The Names of Jesus Christ

John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

This scripture has been quoted countless times throughout history, and yet it seems a little evasive in it's meaning. At least it has to me. Questions like "why is the word so important?" and "why is 'Word' capitalized in the scripture" are but few of those that I have asked myself in the past. But the answer is simple. It is a name for the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It makes sense if you replace "Word" with "Christ."

"In the beginning was the Christ, and the Christ was with God, and the Christ was God." This scripture, in both forms, is true. Christ, with all of us, were in the beginning, meaning before this world was created in the form of mortality that we know. He was with God. And as a creator of the world with God, He was - and is - the God of this world standing next to His Eternal Father.

Through Christ was the word, or will, of the Father put into effect on this earth. So His word, power, presence and glory, were all very much a part of who He was even before He came to this world. We, as children of God, stood by Him awaiting our chance to come to the earth so we could choose to follow Him in body as well as in Spirit. That is quite amazing.

Christ, as we know has many names, each of them meaning something very special in relationship to His earthly mission and eternal purpose. In Isaiah 9:6 we read, "...and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." This prophesy given by the Lord's prophet Isaiah has come to pass, as have others given in relationship to His names. I want to talk about a few that impressed me.

Immanuel. Matthew 1:23 - "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

As said in this scripture, Immanuel (or Emmanuel) is Greek for "God with us". This name is known in prophesy in reference to the birth of the Savior, and is an amazing promise. Not only is it a promise that the prophesied Christ would come to save us all, but it is a promise that God would always be with us. So long as we believe in His name, so long as we live our lives in a way that follows His teachings and His example, He will be with us always.

Jehova. Isaiah 12:2 - "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." (no emphasis added)

The name Jehova is derived from the greek name Yeshoa or Joshua which means "God is help", "Savior", and "the Eternal". How wonderful is it that our Savior's very name denotes that purpose to save us. It gives me great comfort to know that Jesus Christ is the help God sent for each and every one of us to be able to come back to Him again. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was performed so that we can receive the succor and help that we need individually in order to overcome all things, repent, and return again to our heavenly home.

Christ. Luke 9:20 - "He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God."

Christ is Greek for "the Annointed One". In the Jewish culture this name was seen as a sacred title. And when looking at the meaning of the name, it gives more meaning to the scripture above. Jesus Christ truly is "The Annointed One of God." As our older brother He came to earth so that we might have eternal life with Him in the House of His Father - the house of Our Father in Heaven.

Messiah. John 4:25 - "The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things."

Messiah, also Messias, is the Aramaic equivelent of "Christ", also translated as "the Annointed." In this form it is used as a title denoting a King or Deliverer in reference to the prophesied Christ. How perfect is it for us to look at our eternal Savior as our King? A king is a leader, one who delivers his people from any threat or discouragement.

I know that Jesus Christ is Wonderful. He is the prophesied Messiah and Immanuel who has come and who still lives to rule in righteousness. He stands waiting for us to allow Him to lead us into the Kingdom of our God. He truly is the Jehova who is eternal, and who is our Savior. He loves us. As we strive to better understand His names and the relevence and application they have in our daily lives, we will better see Him in our lives. We will see the role He has played for us, and we will feel His everlasting love for us personally. I have been blessed to have this in my life, and I will continually seek for greater love and leadership from my Lord, Jesus Christ. And I bear testimony of these things in His name, the eternal Christ, Amen.