Divine Name Christology
Table of Contents
The Hebrew Bible often equates God’s Name with God himself, which is why blaspheming the Name or using it in vain makes a person guilty of a heinous sin punishable by death:
“You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7
“And the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)… Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of Yahweh shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.” Leviticus 24:11, 16
In fact, the Name is so important that God has committed himself to make sure that it will never be profaned again:
“And My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel.” Ezekiel 39:7
We are further told that the ark of the covenant, which symbolizes God’s presence among his people, is called after the Name:
“Then David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of Yahweh of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.” 2 Samuel 6:1-2
The prophetic Scriptures, along with Jewish and Christian writings even go as far as to personify the Name of God, attributing to it personal agency and characteristics such as the creation of all things and coming in judgment to unleash its wrath against the disbelieving nations:
“Behold, the name of Yahweh comes from afar; Burning is His anger and heavy is His smoke; His lips are filled with indignation And His tongue is like a consuming fire; His breath is like an overflowing torrent, Which reaches to the neck, To shake the nations back and forth in a sieve of worthlessness, And to put in the jaws of the peoples the bridle which staggers one to ruin.” Isaiah 30:27-28
ועתה אשביעכם בשבועה גדולה, כי אין שבועה גדולה מהישבע בשם המבורך והמכובד והגדול אשר עשה שמים וארץ וכל היקום:
And now I shall make you swear a great oath–for there is no oath which is greater than it by the name glorious and honoured and great and splendid and wonderful and mighty, which created the heavens and the earth and all things together. (Book of Jubilees 36:8; emphasis mine)
Chapter 59. Warning Against Disobedience. Prayer.
If, however, any shall disobey the words spoken by Him through us, let them know that they will involve themselves in transgression and serious danger; but we shall be innocent of this sin, and, instant in prayer and supplication, shall desire that the Creator of all preserve unbroken the computed number of His elect in the whole world through His beloved Son Jesus Christ, through whom He called us from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge of the glory of His name, our hope resting on Your name which is primal cause of every creature — having opened the eyes of our heart to the knowledge of You, who alone
rests highest among the highest, holy among the holy, Isaiah 57:15 wholayest low the insolence of the haughty, Isaiah 13:11 whodestroyest the calculations of the heathen,whosettest the low on high and bringest low the exalted;whomakest rich and makest poor, 1 Samuel 2:7 whokillest and makest to live, Deuteronomy 32:39 only Benefactor of spirits and God of all flesh, who beholdest the depths, the eye-witness of human works, the help of those in danger, the Saviour of those in despair, the Creator and Guardian of every spirit, who multipliest nations upon earth, and from all made choice of those who love You through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, through whom You instructed, sanctify, honour us. We would have You, Lord, to prove our help and succour. Those of us in affliction save, on the lowly take pity; the fallen raise; upon those in need arise; the sick heal; the wandering ones of Your people turn; fill the hungry; redeem those of us in bonds; raise up those that are weak; comfort the faint-hearted; let all the nations know that You are God alone and Jesus Christ Your Son, and we are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture. (First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians; emphasis mine)
Other divine functions which are ascribed to the Name include forgiveness of sins, redemption/salvation, everlasting security, etc.:
“May Yahweh answer you in the day of distress! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! May He send you help from the sanctuary And uphold you from Zion! Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of Yahweh, our God.” Psalm 20:1-2, 7
“Lamedh For Your name’s sake, O Yahweh, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.” Psalm 25:11
“For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites came and said to Saul, ‘Is not David hiding himself among us?’ O God, save me by Your name, And render justice to me by Your might.” Psalm 54:1
“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and atone for our sins for Your name’s sake.” Psalm 79:9
It is at this point where it becomes truly remarkable since the New Testament associates the Name with Jesus Christ!
The Apostles wen forth proclaiming that Jesus is or bears the Name, and were willing to suffer and be killed for it:
“So they followed his advice. And after calling the apostles in and beating them, they commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for the Name.” Acts 5:40-41
“which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was designated as the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of His name,” Romans 1:2-5
“For they went out for the sake of the Name, receiving nothing from the Gentiles.” 3 John 7
The Apostolic witness even attributes to Christ’s Name the same divine prerogatives and functions, ascribed to YHWH’s Nme in the OT writings.
For instance, it is in Jesus’ Name alone that individuals receive physical healing and salvation:
“Now it happened that on the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. And when they had placed them in their midst, they began to inquire, ‘By what power, or in what name, have you done this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers and elders of the people, if we are being examined today for a good deed done to a sick man, as to how this man has been saved from his sickness, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.’
“Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and comprehended that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. But when they had ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they began to confer with one another, saying, ‘What should we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.’ And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” Acts 4:5-20
The Apostles’ miraculously healing a paralytic provided supernatural confirmation that Christ is not only alive in heaven after being killed, but that his Name alone is able to save anyone.
To say that this is astonishing would be a wild understatement in light of the fact that the Hebrew Bible emphatically states that YHWH is the only just God who is able to save, which is why all the nations must to turn to him and to no other!
“Declare and draw near with your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has made this heard from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, Yahweh? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.” Isaiah 45:21-23
Nor is the case of Acts 4 an isolated one since the entirety of the NT proclamation is that Christ’s Name grants the gift of the Holy Spirit, new life/regeneration, forgiveness of sins, adoption into God’s spiritual family, miracles, etc.:
“John said to Him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to hinder him because he was not following us.‘ But Jesus said, ‘Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name because you are of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.'” Mark 9:38-41
“Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’” Luke 24:44-47
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13
“Therefore many other signs Jesus also did in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:30-31
“Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men, brothers, what should we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:37-38
“As for the word which He sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—… And He commanded us to preach to the people, and solemnly to bear witness that this is the One who has been designated by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:36, 42-43
“Now it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a servant-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.’ And she continued doing this for many days. But being greatly annoyed, Paul turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave her!’ And it left at that very moment.” Acts 16:16-18
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world… I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.” 1 John 2:1-2, 12
“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness about His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has this witness in himself. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has borne witness about His Son. And the witness is this, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have that life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:9-13
The NT further states that true believers were/are to be called Christians, since they have been commanded to bear the Name of Christ:
“If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you… but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be put to shame, but is to glorify God in this name.” 1 Peter 4:14, 16
Again, this is an astonishing claim in light of the OT witness that believers were called after/by YHWH’s Name:
“So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of Yahweh, and they will be afraid of you.” Deuteronomy 28:10
“and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their evil ways, then I will listen from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
The foregoing shows that Christ now is and/or bears the Name, and in so doing he is being described as YHWH God Almighty who became Man for the redemption of his creation.
Further Reading
The Divine Name and Glory of Yahweh – More Biblical Evidence for the Deity of God’s unique Angel/Son
Answering Islam – Sam Shamoun Theology Newsletter
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