Know These 7 Names of Jesus to Deepen Your Faith

For us today, the Lamb of God means we know his love because he willingly gave his life. No one forced him to die. He chose to suffer for our good. Also, the Lamb’s blood provides absolute forgiveness. We no longer fear condemnation. Jesus removed the power of sin on the cross. His sacrifice brings freedom from guilt and confidence for us to freely and boldly approach the Father. 

This reveals how we live, conquering not by violence or oppression but through humility, obedience to the Father’s will, and self-sacrificial love leading to life. We find resurrection life by laying down our lives.

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Jesus declares himself the Good Shepherd in John 10:11. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” With these words, Jesus Christ identifies himself as someone who cares for us like a shepherd does with his sheep. He guides and gives his life for them. 

This name comes from a clear theme in the Old Testament. Several times, the prophets share God’s warning to the bad shepherds, Jewish leaders who oppress the people. Ultimately, God himself promises to become their Good Shepherd (Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 23, Isaiah 40, Micah 5). When Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd, he essentially declares he is God in the flesh, a radical claim. 

The idea of a hero shepherd comes from several places in the Old Testament, notably King David himself, with whom God made the Messianic covenant. 

The Good Shepherd speaks to our need for a compassionate caretaker. Sheep are dependent. They wander away and can’t defend themselves. We are like the sheep, needing direction and rescue from predators. A Good Shepherd doesn’t abandon the sheep when danger arrives. He protects and seeks his lost sheep. 

We need constant care and guidance. Jesus knows us by name and understands our fears. He purposefully leads us toward eternal, good provision. When we don’t know what to do or where to go, Christ gives us wisdom and revelation through his voice. When we wander away, he seeks us out and brings us back to the fold.

In the creation account from Genesis 1, God speaks light into darkness and emptiness before he creates anything else. As we saw, the Bible identifies Jesus as the Word spoken. In addition, he is also the light in the darkness. 

Jesus gives himself this name in John 8:12. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Darkness has no substance; it is only the absence of light. Light reveals what exists, exposes reality, and brings life. As the Light of the World, Jesus says he is the source of spiritual illumination and life. 

The Bible describes the human condition apart from God as darkness. We are blind, and sin further blinds our hearts and leads people into confusion and fear. Deadly danger can hide in darkness. Just as at creation, God spoke light into darkness. The Father sent the Son into the world’s darkness as the Light, to both bring a message of truth, and to bring new, transformative life. 

For us, when moral lines get confusing and truth feels relative, Jesus stands as the standard. We can bring any situation to him, and he will give the true revelation we need. His teachings clarify how to live faithfully and walk in love. 

The Light of the World also brings hope. No darkness is too much for Christ to dispel. And darkness will not last; it cannot overcome the light. We sincerely walk forward in him as the light. 

At her brother Lazarus’s grave, Martha gave the correct doctrine. Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection, a later event. Yet Jesus gives her more revelation. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die’” (John 11:25). The resurrection, then, isn’t only a future event but a person. Jesus.

This means the resurrection will come one day because Jesus is the resurrection. The New Testament says we are in him, and he is in us through the Spirit. This assures our resurrection, as well. 

The people executed Jesus on a cross, yet because he is the resurrection, he rose again. You can’t kill the one who is life. 

The Resurrection and Life gives us hope. Death often feels final and overwhelming. We all find ourselves touched by the grief and pain of it. Jesus doesn’t deny the awfulness of death. He wept at Lazarus’s tomb. But at the same time, he defeated death by rising again after the cross. 

Not only did Jesus defeat death, he also gives the same eternal life to those who believe and commit their hearts to following him. Our eternal life begins now and continues beyond the grave. We have a sure hope and promise to enjoy eternal life, living forever even after we die. 

Because eternal life begins in Christ, we live with purpose, boldness, and freedom. Suffering has meaning, and every act of faith has a reward in eternity. 

Peace. 

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Britt Mooney lives and tells great stories. As an author of fiction and non-fiction, he is passionate about teaching ministries and nonprofits the power of storytelling to inspire and spread truth. Mooney has a podcast called Kingdom Over Coffee and is a published author of We Were Reborn for This: The Jesus Model for Living Heaven on Earth as well as Say Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight.