning God promised that He would give men a Savior to deliver them from their sins. Eve learned that her Son would destroy her enemy Satan, but He would be hurt also, Genesis 3.15. Later God promised Abraham that He would bless men of all nations through a Descendant of his, Genesis 22.18. Again the LORD promised David that his Descendant would be King forever, Psalm 89.3,4; 132.11,12. Now read Isaiah 9.6. The Holy Spirit was looking forward to the time when Christ should be born. This was really God giving His Son. He will carry the government of the world like a load on His shoulder. Then the Spirit told Israel to call their Savior by five names. We will think about one of these names here, and the other four in the chapters which follow. Some Bibles put the first two names together, but we will consider them separately. The Lord Jesus Christ is wonderful and His Name is Wonderful. We have seen that He is both God and Man, He is the Son of the Highest, yet was born as a Baby whose Name is Jesus. He is the Savior of His people, and all His work is wonderful. The Son loved men even before He came into this world. Sometimes His Father sent Him to reveal Himself to men for a special purpose. The word angel means one who is sent, and we believe that the Angel of the LORD is another Name for the Son before He was born as a Man. The Angel of the LORD brought a message from God to Manoah, the father of Samson, and his wife. The Angel used this same word when he said His Name was Wonderful, Judges 13.18, although some Bibles are a little different. All the works of God are wonderful, Exodus 15.11; Psalms 77.11,14; 89.5; 139.14. We shall see Christ as the Creator in chapter *4. Even on earth He did many wonders, Matthew 21.15; Luke 4.22; John 20.30; Hebrews 2.4. But His greatest work was to die on the cross so that He might become our Savior. Let us think of the Wonderful One and give Him our thanks and praise for all that He is and all that He has done! Isaiah 25.1.
Names of Christ 13 *3. COUNSELOR The second Name for the Child, the Son, in Isaiah 9.6, is Counselor. We have seen that His work is Wonderful, and His counsel is also, Isaiah 28.29. King David's uncle Jonathan was a good counselor, 1 Chronicles 27.32. Even kings need wise friends to help them make the right decisions. We all require the wisdom of God to guide us in this evil world. Christ is our Counselor. God has all wisdom, He needs no one to advise Him, Isaiah 40.14; Romans 11.34. He never needs to change His counsel, Psalm 33.11; Isaiah 46.10. He loves to give counsel to men, Psalms 16.7; 73.24. They often refuse it, Psalm 107.11; Isaiah 5.18,19, and accept that of wicked men, Micah 6.16. God gave us His Son and Christ is the wisdom of God, 1 Corinthians 1.24. God gave the Holy Spirit to Christ without any limits, John 3.34, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding and counsel, Isaiah 11.2. In the New Testament, the Lord called the Holy Spirit the Comforter or Counselor, John 15.26, and the same word is used for the Lord Jesus in 1 John 2.1. Christ is now in glory and counsels us, Revelation 3.18, to buy: real gold, by saving up treasures in heaven, Matthew 6.20; white clothing, by living righteous lives, Revelation 19.8; and eye medicine, so we can see the glory of the Lord and walk in His ways. The Lord Jesus gave sight to the blind man by making clay and putting it on his eyes, John 9.6. The Lord has all wisdom and He gives it freely to those who need it and ask for it, James 1.5-7. But you must ask in faith and believe that God has given it to you. If you doubt you should not expect an answer. Christ is the great Counselor.
14 Names of Christ *4. THE MIGHTY GOD His Name shall be called The Mighty God. Whose Name? The child born, the Son given. His Name is The Mighty God because He is the Mighty God, Romans 1.4. There is only one true God, Deuteronomy 6.4. The first Command is to worship no other god, Exodus 20.3. He will not give His glory to any one else, Isaiah 42.8; 48.11. Why then did God announce through His servant Isaiah that Messiah's Name would be the Mighty God? God is saying in this Name that He Himself would come to be the Savior of His people. We have seen this truth even in the Name Jesus, *1. God has all power, Deuteronomy 10.17; Psalm 24.8; Isaiah 10.21; Jeremiah 32.18; Daniel 2.20; Zephaniah 3.17; Ephesians 1.19. He created heaven and earth, angels, men, animals. In the New Testament we learn that this was God the Son, John 1.3,14; Colossians 1.16; Hebrews 1.2. The word mighty usually means a mighty man. In our verse it is used of God, but of God who became a Man. The Son did not give up His power as God when He became Man. He showed His power over demons, disease and death, Mark 5.2,8,29,34,41. He could control animals, fish, wind and waves, Matthew 17.27; Mark 4.37,39; 11.2,7; John 21.6. He had more power than John the Baptist and did more miracles than any other person, Luke 3.16; John 15.24. The Son created the world and keeps everything in place, Colossians 1.17. He is the power of God, as well as His wisdom, 1 Corinthians 1.24; *3. Today He is able to save completely and forever any man, Hebrews 7.25. Soon He will come with great power, Matthew 24.30; Mark 13.26; Luke 21.27. Truly He is The Mighty God. (For more teaching on this verse, see the book by David Boyd Long, His Name...the Mighty God ).
Names of Christ 15 *5. FATHER OF ETERNITY In the New Testament we learn that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We read many times about God our Father and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament God or Jehovah is called Father in a few verses only. In the New Testament we learn that we have been born again, that God is our Father, and that we have His nature in us, 1 Peter 1.2,3,23; 2 Peter 1.4. Our verse in Isaiah 9.6 speaks about our coming Savior, the Messiah, and tells us He is God, the Mighty God. God is eternal, He has no beginning and no ending. God always was, in the eternal ages of, the past. He always will be in the eternal ages of the future. In eternity past He planned out the different ages of time, we could say He is the Father of the ages. Indeed in this verse, Eternal Father or Father of Eternity means the same as Father of the ages. The Holy Spirit used this Name for God in 1 Timothy 1.17: Eternal King or King of the Ages. The Greek New Testament says that God created the ages through His Son, or formed them through the word which He spoke, Hebrews 1.2; 11.3. In Isaiah 9.6 He is saying that the coming Savior is none other than God Himself. Jehovah said He would come, the Mighty God, to save His people, *4. God planned the ages before time began, 1 Corinthians 2.7; Ephesians 1.4; 1 Peter 1.20. These ages are sometimes called dispensations. God treats men differently in each dispensation, for example, under law, and now under grace, John 1.17; Romans 6.14. This does not mean that God changes, Psalm 102.27. He gives man an opportunity under each dispensation, but all ages end up in failure. It is wonderful to know that God is all wise, the perfect Counselor, and that He has complete control over all the ages of time. He can never fail, no being could defeat His purposes, no demon, or Satan, or any man, or all men and all demons together. The Mighty God is also the Creator of all ages. He became Man to save us from our sins, but men rejected Him, and still do. Some day He will return as the King of glory, *26. Are you ready? or are you still rejecting Him?
16 Names of Christ *6. PRINCE OF PEACE God has always loved men. Eve and Adam fell into sin and at once they were afraid and hid themselves. Since then all men have sinned and are rightly afraid of God. Satan can use this fear and tell us that God does not love us, one of his greatest lies. The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins and so He made peace, Isaiah 53.5; Colossians 1.20. It is therefore possible for us to have peace with God through faith in Christ, Romans 5.1. Christ came to tell men about the love of God, to declare peace, Isaiah 52.7; Acts 10.36. So the Spirit tells us that Christ is our peace, Ephesians 2.14. We can also have the peace of God ruling in our hearts, Philippians 4.7. Christ gave His disciples peace, His peace, John 14.27, and gives it to us today. So the Spirit calls Him the Lord of peace, 2 Thessalonians 3.16. In our verse He is the Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9.6, and this means that He will rule the world in peace when He comes again. There will be no more war, Isaiah 2.4. The son of a king is a prince, and seven princes ruled in Jerusalem on the throne while their fathers were still living, for example, Jotham, 2 Kings 15.5. But our Lord Jesus Christ will rule as Prince of princes, Daniel 8.25, and Prince of all kings, Revelation 1.5. There will be no end to His rule and peace will increase until the end of the thousand year Millennium, Psalm 72.7; Isaiah 9.7. So today we can have the peace of the Prince of Peace in our hearts while we look forward to the wonderful time when He will give peace to the whole world.
Names of Christ 17 *7. THE HOLY ONE God is holy. This is one of the most important things we can learn about God. He hates sin and cannot allow sin to remain near Him. The Bible calls Him holy, Joshua 24.19; 1 Samuel 2.2; Psalm 22.3; 99.5,9. In Isaiah alone He is called the Holy One twenty-six times. He lives in heaven, which is holy, Isaiah 57.15, and His Temple on earth is holy, Psalm 11.4. His angels are holy, Acts 10.22; Revelation 14.10, and they call Jehovah Holy, holy, holy, Isaiah 6.3. There are holy prophets, Luke 1:70, and holy men, 2 Peter 1.21, who wrote the Holy Scriptures, Romans 1.2. God is most holy. The Lord Jesud prayed to His holy Father, John 17.11. The most common Name for the Spirit of God is Holy Spirit. The Lord Himself was called holy before He was born, Luke 1:35; and after He went back to heaven, Acts 3.14; 4.27,30; Revelation 3.7; 6.10. It was impossible for the holy Son of God to sin. Some people say, What was the purpose of the temptation if Christ could not sin? No doubt Satan tried his best to make Jesus sin, but God knew in advance that His Son could not fail. God s eternal purpose was to save men from their sins by sending His Son to die for us. We have seen that God Himself came as the Savior. Saying Christ could sin is the same as saying that God could fail. God is holy, His Son is perfectly holy. We should be holy as He is, 1 Peter 1.15. This has always been God s desire, Leviticus 11.44; 19.2; 20.26; Deuteronomy 7.6. The common name for believers in the New Testament is saints, which means holy ones, Romans 1.7; 1 Corinthians 1.2; Ephesians 1.1; Revelation 11.18. We should offer our bodies and all we have as a holy sacrifice, which God will accept, Romans 12.1. Everyday we should become more like Him, the Holy One, in all that we do or say.
18 Names of Christ *8. THE LAMB OF GOD God sent John the Baptist to announce that the Christ had come. This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40.3; Matthew 3.3. John was a priest because his father was a priest, Luke 1.5. He knew well that God's law required sacrifices for sin. Every year Israel offered 1,276 animals, including 1,093 lambs, as sacrifices to Jehovah, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. A perfect lamb was killed for the Passover, and King Solomon killed 120,000 lambs when the Temple was first used, 1 Kings 8.63. A lamb must be perfect or God would not accept it as a sacrifice, Leviticus 1.10; 3.6,7; 4.32. Then it had to die. Abraham said to Isaac, God will provide Himself the lamb, and so He did, Genesis 22.8,13. These words are also beautifully true about our Lord Jesus Christ. God sent His Son to die for all men. We do not know if this promise from Genesis was in John's mind when he called his cousin, Jesus, the Lamb of God. But John was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, Luke 1.15, and the Spirit revealed to him this wonderful Name of Christ. Our Lord Jesus was perfect, without any sin at all. Three apostles writing by the Holy Spirit declare He was sinless. They also speak about His great work in dying: Perfect Sacrifice 2 Cor. 5.21 He knew no sin made sin for us 1 Pet. 2.22,24 He did no sin bore our sins on the cross 1 John 3.5 in Him is no sin took away our sins The Spirit revealed that Christ would be like a lamb about to be killed, Isaiah 53.7; 1 Peter 1.19. But He also used this Name, the Lamb, 28 times in the book of Revelation, for example, 5.6. So in heaven, Christ will always be seen as the Lamb who died for our sins, Revelation 13.8 The lamb had to be perfect and had to die. So our Lord Jesus Christ is the only Lamb of God.
Names of Christ 19 *9. PRINCE OF LIFE We have considered the Name Prince of Peace as a title of our Lord Jesus Christ, *6. He is also the Prince of Life, Acts 3.15. This word Prince means the Chief Leader, and is used of our Lord: Prince and Savior, Acts 5.31; Captain of our salvation, Hebrews 2.10; Author (and Finisher) of our faith, Hebrews 12.2. See *14. The Lord Jesus is the Prince of Life and we have seen that He is God, the Creator, *4. The LORD God breathed the breath of life into Adam and made him a living person, Genesis 2.7. He made the Tree of Life but would not allow sinning Adam and Eve to eat its fruit, Genesis 2.9; 3.24. He gives human life to all, Acts 17.25, and offers to all the privilege of eating of the Tree of Life and drinking the water of life, Revelation 22.14,17. This is now possible because the Prince of Life has died. Peter spoke by the Holy Spirit when he accused the Jews of Jerusalem of killing the Prince of Life, Acts 3.15. How could any man or many men take away the life of the One who gives life to all others? God the Son became Man so He could die for our sins. His grace led Him to allow sinful men to do their worst. God was well pleased with His Son, His perfect Servant, Isaiah 42.1; Matthew 3.17; 12.18; 17.5. But Israel chose a murderer and rejected the Life-Giver, Luke 23.25. As a Man, He could die, but as the Prince of Life, He could not stay dead. God raised Him, and the apostles were witnesses, see *34. Now in heaven, He is still the Source of Life. He is the Vine, we are the branches, John 15.5. His life flows out through the believers. He is our Life, Colossians 3.4. He lives to pray for His people, Hebrews 7.25, so we can say that we are saved by His life, Romans 5.10. This should give us great joy and peace. His love and kindness are better than life itself, Psalm 63.3. Still we can expect the Lord's goodness all the days of our life, Psalm 23.6.
20 Names of Christ *10. LORD GOD ALMIGHTY This Name is seen in Revelation 4.8; 11.17; 16.7 and 21.22. It is a grand Name for God and, we shall see, of the Son of God. In the Old Testament there are three great Names for the Creator: Elohim, translated God; Jehovah, translated LORD; Adonai, translated Lord. These are each found hundreds of times in the Bible, which is the book about God. Another Name is used 48 times, Shaddai, translated Almighty. In the New Testament, there is only one Name for Lord, and the other three are combined in this Name, the Lord God Almighty. God called Himself Shaddai when He spoke to Abraham and Jacob, Genesis 17.1; 35.11. The prophets used this Name, for example, Ezekiel 1.24; 10.5. It is found twice in the Psalms, 68.14; 91.1, but most often in Job, 31 times. 2 Corinthians 6.18 speaks of God as the Lord Almighty. In Revelation we read about God on His throne, and about the Lamb, who is the Lord Jesus, *8. We have seen that the Son is God, *3 and *4. In Revelation 1.4 and 4.8, God is called, Him who is and who was and who is to come. This tells us of the God who lives today, always has and always will. God promised to come to save His people, Isaiah 40.10. His Son did come, so in Revelation we think of the Coming One as the Lord Jesus Christ, 22.20. In 11.17, the Coming One is the King, and in 22.12, He brings rewards for those who have served Him, *27. So Christ is the Lord God Almighty. We have already studied His Name Mighty God in chapter *4. The Lord God Almighty is the Righteous Judge in Revelation 16.5-7. See also *27. We will understand that He judges men during the Great Tribulation only as they deserve. In heaven the Lord God Almighty, the Lamb, is the temple, Revelation 21.22. So we can rejoice because the Lord Jesus is the eternal God, He came and will come again, and His almighty power is for ever.
Names of Christ 21 *11. LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH The apostle John had a vision of God's throne in heaven, and the Throne-Sitter had a book or scroll in His right hand, Revelation 5.1. The scroll had seven seals and no one was worthy to take it and open it. This scroll makes us think of the prophet who bought some land and got a sealed scroll as proof that the property was his, Jeremiah 32.11. So the sealed scroll in Revelation 5 may be a picture of the title deeds of the world. At first John wept and was very sad because no man could open the seals. Was there no one who could rule over the world as his own possession? Then he was told that the Lion of the tribe of Judah won the victory and could open the seals of the scroll. John looked and right in the center he saw, not a Lion, but a Lamb. We have seen that the Lamb of God is the Lord Jesus Christ, *8. Why does the Holy Spirit here give Him this Name, Lion of the tribe of Judah? The lion is a very strong animal, Judges 14.18; 2 Samuel 1.23; Proverbs 30.30. It is brave, 2 Samuel 17.10, and roars to frighten its enemies, Proverbs 28.15; Amos 3.4. It has great teeth to kill and destroy, Isaiah 38.13; Jeremiah 2.30; 5.6. We know that the Son of God has all power, *4 and *10. Now turn to Genesis 49.1, where old Jacob told his twelve sons what would happen in the last days. By God's Spirit Jacob told Judah that he would be like a lion and rule over the other tribes of Israel, vs.8-10. As ruler he would have a rod or sceptre, as a sign of his authority, like King Ahasuerus, Esther 4.11. Judah died but Jesus Christ is his Descendant, Luke 3.23,33. God's promise will be fulfilled when Christ comes back to reign as King of the world. So the rod of authority will belong to the tribe of Judah when Messiah returns, Genesis 49.10. God chose Judah, and David, who was a descendant of Judah, Psalm 78.68. Christ's rod of authority will be a righteous one, Psalm 45.6. Join me just now in giving thanks to God that the Lord Jesus gained the victory, can open the sealed book, and claim the whole world as His own kingdom.
22 Names of Christ *12. ROOT OF DAVID One verse gives us two names of our Lord: Lion of the Tribe of Judah, *11, and Root of David, Revelation 5.5. We noted that Christ is a Descendant of Judah. He is also a Descendant of David and so of his father Jesse, Luke 3.23,31,32. The Lord called Himself the Root and Offspring of David in Revelation 22.16. The Holy Spirit used a word picture when He called Him a Branch of Jesse in Isaiah 11.1, as if a family were like a tree. A Branch means He is a Descendant of Jesse, the father of David. But in Isaiah 11.10, He is the Root of Jesse, and therefore He is the Root of David also, Romans 15.12. Now a tree grows from the root and the branches grow from the tree. So the question is, How could Christ be both the Root of David and also the Branch? The answer is, because He is both God and Man. As God He is the Creator, and so the Root or Source from which Jesse came; and David also. As Man He is the Descendant or Branch of David. The Lord Jesus asked the Pharisees a question something like this one, when He said, Whose Son is Christ? Matthew 22.42. They rightly answered that He is the Son of David. But David also called Him Lord in Psalm 110.1, which shows that He is the Son of God. How could He be both Son and Lord of the same person, David? He must be both God and Man. So Branch of David speaks of Christ as a Man, who will rule over Israel on the throne of His ancestor King David. But we should think also of the other verses which speak of Him as the Son of God, and so the Creator and Source of David's family, and all other men also, the Root of David. As Man, we noted His Name Jesus, *1, and will learn more about this in *38. We noted that He is God when we thought of His Names Wonderful, *2; Mighty God, *4; and Lord God Almighty, *10. There are still other Names of our glorious Savior which we will think about in this book. Stop and worship Him each time you learn of some new beauty in Christ. 22
Names of Christ 23 *13. THE WORD OF LIFE The word word or logos is found over 800 times in the New Testament. It is used for what God says or speaks: the word of God, 39 times, for example, Colossians 1.5; 1 Thessalonians 2.13; Hebrews 4.12; 13.7; the word of truth, James 1.18. We read that: the Spirit speaks, 1 Timothy 4.1; the Scripture speaks, Romans 10.11; the Lord Jesus spoke the words which His Father gave Him, John 8.26. But the Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the Word, the Logos, John 1.1. He was in the beginning, when all else was created, He was with God. In fact He was God. The Word was never created, but He Himself is the Creator of all things, John 1.2,3. He is eternal, omnipotent, He is God. God has revealed Himself in Christ as the Logos, when He became Man, John 1.14. We will learn more about this in *37 when we think about His Name, Alpha and Omega. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Word of Life, 1 John 1.1, and the words He spoke are life, John 6.63. He is the Word, and in Him is Life, John 1.1,4. We have thought of Him as the Prince of Life, *9, and will learn more when we think of His Names, the Resurrection and the Life, *34; and the Life, *39. We may say there are two kinds of life: natural life and spiritual life. God gives life through Christ, John 1.3. He created everything with life, Genesis 1.20,21,24,28,30; 2.7,19; Acts 17.28. The Lord called Himself The Bread of Life, John 6.35,48, and men can have eternal life only through Him, John 6.51,53,54. To have eternal life you must be born again from above, and this is through the Word of God, the Lord Jesus, John 3.3,36; Revelation 19.13. The Spirit showed Peter also that we are born again through the Word of God, the Scriptures, 1 Peter 1.23. So the Word of Life is also the written Word of God, Philippians 2.16. 23
