What is God’s Name apart from God?

Big Questions | 05 November 2023 | Gareth Higgs

‘God’

  • a generic term - lots of ‘gods’ all over the place

  • ‘God’ needs something added to it to make it specific e.g ‘God of the Bible’, ‘God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (see below for all the names of God in OT)

  • In OT the term ‘El’ is used for God to describe a powerful being (Genesis 1:1)

Exodus 3:13-15

  • God self discloses who He is - ‘I am who I am’ - Yahweh

  • Hebrew people considered this so holy a name that it was never spoken

  • to reflect that sense and be faithful to the text the word ‘LORD’ is capitalised in Bibles

  • This is the Name that introduces the God of the Bible - the God of the Covenant People who acts out of loving commitment to His people

God cares about His Name

  • Ten commandments - God’s Name should not be misused (Ex 20:7)

  • Lord’s Prayer - ‘Hallowed/holy is Your Name

Jesus

  • Danger in the church of lots of vague talk about God where we need to talk specifically about Jesus

John 8:53-59

  • Jesus deliberately identifies Himself with the name of Yahweh

  • Re-iterates the claim that the Son of God was, is and always will be

  • You can tell that what Jesus says is significant (blasphemous to his hearers) because it causes a rumpus

  • Jesus is Yahweh appearing in human form

  • God’s authority is implicit in Jesus - He is given the ‘name that is above every other name’ (Phip 2:9-10)

  • All of the blessings and promises of God find their fulfilment in Jesus

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

  • Now all the blessings, attributes of God are fulfilled in Jesus

  • Jesus is the Name to be honoured, Jesus is the Name to be lifted up

  • We honour and revere and love Yahweh, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

  • How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds!

  • There is power in the Name of Jesus!

Names of God in Old Testament