THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN UNITY

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Virus 16​

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The Name of Jesus: "He Will Save" Crosses Every Language

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“Confusion”: ‘not knowing which “name” to use’.

“At the Name of Jesus? Yeshua? Yehoshua? Yahusha? Yahshua? Every Knee Will Bow.”

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Introduction

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Rom. 10:13 All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 

The Lord made salvation simple. But in this day and age a new believer naturally searches online, where they are now faced with so many potential names to “call upon”, how can they know which one is correct?

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There is a passage in Judges where the Ephraimites are trying to cross the Jordan (a Biblical metaphor for “salvation”). Any  Ephraimite that cannot say “sh” in the word “Shibboleth” is killed:

 

Judges 12:6 They would say to him, “Then say, ‘Shibboleth’!” And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites.

 

The new lamb now has “sh?” or “not sh?” added to their list of ‘hard questions’ (see Virus 14).

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“If I say ‘Jesus’ instead of ‘Yeshua’, am I calling on the wrong Lord?”

 

The answer is a most emphatic “No.”

 

In fact God gave us reassurance on this point through the inscription that Pilate wrote on the cross. Pilate wrote “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” in three languages: Hebrew, Greek and Latin (John 19:19-20). We know that “if we died with Him, we will also live with Him” (2 Tim. 2:11 (NIV)).

 

“Name confusion” is really a symptom of Virus 9: Human tradition (Mark 7:13). It builds a wall where God built a bridge. It dishonours Jesus’s death. The enemy’s trick is to make us think that salvation is in pronunciation, not in Person. When pronunciation matters, prayer is in doubt.

 

Actually as we will see, what matters is not the choice of language, but the state of our heart. We can get the right name with our lips, but our heart can be far from Him.

 

Having said all of the above, whilst the language does not matter, the meaning of the name absolutely does matter. We should all understand the meaning behind “the Name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9-11).

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Objectives

By the end of this virus, every lamb will:

 

(1) Understand the meaning of His name.

 

(2) Understand that it is the state of our heart that matters, not the choice of language. “He will save” crosses every language barrier to save people out of every tribe and nation.

 

(3) Understand that the most important thing is that we know Him in person.

 

Presentation

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1. The Meaning Behind The Name

 

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

 

1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

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Acts 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

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This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

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In Scripture, names have meanings. They are often introduced with an explanation, as with the sons of Jacob. In Genesis, each time one of the twelve sons of Jacob is born and named, their name is explained. The first four explanations are as follows:

 

Ge. 29:32-35 So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

 

The names express meaning or mission. Unfortunately the meanings are “lost in translation” unless Scripture explicitly gives the meaning, as in the case of Jesus.

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him what name to give Mary’s son, he gave the explanation “he will save his people from their sins”:

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Matt. 1:20-21 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

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The Hebrew name of Jesus is given by יֵשׁוּעַ which is referenced as H3442 in Strong’s Concordance. It is transliterated as ‘Yeshuwa’ and pronounced ‘Yay-shoo ah’.

 

Sure enough, it means “He will save.” It is a shortened spelling of the earlier name given to the commander Joshua, who led the children of Israel into the promised land.

 

The longer name is given by Strongs H3091 (יְהוֹשׁוּעַ), pronounced “yeh-ho-Shoo-ah”. The longer form means “Jehovah-saved” or, as some interpret it “The Lord is Salvation”. It comes from H3068 meaning “Jehovah / Lord” and H3467 (“yasha") meaning to save, get the victory, deliver.

 

2. Pilate Wrote “Jesus of Nazareth” In Three Languages And Put All Three On The Cross

 

John 19:19-20 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:

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JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

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Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

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Hebrew

• Aramaic: ישוע הנצרי (or ישוע מנצרת)

• Transliteration: Yeshua Ha-Notsri

 

Greek (Koine)

• Koine: Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος

• Transliteration: Iēsous ho Nazōraios

 

Latin

• Original Form: Iesus Nazarenus

• Pronunciation: Yay-sooz Nah-zah-ray-noos

 

Knowing that if we died with Him, we will also live with Him (2 Tim. 2:11), it becomes clear that we do not have to speak Hebrew or use a Hebrew name to be saved. ‘Jesus’ is His legitimate Greek name transliterated into English. We should not worry about transliterations into other languages.

 

And in fact, as Acts 2:5-11 testifies, when the Spirit was poured out, men of every nation heard what was said about the wonderful works of God, each in their own tongue:

 

Acts 2:5-11 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marvelled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

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Jesus draws all men to him (John 12:32), not just Hebrew speakers. One death, one name, many tongues.

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In summary, as we have already seen, God is not careless with names. God Himself ensured that the name “JESUS” is in the bible, both in Matt. 1:21 and John 19:19-20.

 

3. Know the Person, Not Just The Name

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Matt. 15:7-9 “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

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Note that in the above quotation, the Lord was not saying that the people were drawing near with the wrong name. They had the right name, it was their heart that was far from Him.

 

The Name represents the Person including His character and His authority (Ex. 3:14-15). To know Him, we must know and love his character (Jer. 9:23-24), not just His name. And above all, we must obey Him. The worst words any of us can ever hear must surely be “depart from Me, you who practise lawlessness”:

 

Matt. 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practise lawlessness!’

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4. The Antidote to The Name Virus

 

(1) Teach the meaning of the name.

 

(2) Kill the fear: nobody’s salvation is dependent on whether they can say ‘sh’ (Judges 12:6).

 

(3) Unite the Body. Let Hebrew lambs say “Yeshua”, let English lambs say “Jesus”.

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Evaluation Questions & Answers

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1. What does the name “Jesus” mean?

   • “Jesus” means “The Lord saves” or “He will save” (Matt. 1:21). The angel gave the name, and the reason. The name is the mission.

2. Who does Jesus save?

   • “His people” (Matt. 1:21). That means all who believe on Him and turn from sin. He saves us from our sins, not just in our sins. He delivers us from sin’s power, penalty, and penalty’s shame (Rom. 6:14, 8:1).

3. Can any other name save us?

   • No. Acts 4:12 says “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Saints, angels, money, tradition, or religion cannot save. Only Jesus.

4. Why is it dangerous to change or hide the name Jesus?

   • Because if we hide the name, we hide the cure. The devils are afraid of that name (Luke 10:17). When we preach “God” or “Lord” but never “Jesus”, people do not know who to believe on. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:13-14).

   • Phil. 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.

5. How do we use the name Jesus today?

   • In three ways, with reverence:

     • To be saved: we believe on Him and call on Him (Acts 16:31).

     • To pray: we come to the Father in Jesus’s name (John 14:13-14).

     • To live: we do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus (Col. 3:17), and we never use it as a charm or curse.

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Prayer

• Heavenly Father, We thank You for the name Jesus. Thank You that You did not leave us in sin, but You sent Your Son to save us.

• Lord Jesus, we call on Your name today. Forgive us for every time we treated Your name lightly. Wash us from our sins by Your blood. Make us Your people. Help us to honour Your name with our lips, our prayers, and our lives. Let no tradition, no fear, no shame stop us from calling on You. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

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