Bible Study
The many names of Christ — each a window into who He is. From Immanuel to the Lamb of God to King of kings, learn to worship Him more fully.
Study this in the app →Scripture gives Jesus many names and titles, and each one opens a window onto who He is and what He does. To study His names is to worship Him more fully — and to trust Him more deeply.
In the ancient world a name carried a person's character and authority. The names given to Jesus — by prophets, by angels, and by Jesus Himself — are compact confessions of His identity as God and Savior.
“...his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Four titles, each a claim to deity and rule — seven centuries before His birth.
“You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who will save his people from their sins... they shall call his name Immanuel, which is, being interpreted, 'God with us.'”
His name is His mission; His title is His nature.
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
The sacrifice God Himself provides.
“I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
One of seven great 'I AM' sayings in John.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
First and last; the eternal Lord.
“He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'”
Supreme over every power that exists.
In Isaiah 9:6, which titles are given to the promised child?
Answer: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
Seven centuries before His birth, Isaiah names the coming child with titles no mere human could bear — 'Mighty God,' 'Everlasting Father' — declaring the Messiah to be God Himself, come to rule in unending peace.
Word study: 'Mighty God' is Hebrew El Gibbor — 'God the Mighty Warrior,' a title used of God Himself in Isaiah 10:21.
Context: Isaiah spoke into a time of darkness and threat; these titles promised a King whose government and peace would never end (Isaiah 9:7).
What does the name 'Jesus' mean (Matthew 1:21)?
Answer: The LORD saves
The angel ties His name to His mission: He is named Jesus 'for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.' His very name is the gospel compressed into a word.
Word study: 'Jesus' is the Greek form of Hebrew Yeshua (Joshua) — 'YHWH is salvation.' The name itself announces that God is the rescuer.
Context: Not 'save from Rome' as many hoped, but 'from their sins' — rescue from the deepest bondage of all.
What does the title 'Immanuel' mean (Matthew 1:23)?
Answer: God with us
Quoting Isaiah 7:14, Matthew names the child 'Immanuel — God with us.' The whole story bends toward this: the God who walked in Eden and filled the temple now comes in person to be with His people.
Word study: Immanu ('with us') + El ('God'). The Hebrew name is itself a sentence of good news.
Context: Matthew opens his Gospel with 'God with us' and closes it with Jesus' promise, 'I am with you always' (Matthew 28:20) — a deliberate bookend.
Why did John the Baptist call Jesus 'the Lamb of God' (John 1:29)?
Answer: He is the sacrifice who takes away sin
John points to Jesus as the true and final sacrifice — the Lamb God Himself provides, who takes away 'the sin of the world.' Every Passover lamb and temple offering had been pointing forward to Him.
Word study: The image gathers up the ram God provided for Abraham (Genesis 22), the Passover lamb (Exodus 12), and Isaiah's silent lamb — all fulfilled in Christ.
Context: John spoke as crowds prepared for Passover, when thousands of lambs were slain; he points to the one Lamb all the others foreshadowed.
When Jesus says 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:12), what is He claiming?
Answer: To be the source of life and truth that ends our darkness
In Scripture, light means life, truth, and God's own presence. Jesus claims to be that light Himself — not a lamp pointing toward it. To follow Him is to walk out of darkness into life.
Word study: This is one of seven 'I AM' (ego eimi) sayings in John, each echoing God's name in Exodus 3:14 and unveiling who Jesus is.
Context: He said this at the Feast of Tabernacles, when huge lamps blazed in the temple courts — a living object lesson that the true Light had come.
Why does Scripture give Jesus so many names and titles instead of just one?
Answer: No single title can capture all He is; each reveals a different facet
Jesus is too rich to be summed up in one word. Lamb and Lion, Shepherd and King, Light and Bread — each title opens a different window onto who He is and what He does for us. Together they form a fuller portrait, and learning them deepens both our worship and our trust. The more names we know, the more of Him we behold.
Word study: 'The name above every name' (Philippians 2:9) is the title 'Lord' (Kyrios) — the Greek rendering of God's own covenant name, now confessed of Jesus.
Context: Paul quotes an early Christian hymn; the church worshiped Jesus with the language reserved for God almost from the beginning.
What does it mean for you personally that Jesus is called 'Immanuel — God with us'?
Answer: You are never truly alone; God has drawn near and stays near
'God with us' is not just a Christmas title; it's the promise that frames the whole Gospel of Matthew, which closes with 'I am with you always.' Whatever you face — loneliness, fear, the ordinary and the unbearable — the God who came near has not left. His name is His pledge to be present.
Word study: Immanu ('with us') + El ('God') — the name itself is a sentence of comfort you can carry into any moment.
Context: Matthew bookends his Gospel with this promise — 'God with us' at the birth, 'I am with you always' at the end — a deliberate frame around everything between.