The Profound Significance of Jesus' Names and Titles

 

Summary

In exploring the significance of names and titles in the Bible, we find that Jesus is the most titled person in recorded history. Each title attributed to Him reveals a facet of His character or mission. The most frequently used title is "Christ," which is not a surname but a title meaning "the Anointed One," derived from the Greek "Christos," translating the Hebrew "Messiah." This title encapsulates the multifaceted role of Jesus as the Shepherd, King, Lamb, and Suffering Servant, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies in a remarkable convergence of divine inspiration.

The second most common title is "Lord," a term with varying degrees of significance. It ranges from a polite address akin to "Sir" to a profound acknowledgment of Jesus' divine sovereignty, akin to the Old Testament "Adonai." The early Christian confession "Jesus is Lord" was a radical declaration that often led to persecution, as it directly challenged the Roman emperor's claim to divinity. This title underscores the belief that Jesus is the sovereign ruler over all creation, a truth that can only be genuinely confessed through the Holy Spirit.

The third most frequent title is "Son of Man," which Jesus predominantly used for Himself. Contrary to interpretations of humility, this title is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, particularly in Daniel's vision, where the Son of Man is a divine figure who comes with authority to judge the world. This title emphasizes Jesus' heavenly origin and His role as the divine judge, embodying God's visitation to the world.

Each name and title of Jesus in the New Testament is rich with meaning, offering insights into His divine nature and mission. As we study these titles, we gain a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and the profound impact of His work.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Significance of Titles: The titles of Jesus, such as "Christ" and "Lord," are not mere labels but profound revelations of His identity and mission. "Christ" signifies His anointed role as the Messiah, fulfilling the complex expectations of the Old Testament. Understanding these titles enriches our comprehension of Jesus' divine purpose. [03:42]

2. The Radical Confession of Lordship: Declaring "Jesus is Lord" was a bold and dangerous confession in the early church, directly opposing the Roman emperor's claim to divinity. This confession highlights the early Christians' unwavering commitment to Jesus' divine sovereignty, a truth that remains central to Christian faith today. [06:56]

3. The Multifaceted Role of the Messiah: Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies as the Shepherd, King, Lamb, and Suffering Servant. This convergence of roles in one person is a testament to the divine inspiration of the Bible, showcasing the intricate tapestry of God's redemptive plan. [05:44]

4. The Exalted Title of 'Son of Man': Far from being a humble designation, "Son of Man" is a title of divine authority and judgment, rooted in Daniel's vision. It underscores Jesus' heavenly origin and His role as the divine judge, bringing God's visitation to the world. [21:23]

5. The Divine Sovereignty of Jesus: The title "Lord" in its highest sense, as used in the New Testament, aligns with the Old Testament "Adonai," signifying God's absolute sovereignty. This title affirms Jesus' divine authority over all creation, a truth that can only be genuinely confessed through the Holy Spirit. [13:39]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:24] - The Significance of Names and Titles
- [01:07] - A Scholar's Surprising Address
- [01:59] - Names Revealing Christ's Character
- [02:27] - Understanding 'Jesus Christ'
- [03:09] - The Title 'Christ'
- [03:42] - Christos and Messiah
- [04:27] - Jesus' First Sermon
- [05:03] - The Complex Role of Messiah
- [05:44] - Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecies
- [06:21] - Jesus as Lion and Lamb
- [06:56] - The Title 'Lord'
- [08:09] - Different Uses of 'Lord'
- [09:18] - 'Lord' as a Title of Sovereignty
- [11:06] - The Imperial Use of 'Lord'
- [13:39] - 'Lord' in the Old Testament
- [15:17] - The Kenotic Hymn
- [16:49] - The Name Above Every Name
- [17:56] - The Title 'Son of Man'
- [19:41] - Jesus' Preferred Title
- [21:23] - The Exalted 'Son of Man'
- [22:50] - The Meaning Behind Every Name

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Significance of Jesus' Titles

Bible Reading:

1. Isaiah 61:1-2 - "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn." ([04:27])

2. Daniel 7:13-14 - "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed." ([21:23])

3. Philippians 2:9-11 - "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." ([16:49])

Observation Questions:

