The Name of God

Everyone has a name.  A name is an indicator, a designation of personhood.  For much of the course of human history, names were more than mere handles chosen by the parents for their phonetic appeal, they were intentional in that the name represented the very character of the person. God has a name too.  His name is representative of His self.  His name is holy, meaning it is wholly set apart and of a different kind altogether.

Throughout Scripture, God's name is holy and, most of all, worthy of all praise.  A cursory examination finds that God's name is holy, to be feared, saving, and worthy of exaltation (Psa. 109, 111, 119; Zec 10:12; Luke 19:38; Acts 4:12; 1 Cor. 6:11, et al).  God's name is distinct and clear.  His name is YHWH, Yahweh, or, in German, Jehovah.  The definitive moment of God's name is the incident between Moses and the burning bush when Moses asks God who He is and God replies, "I AM WHO I AM (Ex. 3:14)."

This scenario is paramount to understanding not only the name of God but also His nature.  God's name  cannot be simply condensed into a single moniker.  Rather, His name is so powerful and holy, that it takes several phrases and terms to encapsulate even a glimpse into His name and nature: Heavenly Father, Savior, Messiah, Lord, Holy Spirit, Wonderful Counselor, etc.  When God tells Moses that He is "I AM", what He is saying is that He exists in and of His self.  He is utterly non-contingent; He requires no thing for Him to be.

God's name has saving power and should be understood as such.  It is His name alone, by it and in it that people are saved from sin (Acts 4:12).  At this point, the name of Jesus must be asserted.  Jesus is a Greek translation of the Hebrew name, Joshua/Yeshua, meaning "Yahweh Saves/Jehovah Saves".  In His very name, Jesus was was indicated as the Messiah.  Also, by namesake, Jesus is tied to a proto-typical savior of the Old Testament, Joshua.

Jesus' name not only indicates His role in the story of redemption, it has weight and power attached to it.  The name of Jesus is powerful because of who Jesus is.  As a result, mankind is saved from sin through His name and His name alone.  Therefore, as Christians we should be loud and clear in declaring His name for the power it possesses!  Oh, Praise the Name of Jesus!