The complex nature and mission of
Jesus Christ is revealed in the many names and titles that He is referred to
throughout scripture. As we review those titles we are left with the reality
that our human minds will never fully comprehend the magnificence and goodness
of our Creator in His merciful efforts toward our human family.
The salvation of God as revealed in
His son Jesus Christ is the greatest act of love man will ever experience. The
titles of Jesus helps us to appreciate this wondrous gift that God is offering
to us.
In defining who Jesus is the Bible
uses some 260 names and titles from "Advocate" to "Word". Many of these titles
are duplicate in meaning to define His specific involvement with our human
family. For example, the title "Savior" is duplicated with the titles "Savior,
Jesus Christ", "Savior of the Body" and "Savior of the World".
The summary of Jesus can, however, be
found in four of His titles…
1. The Son of God
2. The Son of Man
3. The Messiah
4. The Prophet
5. Other Titles
Jesus, The Son Of God
There are 205 references in the Bible
declaring Jesus to be the Son of God…emphasis being on the word,
the.
While all human beings may claim to
be "sons and daughters of God" in that we are His physical creation…the Bible
reveals only "One begotten of the Father" as The spiritual Son who
possessed the complete nature, attributes, power and authority of God. This
One is identified to be Jesus of Nazareth.
"When Jesus came to
Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who are the people saying I am?"
"Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; some,
Jeremiah or one of the other prophets." Then he asked them, "Who do you
think I am?" Simon Peter answered, "The Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the
living God." "God has blessed you, Simon, son of Jonah," Jesus said, "for my
Father in heaven has personally revealed this to you--this is not from any
human source." Matthew 16:13-17
"While he spoke, behold, a
bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which
said, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye
him.’" Matthew 17:5
Jesus,
The Son Of Man
In contrast to being the Son of God
the Bible further reveals Jesus to be the Son of Man.
Many find this confusing, especially
when it is understood that Jesus was the physical son of Mary (but not Joseph)
who was born through the birth process as other human beings.
The Bible reveals the birth of Jesus
as a miraculous event whereby a virgin woman was impregnated by God’s Holy
Spirit. Joseph, who was then Mary’s fiancée awaiting their marriage, was
informed by a heavenly Angel that Mary had been selected to be the physical
birth mother of God’s Son…and that her pregnancy was not of human conception.
The question sometimes heard is…"Why
didn’t Jesus appear on earth in a miraculous revelation (like suddenly
floating down from heaven in a cloud) to erase all doubt as to who He is?" Why
did he choose to enter the world through the natural birth process like other
human beings?
The Bible answers that question in
several places. First of all, had Jesus chosen to enter the world through some
mystical event there would still be those who challenged and questioned that
it actually happened. This is human nature…to be suspicious and skeptical of
mystical religious events…especially when humans had already settled in to
their own religions.
A more compelling evidence of Jesus’
credibility would be that He had fulfilled certain prophecies spoken centuries
before regarding Him…prophecies that began with the sign of the virgin
birth…spoken through Isaiah some seven-hundred years prior to His birth.
"Therefore the Lord
himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14
Throughout history there have been
many self-proclaimed "saviors of mankind". All have been proven to be
counterfeit…ordinary men of ordinary parents. One of the reasons that God
chose a physical virgin birth was to give a clear sign that would identify His
Son beyond doubt.
There are also other prophecies
regarding the coming Messiah that were explicitly fulfilled in the life of
Jesus. These prophecies were all recorded hundreds of years before the birth
and life of Christ. Their fulfillment is a forceful confirmation to the
credibility of Jesus…that He is who He claimed to be…the Son of God who came
to earth as the promised Messiah.
"Your attitude should be
the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not
demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and
glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled
himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal's death on
a cross. Yet it was because of this that God raised him up to the heights of
heaven and gave him a name which is above every other name, that at the name
of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father." Phillipians 2:5-11
Another reason for the physical birth
of Jesus was that God wanted to experience what human beings experience. God,
who is a spiritual Being far above the circumstances of human beings, wanted
to understand human experiences…including birth, life and death.
God became human to understand human
dilemma…especially our dilemma with sin. In order to do that God chose to
experience every phase of human life beginning at birth through adulthood.
"And that is the way it was with us before
Christ came. We were slaves to Jewish laws and rituals, for we thought they
could save us. But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he
sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew, to buy freedom for us who were
slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own sons.And because
we are his sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, so now
we can rightly speak of God as our dear Father. Now we are no longer slaves
but God's own sons. And since we are his sons, everything he has belongs to
us, for that is the way God planned."
Galatians 4:3-7
"Since we, God's children, are human
beings--made of flesh and blood--he became flesh and blood too by being born
in human form; for only as a human being could he die and in dying break the
power of the devil who had the power of death. Only in that way could he
deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as
slaves to constant dread. We all know he did not come as an angel but as a
human being--yes, a Jew. And it was necessary for Jesus to be like us, his
brothers, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before
God, a Priest who would be both merciful to us and faithful to God in
dealing with the sins of the people. For since he himself has now been
through suffering and temptation, he knows what it is like when we suffer
and are tempted, and he is wonderfully able to help us."
Hebrews 2:14-18
"Dearly loved friends, don't always believe
everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God: test
it first to see if it really is. For there are many false teachers around,
and the way to find out if their message is from the Holy Spirit is to ask:
Does it really agree that Jesus Christ, God's Son, actually became man with
a human body? If so, then the message is from God. If not, the message is
not from God but from one who is against Christ, like the "Antichrist" you
have heard about who is going to come, and his attitude of enmity against
Christ is already abroad in the world."
1 John 4:1-3
"Watch out for the false leaders--and there
are many of them around--who don't believe that Jesus Christ came to earth
as a human being with a body like ours. Such people are against the truth
and against Christ. Beware of being like them and losing the prize that you
and I have been working so hard to get. See to it that you win your full
reward from the Lord. For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you
will leave God behind; while if you are loyal to Christ's teachings, you
will have God too. Then you will have both the Father and the Son. If anyone
comes to teach you, and he doesn't believe what Christ taught, don't even
invite him into your home. Don't encourage him in any way. If you do, you
will be a partner with him in his wickedness."
2 John 1:7-11
Jesus, The
Messiah
The words "Messiah" and "Christ"
both mean the same thing and refer to the same person. Each is used to
identify "The Anointed One". Messiah is the Hebrew word while Christ is the
Greek translation.
Throughout the Bible we are
introduced to a Messiah. The Old Testament contains prophecies of a Messiah
who would eventually come to earth as the negotiator between God and man. The
New Testament identifies Jesus of Nazareth to be that Messiah who fulfilled
all the Old Testament prophecies. Later we will discuss the specific role of
Messiah, "The Anointed One", in relation to our human family.
"Now when John (the
Baptist) had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his
disciples, And said unto him, "Art thou he that should come, or do we look
for another?" Jesus answered and said unto them, "Go and show John again
those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are
raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he,
whosoever shall not be offended in me." Matthew 11: 2-6
"When Jesus came into the
coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Whom do men
say that I the Son of man am?" And they said, "Some say that thou art John
the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He
saith unto them, "But whom say ye that I am?" And Simon Peter answered and
said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered
and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in
heaven." Matthew 16:13-17
"Philip now went off to
look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the Messiah!--the very
person Moses and the prophets told about! His name is Jesus, the son of
Joseph from Nazareth!" John 1:45
"The woman said to Him, "I
know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will
tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am
He." John 4:25-26
Jesus, The
Prophet
The words prophet and prophesy are
used in two distinct ways in the scriptures. The Hebrew and Greek words, nabiy’
and prophetes, from where we get our English word, prophet, mean "an inspired
speaker" (who speaks by Divine inspiration). They also imply "a fore teller"
(who foretells or predicts future events).
The two-fold role of God’s prophet is
seen in scripture to "speak or teach by Divine inspiration" and to "foretell
future events" as God revealed them. On occasion the prophet may speak
inspired words (powerful truths) that do not include the foretelling of the
future.
There have been numerous men
throughout history who were chosen of God as prophets…who spoke powerful
truths as God inspired them to do so. Some were also inspired to reveal future
events long before they happened…events that were fulfilled hundreds and
thousands of years after the life of the prophet.
But while there were a number of men
of Old Testament times chosen as prophets, God ordained One to be The Prophet
who would declare God’s truths as never before spoken. This One Prophet was
Jesus, God’s Son.
The two-fold role of a prophet
(inspired teacher and foreteller of future events) was extraordinarily
expressed in the life of Jesus. His message and revelations have proven Jesus
to be the most inspired teacher in all of history. The truths which He taught
are so timely and eternal that they suffice even today as the answer to all
our human needs. Nowhere in all of human teachings is there to be found such
wisdom as what Jesus, the Prophet of God, has left with us.
Jesus also was the most enlightened
"seer of the future" that the world has ever known. He foretold future events
so accurately that even the most critical skeptic must give respect to His
prophetical ability.
"A great fear swept the
crowd, and they exclaimed with praises to God, "A mighty prophet has risen
among us," and, "We have seen the hand of God at work
today." Luke 7:16
"There was a man of the
Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by
night, and said unto him, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from
God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with
him." John 3:1-2
"When the people realized
what a great miracle had happened, they exclaimed, "Surely, he is the
Prophet we have been expecting!" John 6:14
"Jesus traveled all
through Galilee teaching in the Jewish synagogues, everywhere preaching the
Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven. And he healed every kind of sickness
and disease. The report of his miracles spread far beyond the borders of
Galilee so that sick folk were soon coming to be healed from as far away as
Syria. And whatever their illness and pain, or if they were possessed by
demons, or were insane, or paralyzed--he healed them
all." Matthew 4:23-24
"They said to Jesus, "Sir,
we know what an honest teacher you are. You always tell the truth and don't
budge an inch in the face of what others think, but teach the ways of
God." Luke 20:21
An understanding of Jesus as "The Son
of God", "The Son of Man", "The Messiah" and "The Prophet" is a beginning
toward realizing who He is…and how He relates to our human family.