1. What is the significance of the title "Christ" as explained in the sermon, and how does it relate to Jesus' role as the Messiah? ([03:42])

2. How did the early Christians' confession of "Jesus is Lord" challenge the Roman authorities, and what were the implications of this confession? ([06:56])

3. According to the sermon, why is the title "Son of Man" significant, and how does it relate to Jesus' authority and mission? ([21:23])

4. How does the sermon describe the different uses of the title "Lord" in the New Testament, and what is its highest use? ([13:39])

Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the title "Christ" encapsulate the multifaceted role of Jesus as described in the sermon? How does this understanding deepen one's comprehension of Jesus' mission? ([05:03])

2. Why was the confession "Jesus is Lord" considered radical in the early church, and how does this confession continue to be relevant for Christians today? ([07:26])

3. How does the title "Son of Man" as used by Jesus Himself reflect His divine authority and mission, according to the sermon? ([21:23])

4. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between the title "Lord" and Jesus' divine sovereignty over creation? How does this align with Old Testament references to God as "Adonai"? ([13:39])

Application Questions:

1. Reflect on the title "Christ" and its meaning as "the Anointed One." How does this understanding of Jesus as the Messiah influence your personal faith journey? ([03:42])

2. The early Christians faced persecution for declaring "Jesus is Lord." In what ways can you boldly live out this confession in your daily life, even when it might be challenging? ([07:26])

3. Consider the title "Son of Man" and its implications of divine authority and judgment. How does this perspective of Jesus impact your view of His role in your life and the world? ([21:23])

4. The sermon highlights the different uses of the title "Lord." How can you acknowledge Jesus' lordship in your life, particularly in areas where you struggle to surrender control? ([13:39])

5. Reflect on the significance of Jesus' titles in revealing His character and mission. How can you incorporate this understanding into your worship and prayer life?

6. The sermon discusses the convergence of Old Testament prophecies in Jesus. How does this fulfillment of prophecy strengthen your confidence in the Bible's divine inspiration? ([05:44])

7. How can you use the understanding of Jesus' titles to engage in meaningful conversations about faith with others who may not share your beliefs?

Devotional

Day 1: The Profound Identity of Christ
The titles of Jesus, such as "Christ," are not mere labels but profound revelations of His identity and mission. "Christ" signifies His anointed role as the Messiah, fulfilling the complex expectations of the Old Testament. Understanding these titles enriches our comprehension of Jesus' divine purpose. The title "Christ" is derived from the Greek "Christos," translating the Hebrew "Messiah," and encapsulates the multifaceted role of Jesus as the Shepherd, King, Lamb, and Suffering Servant. This convergence of roles in one person is a testament to the divine inspiration of the Bible, showcasing the intricate tapestry of God's redemptive plan. [03:42]

Isaiah 61:1-2 (ESV): "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn."

Reflection: Consider the different roles Jesus fulfills as the Messiah. Which aspect of His mission resonates most with you today, and how can you reflect that in your actions?


Day 2: The Radical Confession of Jesus as Lord
Declaring "Jesus is Lord" was a bold and dangerous confession in the early church, directly opposing the Roman emperor's claim to divinity. This confession highlights the early Christians' unwavering commitment to Jesus' divine sovereignty, a truth that remains central to Christian faith today. The term "Lord" ranges from a polite address akin to "Sir" to a profound acknowledgment of Jesus' divine sovereignty, akin to the Old Testament "Adonai." The early Christian confession was a radical declaration that often led to persecution, as it directly challenged the Roman emperor's claim to divinity. [06:56]

Acts 4:12 (ESV): "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Reflection: In what ways can you boldly declare Jesus as Lord in your life today, even if it means standing against societal norms or expectations?


