12 - CHAPTER NINE

THE GODHEAD NAMES OF CHRIST “And Sinwn Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mat 16:16).

Several names of Jesus are commentaries on the character of Christ, His nature, and His attributes. For a complete understanding of who Christ is, we should consider all of His names, but certain names are foundational to Christological considerations. Usually these names appear in the context of an important Christological passage of Scripture or stress some unique aspect or attribute of Christ and/or His relationship to the Godhead. These names describe Jesus as God incarnate, “the Christ of God” (Luk 9:20). THE WORD The Apostle John was the exclusive user of the title “Word.” Using the Greek word logos, John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He also began his first epistle with a variation of this title. There he noted, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life” (1Jn 1:1). The apostle also used a form of the title in describing the return of Christ to this earth: “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God” (Rev 19:13).

Words are indispensable to language. We use them to communicate a message. Without them we could not explain precisely what we mean. A word defines or describes the idea we intend to pass on to others. When the Jews used the word logos, they thought in terms of the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament.

Scholars debate whether John borrowed the term logos from the Greeks or the Jews. If the term is Greek, there may be numerous philosophical implications. If the term is Hebrew, John may be making reference to the wisdom of God personified (Proverbs, especially chapters 5-8). Probably John calls Jesus “the Word of God” because this phrase is used over 1200 times in the Old Testament to refer to the revelation or message of God, as in the phrase, “the Word of God came to . . . “ Jesus Christ was the message, meaning, or communication from God to men. Jesus was everything the written and spoken Word of the Lord was in the Old Testament. Jesus is, therefore, the expression, revelation, and communication of the Lord. He is both the incarnate and inspired Word. The following listing summarizes the primary ideas of John’s introduction concerning the Word:

TEN CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE WORD IN John 1:1-51. The phrase “In the beginning” is not a reference to a point in time but a reference to eternity past (John 1:1.).

2. The personality of the Word is evident in that it is capable of individualization (John 1:1).

3. The Word has active and personal communication with God (John 1:1-2).

4. There are two centers of consciousness, for the Word was God yet also was “face to face” or “with” God (John 1:1).

5. The Word has the essence of deity (John 1:1).

6. The Father and the Word are one (John 1:1).

7. The Word was he Agent by which God expressed or revealed Himself (John 1:18).

8. The incarnate Word has a definite continuity with the preincarnate Word (John 1:1, John 1:14) .

9. As God lived in a tent, spoke in a tent, and revealed Himself in the Old Testament tabernacle, so the Word tabernacled among us (John 1:14).

10. The incarnation of the Word is the unique revelation of God (John 1:4). THE BELOVED The title “Beloved” occurs only once in Scripture (Eph 1:6), although many passages affirm the Father’s love for the Son. God called Jesus “my beloved Son” at His baptism (Mat 3:17), and Jesus repeatedly acknowledged that “the Father loveth the Son” (John 3:35; John 5:20; John 17:23). Paul notes we are “accepted in the beloved” (Eph 1:6). The particularly comforting aspect of this title is the context in which it is revealed. Jesus is the object of the Father’s love, and because we are in Christ, we too are the objects of the Father’s love. THE IMAGE OF GOD The Greek word eikon, meaning “image,” is twice used in titles of Christ to express His unique relation to God. The word itself denotes an image and involves the two ideas of representation and manifestation. When Paul affirmed that Jesus is “the image of God” (2Co 4:4), he meant Jesus was essentially and absolutely the perfect representation and manifestation or expression of the Father. In another place Paul altered the title slightly by calling Christ “the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). It emphasizes that Christ is the visible representation and manifestation of God to created beings. Both contexts convey the idea of perfection in that image. A second closely related title is “the express image of his person” (Heb 1:3). This is one of seven such statements in the early verses of Hebrews-all designed to demonstrate the superiority of Christ. Various versions translate it in different ways: “the very image of his substance” (ASV), “an exact representation of his very being” (Rhm), “flawless expression of the nature of God” (Phillips), “stamped with God’s own character” (Moffat), “the copy of his being” (Beck), “the exact representation of God’s nature” (Swindoll), “the exact expression of God’s nature” (Stibbs), “the impress of the Divine Nature” (F.B. Meyer), and “the exact expression of God’s very essence” (Barclay). This wide assortment of translations derives from two key Greek words in this title.

The, first of these is the word character, which is closely related to the verb charasso, meaning “to cut, to scratch, or to mark.” Originally this word referred to a marking agent, such as a die, and then later to the impression made by the marking agent. It is similar to the English word “stamp,” which first referred to the instrument which printed the impression and later to the impression itself. It suggests the idea of an exact representation of the person or the person himself-that is, the distinguishing features or traits by which a person or thing is known (cf. the English word “characteristics”). What the writer of the Hebrews seems to argue by using this title is that as the wax bears the impression of the seal pressed upon it, revealing all the dominant character traits of that seal, even so Jesus Christ bears the impression of God’s essential being, revealing all the attributes of God. The second word in this title is hypostasis, which is more of a philosophical than a theological term. Etymologically, it refers to the sediment or foundation under, a building but came to be used by Greek philosophers to refer to the essence or real being of a person thought to rest under the surface appearance of the person. It refers to the substance of what we are. Used here of Christ in this context, it is an argument for the deity of Christ, for He is substantially God.

ATTRIBUTIVE NAMES

Several character names of Jesus may be classed as attributive names, for in their meaning they focus upon the various attributes of God. These names underscore two of the more prominent attributes-holiness and righteousness. In several passages Jesus is called the Holy One. The child to be born to Mary was “that holy thing” (Luk 1:35); later the apostles called Him “thy holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:30). On several occasions the apostles referred to the Lord as the “Holy One” (Acts 2:27; Acts 13:36; cf. Psa 89:18). The primary thought in these designations is that of consecration or being set apart uniquely unto God. The holiness of Christ was a fundamental requirement of the worthy sacrifice for sin. Because of His holiness, we become holy. One of the Biblical titles for the Christian is “saint,” which is connected in thought to the idea of holiness.

Righteousness also is a feature in several of the names and titles of Jesus. He is called “the righteous” (2 John 2:1), “a righteous Branch” (Jer 23:5), “the righteous LORD” (Psa 11:7), “my righteous servant” (Isa 53:11), “the righteous judge” (2Ti 4:8), “a righteous man” (Luk 23:47), “righteousness” (1Co 1:30), and “the righteousness of God” (Rom 10:3). As holiness refers primarily to the character of Christ, so righteousness refers primarily to the conduct of Christ. These two titles are closely related because it is impossible to be righteous without being holy. The righteousness of Christ is an expression of His holiness just as righteousness is the spontaneous expression of the saint. The holiness and righteousness of Christ are best expressed in His sinlessness. I refer to Christ’s sinlessness as a four-legged chair, because there are four Scriptures that affirm our Lord “knew no sin” (2Co 5:21), “did no sin” (1Pe 2:22), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), and could not be convicted of sin (John 8:46). Just as a four-legged chair is the most secure in which to sit, these four statements serve to affirm the sinless perfection of Christ.

PRIORITY NAMES

Several names and titles of Christ may be called “priority names,” for they emphasize the priority of Christ either in His Person or accomplishment. The Apostle Paul emphasized this concept when he noted “that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Col 1:18). Each of the following names refers to the Lord in this sense.

Jesus is called “mine elect” (Isa 42:1) or “the chosen of God” (Luk 23:35). This title emphasizes the priority of Christ as the uniquely appointed Servant of the Lord. When we have a job that needs to be done, often we will spend time looking for the most qualified one to accomplish the task. The greater the job, the more diligently we seek out the most capable and qualified person available. We want to be sure that the chosen one is the best available. When God sought to redeem a lost world, only One qualified to complete successfully that task, and God chose Him to do it. When the mockers at the foot of the cross called out to Him as “the chosen of God” (Luk 23:35), they no doubt intended insults in order to add to His suffering. Actually, it was a reminder to the One who at any moment could have called on legions of angels to release Him and destroy His enemies that He was God’s Elect, chosen to complete the specific task in which He was then engaged.

Several titles of the Lord include the words, “the firstborn” (Heb 12:23). He is “the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom 8:29), “the firstborn of the dead” (Rev 1:5 -”first begotten” in KJV), “the firstborn of every creature” (Col 1:15), and the “firstborn son” (Luk 2:7). The emphasis of the Greek word prototokos, translated “firstborn” or “first-begotten” in Scripture, is that of a priority in relationships. When used of Christ, it affirms His priority with the Father and preeminence over all creation. It does not imply the idea that He first came into existence at some point of time so as not to be eternal in nature; rather, it is used in the sense that He held a certain superiority of position (cf. Exo 4:22; Deu 21:16-17).

Another priority name of Jesus relates to the concept of firstfuits (Rom 11:16; 1Co 15:20). The Greek word aparche closely relates to the verb aparchomai, meaning “to make a beginning, “ and was normally used in Scripture in the context of the offering of the first part of the harvest. As a title of Christ, it is a guarantee of our resurrection after the pattern of His resurrection. Just as the firstfruits of the harvest assure the farmer that more will follow, so the resurrection of Christ assures us of our future resurrection.

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER The Apostle Paul urged the church at Corinth to deal with sin in their personal and corporate lives, stating, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1Co 5:7). Although Jesus is the fulfillment of all of Israel’s typical feasts and sacrifices, the need for personal holiness in Corinth caused the apostle to single out the passover and apply this word to Christ. The passover feast was so named because of the promise of God which accompanied its first observance, “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt” (Exo 12:13). The final of the ten plagues in the land of Egypt involved the death of the firstborn son in every home. Israel was instructed to kill a lamb as a substitutionary sacrifice and apply that blood to the doorpost of the home. By midnight “there was not a house where there was not one dead” (Exo 12:30). In the homes stained with blood, the lamb was dead. In the homes lacking the bloodstain, the firstborn son of the, family was dead.

Sin is destructive and deserving of the death sentence, but Christ our Passover has died in our place. Because of this, we are spared the inevitable consequences of sin. But when we understand this title of Christ and the work of Christ it emphasizes, our natural response is to look inward and begin the process of purging ourselves of sinful attitudes and habits that are a part of our being. To effect this response in us, Christ has given us the Holy Spirit. The fact that some things which are wrong in our life still bother us is an evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in reminding us of the real nature of sin and what it cost our Passover. THE ALPHA AND OMEGA

It is impossible for finite language to describe exhaustively the meaning of Christ in His Person and work in a single title or name, but if one comes close, it is the title “Alpha and Omega” (Rev 1:8). Two other related titles are “the first and the last” (Rev 1:17) and “the beginning and the ending” (Rev 1:8). These names are significant not so much for what they say as what they imply. Alpha is the first or beginning letter of the Greek alphabet. Omega is the last or ending letter of the same. The expression should not, however, be limited only to the literal first and last letters of the alphabet, for the expressions were used much as today we speak of “everything from A to Z . “

Jesus is everything from the first to the last, the beginning to the ending, the alpha to the omega, A to Z. He is, as the apostle put it, “all, and in all” (Col 3:11). These related titles of Christ serve to emphasize His inexhaustibility. What does Jesus mean to you? Perhaps you have passed through a particular experience in which He met an unusual need in your life. Even if you cannot find the specific name or title of Jesus in Scripture to express adequately that meaning, it is covered under these expressions. Before going on in this book, pause again and turn to the back of the book and review each of the more than 700 names of Christ in Scripture. Jesus is all of these and more. One name cannot express all that He is, and over 700 names cannot exhaust what He is.

CONCLUSION On the day Peter affirmed that Jesus was the Christ of God, he probably did not comprehend all that was involved in the character of Christ. Jesus was uniquely related to His Father as the Beloved and the eternal Word, who was face-to-face with God in eternity past. He was the One whose names suggest the very attributes of God. He was the One who holds preeminence in all things and priority before all. He was God himself, the express image of His Person, and the visible image of the invisible God. But in the experience of the believer Jesus is even more than that. He is Christ our Passover, the One who died in our place in order to redeem us from the infection of sin. In fact, Jesus is everything to the child of God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the Ending, and everything in between. For Discussion:

1. Why is Jesus called the Word? What does this indicate about His character and work?

2. What does “accepted in the beloved” (Eph 1:6) mean?

3. As the Image of God, what does Christ reflect? How does this name relate to believers?

4. There are several names of Christ that come from the attributes of God. Discuss how each of these names reflects a different aspect of God’s nature.

5. Does the title Firstborn imply that Christ came into existence at some point in time? Why or why not?

6. As the Passover, what does Christ do for the believer? 7. Christ is the Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning and ending of what? In light of this truth, how should we view our trials and struggles?