Why we call Him Jesus

There is much debating at the moment concerning the use of the name of Jesus.  Below are some reasons why I call Him JESUS.

Names change but Jesus never changes

Yeshua is the Hebrew name for the Lord. It means “The Lord is Salvation.”  When translating Yeshua from Hebrew into English, it becomes “Joshua.”  When translating Yeshua from Hebrew to Greek, it becomes Iēsous. The English spelling for Iēsous is “Jesus.”  

Matthew 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 

KJV – Jesus: GREEK: NT:2424: Iesous (ee-ay-sooce’); of Hebrew origin [OT:3091]; Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites: (Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Joshua and Jesus are the same name. One is translated from Hebrew into English, the other from Greek into English.   The name “Isaiah” is also the same as Yeshua in Hebrew and it also means “The Lord is Salvation.”  

Whichever language we use, His nature does not change.   HE IS THE SAME, regardless of the LANGUAGE, SPELLING, OR PRONUNCIATION used. 

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

This scripture does not refer to His name but rather His nature.  

Acts 4:10 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

A literal name cannot give you salvation; this would mean that if there is anyone else with the same name they would also be Saviour.  The Name of Jesus speaks of His divine nature attributes.

God understands every language and every tongue

The Bible doesn’t give pre-eminence to one language (or translation) over another. We are not commanded to call upon the name of the Lord in Hebrew only. 

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’ 

God knows who calls upon his name, whether they do so in English, Portuguese, Spanish, or Hebrew. He is still the same Lord and Saviour.

Galatians 3:26-29 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

Christ does not have a Jewish identity

Messianic Jews tend to refer to Messiah as Yeshua.  In calling Him Yeshua we are restoring to Him His Jewish identity. Yeshua was and is the name He was called when He walked on this Earth.   His Jewish identity was never magnified in the New Testament.  He rather opposed the Jewish practices such as working on the Sabbath Day.   We should not worship Him in his earthly identity but rather in His Divinity.  He is Christ (The anointed One and His anointing) There are many people on the earth whose names are Yeshua, Joshua, Jesus etc.  But they are not Christ.  

True Believers are Jews inwardly – regardless of their language or nationality.  This is a matter of the heart and not a matter of language.

Romans 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. 

Jesus did not come to give us a JEWISH IDENTITY, but rather a HEAVENLY IDENTITY.

Philippians 3:17 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 

Galatians 3:26-29 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

Hebrews 12:22-23 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 

The General Assembly and church consists of ALL NATIONS, TONGUES AND LANGUAGES.

Revelation 7:9-10 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 

John the Baptist rebuked the Jews who thought that they were better.

Matthew 3:7-9 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 

The name of a person usually communicates the INWARD NATURE of the person, and not the OUTWARD NATURE.

Other names of Jesus

We cannot possibly restrict Christ to a Hebrew Name.  There are many other Names for Jesus in scripture:

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

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

Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Jeremiah 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Genesis 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Mark 14:61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

Malachi 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Revelation 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

The names for the Lord in the Old Testament are relevant to the entire Godhead  – They are relevant to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Yeshua is not isolated to Jesus.  There are other names which are also relevant to Jesus, thus we can use any of these names for our Lord.

Colossians 1:15-17 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. NKJV

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,  10 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, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NKJV

Hebrews 7:25 He ever liveth to make intercession for us.

John 16:24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. NKJV

Isaiah 11:10 And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.” NKJV

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

Hebrews 13:12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 

Eph 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

John 10:11-14 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

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