Day 3: The Multifaceted Role of the Messiah
Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies as the Shepherd, King, Lamb, and Suffering Servant. This convergence of roles in one person is a testament to the divine inspiration of the Bible, showcasing the intricate tapestry of God's redemptive plan. Each role reveals a different facet of His character and mission, demonstrating the depth and breadth of His work on earth. Understanding these roles helps us appreciate the complexity and beauty of God's plan for salvation and the profound impact of Jesus' work. [05:44]

Zechariah 9:9 (ESV): "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Reflection: Reflect on the different roles Jesus plays as the Messiah. How can you embody one of these roles in your interactions with others today?


Day 4: The Exalted Title of 'Son of Man'
Far from being a humble designation, "Son of Man" is a title of divine authority and judgment, rooted in Daniel's vision. It underscores Jesus' heavenly origin and His role as the divine judge, bringing God's visitation to the world. This title emphasizes Jesus' heavenly origin and His role as the divine judge, embodying God's visitation to the world. Understanding this title helps us grasp the significance of Jesus' mission and the authority He holds as the Son of Man. [21:23]

Daniel 7:13-14 (ESV): "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."

Reflection: How does understanding Jesus as the "Son of Man" change your perspective on His authority and role in your life today?


Day 5: The Divine Sovereignty of Jesus
The title "Lord" in its highest sense, as used in the New Testament, aligns with the Old Testament "Adonai," signifying God's absolute sovereignty. This title affirms Jesus' divine authority over all creation, a truth that can only be genuinely confessed through the Holy Spirit. Recognizing Jesus as Lord means acknowledging His ultimate authority and submitting to His will in every aspect of life. This understanding challenges us to live in a way that reflects His sovereignty and aligns with His purposes. [13:39]

Psalm 110:1 (ESV): "The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'"

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

Quotes


I think it's safe to say that Jesus is the most titled person in all of recorded history. I remember an occasion where at a theological seminary where I once worked, they would hold an annual convocation where a leading scholar would come and give an academic address for the occasion, and on this particular day the scholar who was invited was well-known, and everybody expected a very technical, academic discourse during his 45-minute address. [00:00:34]

And he surprised everybody by simply coming to the podium. He opened up a piece of paper that had a long list on it, and as a litany he began to recite the names for Jesus that are found in Scripture. He just began to read from this list saying things like, "Lord, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, Emanuel, The Word, Our Champion, The Rose of Sharon, The Lily of the Valley," and he went on and on and on for 45 minutes before he exhausted the number of names that are given to Jesus in the New Testament. [00:01:11]

And each one of these names, or each one of these titles, reveals something to us about the character of Christ or about the work in which He was engaged, and that's an interesting study that you may do on your own. As you're going through the Scripture, notice every time the Scripture assigns a title to Jesus. Now, in the brief time that we have in this session, we're going to look at some of the more prominent names or titles that are given to Jesus in the New Testament. [00:02:03]

We know that we are familiar with the name Jesus Christ. But to call this His name is itself a misnomer, because it's not really His name. His name is Jesus, or Jesus bar Joseph, or Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is a title. It's like we would say of the President of the United States, President William Jefferson Clinton, or whoever is the president at the time. President is the title; William is his name. [00:02:41]

And so in this case, the title that is used is Christ, and this is the title for Jesus that is used more frequently than any other title in the entire Scripture. And it's because of its numerical frequency, it's because it's used so often in connection with Jesus that we've come to think of it as Jesus' last name, Jesus Christ. You notice how sometimes the Bible reverses the order and will speak of Christ Jesus. [00:03:23]

Now, the word Christ comes from the Greek word Christos which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament word for Messiah, and it means the one who is anointed. And we remember Jesus, when He gave His first recorded sermon in the synagogue, where that day the reading for the congregation came from Isaiah 61, which says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, and He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor," and so on. [00:03:56]

And Jesus, after the reading of that text simply said to the congregation, "This day this Scripture has been fulfilled in your midst," in which He was identifying Himself with the content that Isaiah was explaining with respect to the idea of Messiah. While the concept of Messiah is extremely complex, it is not a simple idea, but there are several strands that are interwoven in the Biblical progressive revelation of the function and the character and the nature of this Messiah who would come and deliver his people, Israel. [00:04:34]

