The Meaning of Jesus
We don't often stop to think about the titles for Jesus, which leads me to discuss briefly the significance of the name "Jesus" in biblical usage. The Heidelberg Catechism offers some guidance.
The great Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck notes, “In Scripture God’s name is his self-revelation…his name is identical with the perfection he exhibits in and to the world.”1 God reveals himself by naming himself so the world may know him and his works. God’s name is the display of his very character to his creation.
As we enter the Advent Season, our hymns accentuate the person of Jesus as the promised redeemer. But sometimes, we overlook the particular meaning of titles given to our Lord Jesus and forget that the names of God, and especially the name given to the Son of God, are given with holy meaning.
They describe a particular function/purpose in the messianic work of Jesus. The Scripture lessons during Advent provide us with reasons for meditating on the nature of our Lord’s titles.
The Heidelberg Question 29 elaborates on one title, specifically the name “Jesus:”
Q. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning “savior”?
A. Because he saves us from our sins, and because salvation should not be sought and cannot be found in anyone else.
In this catechism question, the very definition of the name above every name, Jesus, means “savior.”
This Savior accomplishes two activities:
First, he saves us from our sins. He is a sin-delivering Messiah; it is crucial to the nature and purpose of the man, Jesus, to restore humanity from its enslavement to Adam’s fall. Our natures need the transforming power of Jesus to make us whole. To say the name of Jesus is to believe we are delivered from past, current, and future sins.
But secondly, to expect Jesus, the Savior, means that we long for no other messiah but Christ alone. We dare not seek other gods or earthly princes. We dare not add another Savior or play a syncretistic game, but trust Jesus alone as the way, truth, and life (John 14:6). He is our only hope.
The great Advental hymn illuminates this theme:
Savior of the nations come, Virgin’s Son, make here Thy home!
Marvel now, O heav’n and earth, That the Lord chose such a birth.
As we move on this third day of Advent into a newer appreciation for Jesus, we should speak his name knowingly and affirm in our readings and singing that he is both deliverer and the exclusive divine Son of God.
Addendum
We have placed a bit more class and royalty to our tree this year and I am pleased with it. We usually do the readings at the dinner table and then, right before bed, gather to pray and sing next to the wreath and tree.
.Our hymn this week is the stellar Philipp Nicolai, Wake, Awake for Night is Flying. The great Lutheran tune plays on key biblical texts (Matthew 25:1-13; Isaiah 62:5-12; Revelation 19:6-19; Revelation 7:9-17). The text carries a lullaby sentiment in the opening verses, but then, by the end, there is a drastic change of pace as the prophet urges the people to get ready for the great day. The music calls for instrumentation and choirs to tune up in expectation. It’s one of the most superb of Advent hymns. Here is my favorite choir arrangement that differs from the congregational music but captures the flavor and longing of the piece:
Notations and Nuntium
After some disappointing delays to and fro, we have returned from our San Francisco trip. I had one of the busiest two days I have had in a long time. My Friday substack will offer a summary of this roller coaster of a trip.
My paid subscribers heard my Lecrae review, and I have two additional audios this Friday. The first is an interview with Southern Seminary Professor Dr. Mitch Chase on the doctrine of church membership. Dr. Chase is a gifted thinker specializing in biblical typology. And second, I will interact with a TikTok Bible influencer who raises the question of whether Samson is in heaven or not. I will also post my Sunday School overview of Samson I did at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in San Francisco this past Sunday.
If you pay for the $0.99 subscription for the special audio/video editions, I have added a new video feature If you pay for the Substack, you can unsubscribe to the audio stuff because Substack subscribers will get access to everything.
Doug Wilson has a well-written and persuasive response to the irenic Kevin DeYoung. I truly think these two would greatly benefit from a meeting and Doug agrees that I’d be a good moderator. He concludes:
"So I believe that the questions raised in the pieces I linked to at the top require answers. I believe that the quite reasonable questions I raised throughout the course of this post require answers. Responding in writing would be fine, but I believe that person-to-person, face-to-face, would be far preferable. Uri Brito, presiding minister of the CREC, has offered to broker something like that, and I would be delighted to participate in such an event, or in anything like it. Uri would be a faithful moderator."
This does not have anything to do with my abilities but with my role in the CREC and also that both my M.Div. and D.Min. are from RTS, where Dr. DeYoung teaches. Further, I find Kevin sets a great example of pastoral scholarship. This may seem impossible, but I hold out hope for such an encounter. If you want to follow the conversation, read DeYoung’s original post, which sparked the conversation.
Chevy’s Christmas ad is insanely covenantal: a) generational, b) affection for the elderly and aged, c) the benediction of children upon their mothers, d) the story-telling motif, e) the gathering around the dinner table, and f) the festivity around the nativity. I dare you to watch it and not cry.
Thank you to all the supporters. Happy Advent!
Uriesou Brito
Reformed Dogmatics: God and Creation, 95.
Whew, that Chevy commercial.