24 Names of Christ Christ is the Logos, the Word, and so is the Scripture, the Word of God. We get eternal life through the Lord, and we learn about Him through the Holy Bible. *14. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH The Lord Jesus was willing to suffer greatly on the cross because He knew the great joy which would be His. He is now sitting on His Father's throne in heaven, until He comes to get His Bride, the Church, *40. We should have enough faith to suffer for Him as we wait for Him to come back for us. He is The Author and Finisher of Faith, Hebrews 12.2. What do these names mean? 1. We read before about the Prince of Peace, *6, and the Prince of Life, *9, and learned that the word Prince means Chief Leader. He is the Chief Leader of our salvation, Hebrews 2.10, and here the Chief Leader of our faith. This does not mean that Christ was weak or sinful and gave us a great example of faith in God, as our Leader. He did trust His Father but He had the power of God, *10. He gained the victory over Satan, and some would say that He as our Example almost fell into sin. Leader of our faith does not mean either of these things. Again this Name does not mean that Christ gives faith as a gift to some people and not to others. The Lord gives men the privilege of believing, of having faith, in Him, Acts 16.14, but He offers this opportunity to all, John 6.37. We have faith in Him, He saves us, and is leading us in the way of faith to His home in heaven. It is true that God has chosen us to receive great blessing in Christ, Ephesians 1.4; 1 Peter 1.2; 2.9, but He has commanded us to offer His salvation to all men, Romans 16.26.
Author and Finisher... 25 2. The Lord Jesus at present is working in us to make our faith perfect. Faith begins when we trust in Him. His desire is that our faith should keep on growing until we are with Him in heaven. Then we will not need faith any more, for we shall see Him as He is, 1 John 3.2. Faith makes real the things which we cannot see, Hebrews 11.1. God uses the trials and problems of our life to teach us lessons and to make us more like His Son, Romans 8.29. Christ is working in us so that He can present His Bride, the Church, to Himself as a perfect Bride. He does this through the Word of God, Ephesians 5.26,27. He gave us the Holy Spirit to remain with us, and to make us clean and holy, ever more and more like Himself. So everything started with Christ, even before we first trusted in Him. We can be sure that He will also make us perfect, step by step, until He takes us to heaven. He is the Chief Leader and Perfecter of our faith. We should keep looking to Him. He will guide us with His eye, Psalm 32.8.
26 Names of Christ *15. ADVOCATE The Lord Jesus Christ is our Advocate in heaven at this present time. We also consider His present service for us in chapters *3,9,14,16,21,25,29,33,and 39. You see that this is very important. The Spirit calls our Lord Advocate only in 1 John 2.1. This word means one who speaks in court to help defend another, like a lawyer. For example, the princes of Jerusalem spoke up to defend Jeremiah when the priests and false prophets wanted to kill him, Jeremiah 26.16,24. Nicodemus spoke up for the Lord Jesus when the Pharisees wanted to arrest Him, John 7.50,51. The Greek word translated Advocate means one who is called to help, and is used of the Holy Spirit in John 14.26; 15.26; 16.7. The Lord Jesus said that He would send One like Himself as another Comforter or Helper, John 14.16. Some Bibles say Counselor and we have seen this Name for Christ in Isaiah 9.6; *3. God is the God of all comfort, 2 Corinthians 1.3, and the Spirit Himself gives us comfort, Acts 9.31. He does this through the Scriptures, Romans 15.4; and His servants, for example, Paul, 2 Corinthians 1.4-6. But this same word also means exhort or preach, see 1 Timothy 4.13; 1 Peter 5.1. We need our Advocate when we fall into sin. God's will is that we should not sin, 1 John 2.1; but we cannot say that we never sin, 1 John 1.8,10. We should confess every sin at once to the Lord and no true child of God can continue to live in sin, 1 John 1.9; 3.9. The Lord Himself is always praying to God for us, Hebrews 7.25. The Spirit said that our Advocate is Jesus Christ the Righteous. God is righteous or just, 1 John 1.9; 2.29; the Father also, John 17.25; and Christ, Acts 3.14; 7.52; 22.14; 1 Peter 3.18; Revelation 16.5,7. See also Righteous Judge, *27, and Sun of Righteousness, *31. The righteous God must always judge sinners according to what they have done. How then can Christ pray that God would forgive us? The answer is in 1 John 2.2. Christ is Himself the Sacrifice which makes it possible for the righteous God to forgive sinners. In chapter *8 we noted that the sinless Man paid the price for our sins.
The Way 27 But the Lord Jesus Christ is the God-Man, and He laid down His life, a life which has no measure. One man could die for one other man, but the God-Man could die for all men. His one Sacrifice is enough for the sins of every person in the whole world. This does not mean that all men will be saved, but it means that every person could be saved. First they must hear the Good News before they can believe. So we are responsible to tell the whole world that God loves all people, and Christ died for them. God is able to remain righteous and still forgive all their sins, Romans 3.26. Satan is the accuser of the brethren, Revelation 12.10, as he accused job before God, Job 1.9-11; 2.4,5. Christ is our Advocate, who stands up to defend us, Romans 8.33,34. The Lord Jesus Christ is also at this present time Mediator and High Priest, 1 Timothy 2.5; Hebrews 6.20; 7.17,26; 9.11. If we sin against God, we should confess it at once to God: His Son will stand up for us. We should not listen to Satan or accuse another Christian. But if someone falls into sin we should help him or her to get back to the Lord. *16. THE WAY The Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples that He was going back to heaven to prepare a place for them. He said that they knew where He was going and they knew the way there. Thomas could not understand this, so the Lord said plainly that He is The Way, the Truth and the Life, John 14.2-6. We will consider the first one here, and the other two Names in chapters *23 and *39. We have been thinking about the Names of the Lord in His service for us at this present time, see *15. Right now He is The Way to the Father, the one and only Way. Many people do not believe this, they think that there are other ways to God. There are other ways, but they all lead to death, Proverbs 14.12.
28 Names of Christ Millions of people have been taught that they must do many good works if they want to get to heaven: keep the law, pay money, be kind to others. Millions more believe that they should worship Buddha or their ancestors, or obey the rules of Mohammed. Many others think that they need only to be baptized and give money to the church to obtain the forgiveness of sins. All are wrong. They are following the wrong way, Matthew 7.13,14. Cain certainly chose the wrong way, and this led him to kill his brother Abel, and come under the judgment of God, 1 John 3.12. Isaiah confessed that the people of Israel turned every man to his own way, Isaiah 53.6. But some desire God's way, the right way, Psalms 27.11; 86.11; 119.30; 139.24. And God promises to answer such prayers, Psalm 32.8; Isaiah 30.21; 55.7; Jeremiah 32.39. In the early days, people called the teaching and practice of the Christians the Way, Acts 9.2; 19.9,23; 22.4; 24.22. Today there is false teaching called The Way, but these people deny that Christ is the Son of God. The Bible also speaks of: the way of salvation, Acts 16.17; the way of the Lord, or of God, Acts 18.25,26; the way of peace, Romans 3.17; a new and living way, Hebrews 10.20; the way of truth, 2 Peter 2.2. These all mean that there is only one Way, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord also called Himself The Door, John 10.7,9. He is the only Door. Any one can enter through this Door and be saved. He will never be lost again, but he can go in and out and find rich food for his soul. There are other people who call themselves christs, but they are thieves and robbers who come to steal, to kill and to destroy. The Lord Jesus came into this world so that we might have life abundantly. His sheep know His voice and follow Him, John 10.10,27. Are you one of His sheep? Do you love His voice and follow Him?
Names of Christ 29 *17. DAYSPRING The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah the priest and told him that his wife would have a son. Zechariah was old and at first he did not believe this message. As a result he could not speak until little John was born, and then he was very happy. The Holy Spirit came on him and he praised God for the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, and called Him the Horn of Salvation and the Dayspring, Luke 1.69,78. We will think about the Horn of Salvation in chapter *35, and here the Name Dayspring. This Name means rising up, and is used of the sun rising in the east. In fact it is usually translated east as in Matthew 2.1. As a Name for Christ, it is a word picture of Him as the Ruler of the new day of great blessing when He comes to rule over the earth. There are five other Names of Christ when He comes, which we will consider in chapters *27,*30,*31,*34,*40. Two of these are word pictures also from the morning sky: Morning Star, *30 Sun of Righteousness, *31 God created the heaven and the earth, good and perfect, as all His works. He said, Let there be light and divided between light and darkness, day and night. Darkness speaks of sin, evil, what we do not know, what we fear. See *28, Light of the World. Satan rules the darkness of this world at the present time, Ephesians 6.12. When Christ comes it will be God's wonderful day for man. The sun was to rule the day, Genesis 1.1-5,16, and so it is a picture of Christ ruling in the Millennium, Micah 4.6-8; Zechariah 14.9. But the Lord Jesus Christ brought light into this world at His first Coming. Through God's mercy, He visited our earth to give light to Gentiles who were in darkness and near death, Luke 1.79. The Lord also came to show His people Israel the right way, and how to have peace in this world, John 14.27; 16.33. Another Name for Christ is Light and He showed men a perfect life, as we shall see in *28. The word Dayspring means to rise up and is used also of plants or trees which are growing. In the Old Testament it is translated Branch, which is another Name for our Lord Jesus Christ:
30 Names of Christ Jeremiah 23.5 He is righteous; Zechariah 3.8 He is the Servant; Zechariah 6.12 He is the Man. So both meanings of this word bring us to our Savior when He comes in His own glory, the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels, Luke 9.26. Let us never be ashamed to speak of Him to others. *18. LORD OF ALL Peter was speaking to Cornelius and his family and friends when he said that God sent a message of peace through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is Lord of All, Acts 10.36. We have thought about the Lord as the Prince of Peace, *6, and will find some more verses about Him as Lord in *26 and *32. In 2 Thessalonians 3.16 He is Lord of peace but here we will think of Him as Lord of ALL. God created all things by His own will, Revelation 4.11, but this was through or by the Son, Ephesians 3.9. The Father is greater than all things, John 10.29, and has given all things to the Son, John 3.35; 13.3; 16.15. So we read that all things were created by the Son, John 1.3; Colossians 1.16, as we noted in *4 and *13. You see again that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, the God-Man. Read these verses carefully, think about them, and ask God to help you understand: Romans 11.36: All things of or from God; through God; for God; Colossians 1.16: All things by Jesus Christ; through Jesus Christ; for Jesus Christ; Hebrews 2.10 All things for God; by God. These verses use the same words about God and Christ, although some Bibles change them a little. Christ is God.