And, in a sense, for Christ to be the Messiah, He has to be the Shepherd; He has to be the King; He has to be the Lamb; He has to be the Suffering Servant of God that is predicted in the book of Isaiah, for example. There are many, many different strands that come together in a marvelous way. In fact, I think one of the extraordinary evidences for the divine inspiration of the Bible is to see how all these different strands of Messianic expectancies set forth in the Old Testament all converge and are fulfilled in one person in a dramatic way. [00:05:22]

Now, the second most frequently used title for Jesus in the New Testament, which is a title of great importance, is the title 'Lord'. And, in fact, this title is so important that it is said that the earliest creed of the Christian community, the first century church, the earliest confession of faith was a very simple one. It was the confession, Jesus ho kyrios, Jesus is Lord. That was the simple confession of faith, and one of the historical reasons for that was that it was at the point in which the Christian community embraced Jesus as Lord that got them into difficulty with the Roman authorities. [00:06:35]

Because of the emperor cult in Rome, where for loyalty to the Roman Empire, it was required of the citizens to recite publicly the words 'Kairos kurios', Caesar is lord. Now, the early Christians were deeply committed to the mandate that they had received from Christ and from the apostles to be obedient to the civil magistrate, to pray for the king, to honor the king, and all of those things, and so they did bend over backwards to pay their taxes and obey the laws of the state, and so on, but the one thing they couldn't do would be to ascribe to Caesar the honor and the majesty that went with this term. [00:07:34]

Now, this term 'Lord' isn't always used in such a majestic way in the New Testament. In fact, it's a little bit confusing for us because there are three distinct ways in which this word 'lord', which translates the Greek kurios, is used. The first place the word 'lord' can be and did function as the simple, polite form of address that you would give to any man. It's like saying 'Sir' to a man. [00:08:20]

But the highest use of the term in the New Testament is what's called the imperial use of the title 'lord'. And of course, that was the usage that Caesar had sought to arrogate to himself. And that, of course, was the one that caused the Christians all the grief. And in this sense the New Testament gives us somewhat cryptic statement which says no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit, almost seems to contradict what Jesus Himself said in the end of the Sermon on the Mount, when he said, "Many will come on the last day" saying what? "Lord, Lord, didn't we do this in your name and didn't we do that in your name," and he said, "I will look at them and say, 'Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you'." [00:11:07]

The term Adonai refers to God's absolute sovereignty over all of His creation. Now, we come to the New Testament. We read the amazing hymn that Paul uses in the second chapter of his epistle to the Philippians, sometimes called the Kenotic hymn. "Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God took His equality with God not as a thing to be grasped or jealously guarded or tenaciously held on to, but he emptied Himself and took upon Himself the form of a man and became obedient as a servant even unto death" and so on. [00:15:17]

Now, we have a special series that we've done at Ligonier that goes into this in much greater detail and we can't do it in the quick overview of this series, but it's one I do commend for people who want to go deeper and it's called 'The Majesty of Christ'. And many folks have told us that that's helped open up the New Testament view of Jesus for them, and I'd just commend that to you in passing. But in any case, these are the first two titles used for Jesus in terms of their numerical frequency. [00:17:16]

When we get to the third title in terms of numbers of use really the title Messiah is used hundreds of times and also into the hundreds is the title 'Lord'. And then when we get to the third in the frequency list, we drop down dramatically to the low 80's and that is the title Son of Man. Son of Man. Now, what's unusual and fascinating about this title for Jesus is that though it ranks third in the frequency of usage of titles for Jesus in the New Testament over all, it is far and away the number one title that Jesus used for Himself. [00:17:46]

If we go back to the Old Testament, particularly to the book of Daniel, and we see the vision that Daniel has into the inner chambers of heaven, we have a scene there in which God appears in the throne of judgment as the Ancient of Days, and He welcomes into His presence the One who comes to Him on clouds of glory who is called the Son of Man. And it is the Son of Man who is given the authority to judge the world. And so in the New Testament usage of this title, the Son of Man is a heavenly person Who descends from Heaven to the earth and He represents nothing less than the authority of God. [00:21:01]

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Transcript
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