Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4: 12
Precious Lord, we come to You in great expectation. We would love to hear a Word from You; so speak Lord for we are listening! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen
Today our meditation is based on a declaration so powerful, and so sweet, that we look at it as a promise. “What is in a name?” has become a very popular question, in sermons, and research projects, doctoral dissertations, and just plain, everyday conversations. This query has rendered some very interesting answers; yet none as interesting, as the meaning of the name of Jesus. The reason for this is because His name is the ONLY NAME that brings salvation! Hallelujah! In Matthew 1: 21 we read, ” ‘And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins’ ” (Matthew 1: 21, NKJV).
In Jesus’ day there were other boys with the name of Jesus (Yehoshua, akin to the name Joshua). However, there was, and is, only one Savior; one Jesus Christ. He was the One anointed by the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, in A.D. 27, after He was baptized by John the Baptist, in the river Jordan! He was, and is, “Emmanuel,” “God with us” (Matthew 1: 23). He is “the Word [that] became flesh” and lived among us (John 1: 14). He walked in our moccasins, felt our pain, and disappointments, our sorrows, and temptations, “yet without sin” (Hebrews 4: 15).
You see, the name does not make the person, but the person the name, Let me explain a little further. Why was Jacob called Jacob? Because at his birth he held on to the heel of his brother Esau, as if to hold him back, from coming out before him. Therefore, they called him Jacob, supplanter; more or less: one who would take the place of another, illegally. Even from birth that seemed to have been Jacob’s intention. The place he wanted was rightfully given to him by God, but he wanted to take that place, illegally! That is what made him a supplanter. Therefore, that was the name given to him. His twin brother Esau was “red” and hairy, he was called Esau, because he was red.
For someone to be able to save another person, he or she, must possess the ability to do so. A lifeguard cannot simply apply for a job as a lifeguard. He or she has to show that they are capable of saving people from drowning. For Jesus to become our Savior, He had to possess the ability to save. Angels would have gladly come and died in order that their beloved Commander could have remained in heaven. But the death of an angel would not have satisfied the demands of the law. So Jesus, who was one with the Father, came and took our place. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Corinthians 5: 19). Jesus had the power to lay down His life, and the power to take it up again.
That is why He was given the ONLY NAME under heaven whereby people can be saved! With the songwriter I declare, “His name is Wonderful; Jesus my Lord!”