WHAT'S IN A NAME
When our first child was born, my wife, Terry, and I had not yet been converted to Christianity. We were both very young, having been married the summer after we graduated from high school. On the night that Terry went into labor we were still unclear about what we were going to name our new child. At that time, there were no ultrasound images to reveal the gender of the child, and the fathers were not allowed in the labor or delivery room to support their wives. So, I was delegated to a waiting room and anxious to hear any news of what was happening with my wife. As I waited, I picked up a Reader's Digest condensed book that contained the story of Christopher Columbus' life and the discovery of the New World. When the nurse came to inform me that I was the father of a healthy baby boy, I was overjoyed, and couldn't wait to see my new son and his mama. While Terry and I were admiring our boy, it suddenly came to me what we should call him Christopher. Of course I was influenced by the book I was reading, but the name seemed perfect, and Terry agreed.
About
a year and a half after Chris was born, he became very sick and couldn't keep
anything in his stomach. He was running
a high fever also, and was becoming dehydrated rapidly. We had our family doctor check him, and he
admitted him into the hospital immediately.
While there, he continued to go downhill; and we became very concerned
for him. An old friend of ours had a
sister who he said believed in the power of prayer, and she had seen people
healed as a result of her prayers. Terry
called our friend and asked if he would contact his sister for us and have her
pray for Chris. We came very close to
losing our son during that period, but we believe it was the prayers that
ultimately brought about his recovery.
This episode marked the beginning of our search for Christ, and within a
couple of months, Terry and I both had been born again.
At
some point, I had looked up the meaning of the name "Christopher,"
and was surprised to find that it meant "Christ bearer." Truly, this little boy was the means that God
used to bring us to Christ. The choice
of his name never seemed coincidental after that.
Names
in the Bible are often very significant.
The most significant names of all, however, are the name of God and that
of His Son. The name "Jesus"
in the Greek language (from which our English versions of the New Testament are
translated), is the same as the name "Joshua" in the original Hebrew
language (which the Old Testament is translated from). The meaning of these names is therefore the
same, which is, "Jehovah is
salvation." "Christ," on the other hand, simply
means "anointed," as does "Messiah." This was a designator added to the Lord's name
to separate Him from any other Joshua or Jesus of His day. Jesus Christ, Jesus the Christ, or Jesus the Messiah, just meant "Jesus the Anointed."
There
is nothing coincidental about Jesus' name.
The meaning of His name reveals the very essence of the gospel. It speaks to the heart of the Christian
faith. The thought that Jehovah (God) is salvation is foreign to any other
religion. Other religions require their
adherents to perform many rituals and works in order to attain salvation. Christianity rejects all of man's efforts to
"measure up," and, instead, substitutes the life of Christ as the
means to achieve salvation and righteousness.
It doesn’t even have anything to do with my trying to be righteous with God's help. It’s all about God through Christ Jesus becoming my salvation. “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.” (Isaiah 12:2). The distinction lies in the trying
as opposed to the being. Trying puts the
emphasis on my ability to serve, while being is only dependant on my believing. Trying implies some dubious results because
it is still based on my performance - maybe I will succeed, and maybe I won't. If God is my salvation, though, I either
believe it, or I don't. Salvation is,
after all, the act of being saved. It is
letting God work in us to achieve His righteousness. If we could manage it ourselves, then a
savior is unnecessary. God gave Israel
the Law, along with hundreds of years to practice it. They failed miserably time and time
again. In the fullness of time, He sent
His Son to reveal the path of salvation and they rejected Him as their Savior
in favor of the same old thing that hadn’t worked for them yet.
Jesus
said, "Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God."
(Mark 10:18). Even the Savior realized
that all His goodness issued from His heavenly Father. He said, "The
Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do," and "I can of Mine own self do
nothing." (John 5:19, 30). His
power came from being one with the Father.
Our power comes from being one
with Christ. We are told in Philippians
that “…it is God who is at work within
you, giving you the will and the power to achieve his purpose.” (Philippians
2:13 Philips).
The
principle of God being our salvation is abundant throughout scripture. Consider these verses:
·
"The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become
my salvation." (Exodus 15:2).
·
"He also shall be my salvation." (Job 13:16).
·
"The LORD is my light and my salvation." (Psalm 27:1).
·
"He only is my rock and my salvation." (Psalm 62:2).
·
"In God is my salvation and my glory." (Psalm 62:7).
·
"I will praise thee: for Thou hast heard me, and art become
my salvation." (Psalm 118:21).
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