NTS The name above every name

“God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name” (Philippians ch2 v9).

The message of the New Testament centres upon what Jesus achieved, when he died on the Cross and was raised from the dead.
In recognition of this achievement, the New Testament identifies him as “Lord”.

If we want to understand this term, it’s worth considering when the New Testament calls Jesus Lord.
The interesting point is that the writers of the Gospels, or at least the writers of the Synoptic Gospels, do not use the title.
Yes, the people in the stories are addressing Jesus as “Lord” all the time, when they are not calling him “Teacher”.
“Lord, you can make me clean… Lord, let me first bury my father… Is it I, Lord?”
“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am” (John ch13 v13).
In the narratives themselves, though, he is more likely to be called simply “Jesus”.

Whereas the terms “Lord” and “our Lord Jesus Christ” are common through the Acts and the Epistles.
This seems to reflect a sense that he becomes Lord as part of the event of the Resurrection.
“Let all the house of Israel know that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts ch2 v36).
For Paul, the Crucifixion, the fact that Christ was willing to offer himself in this way, is the reason why God has exalted him and bestowed on him “the name [‘Lord’] which is above every name”.

Yet perhaps this is less about becoming Lord than about being recognised as Lord.
Those who addressed him as Lord in his lifetime were recognising something about him which demanded acknowledgement.
But the presence of the resurrected Jesus evidently made this demand more strongly, so in that respect the Resurrection marked a turning-point.
Thus the confession of Thomas, “My Lord and my God” (John ch20 v28).
Thus Paul’s question on the Damascus road, “Who are you, Lord?”, recognising the presence of lordship of some kind even while uncertain about his identity.
The point of receiving the “name which is above every name” is that Christ is to be recognised by the world; “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians ch2 vv10-11).
It might even be the “new name” which Jesus claims for himself in Revelation ch3 v12; “new” to the extent that it was a consequence of the Resurrection.

What does it mean to say that “Jesus Christ is Lord”?
It speaks of a claim to authority which needs to be accepted.
It’s part of Paul’s definition of his preaching; “What we preach… is Jesus Christ AS Lord” (2 Corinthians ch4 v5).
It’s also part of the way that he defines the church; “…all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians ch1 v2).
For only those who are prompted by the Holy Spirit are able to recognise Christ as Lord (1 Corinthians ch12 v3).

At the same time, it speaks of the power which lies behind his authority.
There is a spiritual power- “…when my spirit is present, with the power of the Lord Jesus” (! Corinthians ch5 v4).
But this is part of a power which enters even into the structure of things;
“We await a saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him to subject all things to himself” (Philippians ch3 v21).
This can be included in the meaning of Peter’s claim that Christ is “Lord of all” (Acts ch10 v36).

At the present time, the lordship of Jesus Christ is something recognised only by his own people, something invisible to the rest of the world.
That is why Paul says that he will be “revealed” at a later date (e.g. 1 Corinthians ch1 v7).
The time will come when “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians ch2 v11).
In the meantime, we are living during an age when Christ is Lord over a world mostly oblivious to his presence.
That is, the millennial kingdom of Revelation ch20, as Augustine understands it.

Finally, the custom of calling him “Lord” has the effect of assimilating him to the God of the Old Testament, who is given the same title.
It may be suggested that this is a verbal coincidence, the result of the word-choices made by the Septuagint translators of the Hebrew, and the English translators of both testaments.
But Paul associates the title with Christ’s part in the creation of the world;
“…one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians ch8 v6).
He also uses a less ambiguous expression; if the rulers of the world had understood the mystery of God, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians ch2 v8).
And James also refers to “our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James ch2 v1).
But “of glory” is a designation that belongs to the Old Testament God;
“Who is the king of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!” (Psalm ch24 v8)

This takes the identification beyond the point of coincidence.
It is clear that we cannot separate “the Lord Jesus Christ” from the God known as “The LORD”.

N.T.S. stands for New Testament Salvation.
This thread is one of a series, and I wanted to mark the fact without making the title too cumbersome.
The series is a sequel to, and the consummation of, the older series on Old Testament remedies for sin.
In that series, sin is defined as a relationship problem; the human will is out of alignment with the will of God.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Silly fairy tales that have caused far more pain throughout history than they are worth.

This continues a series which began with
Christ died for the ungodly

Do You Respect the Name of Christ?

“God exalted [Jesus] to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”​—PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11.

IN THE verses above, the apostle Paul described the respect and honor that is due the name of Jesus. Do you ‘bend the knee’ in his name? Do you know “the name that is above every other name” that Jehovah gave to him? Today, hundreds of millions claim to be Christian. Can it be said that they ‘bend the knee’ in the name of Jesus? Let us examine that name and see what is involved in ‘bending the knee’ in its honor.

