July 11, 2004 / Volume 8, Issue 28
Jesus, Name Above All Names
Having exalted the name of Jesus before the Jewish rulers, the apostle Peter concluded, "...nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12). Years later, the apostle Paul, having spoken of Jesus' death on our account to the Philippian brethren, penned, "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." (Philippians 2:9-11).
Jesus is translated from the Greek iesous, which originally came from the Hebrew yahowshua, means "Jehovah is salvation". There have been many who have worn the name, but only One can satisfy the high calling which the apostles spoke of. Joshua, the great military captain of Israel, shared the name with our Lord, but as valiant as he was in the service of God, he was not the salvation of God unto all men. A first century Christian, a companion of Paul (Colossians 4:11) wore the name Jesus, but neither could he fill the wonderful words which are accomplished in Jesus of Nazareth.
Why is Jesus the name given among men whereby we must be saved? Why is the name of Jesus exalted above every other name, so as to be worthy of adoration from all tongues? It is not merely the name, but the man who wore the name. Consider just a few things the Hebrew writer tells us about Jesus. He "...was made a little lower than the angels...that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." (2:9). He is "...the Apostle and High Priest of our confession..." (3:1). We have been "...sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ..." (7:22). We can have "...boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus..." (10:19). He has become for us "...the Mediator of the new covenant..." (12:24).
What a glorious Saviour! Below are the words to "Jesus, Name Above All Names", including some verses we've added. Let us praise the name of Christ Jesus our Lord!!
Jesus, name above all names,
Beautiful Saviour, glorious Lord;
Emmanuel, God is with us,
Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.
Advocate, God blessed forever,
Alpha, Omega, Almighty God;
The Bread of Life, desire of nations,
The King eternal, My Lord and my God.
My Helper, He's the good shepherd,
The hope of glory, Heir of all things;
Anointed One, Faithful and True,
Lord of harvest, David's offspring.
The Son of Man, Man of sorrows,
Our Mediator, My strength and my song;
Our Passover, promised of Abraham,
Salvation's author, To Thee we say "come".
Click here for this week's Answering The Atheist
Where did Aaron die? Numbers says he died on Mount Hor (Numbers 20:27-28; 33:38), but Deuteronomy 10:6 says he died at Mosera. Is there a contradiction?
