Jesus Christ has many titles from which we can understand who he is, what he has done, what he continues to do, and what he will do. In the table below I have arranged 14 different titles for Jesus in two different sections. The first is “Lord” which focuses on the deity of Christ. The second is “Jesus” which focuses on his human nature.
Feel free to give me feedback on this list. Do any of these titles belong in the other column? I would be happy to hear your insights on this.
Divine Nature
Almighty One
Alpha and Omega
Author and Perfecter of Our Faith
I Am
Lord of All
Redeemer
The Word
Human Nature
Prophet
Risen Lord
Sacrifice for Our Sins
Son of Man
Resurrection and the Life
Lion of the Tribe of Judah
Holy Servant
Jesus is God
Jesus is the Almighty One (Revelation 11:17 ESV). God is all-powerful (Revelation 19:6). His power knows no end, and there is nothing that can tire him or cause him to surrender. He is almighty. He himself can send armies to flight, and he can shape planets with his Word Genesis 1:1). He himself creates solar systems and stars with a command, and he delivers us from death by his own mercy. Everything that is good comes from him, and he is the source of all virtue (James 1:17).
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13). He is the beginning and end of all things. He was here before the beginning of time, and he will be here forever after (John 1:1). He has always and will always exist. He is preeminent, and there is nothing that existed before him, and nothing can exist without him (Colossians 1:18).
Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of Our Faith (Hebrews 12:2). He is the source (Author) and he is the completion (Perfecter) of our faith. Without him, we would have nothing. Without him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). He is the one reforming our minds, and through his power, we find new life. We cannot live the Christian life without him, and there is nothing we can hope for if we do not hope in him. Only God can author and perfect our faith.
Jesus is the great I Am (John 8:58). He is the almighty God. He is the supreme power of the Universe. He was there before the beginning, he is now, and he forever will be. He is the one who spoke to Moses in the bush (Exodus 3:4), and he is the one who parted the red sea (Exodus 14:21). No mere man could claim the title of I AM.
Jesus is the Lord of All. He himself is the ruler of creation. He himself created all things, along with the father and Holy Spirit, all things came into existence (John 1:3). He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15). He has power and authority over all things, and there is nothing in existence that he has not created. He is sovereign over all (Revelation 6:10). This is a claim only God can make.
He is the redeemer (Isaiah 47:4). He alone redeems us from our sinful state. Only God can forgive sins, and so this title points to his position as savior over all. This title points to his deity because if he were merely a man, he could not forgive sins. God has redeemed us. If Jesus was simply a man, he could not claim to have redeemed anybody.
He is the Word. John 1:1 tells us that the Word was with God and the Word is God. Therefore, this title points to Jesus being God himself. If the Word was with God and the Word was made flesh, Jesus cannot simply be a man. He must also be God.
Jesus the Man
Jesus is a Prophet. Moses told the children of Israel that God would “raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen” (Deuteronomy 18:15). The position of prophet is just one of the many titles that apply to him. All other prophets point to this one who is the substance of all things before him.
Jesus is the Risen Lord. He must have died if he has risen. This points to his humanity as God as an eternal spirit cannot die. This points to the death of his body.
Sacrifice for Our Sins. He is the only propitiation for our sins. Without his shed blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).
Jesus is the Son of Man (Mark 14:62). Many times, Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of Man”. He is expressing his connection with people. This title is one he uses more often than most others. This is because he desires for us to understand that he has taken on human nature. This is also a reference to the Old Testament vision in Daniel 7.
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). Jesus was dead, and on the third day, he rose again. He is the resurrection and the life. Because he was resurrected, we can hope to be resurrected also.
Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). This obviously relates to his lineage in the flesh. He was in the line of David, and because of this part of the tribe of Judah. A Lion represents power, royalty, and courage. As Revelation 5:5 puts forward, Jesus himself is the root of David. This means that David was a foreshadow of Christ.
Jesus is the Holy Servant (Matthew 20:28). Jesus in his humanity submitted himself fully to the father. In his humanity, he lived following the father’s will. He lived a perfect life, and he not only served the Father but humanity as well.
