The Name Jesus

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus for, he shall save his people from their sins. — Matt. L 21.

Names, among the Hebrews, were generally significant. In some instances, on record in the Old Testament, God was pleased to make some change in the names of his servants, as in the case of Abram and Sarai, which, by divine direction, were altered to Abraham and Sarah. And to Jacob the name of Israel was given, after his successful wrestling with the angel. Names, therefore, are not unimportant; and especially, those which have been written in the book of life, before the foundation of the world.

The name Jesus, in the New Testament, answers to Joshua in the Old; and twice, when Joshua is spoken of, he is called Jesus, in the New Testament, (Acts vii. 45; Heb. iv. 8.) This name also in the Old Testament, is sometime written Jehoshua, and Oshea; but the signification is the same in every case. It means a saviour. It was, therefore, peculiarly suitable to be the name of Messiah. From Josephus, it appears, that it was a name very common among the Jews. There are two eminent persons called by this name in the Old Testament, both of whom may be considered types of Jesus the Saviour. The first was the minister of Moses, who succeeded him as the leader of the tribes of Israel. He had the honour of introducing the people of God into the promised land, a privilege which was denied to Moses, though earnestly desired. Under Joshua as the captain of the armies of Israel the nations of Canaan were subdued, and their country divided as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. The other distinguished person named Joshua, or Jeshua, was the high priest who with Zerubbabel conducted the Jews from Babylon, after their seventy years' captivity, back into their own country. It is not necessary to dwell upon the points of resemblance between these two eminent persons and the Messiah. The main point is, that both these brought the covenanted people of God from the land of their captivity and bondage, and conducted them to the land which God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their seed; and Jesus, the Saviour, leads all his chosen people from the bondage of sin and captivity of Satan, into the liberty which God gives; and, finally, he will conduct them to those mansions in his Father's house, which he has gone to prepare for them.

