The Name of God, “Jesus”

The Name of God, “Jesus”

 

We Christians believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the Trinity, that is, one God. Yet it seems that we often fail to fully recognize that the name “Jesus” is the name of God, and therefore we do not always live by relying on the name of Jesus in our daily lives. Perhaps for this reason, God asks us through Proverbs 30:4, “...What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know?” Knowing that the name of God is “Jesus” is very important for us. This is because the name upon which we must rely, and by which we must do all things, is only the name of “Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).

 

Before examining the passages, there is one important point we should understand. In many English Bibles, the Hebrew name of God, YHWH, is rendered as “the LORD” in capital letters. This is the divine name traditionally written as “Jehovah” in English and “여호와” in Korean. Therefore, when this article refers to “the LORD” in Old Testament passages, it should be understood as “the LORD” — that is, Jehovah, YHWH in the Hebrew text. The American Standard Version often renders this name directly as “Jehovah,” and this helps us see more clearly that these passages are speaking of the name of God.

 

There are many passages in the Bible that testify that the name of God is “Jesus.” Among them, let us examine a few representative passages. First, when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a young donkey, a great multitude took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him. Through the cry they shouted, let us see that the name of God is “Jesus.”

 

John 12:12-13 “12The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”

 

Through the passage above, we can see that the “LORD” in the phrase “He who comes in the name of the LORD” refers to Jehovah, the name of God. This declaration fulfilled the words written in the Psalms. Let us read the following passage from the Psalms, where the American Standard Version renders the divine name directly as “Jehovah.”

 

Psalm 118:26 “Blessed be he that cometh in the name of Jehovah: We have blessed you out of the house of Jehovah.”

 

What we should notice in the passage above is that the name of God, “Jehovah,” in the words “he that cometh in the name of Jehovah,” is rendered in John 12:13 as the title “the Lord.” In other words, through the great multitude who held palm branches and welcomed Jesus at that time, God caused them to testify that “Jesus is the One who comes in the name of Jehovah.” This shows that Old Testament passages in which the name of God is written as Jehovah, that is, YHWH, are often rendered in English Bibles as “the LORD.” Such passages become an important key in testifying that the name of God is “Jesus.” Let us look at more related passages by comparing the Old Testament and the New Testament.

 

Psalm 110:1 “Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

 

Acts 2:34-36 “34For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, 35Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

 

In the passage above as well, Psalm 110:1 says, “Jehovah saith unto my Lord...,” yet in Acts 2:34 it is expressed as “The LORD said to my Lord...,” showing that the name “Jehovah” is used as the reverential title “Lord.” The people of Israel in the Old Testament knew that their only “Lord” was “Jehovah,” and therefore they called their God “Lord Jehovah” (Genesis 15:2, 2 Samuel 7:18). However, when David said in Psalm 110:1, “Jehovah said to my Lord...,” it appeared as though David had another Lord besides Jehovah. Since the people of Israel at that time could never accept that there was any other Lord besides Jehovah, this passage remained difficult for them to understand for a long time (Matthew 22:41-46). The answer was revealed much later, on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of truth came down to this earth and explained it through the lips of the disciples in many tongues.

 

Acts 2:17-21 “17And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh... 21And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.”

 

Joel 2:28-32 “28And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh... 32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered...”

 

In these passages as well, the name “Jehovah” in Joel 2 is used in Acts 2 as the reverential title “Lord.” The Jews who heard this word from the disciples of Jesus at that time would have thought, up to that point, that “the name of the Lord = the name of Jehovah,” because for them, “the Lord” was Jehovah. But as the Holy Spirit of truth continued to speak through the disciples, He mentioned the very passage of David that the Jews had wondered about: “Jehovah said to my Lord...” And through the disciples, He proclaimed to the world that our Lord is now Jesus.

 

Acts 2:34-36 “34For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, 35Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

 

In verse 36 above, through the words, “Let all the house of Israel know assuredly... that God has made this Jesus both ‘Lord’ and ‘Christ,’” the Holy Spirit caused the people of Israel to understand that the “my Lord” spoken of by David long ago was none other than Jesus, whom they had crucified. It says that when the people of Israel heard this, they were cut to the heart (Acts 2:37). They also may have had the following confusion: If “Jehovah” is “Lord,” and “Jesus” is also “Lord,” then do we have two Lords? In fact, when the disciples quoted Joel 2:32 earlier and used the reverential title “Lord” instead of the name “Jehovah,” they were not trying to testify only that “the name of the Lord = the name of Jehovah.” Rather, because “Jesus = Lord,” they were testifying that one must now call upon “the name of the Lord,” that is, “the name of Jesus,” in order to be saved. In other words, by testifying that Jehovah and Jesus are the same “Lord,” they preached to the people of Israel the Trinity: that Jehovah God of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament are one.

 

Therefore, in Acts 2:21, where it says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved,” the “Lord” is no longer understood only as “Jehovah,” as written in Joel, but is now proclaimed as “Jesus.” In other words, after the Holy Spirit came down to this earth on the day of Pentecost, He gave His first testimony through the disciples: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” By doing so, He proclaimed to all nations in their own tongues that the name of God is “Jesus.” This is possible because Jehovah of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament are the same “one God.” Therefore, we do not have “two Lords,” but only “one Lord.”

 

Romans 10:9-13 “9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’”

 

1 Corinthians 12:3-5 “3...and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.”

 

Ephesians 4:3-5 “3endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism;”

 

Through the testimonies of the apostle Paul above, we can see that “Jesus” is our “Lord,” and that this “one Lord” has become “Lord over all.” Therefore, it is written that whoever calls upon “the name of the Lord,” that is, “the name of Jesus,” shall be saved (Romans 10:13).

 

In the New Testament, we cannot find the name “Lord Jehovah,” which we often encounter in the Old Testament, even once. There is only “Lord Jesus.” This is not, as some claim, a mistranslation, nor is it blasphemous toward God. This is truly the truth, and Scripture says that it rather gives glory to God.

 

Philippians 2:6-11 “6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 

Thus, since Scripture says that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, it is right for us to call Jesus “the Lord Jesus.”

 

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus...”

 

Ultimately, “Lord Jehovah” in the Old Testament and “Lord Jesus” in the New Testament are the same “one God.” And for us who live in these last days, it is very important, as the verse above says, to live by relying on the name of the “Lord Jesus” in whatever we do, whether in word or deed. This is because it is written that in the last days, “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:17-21).

 

Acts 4:5-12 “... 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole... 12Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’”

 

As the passage above says, “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel,” we also must know that there is only one name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved, and that name is only the name of Jesus. The disciples were able to boldly proclaim the salvation of the name of Jesus to the people of Israel, who at that time believed that the name of Jehovah was the name of their salvation, because the name of Jesus was the name of God. And as verse 8 says, “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,” this was not merely the word of Peter as an individual, but the testimony of the Spirit of truth, that is, the word of God.

 

John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.”

 

John 5:43 “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.”

 

John 17:11 “...Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.”