Council of Nicaea & Chalcedon
I do not believe the doctrines concerning Christ’s deity were developed over time. I believe the Apostles believed Jesus to be God because they said as much. Therefore, all of the subsequent councils were merely reaffirming what the Church had already been teaching. Louis Berkhof in his book about systematic theology elaborates on the increasing dialogue between churches about the nature or natures of Jesus in relation to him being God and Man. There have been many other scholars throughout history that have debated this subject. Peter Stuhlmacher says in his book “Historical Jesus in Recent Research” that from the beginning of the ministry of Jesus there was confusion about who he really was.
The council of Nicaea and Chalcedon are two ecumenical councils that aimed to clarify some of the issues concerning the incarnation. Athanasius, in his book “On the Incarnation”, writes about the foolishness of manmade doctrines which were contrived while rejecting the clear teaching of scripture. First, the council of Nicaea was convened for a few reasons, but namely, the issue was the teachings of a man named Arius. Arius claimed that Jesus was not God but a creation of God. This was obviously contrary to what the church already believed, and they convened at Nicaea to issue a formal declaration of doctrine known as the creed of Nicaea (not to be confused with the Nicene Creed). While there was some debate over the doctrines of Arius, even after the council had declared its judgment, it seems that the most prominent members had already decided to condemn
Arius’s doctrine.
The council of Chalcedon was convened to confirm many of the previous declarations of doctrine made by the church. At this council, the church affirmed their rejection of the Monophysite doctrine that Jesus only had one nature. Instead, they affirmed that Jesus was both God and man which required two natures.
REFERENCES
Ayres, Lewis. Nicaea and Its Legacy : An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology.
Oxford: OUP Oxford, 2004. https://search-ebscohost
com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=269694&site=ehost
live&scope=site.
Berkhof, Louis, and Louis Berkhof. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018.
Dunn, James D. G., and McKnight, Scot. 2005. Historical Jesus in Recent Research. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns. Accessed April 10, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central.
St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation. Place of Publication Not Identified: Digireads.com, 2018.
Feel free to give me feedback on this list. Do any of these titles belong in the other column? I would be happy to hear your insights on this.
Divine Nature
Almighty One
Alpha and Omega
Author and Perfecter of Our Faith
I Am
Lord of All
Redeemer
The Word
Human Nature
Prophet
Risen Lord
Sacrifice for Our Sins
Son of Man
Resurrection and the Life
Lion of the Tribe of Judah
Holy Servant
Jesus is God
Jesus is the Almighty One (Revelation 11:17 ESV). God is all-powerful (Revelation 19:6). His power knows no end, and there is nothing that can tire him or cause him to surrender. He is almighty. He himself can send armies to flight, and he can shape planets with his Word Genesis 1:1). He himself creates solar systems and stars with a command, and he delivers us from death by his own mercy. Everything that is good comes from him, and he is the source of all virtue (James 1:17).
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13). He is the beginning and end of all things. He was here before the beginning of time, and he will be here forever after (John 1:1). He has always and will always exist. He is preeminent, and there is nothing that existed before him, and nothing can exist without him (Colossians 1:18).
Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of Our Faith (Hebrews 12:2). He is the source (Author) and he is the completion (Perfecter) of our faith. Without him, we would have nothing. Without him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). He is the one reforming our minds, and through his power, we find new life. We cannot live the Christian life without him, and there is nothing we can hope for if we do not hope in him. Only God can author and perfect our faith.
Jesus is the great I Am (John 8:58). He is the almighty God. He is the supreme power of the Universe. He was there before the beginning, he is now, and he forever will be. He is the one who spoke to Moses in the bush (Exodus 3:4), and he is the one who parted the red sea (Exodus 14:21). No mere man could claim the title of I AM.
Jesus is the Lord of All. He himself is the ruler of creation. He himself created all things, along with the father and Holy Spirit, all things came into existence (John 1:3). He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15). He has power and authority over all things, and there is nothing in existence that he has not created. He is sovereign over all (Revelation 6:10). This is a claim only God can make.
