The Bible is filled with different names of Christ. While the angel who made the announcement of His impending birth to Mary said that she would name Him “Jesus,” there are several other names for Christ given in Scripture. During this Advent season, we can reflect on each one of these names each day in order to gain a better understanding of who He is and the way that His goodness permeates every area of our lives.
Luke 1:31 (TPT)
You will become pregnant with a baby boy, and you are to name him Jesus.
Can you picture this scene? History teaches us that Mary was a young lady at this point, probably no older than 17, and potentially as young as 15. During Biblical times, it wasn’t uncommon for girls of this age to become married, so her status as Joseph’s fiancé wasn’t strange. Nor was her status as a virgin, as in many areas of the Middle East, premarital sex was an offense punishable by death. That makes the conversation that Mary had with the angel even more remarkable.
A young, engaged virgin receives the news that she is going to give birth to a baby boy. Obviously, the question that she asked was completely fair. Mary pointed out her virginity to the angel in Luke 1:34 and asked how this was even going to be possible. The angel stood by his prophecy, and his directions were clear. Mary was going to have a son, and she was to name him Jesus.
That first declaration of His name was only the beginning. Throughout the life of Christ (and even before He was born), the Bible referred to Him with multiple names. During the Advent season, when we are spending time drawing closer to God and preparing for the celebration of His birth, we are given the opportunity to try to know Him even more intimately than before.
Spend one week of the Advent season reflecting on these 5 names of Christ and what they mean for you. Doing so will give you an even greater insight into who He is and who He wants to be in your life.
The Son of God
1 John 4:14 (TPT)
Moreover, we have seen with our own eyes and can testify to the truth that Father God has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
Long before Jesus Christ was the Son of Mary and Joseph, He was the only Son of God. While we know that fact in our minds, it’s easy to reach a point where we take it for granted. When God made the decision to send Christ into the world through Mary, He did so because He knew that the best that He had to offer was the only way that we could ever have a relationship with Him. In order for us to become part of the family of God, a member of God’s family had to bring us in.
Today, spend time thanking God for the fact that He gave His Son so that we could come into His family.
Emmanuel
Matthew 1:23 (TPT)
Listen! A virgin will be pregnant, she will give birth to a Son, and he will be known as “Emmanuel,” which means in Hebrew, “God became one of us.”
The world’s first sin took place in the Garden of Eden. Before the events that are recorded in Genesis 3, humans had never sinned. That meant that there was no need for repentance or forgiveness. However, with the decision that Adam and Eve made, humanity suddenly needed a Savior. In order for humans to find the kind of forgiveness that we need, we needed a God who was able to confront the same temptations that we face and overcome them.
The name “Emmanuel,” means “God became one of us.” The celebration of Christmas is the celebration of the fact that God became a human. While Christ was 100% divine, He was also 100% human. That’s why the writer of Hebrews said that we “don’t have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in every way tempted as we are, yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
Today, thank God for the fact that His Son came into the world on the first Christmas and that God became one of us.
Wonderful Counselor
Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
There are several names of Christ listed in this prophecy from Isaiah, but for the sake of this study, we’re going to take a look at “Wonderful Counselor.” The term “Counselor” in this context is used as a legal term. The language used here for “Counselor” is literally translated as someone who serves as a defense attorney.
As humans, we are naturally guilty of sin. Multiple times in Scripture, God is referred to as a Judge, which means our naturally guilty nature puts us in serious danger. In the same way that God is referred to as a judge, Satan is often referred to as an accuser. In order to fully understand this name of Christ, picture a courtroom scene. Behind the bench, God is sitting there in His role as Judge. Across the room, Satan stands up to accuse you of everything that you’ve ever done wrong. With your head hung down in shame you know that you’re guilty of everything that Satan has said. Suddenly, your Defense Attorney, your Counselor, stands up and begins to explain that all your wrongdoings have been paid for. Suddenly, the gavel comes down and you’re declared “not guilty” of every accusation against you.
Today, thank God for the fact that You have a defender who will vouch for your innocence in the face of the accusations against you.
Redeemer
Isaiah 44:24 (ESV)
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,
In the same way that “Counselor” was a term that dealt with the legal system, “Redeemer” also goes back to a legal process that was common in the Old Testament. When someone who owed a debt to another person died, the debt became the responsibility of the family. For instance, if a man who had no children died while owing someone a sum of money, it became the responsibility of his widow to repay the debt. In ancient times, it was incredibly rare for a woman to have a job, which would make this repayment impossible. A male relative of the deceased could come in, pay the debt on behalf of the survivors, and redeem them from a life of slavery to the person who the money was owed to.
We understand that our sinful nature caused us to owe a debt that we could not pay. The only way to pay the price for sin is through the sacrifice of a perfect being. In the Old Testament, sacrifices had to be spotless and without blemish. When God wanted to put an end to the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, He gave His Son as the perfect sacrifice (John 3:16). Since we could never repay the sin debt that we owed, Christ became our redeemer.
Today, thank God for the fact that His Son paid the debt that you could not pay.
The Good Shepherd
John 10:11 (TPT)
I am the Good Shepherd who lays down my life as a sacrifice for the sheep.
Finally, the Bible teaches us that Christ is our Shepherd, and that we are the sheep of His flock. However, He is not only our Shepherd, but He is our Good Shepherd. A Good Shepherd doesn’t just give the sheep enough food and water to survive but offers His own life in order to protect them. Christ established Himself as our Good Shepherd when He laid down His life as a sacrifice for our sins.
Today, thank God for the fact that Christ is the Good Shepherd and that you are a part of His flock. You can rest assured that He will give His sheep everything we need.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving Your Only Son as the ultimate sacrifice for my sins. I thank You for everything that Christ is in my life. My Counselor, Good Shepherd, Redeemer, Emmanuel, and Your Son. Thank You for giving me everything that I could ever need through Him. I ask these things in His powerful name, Amen.