Lord of All 31 The Lord Jesus Christ: is before all things, Colossians 1.17; fills all things, Ephesians 4.10; holds all things together, Colossians 1.17; Hebrews 1.3; is heir of all things, Hebrews 1.2; is over all angels, 1 Peter 3.22. The Lord Jesus Christ will: have all things under Him, Hebrews 2.8; rule all nations, Revelation 12.5; make all things new, Revelation 21.5; rule over all the earth, Psalm 47.2,7. He is Lord of all and always will be. In the Old Testament God is called LORD of hosts many times, for example, 60 times in Isaiah alone. This shows His great power because the hosts are the armies of angels in heaven who always do God's will. This Name is found twice in the New Testament, Romans 9.29; James 5.4, and Christ is Lord of all angels, as we have seeen in 1 Peter 3.22. He is Lord of heaven and earth, Acts 17.24. The Name Lord sometimes means Jehovah in the New Testament, for example, in Romans it is used seven times for Jehovah, and 18 times for our Lord Jesus Christ. In the last book, Revelation, it is sometimes hard to tell if the Spirit is speaking of God or the Lamb, but it is clear that He means the Lord Jesus in 17.14 and 19.16, the Lord of Lords. To be saved we confess Him as Lord, Romans 10.9, and we do well to call Him Lord, John 13.13 and obey His commands, Matthew 7.21-23; Luke 6.46. This means that He has complete control of my whole life, my thoughts, words, all that I do, my time, my money... He is LORD OF ALL.
32 Names of Christ *19. I AM On the cover this Name I AM is in the center, the most important place. It declares that Christ is God, and He Himself said so. This is the most important subject and we have already considered it in five chapters on His Names: Wonderful, *2, Mighty God, *4, Lord God Almighty, *10, Root of David, *12, and Lord of all, * 18. First we go back to the Old Testament, to Exodus 3.14, where God revealed Himself to Moses. God was calling Moses to go and lead His people Israel out of Egypt. Moses asked God who He was so he could tell the people of Israel. God said, I AM WHO I AM and this was His Name, I AM. Moses should tell Israel that I AM sent him to them. The Name Jehovah may come from this same word, meaning He is, that is, He exists, always has and always will. This Name Jehovah is used for God about 6,500 times in the Old Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ used these words I AM about Himself in John 8.58 when He said that He existed before Abraham: Before Abraham was I AM. Christ is the only Person who existed before He was born. He was God, He became Man, the God-Man. Today many people teach that everyone lived before in some other form or person. They say that you should live a good life this time so you will be better when you are born the next time. This is false teaching; the Bible says a man dies once, and after that he must face the judgment of God, Hebrews 9.27, There will never be another chance. The Lord Jesus used these words I AM ten other times in John's Gospel: I AM the Bread of Life, 6.35,48,51; *13; I AM the Light of the world, 8.12; *28; I AM the Door, 10.7,9; *16; I AM the Good Shepherd, 10.11,14; *33; I AM the Son of God, 10.36; *20; I AM the Resurrection and the Life, 11.25; *34; I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life, 14.6; *16, *23, *39
I Am 33 I AM the True Vine, 15.1,5; I AM (Jesus of Nazareth), 18.5,6,8; *1; I AM a King, 18.37; *26. In another book, Revelation, John wrote by the Spirit these Names of Christ: I AM Alpha and Omega, 1.8; 21.6; 22.13; *37; I AM the First and the Last, 1.17; 22.13; *37; I AM the Beginning and the End, 21.6; 22.13 I AM the Root of David, 22.16; *12. The priests sent officers to arrest the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He did not try to hide who He was, and He did not want any of His disciples to be arrested, John 18.8. The officers said they came to arrest Jesus of Nazareth, and the Lord told them at once that He was the one they wanted. He said, I AM, John 18.5. The officers were so surprised that they stepped backward on each other and fell down to the ground. Jesus did not try to run away. He knew quite well what they would do to Him, but He went quietly with them. He was willing and ready to suffer according to God's will and He told Peter that He would drink the cup which His Father gave Him, John 18.11. He was a Man, Jesus of Nazareth, the perfect Man, always doing the Father's will. So should we.
34 Names of Christ *20. THE SON OF GOD We have noted many times that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. In these studies, the Name Son of God is used in *4, *7, *10, *11, *16, and *19, and the word Son in most of the others. Now it is time to find some of the verses where this Name is used of Christ in the Scripture. I count 111 verses in the New Testament where it is found, so we will be able to look at only a few of the more important ones. First of all, what about the Old Testament? Look at these three verses: Psalm 2.7 You are my Son. The Holy Spirit used the words of this verse again in Acts 13.33; Hebrews 1.5 and 5.5. This alone shows how important they are. Isaiah 9.6 A Son is given to us. This wonderful prophecy gives five grand Names of the Son, which we have read about in *2 to *6. Daniel 3.25 One like the Son of God. Some Bibles translate this verse differently, but it is easy to believe that the Son of God would stand with His faithful servants in the hour of their greatest trial. But the heathen king thought it must be an angel or one of his gods. In the New Testament, read, study, think and pray about these verses: The angel of the Lord said Mary's Child would be called Son: Luke 1.32,35. God the Father spoke to or about His Son: Matthew 16.16, 17; 17.5; Luke 3.22. The Lord Jesus spoke of Himself as the Son: Matthew 11.27; John 3.16,36; 5.19-23; 6.40; 8.35,36; 9.35; 10.36; 11.4; 17.1; 19.7 The Holy Spirit used the same word through inspired writers: Mark 1.1; John 1.18; 20.31 The disciples knew He was the Son: Matthew 14.33; John 1.34,49; 11.27; Paul by the Spirit taught that Christ is the Son of God: Acts 9.20; 13.33; Romans 1.3,4,9; 5.10; 8.3,29,32; 1 Corinthians 1.9;
The Son of God 35 15.28; 2 Corinthians 1.19; Galatians 1.16; 4.4,6; Ephesians 4.13; Colossians 1.13; 1 Thessalonians 1.10. The inspired writer of Hebrews taught this also: 1.2,5,8; 4.14; 5.5,8; 6.6; 10.29; Peter knew that Christ was the Son of God, Mark 9.2,7; 2 Peter 1.17; Other men learned this same truth: for example, Matthew 27.54. Of the eight writers of the New Testament, John the Apostle wrote more often about Christ the Son of God than any other. We have listed above some of the thirty verses in John's Gospel, and there are still more in his letters: 1 John 1.3,7; 2.22-24; 3.8,23; 4.9; 5.5,13.20; 2 John vs.3,9; Revelation 2.18. The other two writers, James and Jude, did not use the word Son, but they gave Him great glory in many other ways. You can see that the Father and the Spirit said that Christ is the Son of God, and He Himself said the same thing. There is only one God, Deuteronomy 6.4; James 2.19, but the New Testament teaches us about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, as we noted in *5. These Three are called the Persons of the Godhead, and are all equal One to the Other. On earth the father, of course, lives before his son and for a few years he may be stronger and greater. To call our Lord Jesus Christ the Son does not mean that the Father existed before the Son: the Logos was in the beginning with God, *13. The Son is not less important or less powerful than the Father, both are equal, John 10.30. The Father demands that all men should honor the Son as they honor the Father, John 5.22. Some day they will have to bow at the Name of Jesus. It is our joy to do so today.
36 Names of Christ *21. SHEPHERD AND BISHOP OF SOULS Peter by the Spirit taught that we are like sheep which have gone off alone and got lost, 1 Peter 2.25, but now we have returned to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. It is true that we were lost, Isaiah 53.6; Luke 15.4,7, and far from God, Ephesians 2.2,3,11,12. We have seen that Christ is the Good Shepherd,*19, (and will learn more about Him in *33). We saw too that Jehovah Himself came to care for His own sheep, * 10. He said He would feed His sheep and lead them gently, Isaiah 40.11; He would gather them together and keep them, Jeremiah 31.10; He would feed them and give them rest, Ezekiel 34.14,23. The Good Shepherd came into this world to look for lost sinners and to save them, Matthew 18.12; Luke 19.10. By His grace He calls men to return to Him, 2 Chronicles 30.6; Jeremiah 3.12; 4.1; Ezekiel 33.11. Some do, Luke 15.18. When He comes again, He will rule the world like a Shepherd, but with a rod of iron, that is, with all power, as well as in perfect righteousness, Psalm 2.9; Revelation 19.15. But now the Shepherd's rod is a comfort to the sheep, Psalm 23.4. The Shepherd feeds His sheep and cares for them, John 10.9. He protects them from their enemies and brings the people of God together as one Flock, John 10.10,16. This is the Church and the Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church, Ephesians 1.22; *29. The Spirit calls Him the Bishop or Overseer. It is important for Christians to meet together, to worship the Lord and to help one another, as in Acts 2.42. Even two or three believers can be sure that the Lord Himself is present with them when they meet together in His Name, Matthew 18.20. He is there as Head of the Body, the Bishop or Overseer of the Church. We should be sure that we do everything according to His will, according to His Word. The Holy Spirit will make some of the brothers responsible for the local church in a special way. They are called elders or overseers, Acts 20.28. They should feed the sheep and care for them like good shepherds. All the believers should accept them and obey them, Hebrews 13.17. The elders should live up to the stan-
Shepherd and Bishop 37 dards which the Spirit set in 1 Timothy 3.1-7 and Titus 1.5-9. They must know the Scripture and live a holy life. They must defend the sheep from wolves or false prophets who try to teach wrong doctrine, Matthew 7.15; Acts 20.29. There is no one Bishop over a church or over several churches. Each church has several overseers, Acts 11.30; 14.23; Philippians 1.1, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the only One who has authority over the whole Church. He is revealed as the One in charge of His people: He stands in the center of the seven churches, and holds the seven stars in His right hand, Revelation 1.13,16,20. He is both the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.