You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. – Luke 1:31

Many people know the name Jesus, but in this brief message from an Angel we are told everything we need to know about who Jesus really is.  He is:

Savior of the World –  The name Jesus is the Latin form of the Hebrew name Joshua meaning,  “Jehovah is salvation” and describes His purpose for being born.

God clearly saw the awful effects of our rebellion against Him and the destruction that sin had caused. In His wisdom, He knew that our greatest need was not for a political leader or wiseman. What we needed most was a Savior who would remove our sins from us.

The birth of Jesus cannot be separated from what He accomplished through His death on the Cross. In fact, Jesus was born to die. He came to save us from our sins.

Son of God – Jesus is more than a man. He is divine; God Himself in human flesh. One of His titles is Emmanuel which means God with us.

 Scripture offers a lot of proof for this amazing claim.  For instance, Jesus fulfilled many specific prophecies that were made about Him centuries before He was ever born. Jesus also lived a miraculous life showing power over nature, sickness, demons and death. And His ultimate miracle was His own resurrection from the dead after three days in the grave. Along with His miracles, Jesus led a sinless life.  Jesus never did anything wrong. Those who knew Him best said this was true. And God Himself, on three different occasions  spoke from heaven saying that Jesus was His Son.

Eternal King –  The angel Gabriel proclaimed that Jesus “will reign” and “his kingdom will never end”.

The kingship of Jesus was not fully seen in His first coming where His focus was to be a suffering Savior for mankind, but it will be clearly on display when He comes again. He is the “King of kings and the Lord of lords”, and has a “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. – Ph 2:9-11

As Gabriel said, Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God, and Eternal King. And John echoes this in the Book of Revelation when he writes, “Jesus Christ…is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood – Revelation 1:5.

It is vitally important to believe In Jesus Christ as He is presented to us in Scripture for “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12

Those who reject Jesus do not lack proof of His identity. They lack faith in God’s ability. Yet “Nothing is impossible with God”  – vs 37. May we, like Mary, believe the message that is spoken to us about Jesus.