The angel said, " thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." Our attention must first be directed to that state from which Jesus saves his people. It is from sin. Sin is defined by an apostle to be " the transgression of the law," or, " a want of conformity to the law of God;" as the original term more properly im ports. " By the law, then, is the knowledge of sin." The moral law which God has given to man is like himself, " holy, just, and good." It is such a law as must proceed from a Lawgiver who is infinite in every perfection. It is a law wisely suited to the constitution and capacity of the rational creature. It requires nothing but what is connected with the highest dignity and happiness of man. To have required less, would have indicated less wisdom, goodness, and holiness, in the Governor of the universe. The law is perfect; it could not be better or holier than it is. It requires man to love his Creator with all his powers, but it requires no more than the right exercise of the faculties bestowed. The law being a just expression of the moral excellence of the Lawgiver, the transgression of it, or any disconformity to it, must be the opposite of this excellence. This is sin, — the vilest thing in existence. God is the Author of all good; but he is not the Author of sin. He is, indeed, the Author of the free agent; but sin proceeds from the abuse of that liberty which is essential to a free, moral agent. Sin is a most unreasonable thing, for it opposes itself to all that is good. Sin is the height of folly, for it turns away from the only true source of happiness. Sin is odious in its intrinsic nature. It deforms, defiles, and disorders the soul into which it enters. It is the essence of ingratitude, for it returns evil for good. It is rebellion against the most rightful authority. It is the proper cause of all misery, the prolific poison- ous seed, which produces a harvest of woes. We can conceive of no evil which is not included in sin. There is nothing else with which we can compare it, to show its evil. The apostle seems to labour for expressions strong enough to represent its evil, and sums up his description, by saying, that it is "exceeding sinful." Now, the law of God denounces a curse against all sin: " cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." All who have sinned are, therefore, under the curse. And from this no creature can deliver them. All sinners are equally condemned, but all are not condemned to equal punishment. The Lord is just, and will render to every one according to his deserts. But banishment from his presence, is the doom of all sinners. Nothing which the sinner can do, himself, will save him from either the punishment due to sin, or from its inherent defilement. This was the condition of every man of Adam's race; all have sinned, and are under the curse. The Son of God, viewing our unhappy condition, pitied us, and consented to become our Saviour. This required a wonderful humiliation on his part. It required, that he should become man, that he might bring in a justifying righteousness. The demands of justice must be satisfied, and this could only be done by answering all the claims of the law. He must not only become incarnate, but he must place himself under the law, not only to render a perfect obedience to its precepts, but that he might endure its penalty. " When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law." " Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." By the obedience and death of Christ, a foundation is laid for the gratuitous justification of the believing sinner, however ungodly he may have been. The atonement of Christ is of infinite value, and sufficient to take away the guilt of the most enormous sins. There is, therefore, pardon and peace for every penitent believer. But they who reject the Saviour, or neglect to fly to the hope set before them in the Gospel, must perish. For such there is no escape. There is no other sacrifice for sin. There is no other name by which they can be saved — no other foundation on which they can build. To those who trust in Christ, there is complete safety. To them who are in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation. " Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." But Jesus not only saves from the curse and condemnation of sin, but from sin itself. There can be no real salvation, which does not deliver from sin's power and pollution in the soul. Sin has in itself so much evil, that it will produce misery, wherever it exists and reigns. Sin and misery are as indissolubly connected as holiness and happiness. The bitterest punishment of the lost will consist in the unrestrained violence of malignant passions, and the remorse which accompanies them. Jesus, therefore, had it as a main object of his coming into our world, " to save his people from sin." This is a work which no creature can perform. It supposes the complete renovation of the inner man. " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This destruction of sin in the soul is the peculiar work of the Holy Spirit, to whom it belongs to enlighten the mind, to purify the heart, and to mortify sin. The word of God, however, is the instrument in the hand of the Spirit by which regeneration and sanctification are effected. " Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever. Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." Sin has struck its roots deep in our nature. Nothing short of a divine energy can eradicate the evil. God could, no doubt, sanctify the soul in as short a time as it is regenerated, but it has pleased him to pursue a different course. He chooses to carry on this work gradually, and by making the believer active in using the means of his own sanctification. Upon this plan, the people of God become much better acquainted with the evil of sin, than if they were saved from it at once. And by their various struggles with indwelling sin, they learn more highly to value the pardoning and renewing grace of God. They have, in the course of their pilgrimage much experience of the mercy and faithfulness of God, for it is by his strength they maintain their ground, and gain the victory over sin. Though, while in this world, none are perfectly free from the pollutions of sin; yet the work which grace begins here, will be carried, on to perfection; and before the redeemed soul enters heaven, it will be completely purified from all sin; and will be presented without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. This perfection of holiness, we believe, is attained at death; not that the separation of the soul from the body produces that effect, as some seem to suppose, but that is the time when the Spirit of God completes the work of sane tin cation.

Christ will not only save the soul from sin, but the body also from that death which is the effect of sin. Salvation will not be complete until the resurrection of the body. Let us then rejoice that a Saviour has been born, that his name is Jesus, and that he will save his people from their sins. This name is precious to the believer. It is like ointment poured forth, a sweet odour which refreshes the fainting heart — a reviving cordial, which raises our courage, and adds new strength to our efforts.

Let us be thankful, that the salvation which Jesus accomplishes is a salvation from sin-r-a complete deliverance, not only from its curse, but from its defilement. Now we are conscious of much sin within us, so that we are often forced to cry out, " O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death! But thanks be to God who giveth us the victory. " The time is approaching, O believer, when you will be surprised to find that you are free from sin, saved, eternally saved from sin!

1. If there is a name given by which sinners may be saved, and if this is the only name; if the knowledge of this name is necessary to salvation, then it is exceedingly important that this name with its divine import and saving power should be made known to all the world. For this end was the Gospel ministry instituted: and all who seek the ministry now, from right motives, have this as their main object, to make known the name of Jesus.

2. But the mere hearing of this name, and obtaining a historical knowledge of the life and death, resurrection and ascension and glorious exaltation of Jesus, is not sufficient for salvation. " Whosoever calleth on this name shall be saved," i. e. whosoever believeth with the heart and confesseth with the mouth, that Jesus is the Christ — the Messiah, the Son of God, shall be saved. We must endeavour to bring men to repentance toward God, and to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. They who would bring others to believe in Jesus, ought to be true believers themselves, as saith the apostle, or rather the psalmist, " I believed, therefore have I spoken. We also believe, and therefore speak." One of the greatest dangers of the Church is an unconverted ministry. If the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch.