Page 44 - Christology - Student Textbook

Study Section 10: Titles of Christ in both the Old Testament
and New Testament

10.1. Connect.

In many cultures, the meanings of names or titles are very important. Usually, children are
named after an event, special people, or a consecutive tragic loss of lives. For example, in
Africa, if the first and the second born dies, parents would probably name the third-born (or
even the second born if the first-born dies) as Maliro (funeral), Mavuto (problems), and/or
Misozi (tears). They do so to suggest that even this child may die just like the first and the second
born.

Sometimes, if a person has done something wonderful for a couple, in appreciation they would
name their child after the name of that person.

A person’s name has significance in the Bible. There are some titles and names of Jesus Christ that
demonstrate His humanity. And there are names that apply to His Deity. Let’s look at some titles for
Christ and discover the implied meaning for each as revealed in the Scriptures.

10.2. Objectives.

1. The student should be able to cite many of the titles or names for Jesus Christ from both the
Old and New Testament.

2. The student should be able to explain the implied meaning for each of those titles.

3. The student should be able to discuss how the names for Christ reveal His person and character.

10.3 Titles of Jesus Christ in Both the OT and the NT

Titles of Jesus Christ in Both the OT and the NT
Before we begin to discuss in detail the titles of Jesus Christ, it is important to note that there
are some titles of Jesus Christ that strongly apply to His pre-incarnate state. Conversely, there
are those that apply to His incarnate state. And there are some that apply to both states. For
example, in the OT, in Daniel, Jesus Christ is designated as the “Son of Man.” Daniel is describing
future events when the Messiah would be on earth. In this case, you would argue that the
designation of the title “Son of Man” is specifically applied to His incarnate state. Jesus referred to
Himself multiple times as the “Son of Man.” It was His way to identify Himself as a human being.

Pre-incarnate Titles Applied to His Deity

Jehovah

Jehovah is a Latinization of the Hebrew word, YHWH, which is derived from the verb form of “to be.”
It expresses the eternality of God.

In his prophetic message of comfort to Judah, Zechariah prophesized about the last days-- the
returning of God (Zech. 12). He shared that Judah, subsequent to their repentance, was going to be
powerful and would triumph over their foes. Their complete freedom hinged on their belief in their

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