The Salvation of the Lord

'Jesus’ means “Yahweh saves.” In the man of Nazareth, the salvation promised by the God of Abraham has arrived.

The child carried by Mary was “begotten of the Holy Spirit,” and Joseph was instructed to name this child ‘Jesus’: “Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The name announced by the angel pointed to the saving act of God that was about to unfold in history – (Matthew 1:20-23).

The world has seen the promised Salvation of the Lord come to fulfilment in the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The liberation of men and women from the sentence of death has been achieved by the Son of God, and in the Nazarene, God has visited His people as promised in the Scriptures:

• “In THE FULLNESS OF TIME, God sent forth His Son, that we might receive the adoption of sons, that he might ransom those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons!” – (Galatians 4:4-5. Note the verbal allusion to Daniel 12:4, in the Greek Septuagint version [“And you, Daniel, close the words, and seal the book until the time of the end”]).

• “Now, all this came to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, BEHOLD! THE VIRGIN WILL BE WITH CHILD, AND HE SHE WILL BRING FORTH A SON. AND THEY WILL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL; which is, being interpreted, God with us” - (Matthew 1:22-23, quoting Isaiah 7:14 from the Septuagint).

[Jesus Saves - Photo by Edwin Andrade (Los Angeles) on Unsplash]

Naming the child ‘Jesus’ or the “salvation of Yahweh” does not mean that Jesus is identical to his Father, but that God has acted decisively in His Son and Messiah to bring salvation to the world.

Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Apostolic Faith, especially his death and resurrection. Salvation is found only through the Nazarene because of his self-sacrificial death. His resurrection is the guarantee of our own resurrection from the dead when Jesus returns, and bodily resurrection will mean the reversal of the sentence of death (“For this mortal must put on immortality” – 1 Corinthians 15:53):

• “For I delivered to you, first, that which also I received, that Christ DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he was raised on the third day. <…> But now, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who sleep. For since by man death came, by man also the resurrection of the dead came. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” – (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 20-22. Compare Isaia 53:8, LXX [“Because of the iniquities of my people he was led to death”]).

• “And in no other is there salvation, for neither is there any other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved” – (Acts 4:12).

• “For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, WHO GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL” – (1 Timothy 2:5. Note the verbal allusion to Isaiah 53:12, the Septuagint. Compare also Mark 10:45).

• “For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” – (1 Corinthians 3:11).

The first verse of the Gospel of Matthew identifies the child of Mary as “the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” Not only is Jesus the biological descendant of David and Abraham, but he also came to fulfill the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant and to reign as the long-awaited Davidic king - (Matthew 1:1).

Indeed, the nations and the earth now belong to Jesus by royal right, and he reigns supreme over them from the Divine Throne:

• “But I have been made king by him on Zion, his holy mountain, declaring the ordinance of the Lord. The Lord said to me, You are my Son. Today, I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession. You will shepherd them with a rod of iron. You will shatter them as a potter's vessel” - (Psalm 2:6-9, LXX).

• “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool” - (Psalm 110:1, LXX).

• “The woman was delivered of a son, a male, WHO IS TO SHEPHERD THE NATIONS WITH A ROD OF IRON” - (Revelation 12:5, citing Psalm 2:9 from the Septuagint).

• “Which he energized in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him TO SIT AT HIS RIGHT HAND in the heavenlies, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. And HE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET, and gave him to be head over all things to the church” - (Ephesians 1:20-22, citing Psalm 110:1, LXX).

Jesus is the seed of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed, and he is the Son of David who now rules as the King and Shepherd of the nations – (Galatians 3:13-16, Revelation 12:5).

It is no coincidence that this same Jesus began proclaiming the Good News of God’s Kingdom in Galilee, a region that had a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles, and this was in fulfilment of the Scriptures - (Genesis 12:3, 22:18, Galatians 3:16-29):

• “GALILEE OF THE NATIONS! <…> THE PEOPLE THAT SAT IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND TO THOSE WHO SAT IN THE REGION AND SHADOW OF DEATH. From that time, Jesus began to preach and say, Repent, for the Kingdom of the Heavens is at hand” - (Matthew 4:16, quoting Isaiah 9:1-2, LXX).

• “And the angel said to them, Fear not! For behold, I bring you good tidings of a great joy, WHICH WILL BE FOR ALL PEOPLE, that there has been born unto you, this day, a saviour, who is Christ, the Lord, in the city of David!” – (Luke 2:10-11. Compare Isaiah 49:6).

• “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared before the face of all peoples, A LIGHT FOR REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of your people Israel” – (Luke 2:30-32. Note the allusion to Isaiah 42:6).

• “AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD” – (Luke 3:6. Compare Isaiah 40:5 and 52:10).

The salvation promised by the God of Abraham and David is provided through His Messiah, and this promise of salvation always included the Gentiles, “the nations of the Earth,” along with Israel:

• “For I say that Christ has been made a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers, and that the nations might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: THEREFORE, I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE NATIONS AND SING TO YOUR NAME. And again, he says, REJOICE, YOU NATIONS WITH HIS PEOPLE. And again, PRAISE THE LORD, ALL NATIONS, AND LET THE PEOPLE PRAISE HIM. And again, Isaiah says, THERE WILL BE THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE THAT ARISES TO RULE OVER THE NATIONS. ON HIM WILL THE NATIONS HOPE” – (Romans 15:8-12. Note the allusions to Deuteronomy 32:43, Psalm 18:49, 117:1, Isaiah 11:10).

THE NAME

The angel’s announcement to Joseph parallels the prediction made to Abraham about his firstborn son, which occurred when Sarah was ninety years old and beyond childbearing age, making her pregnancy likewise miraculous. Abraham also received his son’s name through Divine appointment, for God commanded Abraham to name his son ‘Isaac’ - (Genesis 17:19).

The name ‘Jesus’ or ‘Joshua’ first appears in the Book of Exodus. Joshua’s original name was ‘Hoshea’, the Son of Nun. Moses changed it from ‘Hoshea’ to ‘Joshua’, or more literally, ‘Ye-hoshua’:

• “These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea, the son of Nun, Joshua [‘Ye-hoshua’]” - (Numbers 13:16).

‘Hoshea’ means “salvation, deliverance, help.” It is from the Hebrew verb that means “to save, help, deliver,” or ‘yasha’. For example:

• “Yahweh saved [‘yasha’] Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians” - (Exodus 14:30. Compare Deuteronomy 20:4).

By prefixing the first syllable of the Hebrew name ‘Yahweh’ to ‘Hoshea’ (YHWH {יהוה}), his name became ‘Ye-hoshua’. In several of the later books of the Hebrew Bible, the second syllable is eliminated, and the name is shortened to ‘Yeshua’ - (e.g., Nehemiah 8:17, Ezra 2:2).

The Hebrew name ‘Yahweh’ means “the becoming one, the One Who is.” The sense of the name is expressed more fully in the declaration from the Burning Bush heard by Moses. The Book of Revelation also represents the full sense of the clause recorded in Exodus 3:14 when sending greetings to the seven churches of Asia:

• “And God said to Moses, ‘I will become whatsoever I please’. And he said, Thus, you will say to the sons of Israel, ‘He Who Becomes’ has sent me to you” – (Exodus 3:14).

• “John, to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you, and peace, from HE WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS COMING. <…> I am the Alpha and the Omega, declares the Lord God, WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS COMING, the Almighty” – (Revelation 1:4, 8).

The commonly used form of the name ‘Jesus’ is the anglicized spelling of ‘Yeshua.’ It means more than “saviour.” His name combines the name of God with the Hebrew verb for “save.”

Thus, ‘Jesus’ means “Yahweh saves” or “the salvation of Yahweh.” The promised salvation of God has arrived through the man from the insignificant village of Nazareth, Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary.

The angel’s announcement also echoes key themes from the so-called ‘Servant’s Song’ of the Book of Isaiah. Jesus is the ‘Servant of Yahweh’ who came to redeem his people from their sins, and to be the light to the nations. For example:

• “Call his name Jesus, for HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS” – (Matthew 1:21).

• “The Lord also is pleased to take away from the travail of his soul, to show him light, and to form him with understanding; to justify the just one who serves many well; and he will bear their sins. Therefore he will inherit many, and he will divide the spoils of the mighty, because his soul was delivered to death. And he was numbered among the transgressors, and he bore the sins of many, and was delivered because of their iniquities” - (Isaiah 53:11-12, the Septuagint).

• “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and TO GIVE HIS SOUL A RANSOM FOR MANY” – (Mark 10:45, alluding to Isaiah 53:12).

Jesus thus fulfills and implements the covenant promises, and he reigns from the messianic throne over the Earth. The Kingdom of God began in earnest following the death and resurrection of Christ, and he is the only source of salvation and reconciliation with God.

By his sacrificial death, Jesus has redeemed us from the penalty of sin; namely, death, and God has vindicated his sacrificial act and assured us of salvation by raising Christ Jesus from the dead.

• “Fear not! I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST, and the Living one. And I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I HAVE THE KEYS of Death and of Hades” – (Revelation  1:18. Compare Isaiah 22:22, 44:6).

• “Now, it was not written for his sake alone, that IT WAS COUNTED TO HIM, but for our sake also to whom it will be reckoned, who believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, WHO WAS DELIVERED FOR OUR TRESPASSES, and was raised for our justification” – (Romans 4:23-25. Note the allusions Genesis 15:6 and Isaiah 53:10 [“Because his soul was delivered to death”]).

Jesus is the King, Saviour, and Messiah who “saves his people from their sins”! He is, therefore, the salvation of the Lord.

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[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint. Text printed with ALL CAPITAL LETTERS represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

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SEE ALSO:

• The Son of David - (Jesus is the Son of David and heir to the Messianic Throne, the beloved Son of God, and the Suffering Servant of Yahweh) 

• Salvation for the Nations - (The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth provides salvation and life for men and women of every nation and people)

• The Son of Man - (The figure of the Son of Man in the Book of Daniel is the source of Christ’s self-designation, the Son of Man)

• The Incommunicable Name -  (The Incommunicable Name of God, its meaning and significance, according to Joseph Bryant Rotherham)