Yahshua or Jesus: What’s in a Name?

Preamble

Today, Christians refer to the divine being in various ways; the Lord, the Father, Jesus, Christ or simply God. In their writings; James, Peter, John and Jude, used Jesus (the) Christ, which points to their experience of Him; Jesus (or Joshua) as they knew Him; the Christ as they later understood His Messiahship as foretold by the Prophets. Paul on the other hand, with a few exceptions, used Christ Jesus, which describes his experience; knowing Him first as the LORD from heaven. Christ Jesus highlights His Grace and Jesus Christ; His Glory. However, a theology founded in the 1930’s opposed to these understandings, is now taking root within the Christian Church.

The Sacred Name Movement [SNM] was founded by Church of G-d member, Clarence Dodd, who believed there was a need to align Christianity to the observance and language of Israel, in order to secure ones salvation. The upshot of this assumption has been needless uncertainty in the minds of Christians seeking to deepen their knowledge and faith. By bringing into question the exact Name of God, and the term; ‘…in My Name…’ (Deut 18:20; Matt 18:20; John: 16:23) this movement interferes with an obvious truth already known to many.

The Sacred Name hypothesis is centred on the belief that Hebrew is the correct and only language on which to establish the proper name of God. It is about the dependability of Scripture translation, pre-Christian language form, and the reliability of accepted church history. We will look into these and examine the soundness of this doctrine by exploring the languages in use prior to, and during the time of Christ; supposed oral tradition, the development of language as it applies to Scripture, and the English Alphabet. We will also look into the lineage through which, ho Kyrios Iesous Christos came.

A Flawed Foundation

The Church of G-d came out of the Millerite Movement of 1844, as did the 7th Day Adventists. They are a nominal Christian sect, with strong Old Testament leanings. They believe in the observance of the Sabbath and hold the correct day of worship as the seventh day. The Worldwide Church of God, founded by Herbert Armstrong grew out of this base. The spark for Dodd’s movement came about when members of his Church considered the proverb: What is His name, and His Son’s name if you can tell? (Pro 30:4 – answer later) In March 1937, Dodd started; The Faith, a magazine in which he upheld the idea of keeping of the Feast Days of Leviticus 23. As a result, his resignation was asked for and he was later dismissed by his Church.

Totally swayed by his conviction, Dodd later set the names Yahweh and Yahshua on the masthead of his magazine stating that any reference to the Father and Son would no longer carry the names or titles, LORD, God, or Jesus Christ. In the early 1940’s, Herbert Armstrong used the name Yahweh in his radio broadcasts, but soon dropped it due to negative feedback from his audience. But, it was Dodd who persuaded Armstrong, the observance of Hebrew holidays and Feasts were still to be observed and mandatory, if you were in any sense a true Christian, which of course is nonsense.

As expected, the Movement has experienced a number of divisions resulting in; Yahweh’s Assembly in Messiah [YAIM] in 1980; Yahweh’s New Covenant Assembly [YNCA] in 1988; and in 2007 Yahweh’s Assembly in Yahshua [YAIY]. Newer versions of the movement, which have brought into question the dependability of the Bible since its translation into English, continue to form. Many of these newer factions are infiltrating traditional Christian churches with their suspect views; their belief in an oral tradition, and their mistaken theology.

There is also their alignment to Christian Zionism; a defective benchmark in terms of the history of Israel; ancient and modern. When we look into the ancestry of Israel, we can, without too much effort unstitch essential errors held by the Sacred Name faction, and the Church at large.

Oral Tradition

And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. (Exo 32:15)

Adherents to the SNM claim that an oral tradition was in use by the ancients prior to the first words of the Torah being set down. They are not alone in this unsound idea. There was no such tradition prior to the Babylonian exile of Judah. Everything was written and recorded as instructed by the LORD. (Exodus 24:4; Deut 31:19-22; and Genesis 5:1.) The LORD himself wrote the Law: And he gave to Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exo 32:18) Writing is mentioned 38 times in the Pentateuch and a further 221 times in the Old Testament. Early writing was cuneiform, on clay tablets as used in Mesopotamia and Assyria.

Cuneiform writing became the system used by all civilized countries east of the Mediterranean – Assyria, Babylonia, Persia – and by the Hittites, who are mentioned seven times in Genesis beginning at Genesis 15:20. Cuneiform writing consists of a series of wedge-shaped impressions (cuneia means ‘wedge’) made in plastic clay. The Hebrew word for ‘to write’ means ‘to cut in’ or ‘to dig.’ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all would have written in cuneiform.’ –

‘Those who do not consider the early chapters of Genesis to be reliable history use oral transmission as the explanation for those chapters of the book. However it is absurd to think that God would entrust the eternal Word to the fragile memory of humans. Scripture teaches the opposite. (Marvin L. Lubenow: the Bones of Contention 1992)

After being transcribed by Moses and the Patriarchs, the original Torah (Pentateuch) was written in ancient Hebrew-Aramaic. The New Testament from the evangelists and disciples was written in Greek. Since God created our first parents with the ability to speak, it is reasonable to suggest that He created them with the ability to learn to write as well. A naturalistic, evolutionary origin of language stretches credulity. (ibid)

Talmud and Mishnah

The Talmud is the collection of Judaism’s sacred books. It takes priority over the Old Testament as the authority in the religious writings of the Jews. Confirmation is found in Erubin: My son be more careful in the observance of the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah.

The Jewish scribes recorded the Oral Tradition of the Pharisees, which originated in Babylon, which, Jesus meet head-on during His ministry. Judaism as we know it today is a religion built on Babylonian traditions with additional rabbinical writings attached over the centuries. It has nothing to do with the Books of Moses and it is not the Word of God as some Christians suppose; neither is it from God through His Prophets. And if any man knew this truth, it was Paul.

Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. (Tit 1:14-15)

Those that follow the edicts of the SNM believe Judaism is based in the Law of Moses and the Books of the Old Testament. They therefore cite Judaism as the reason for their belief that the names of God, as used in the Jewish faith, are the correct ones. As Judaism allegedly precedes Christianity, a return to the first language for the untouched name of God should be followed. They name the Law and tradition as sufficient reason. Yet, when it comes to Orthodox Hasidic Judaism and its knowledge of the Old Testament, the following may show their error…

‘Not too long ago I happened to speak with a young man who studies at one of the flagships of the Haredi yeshiva world; a yeshiva (religious institute) which is no doubt among the most important and elitist ones. We spoke about various issues, and at one point I referred to a certain Biblical character I’m especially fond of. This figure was not one of the Bible’s leading actors like Abraham or Moses, but it was not a particularly marginal character either, but rather, an interesting and significant one in my view; one that conveys an important message to biblical scholars. So why am I telling you all this? Because the guy had no idea what I was talking about.

He never heard about this figure, he was unfamiliar with it, and he was certainly unfamiliar with the important messages it teaches us… the time has come to shatter the myth and explicitly address the most open secret which we all have known for a while now – Haredi education in its various yeshivas only focuses on one thing, while creating ignorant students on every other front. The issue I have is with the fact that the vast majority of yeshivas only teach Talmud and related questions and answers. That’s it, what about the Bible?’ (Judaism is Not the Religion of the Old Testament: Time to face Haredi secret: Efrat Shapira-Rosenberg Ynetnews.com – Feb. 10, 2010)

Rabbis claim they own the Torah, but their use of the word Torah is an illusion. It is not the sacred writings of Moses, Aaron and Joshua. This Torah has come out of their Oral Tradition and is known as the Torah SheBeal Peh. It is not the original Torah SheBichtav, the Old Testament writings inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. The Talmud, which includes the Mishnah and Gemara, stems from Babylon and while some of this history is a little hazy, and even though, Jesus referred to their writings, the first texts of substance began to appear long after Christianity was established.

All of Judaism’s laws and rulings of behaviour are derived from it. Judaism’s esoteric texts secretly divulge the Talmud is not of Moses, rather where Moses is buried. (Tikkunei Zohar 1:27) And this from the Bava Metzia: 59b: Since God already gave the Torah to the Jewish people on Mt. Sinai we no longer pay attention to heavenly voices. God must submit to the decisions of a majority vote of the rabbis.

This is supercilious nonsense. The LORD gave the Law to Moses and Israel on Mt. Horeb, in Arabia; not to the Pharisees in the Sinai, and to speak of the Ever-Living God in such terms, exhibits nothing but inexcusable arrogance. But for now, we will leave comment on the Pharisees of Babylon (the foundation of Judaism) to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees: hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore you are witnesses unto yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill you up then, the measure of your fathers. Serpents, offspring of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell? (Matt 23: 29-33)

The Talmud is no place for a Christian to spend any time looking for a reason for their faith. While many tracts appear devout, of high-minded deliberation, they are illusory to the point of mysticism revealing the Gnostic mind. There is no justification to regard them, for they are not of Christ’s Spirit. The Books of Judaism are not drawn from the Books we know in the Bible. They came out of the traditions of Babylon, and have little to do with the inspired writing of Moses and the Prophets.

And yet, this is where we find those of the Sacred Name movement being beguiled: not in the true word of the LORD, but in cabalistic mysteries of the Jews’ religion. (Gal 1:13) Anyone who believes on Jesus can find all the guidance, wisdom and blessings they need in His Gospel, and in the writings of Peter, Paul and their brethren. Those who claim Christianity should dine only on the bread He gave us unto salvation “…for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2Peter 1:21)

Now I will answer the question of Clarence Dodd (Pro 30:4) that started us down this worrisome road: What is His name and His Son’s name if you can tell? The Name of the Father and the Son is, the Lord Jesus Christ. And, if Clarence Dodd and others of like-mind had invested a little time with Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 and Isaiah 9:6; John 10:30; the opening of Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews; and compared Matthew 28:19 with Acts 2:38 to name but a few of the myriad mentions of the truth of the LORD in Scripture, none of this foolishness would have seen the light of day.

American Christian Zionism

Today, Christian Zionism is a term usually associated with the supporters of the State of Israel. And though we can make out certain events, like the Second World War, and the formalization of the State in 1948 as triggers in recent times, the early development of Christian leanings towards the Jews and Israel is considerably older. (See Restorationism on this site)

Jewish heritage has shaped who we are, all of us, as much or more than any other factor in the last 223 years. And that’s a fact. – The truth is that Jewish heritage, Jewish culture, Jewish values are such an essential part of who we are that it’s fair to say that Jewish heritage is American heritage. (Jennifer Epstein: Biden: Jewish heritage is American heritage. Politico, May 21, 2013)

In light of this, we see essentially American Christian views at the forefront with the support of Jews in general, and the Zionist state in particular, largely due to the Jewish molding of American culture. Christian America was encouraged to think positively about Jewish aspirations, primarily a new homeland in Palestine. With its strong Israel leanings, Christian Zionism has had a major impact on how American Christians see themselves in terms of their faith and its supposed Jewish roots. But, in order to win over American Christians, Jews first had to resolve an issue that was fairly problematic; the truth of their ancestry.

The vast majority of people we know today as, Jews have their origin in the Khazarian Empire of the ninth century, when their ancestors adopted the Talmudic religion of the Pharisees. They are not the minority Sephardic Jews, but of Turkic origin, whose ancestors were driven into Southern Russia in the sixth century by the nomadic peoples of the Steppes. They are the root of the Ashkenazi Jews of Europe. These Russian and Eastern-European Jews founded Bolshevism, Marxism, Communism, Zionism, and the modern State of Israel. All of this can be found in any Jewish Encyclopaedia of note and in recent publications by several eminent Jewish historians and academics, like Shlomo Sand whose book: The Invention of the Jewish People should be read by every Zionist Christian.

Another problem Judaism had to deal with was their supposed ancestors of the first century AD, and their relationship with Jesus and His crucifixion. However, I will not share with you what the Pharisees of Judea actually thought about Jesus, as recorded in their early writings, or how modern Jewish orthodoxy regards Jesus today; suffice to say His Messiahship will always be denied. Though, surprising as it may seem they need Him, and they need Him to be a Jew. The rationale being that His Jewishness must naturally flow back through their claimed ancestors David, Jacob, and Abraham.

By assuming this position, in order to establish a plausible empathy with the Christian community, the legitimacy of their contrived ancestry can be established. And by taking the theological high ground, limp-minded Christians now add weight to their specious claim. It is about legitimizing a falsehood; that they are the chosen people with a god-approved inheritance to the land of Israel. They have convinced Christians that Jesus, is not only one of them, but Jews are the sole and rightful heirs to Palestine. And blind Christian Zionists obligingly agree.

Today, there is a concerted effort to have people learn about Israel. There are countless websites promoting Israel, Judaism, and modern and ancient Hebrew as something we should all do. There is also a drive by the Knesset to increase the numbers of Jews in Israel. Its purpose is to engage the West in a more positive way with their aspirations as the legitimate home for anyone that considers themselves a Jew, or would like to become one, yes, it is simply a matter of choosing.

The fact that being a Jew has absolutely nothing to do with race or birthright completely discredits the Zionist ‘ancestral’ claim to Palestine, as the vast majority of today’s Jews are proselytes. The Israelis have also made their intentions clear that the country will be soon known as the Jewish State, which is bad news for Palestinians, Christians, and non-Jews living there, as the requirements will be a strict observance. The irony being, the State of Israel is one of the most secular nations on Earth.

Of Jews living in America, the Pew Survey on religious practise shows less than 40% of American Jews actually attend any form of regular worship. These numbers reveal a steady decline over the years in a belief in God, and as Israel was founded on a National-Socialist political ideology this is not in any way surprising.

A (very) Short Lineage

Apart from the Idumaean, Judas Iscariot, all the Apostles called by Jesus were Israelites. Paul was an Israelite and confirms his ancestry in Romans 11:1. Jesus upheld their lineage when He first met Nathanael. (Jn 1:47) Many of the Apostles were from Galilee and spoke Aramaic with a distinctive accent, which exposed Simon Peter at the time of the crucifixion: Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you. (ESV Matt 26:73) They were descended mainly from Judah, Benjamin and Levi (Barnabas) but may also have come from other Israelite lineage as some of the former House of Israel had resettled in and around Galilee after their Assyrian exile. Anna (Luke 2:36) was from the tribe of Asher.

The Tribes of Israel were descended from the twelve sons of Jacob; the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. All who came down from Jacob’s line were Israelites. Abraham was the last of the named Hebrews from the line of Shem, the first son of Noah. Noah and his family were the last of the Edenites descended from Adam. Nowhere in this ancestry is there any mention of Jews, for the very simple reason; they didn’t exist. Mention of the Jews in 2Kings 16:6; 18:26, 28; 25:25; and 2 Chronicles is an error (and a lazy one at that) of the rendition of ath-e-ieudim, which means – the Judeans. A Judean was anyone (from any race) that lived in the province of Judea.

On Jesus: His lineage from Adam, through Abraham, Jacob, Judah and David is recorded and stated in both the Old and New Testaments. The reason why all those begats and son of were written down is to show a continuous line. Like any ancestry it is to show legitimacy, connection and belonging. The descent of the Christ from David (Son of David), Judah (the Kingship), and Jacob (the Promise) shows the Israelite line of Jesus through men. Luke (3:23-38) takes us back through Isaac, Abraham, Shem, Noah, Enoch and Adam where we arrive at the starting point for Jesus on Earth. Beyond Adam we find “…and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

Now, to better understand the biblical use of the name, Jew, view it in the context of Pharisee. There is much confusion with the word, due to mistranslation, assumption, and more recently phonetics, as Jew and Judah sound alike. But it is the intent of the word that will best explain its purpose in the New Testament. Paul said it well when he spoke about his trial: “But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar.” (Acts 28:19) And, (John 5:16) “And therefore the Jews did persecute Jesus…. and v.18 …the Jews sought more to kill him” shows the Pharisee-Jew in terms of character and disposition. The use of the Jews in this context clearly underlines the separate natures of Jesus, the Apostles, and Paul when compared to the Jews. (See: So, Who are the Jews again?)

Greek and Aramaic

While a variety of peoples lived throughout the region at the time of Christ, the dominant tongue was Greek. When the remnant of Judah and Benjamin returned from Babylon, the Ptolemaic Kingdom was in charge of Judea. This Egyptian-Greek blend later fell to the Greeks around 200-BC. Soon after, the Maccabean revolt weakened the Greeks allowing the Maccabeans sufficient political leeway to take control. In 129-BC, the Hasmoneans seized power until defeated by Rome giving the Herodians control of Judea and Peraea in 63-BC. Yet, for the previous 300 years Alexander, Cassander, and the Seleucid Empire influenced the region; its language and to a marked extent its culture.

Rome also, had become a part bi-lingual society due to the arrival of many Greek nationals as slaves, after the Romans took Corinth in 146-BC. It became the second language of Rome and was common within the early church. It was so widespread, the Pentateuch was rendered into Greek and this edition (the Septuagint) was in use at the time of Christ. Greek was therefore, the perfect bridge for authoring the Gospels. All of Paul’s letters, except Hebrews, were written in Greek, including his letter to Greek speaking Romans. Hebrews was later translated into Greek by Luke.

As Greek (like English today) was a universal tongue; Aramaic, a revised form of ancient Hebrew, was the colloquial speech in and around Galilee. It was spoken by the descendants of Judah and Benjamin who returned from Babylon and by other Israelite communities throughout the province. It is the basis of modern Arabic. The mother of Jesus was Miriam, not Mary as the church calls her today. Jesus was not known as, Jesus by His friends and family but, Joshua which means, the Lord’s Salvation. During His ministry He was called rabbi; master and teacher. As the Gospels were written in Greek we received the Greek form of His Name as given by Gabriel and the Angel of the LORD, translated, Jesus; it being the natural progression of the linguistic form when rendered in English.

The correct rendering of the Lord’s Name in Greek is: ho Kyrios Iesous Christos. In English, it is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is His proper title, which expresses the same implication, nuance and intent as the Greek. Therefore, there is no justifiable reason to use any other version of His Name. That we have the Name, Jesus is for the simple reason the writers of the day used the terms and expressions of the most prevalent language in use at the time. Now, in Hebrew, the name would translate; ha-Adon Yeshua ha-Mashiach, which conveys the same implication as English and Greek. Yet, you will not find this name in any Jewish holy text. The idea that it exists in Judaism is nonsense. So, why use it?

Two thousand years ago, every nation spoke their native tongue; as we do today. If they were Israelite it was Aramaic; if Greeks, Greek; Romans spoke Latin and Greek. The fact that the Apostles’ native tongue was Aramaic has no bearing on why the Spirit of the LORD moved Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Paul, Peter, James and Jude to publish the Gospels, and letters in Greek even if their original notes and observations may have been in Aramaic, Greek, possibly even Latin.

The New Testament was written in a language the majority knew and understood. By all means call Jesus, Yashua. It would be the proper thing to do if Hebrew is your first language. If you are French address Him as Jasu, or Le Christ; if German, Yesus; if Russian; Ezous or Joshua; Italian, Gesu. And in Spanish call Him, Hay-zoos, the most common name on the planet: but address Him by the name we were given. To use any other reveals the legalistic mind of the Pharisee.

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) And that Name in English is, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Greek version of Jehoshua or the abridged Joshua, is iEsou. (Strongs G2424: Iesous of Hebrew origin: Jehoshua) Its rendering in English is Jesus. Iota Eta Sigma Omicron Upsilon Sigma; are the Greek letters of this Name. Accepted usage shows Iota is pronounced, J; Eta, E; Sigma, Omicron, Upsilon and Sigma are sounded in English as, sous. Hence, Ie-sous and Je-sus.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (Php 2:9)

It would have been absurd when writing to Greek speaking settlements in Philippi and Thessalonica, or for that matter, the rest of Asia Minor, to use a language they couldn’t understand. In Paul’s letter to the Colossians; “…where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.” (Col 3:11) he was writing to Phrygian speakers (Israelites) whose language was closer to Greek than any other.

Titus, the first bishop of the Cretian Church was Greek by birth “…but neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek.” (Gal 2:3) Can you imagine Paul writing to him in any language, but Greek? Yet, many of the SNM will tell you that only Aramaic was used to record the Gospels. While we can conceal many things, no one can hide the truth of the authoring of the Gospels and Letters in Greek. It’s time for a little commonsense.

Two of the best known eighteenth century editions of the New Testament; the Douai-Rheims, and the King James, both contain the new words; Jesus and Jew. Yet, when the English language versions of the Douai of 1582, and the 1611 King James first appeared, they were nowhere in evidence. With J now available, they emerged along with all of the other new words beginning with J when both Bibles were revised in the 18th century. From the Greek iEsou to the English Jesus is not as big a shift as you might think, like all of the Indo-European-Germanic languages, vowel and consonant shift are only a matter of cadence and rhythm. We all use conversational words from foreign languages every day!

What’s in a Name?

The names generally used to replace the Name of Jesus are Yahshua, and Yahashua. These names are now regularly heard on Christian television and radio broadcasts. Many websites now publish the Name of Jesus this way. There is also a Sacred Name version of the Bible. These words do not exist in any Hebrew Encyclopaedia or Lexicon of good reputation; Y-shua, Joshua, and Jehoshua are to be found, but the above mentioned are not.

Particular individuals, through lack of knowledge or with purpose, have set about their work of attacking the proper English translation of the name, Jesus; and by doing so fly in the face of reason and the instruction of the LORD not to alter His Word. By putting aside the correct name of Jesus for another, they contradict the weight of the Gospels and the writings of Peter, Paul, John, James and Jude. This errant belief also demeans the guiding lights of Christianity including Tyndale, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and the pioneers of the Reformation.

Logic dictates it must be the view of the SNM that the aforesaid were each and every one in error by using the name, Jesus Christ. One wonders why the LORD would let such a delusion populate the minds of the great men and women He called to spread His Gospel.

We must not take the LORD’S name in vain; we must not make an image or doctrine around it, as the Sacred Name Movement has done. To believe it is the name of Salvation is sheer folly. As Paul writes, (Titus 3:9) when we are caught up in genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law nothing good can come of it. The LORD’S Name is pure, and will always remain pure to those who keep the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)

Although the underlying principle of the Sacred Name Movement may at first appear sound, it is quite the opposite. There is only one small part of Scripture I need to share with you now. The SNM calls for the correct name of God to be spoken and heard in the Hebrew tongue; believing if it not heard in the original language, God is not honoured and our salvation unsure. So, let’s look at this Scripture and then decide for ourselves…

Pentecost: the Feast of First Fruits

Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and was confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, behold, are not all these which speak, Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. (Acts 2:6-11)

Then: after the Holy Spirit had caused Peter to speak in every tongue simultaneously, and when they each heard in their own language and understood all that was said; this happened…

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you into the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost: For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:37-39)

And then this happened…

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:41-47)

By What Name:

Isaiah declared, Immanuel would come and Matthew revealed the meaning of that name; Immanuel … being interpreted is, God with us. (Matt 1:23) Isaiah also declared the titles of God with us: “…and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

These are some of the titles of Jesus, declared by the Evangelists and Prophets as the Lord who would redeem us; only God can forgive sin! Immanuel is a sign: to direct our attention to the fact the LORD God made an entrance to our world to reveal His path to Salvation. By the Water, the Blood, and the Spirit; given freely to all who believe on His Name. By what name are we saved? Ho Kyrios Iesous Christos – the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

“…believe not every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” (1Jn 4:1-3)

This is not about legalities, or genealogies or contentions. This is not about the languages of men, but the language of God; the language of the Spirit; who Christ is and where He dwells. It is about the Name of Salvation given to Him by His own Angel. It is not about His season in the flesh, but clean hearts and the purity of our belief.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

I pray the Lord Jesus Christ blesses you, and opens His truth in your heart.