There’s a lot in a Name // Matthew 1:21

Matthew 1:21 (NIV) | She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

Merry Christmas, my friends! Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus and how hope came to us all in the infinite infant God. The name Jesus is the transliterated Greek form of the Hebrew name, Joshua, which means, “Yahweh saves.” Basically, what we see regardless of phonics, is Jesus’ purpose remains the same: to save us from our sin. And friends, this isn’t true in just some broad sense, but a very specific and personal way. The way the language translates, the direct nature of it means that even if one person suffered from a sin problem, Jesus would have come to save that person alone. This is how God loves and desires to save us, as individuals, redeeming us from our own unique sinfulness. This flies in the face of the group salvation and/or damnation we see in our modern culture, condemning or venerating people based on conditions over which we have no control; things like skin color, chromosomes, language spoken, or even a zip code. This brings to bear the power of Romans 10:11-13, “As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.^‘ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved‘” (NIV). May the beauty of that passage fuel your Christmas celebration like the yule log in your fireplace. God came to save us from our sin — individually, as well as corporately — and in Jesus, that promise was fulfilled!