Jesus - The Name Above All Names
What did the Apostle Paul mean when he said that God gave Jesus the name that is above every name?
Jesus - The Name Above All Names
In Philippians 2:9–11 we read that Jesus has the name above all names: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
What did Paul mean when he said that God gave Jesus the name that is above every name?
In this passage, the apostle appeals to believers to cultivate an attitude of humility. He gives them an example to emulate, namely, Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate model of humility. He says in verses 6–9 that Jesus, who is God and who has always been God, did not hold tightly to His position of equality with God. Instead, Jesus emptied Himself or made Himself nothing. He left His high rank in heaven to become a humble, human servant. He set aside His rights and privileges as God to live a life of humble service and obedience, even to the point of dying a horrible death on the cross for sinners.
As a result of Jesus Christ’s self-emptying and self-humiliation, God exalted Him to the highest place of honor. Jesus, who stooped down low, was raised by the Father to His glorious position in heaven. The name that is above all names is the supreme name—the divine name Lord. This name acknowledges Jesus Christ’s absolute lordship as divine King of the universe, and it brings with it the right to be worshiped.
Did God Humble Himself?
It was humbling for the Son of God to become a man. Taking on the character of a servant was even more humbling. But Jesus went a step beyond. He was willing to die one of the most disgraceful forms of execution as a condemned criminal on a cross. Following His humiliation and obedience, God elevated Jesus to His rightful place of glory. After Christ’s victorious resurrection from the dead, God bestowed honor upon His humble, obedient Son: “Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (Hebrews 12:2).
When Paul said, “At the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10), the emphasis was on every creature in the universe acknowledging Jesus as Lord over all creation. When he stated, “Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (verse 11), he meant that every living thing, both in heaven and on earth, will honor Christ. Heavenly forces and demonic powers, people who reject Christ and His faithful in the church—all will bow before Him (Isaiah 45:23–24). Every tongue will acknowledge Jesus for who He is—the Sovereign Lord of the universe.
Will everyone be saved by Jesus?
One astounding facet of God’s human creation is that He made Himself emotionally vulnerable to us. He didn’t have to do that. The triune God has forever been the very definition of joy, love, and peace; He is complete in Himself with no needs or unmet desires. Untold millions of created beings worship and serve Him day and night (Daniel 7:10; Revelation 5:11; 7:11; Isaiah 6:1–3). Yet He gives human beings the high privilege of bringing Him pleasure or sorrow. We can reflect His glory in ways unique to our design (Proverbs 16:7; Psalm 147:11; 149:4). Or we can reject His love and His commands (Ezekiel 8:17; 33:11; 2 Kings 22:17).
God’s act of creating us can be compared to a husband and wife who are perfectly happy and content in themselves, but they decide to have a child. That decision brings with it the potential for exceeding joy and exceeding sorrow. They have chosen to alter their lives by creating a vulnerability that they did not have to create. As they love and care for that child, they long for the child to love them back. But they won’t force the love, because forced love is not love at all. Why doesn’t God just save everyone? Because our love for Him must be voluntary.
God’s Love
God pours out His love and provision on this earth (Matthew 5:45), desiring that His human creations acknowledge His truth and love Him back. He makes Himself known in thousands of ways (Psalm 19:1; 97:6; Romans 1:19–20), working behind the scenes to bring us into a position to reach out to Him (Isaiah 46:10–11; Proverbs 16:33). He provides, protects, and blesses, giving mankind numerous opportunities to look up and find Him (Jeremiah 29:13; Romans 2:4). But He won’t force salvation on the unwilling. Why doesn’t God just save everyone? Because gifts must be willingly received.
God has given His very best—His only begotten Son—to settle our sin debt (John 3:16–18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He does not take the rejection of that offer lightly. The Father who watched His own beloved Son be tortured to death for the benefit of an ungrateful mob refuses to degrade that sacrifice by deciding later that it was not truly necessary (see Acts 4:12; Isaiah 42:8). Why doesn’t God just save everyone? Because salvation can only come through faith in Christ. “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).
All will eventually acknowledge the authority of Christ Jesus.
When we encounter verses stating that all creation will honor Jesus Christ. these verses do not mean that everyone will be saved. Instead, they point to the time when every being acknowledges His authority. The exalted Christ, who sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand (Colossians 3:1) is Lord over all (Acts 10:36; Romans 10:12). He has the supreme Name; He is Lord of lords and King of kings (Revelation 17:14; 19:16). He is the one Lord, “Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Jesus is Lord of both the dead and the living (Romans 14:9). He is the Lord upon whom the church calls (1 Corinthians 1:2). Jesus is our Mediator (Hebrews 3:1–6; 8:6; 9:15; 12:24), Intercessor (Hebrews 7:24–25; Romans. 8:34), Reconciler (Ephesians 2:12–17; Romans 5:1), and the One who gives us entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven (Hebrews 4:1, 11; 6:19–20).
C. S. Lewis has famously stated, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek, find. Those who knock, it is opened”
God often chooses to save unlikely candidates to serve His purposes. He saved a thief on a cross with only minutes to live (Luke 23:42–43), a persecutor of the church (Paul), a fisherman who had denied Him (Peter), a Roman soldier and his family (Acts 10), a runaway slave (Onesimus in Philemon), and many others. There is no one beyond God’s ability to save (see Isaiah 50:2). We must respond in faith and receive His free gift of eternal life.
Who can be saved?
One thing is for certain—you can, if you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior! If you are not certain you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you can respond right now in prayer. Saying a prayer is simply a way of declaring to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ as your Savior. There are no magical words that result in salvation. It is only faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection that can save us. If you understand that you are a sinner and in need of salvation through Jesus Christ, you can pray to Him now and acknowledge your sin, acknowledge that you turn from (repent of) that sin and that you place your full faith and trust in Christ for His work upon the cross to die to pay the penalty for your sin and through His resurrection to life He alone sits at the highly exalted position at the right hand of God in Heaven.
Jesus has the name above all names because Jesus Christ is Lord! This name, given to Him by the Father, affirms His divinity and supreme authority.
❤️ ❤️ ❤️