He is the redeemer (Isaiah 47:4). He alone redeems us from our sinful state. Only God can forgive sins, and so this title points to his position as savior over all. This title points to his deity because if he were merely a man, he could not forgive sins. God has redeemed us. If Jesus was simply a man, he could not claim to have redeemed anybody.
He is the Word. John 1:1 tells us that the Word was with God and the Word is God. Therefore, this title points to Jesus being God himself. If the Word was with God and the Word was made flesh, Jesus cannot simply be a man. He must also be God.
Jesus the Man
Jesus is a Prophet. Moses told the children of Israel that God would “raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen” (Deuteronomy 18:15). The position of prophet is just one of the many titles that apply to him. All other prophets point to this one who is the substance of all things before him.
Jesus is the Risen Lord. He must have died if he has risen. This points to his humanity as God as an eternal spirit cannot die. This points to the death of his body.
Sacrifice for Our Sins. He is the only propitiation for our sins. Without his shed blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).
Jesus is the Son of Man (Mark 14:62). Many times, Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of Man”. He is expressing his connection with people. This title is one he uses more often than most others. This is because he desires for us to understand that he has taken on human nature. This is also a reference to the Old Testament vision in Daniel 7.
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). Jesus was dead, and on the third day, he rose again. He is the resurrection and the life. Because he was resurrected, we can hope to be resurrected also.
Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). This obviously relates to his lineage in the flesh. He was in the line of David, and because of this part of the tribe of Judah. A Lion represents power, royalty, and courage. As Revelation 5:5 puts forward, Jesus himself is the root of David. This means that David was a foreshadow of Christ.
Jesus is the Holy Servant (Matthew 20:28). Jesus in his humanity submitted himself fully to the father. In his humanity, he lived following the father’s will. He lived a perfect life, and he not only served the Father but humanity as well.
Council of Nicaea & Chalcedon
I do not believe the doctrines concerning Christ’s deity were developed over time. I believe the Apostles believed Jesus to be God because they said as much. Therefore, all of the subsequent councils were merely reaffirming what the Church had already been teaching. Louis Berkhof in his book about systematic theology elaborates on the increasing dialogue between churches about the nature or natures of Jesus in relation to him being God and Man. There have been many other scholars throughout history that have debated this subject. Peter Stuhlmacher says in his book “Historical Jesus in Recent Research” that from the beginning of the ministry of Jesus there was confusion about who he really was.
The council of Nicaea and Chalcedon are two ecumenical councils that aimed to clarify some of the issues concerning the incarnation. Athanasius, in his book “On the Incarnation”, writes about the foolishness of manmade doctrines which were contrived while rejecting the clear teaching of scripture. First, the council of Nicaea was convened for a few reasons, but namely, the issue was the teachings of a man named Arius. Arius claimed that Jesus was not God but a creation of God. This was obviously contrary to what the church already believed, and they convened at Nicaea to issue a formal declaration of doctrine known as the creed of Nicaea (not to be confused with the Nicene Creed). While there was some debate over the doctrines of Arius, even after the council had declared its judgment, it seems that the most prominent members had already decided to condemn
Arius’s doctrine.
The council of Chalcedon was convened to confirm many of the previous declarations of doctrine made by the church. At this council, the church affirmed their rejection of the Monophysite doctrine that Jesus only had one nature. Instead, they affirmed that Jesus was both God and man which required two natures.
REFERENCES
Ayres, Lewis. Nicaea and Its Legacy : An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology.
Oxford: OUP Oxford, 2004. https://search-ebscohost
com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=269694&site=ehost
live&scope=site.
Berkhof, Louis, and Louis Berkhof. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018.
Dunn, James D. G., and McKnight, Scot. 2005. Historical Jesus in Recent Research. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns. Accessed April 10, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central.
St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation. Place of Publication Not Identified: Digireads.com, 2018.