The Name

In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul tells them to have the same attitude Jesus had -- give up self (Php 2:5-8). Now, that's not natural and that's not easy, but it is commanded. The Christian life should be marked by that kind of humility. It's interesting, then, to continue the thought. Paul goes on to say,

Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Php 2:9-11)

Yes, we can all agree ... Paul writes some long sentences. So let's look at it for a moment. The reason God exalted Christ was because He humbled Himself. And the way God exalted Christ was to give Him "the name that is above every name."

That one is a bit puzzling. What name did God give Jesus that is above every name? On the surface, of course, it would seem to be "Jesus." God gave Him that name, remember (Luke 1:31). In another sense, however, it could be "Lord" since that name is above every name and that is what every tongue will confess. Ultimately, I suspect, the reference is not to a noun used to identify a person or thing. Instead, I suspect it's more at the character that the person possesses. For instance, when we baptize it is "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt 28:19). That's not a question of terms, but of authority and character. In the old days when a messenger came to you "in the name of the king," it wasn't a noun in view, but the authority and character of the king. Thus, I would argue that this name above every name wasn't merely "Jesus" or even "Lord," but His overriding authority and character in all things -- above all things.

I want, then, to point out two features here. First, those who agree with this "above all" name will be without exception. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. In the end, there will be no question or disagreement. For those of us who already agree, we will continue, and for those who have denied it for life, they will submit and agree. All of us. The other feature here is the reason for all of this -- the glory of God the Father. As always, everything is all about that. The sooner we come around to making that our primary concern, the sooner we'll be fully functioning as we are designed to function. -- to the glory of God.