What Kind of Name?

First, what is the “name” that was given to Jesus? It is not merely his personal name. Other humans have been named Jesus, so that is hardly a “name that is above every other name.” Neither is it Jesus’ name in the sense of his reputation. True, Jesus became known as Jehovah’s foremost witness in all creation. (Revelation 3:14) However, he earned that name for himself. This “name that is above every other name” was ‘kindly given’ to Jesus by Jehovah.

What, then, is the name? Some words of the prophet Isaiah help us to answer that. Hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah wrote about him: “For there has been a child born to us, there has been a son given to us; and the princely rule will come to be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”​—Isaiah 9:6.

What does “name” mean here? It refers to the high position and authority that Jesus would be given so that he could fulfill his Father’s will. It is in recognition of and submission to this high authority that every knee has to bend. Since that is the case, let us examine more closely these four titles mentioned by Isaiah.

In what ways is Jesus a “Wonderful Counselor”?
...
In what sense is Jesus a “Mighty God”?

Isaiah also foretold that Jesus would be a “Mighty God.” Before coming to earth he was “a god” in the sense that he was “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (John 1:1; Colossians 1:15) After dying as a human and being raised as an immortal spirit, he is a god in the sense that he partakes bodily of “the divine quality.”​—Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 6:15, 16.

However, there is an authority associated with the title “Mighty God.” In the Bible certain men were called gods. Why? Because they served as judges in the nation of Israel. (Psalm 82:1-6) Jesus, the “Mighty God,” is Jehovah’s great appointed Judge. He himself explained what this meant: “The Father judges no one at all, but he has committed all the judging to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.”​—John 5:22, 23.

Among the judgment acts entrusted to Jesus is the judging of his own congregation​—both those who had died prior to his return in Kingdom power and those still alive—​at the period of his presence during “the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matthew 24:3) He also does the judging of the nations today, separating “the sheep” from “the goats.” In addition, he will preside over the thousand-year judgment day of all mankind after Armageddon. A “Mighty God” indeed!​—Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 11:18; 1 Peter 4:17; Revelation 20:4, 5, 13.

Why is Jesus properly called “Eternal Father”?

Jesus was also to be an “Eternal Father.” How would that be? Well, Adam was the first father of the human race. However, he lost the opportunity to be an “eternal father” when he sinned. He could no longer give his children everlasting life as an inheritance. Jesus, on the other hand, did not sin. And by sacrificing his sinless life for mankind, he opened the way to everlasting life for those who exercised faith. (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2) He thus will give them the everlasting life that Adam failed to give them. Hence, the Bible calls him “the last Adam,” “a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45) He is properly called the “Eternal Father” of the future perfect human race.

How does Jesus fill the role of “Prince of Peace”?

Finally, Isaiah said that Jesus’ name would be “Prince of Peace.” He would be a King [whereislogic: and Lord], bringing peace to his subjects. (Psalm 72:6, 7) After his resurrection Jesus showed the extent of his authority when he said: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth.” (Matthew 28:18) ...

Acknowledging Jesus’ Name

Thus it is seen that “the name that is above every other name” involves the position, power or authority that God gave to Jesus. It truly is above every other name since no other creature was given such a high authority. Only of Jesus was it said: “There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.” (Acts 4:12) And only Jesus could say: “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.”​—John 14:14.

Hence, the apostle Paul went on to say: “In the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground.” (Philippians 2:10) Yes, even “those in heaven,” the faithful angels, acknowledge his high position and authority. (Hebrews 1:4-6) “Those under the ground” will learn about Jesus’ “name” when they have part in the earthly resurrection. Only for those who then ‘bend the knee’ in respect for his God-given authority will that resurrection prove to be “a resurrection of life.”​—John 5:29; Revelation 20:12.

“Those on earth” too​—that is, those of us now alive—​are obliged to ‘bend the knee’ in the name of Jesus if we wish to gain eternal life. This means listening to Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, and applying his counsel. (Matthew 7:24, 25) It means exercising faith in him so that our sins will be forgiven. Thus he will eventually become our Eternal Father.

Especially, it means honoring and being subject now to God’s appointed Judge and King, Jesus. We must prove ourselves “sheep”​—not “goats”—​by our deeds toward the King’s brothers. We must preach the good news about the Kingdom of this “Prince of Peace” to others. (Matthew 24:14; 25:34-40) And we must abide by the laws of his Kingdom while remaining neutral in the affairs of the nations of this world.​—James 2:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; John 15:19.

Jehovah has invited the world’s rulers to subject themselves to Jesus. (Psalm 2:10-12) They refuse, however, and in many cases oppose Christians who do subject themselves to him. Thus, ‘bending the knee’ in the name of Jesus is not always easy. Jesus himself warned: “You will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name.”​—Matthew 24:9.

Faithful Christians experience that hatred when they insist on honoring Jesus and showing proper respect for the high power and authority of Christ. Nevertheless, it is a happy privilege and promises great rewards to be found among those referred to in Philippians 2:11: “Every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

a reply to: DISRAELI

so we can parse this entire line of " reasoning " down to :

our god is the real god - and better than your god - cos his dad says so - and its in our book - so it must be true

ok, i believe you

a reply to: ignorant_ape
That last part is just one of the basic premises of Biblical theology, which is about describing and understanding what the book says.
For the same reason that you can't do Euclidean geometry without accepting the axioms of Euclid.

a reply to: DISRAELI

a reply to: DISRAELI

I don’t know what version you commonly read, but I can cite you many examples where “Lord” is used in the synoptic gospels.

a reply to: Ignatian2
If you read the rest of that paragraph, the point was that the people Jesus meet call him Lord, but the narrator himself doesn't.
If you look at your examples again, will they be mostly in the first catagory?

a reply to: whereislogic

“....every knee should bend”

Catholic Christians do this at every Sacrifice of The Holy Mass, and it’s been done since The Church began. Its a common question I get from non-Catholics. “Why do ya’ll kneel at certain times during the Mass?”

a reply to: DISRAELI

At the time of its’ writing, Mathew for example, certainly knew that Jesus was God. “Trinity” is nowhere in the Bible, but the hints of a triune god are quite evident.

“....the angel of the Lord” as narrated by Mathew, then certainly applies to Jesus as well, assuming you believe in a triune God.

What is a “lord” anyway? Why is that metaphor used for God? For me, it implies, we are the underlings, the slaves, the entity in charge of our every movement on earth. The landlord...lord of the land. The shepherd, lord of the sheep.

Yes, I call Him my Lord as well. But am I TRULY his subject? I say it....but do I do it? Unfortunately, no, not always. It’s only by God’s Grace I will be saved.

a reply to: Ignatian2
Yes, my case is that Jesus always has been Lord, but wasn't always recognised by people as Lord, and the Resurrection was an event which made the recognition more general and made the title fundamental to the way the church described him.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Yes, a good post. Jesus IS Lord.

Sociologically, it’s truly amazing how Christianity grew from such minuscule beginnings to where we are today.

God becomes flesh and walks the earth, recruits a small group of men, rises from the dead to prove it, appears to a larger group of people, although, not to the rest of the world.....and this new cult then spread like wildfire across the earth. Sociologically impossible. A miracle. It is one piece of evidence in and of itself to the Truth of Christianity.

a reply to: Ignatian2
Not everything in the bible is to be taken literally. Actually, if we're talking general statistics, I'd say most of it isn't to be taken literally (especially the most important lessons and instructions). 'Bending the knee' at Phil 2:9-11 is no different, it is not to be taken literally (or as physically bending the knee). As mentioned in the article:

What Kind of Name?

First, what is the “name” that was given to Jesus? It is not merely his personal name. Other humans have been named Jesus, so that is hardly a “name that is above every other name.” ... This “name that is above every other name” was ‘kindly given’ to Jesus by Jehovah.

What, then, is the name? Some words of the prophet Isaiah help us to answer that. Hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah wrote about him: “For there has been a child born to us, there has been a son given to us; and the princely rule will come to be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”​—Isaiah 9:6.

What does “name” mean here? It refers to the high position and authority that Jesus would be given so that he could fulfill his Father’s will. It is in recognition of and submission to this high authority that every knee has to bend.
...
Acknowledging Jesus’ Name

Thus it is seen that “the name that is above every other name” involves the position, power or authority that God gave to Jesus.
...
Hence, the apostle Paul went on to say: “In the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground.” (Philippians 2:10) Yes, even “those in heaven,” the faithful angels, acknowledge his high position and authority. (Hebrews 1:4-6)
...
Only for those who then ‘bend the knee’ in respect for his God-given authority will that resurrection prove to be “a resurrection of life.”​—John 5:29; Revelation 20:12.
...
“Those on earth” too​—that is, those of us now alive—​are obliged to ‘bend the knee’ in the name of Jesus if we wish to gain eternal life. This means listening to Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, and applying his counsel. (Matthew 7:24, 25) It means exercising faith in him so that our sins will be forgiven. ...

Especially, it means honoring and being subject now to God’s appointed Judge and King, Jesus. We must prove ourselves “sheep”​—not “goats”—​by our deeds toward the King’s brothers. We must preach the good news about the Kingdom of this “Prince of Peace” to others. (Matthew 24:14; 25:34-40) And we must abide by the laws of his Kingdom while remaining neutral in the affairs of the nations of this world.​—James 2:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; John 15:19.

All of that (and more detailed instructions) is part of 'bending the knee' in the name of Jesus and 'acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father'.

Btw, bending the knee in the name of Jesus in the sense explained here, is what Roman Catholics are notoriously very poor at, especially the Roman Catholic Hierarchy (Bishops, Cardinals, Popes).* No amount of physically bending the knee in rituals that are often derived from Pagan rituals (not specifically thinking about the Mass) or otherwise contrary to the instructions for Christians in the bible (thinking about the frequency of the Mass) can compensate that.

How Should Christians View the Mass? Awake!—1999

*: Take for example the last example given in the article: "And we must abide by the laws of his Kingdom while remaining neutral in the affairs of the nations of this world.​—James 2:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; John 15:19."

“No Part of the World”

“The world has hated them, because they are no part of the world.”​—JOHN 17:14.

What It Means: Being no part of the world, Jesus was neutral in the social and political conflicts of the day. ...

How Early Christians Measured Up: According to religion writer Jonathan Dymond, the early Christians “refused to engage in [war]; whatever were the consequences, whether reproach, or imprisonment, or death.” They chose to suffer rather than compromise their neutral stand. ...

Who Fit the Pattern Today? Regarding Christian neutrality, the New Catholic Encyclopedia asserts: “Conscientious objection is morally indefensible.” [whereislogic: they are referring to refusing military service being morally indefensible] An article in the Reformierte Presse states that a report by African Rights, a human rights organization, on the 1994 Rwandan genocide established the participation of all churches, “with the exception of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

...

Well, what is religion’s record to date? History shows that religion has shared in, yes, has even been the instigator of much of the bloodshed throughout the centuries. For example, the Christian Century of the week of August 30, 1995, reporting on the turmoil in the former Yugoslavia, stated: “In Serb-held Bosnia, priests sit in the front row of the self-styled parliament, and are also at the front lines, where units and even weapons are blessed before battles.”

A century of Christendom’s missionary work in Africa has brought no better result, as was well illustrated in Rwanda, a land reputedly 80-percent Catholic. The New York Times of July 7, 1995, reported: “Golias, a liberal, lay Catholic magazine published in Lyons [France], plans to identify 27 more Rwandan priests and four nuns who it says killed or encouraged the killings in Rwanda last year.” African Rights, a human rights organization in London, had this comment: “Even more than its silence, the churches must answer for the active complicity of some of its priests, pastors and nuns in the genocide.” This resembles the situation in Israel when Jehovah’s true messenger Jeremiah described the “shame” of Israel, along with her rulers, her priests, and her prophets, adding: “In your skirts there have been found the blood marks of the souls of the innocent poor ones.”—Jeremiah 2:26, 34.

Source: No Peace for the False Messengers!

Persecution of a peaceable people

a reply to: whereislogic

Yes, thankfully, we don’t take everything literally...or I wouldn’t have any feet, hands or eyes!!

I was simply pointing out why Catholics do that. Most everything Catholics do have been done by those before us, traditions that go back (including the Mass) all the way to the apostles and early Christians. We hold fast to the Traditions our fathers have told us, wether by word or by epistle. (2Thess2)

a reply to: Ignatian2
From the article about the Mass that I linked earlier:

Since the Mass is a principal rite of the Catholic Church, one might expect the Scriptures to support it. They do not. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913 edition) explained why: “The chief source of our doctrine . . . is tradition, which from the earliest times declares the impetratory [entreating] value of the Sacrifice of the Mass.” Yes, the Roman Catholic Mass is based on tradition, not the Bible.

No matter how sincerely held, a tradition that contradicts the Bible is unacceptable to God. Jesus reproached the religious leaders of his day: “You have made God’s word ineffective by means of your tradition.” (Matthew 15:6) ...

But I've gotten a bit sidetracked here.

a reply to: whereislogic

I agree, we don’t want to get off track, on this insightful thread. A discussion of the Mass could go on forever. Suffice to say, the Mass is nothing BUT based on the Bible. It is Bible from start to finish. The Book of Revelation IS the Mass. And there are manuscripts from the early 2nd century, describing almost exactly the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as it is celebrated to this day. So, I guess you could say I disagree with your source.

Peace

The most recent thread in this series is;
If anyone is in Christ