In Philippians 2:9, Paul tells us, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” From this verse of Scripture, we are told that Jesus is the Name above all names. The Father exalted Jesus and gave Him the name that is above all names.
At the Name of Jesus, every person should bow and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord over all to the glory of the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). Paul tells us that Jesus is the Name above all names, but what does this exactly mean? In order to understand the meaning of this statement, we have to look at the previous verses of Scripture and the wider context of this passage.
Who Is the Name above All Names?
Paul starts the sentence of Philippians 2:9 with the word “therefore,” which signals the reader to look to the previous verses in order to glean the information needed to understand what it means that Jesus is the Name above all names.
In the previous verses of Philippians 2:6-8, Paul states, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!”
The surrounding context helps the reader understand what it means when Paul tells us that Jesus is the Name above all names. Jesus is the Name above all names because of His obedience, humbleness, and His work of dying on the cross for the salvation of all mankind. What this means is that Jesus is Lord over all and His Name is the greatest name of all.
Ultimately, Jesus’ Name is superior to all other names as He is the Lord, Redeemer, and Savior of our souls. Only by Jesus’ Name can anybody be saved. The Bible tells us Jesus is the only person who can save us as, “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).
No other name can provide salvation to our souls. Allah, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, science, or anyone or anything else cannot provide forgiveness of sins, salvation, and eternal life with God.
Jesus’ Name is superior because only He has done what is required for salvation because only God Himself could live a sinless life and die for the sins of the world. Jesus humbled Himself by coming to our world to die for our sins (Philippians 2:5-8).
Leaving the glory of heaven, Jesus chose to take on human flesh in order to redeem sinners from our sins and provide eternal salvation for all who would believe in His Name.
The Lord humbled Himself by taking on the form of a human man and becoming a servant to all. Despite Jesus being divine, He humbled Himself in order to become like us, experience the same temptations, difficulties, and struggles we have, and still emerged victorious (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus never sinned in His life even though He was tempted in the same way that we are in our everyday lives.
When Jesus came to the world, He never lost any of His divinity. He was 100% God and one-100% man at the same time, which is known as the hypostatic union among theologians.
The Lord humbled Himself in order to bring us up and give us the gift of eternal life by placing faith in His Name. Since He chose to humble Himself and “by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross,” the Father has glorified His Name to be the Name that is above all other names.
There Is Power in the Name of Jesus
Now that Jesus has provided forgiveness, redemption, and salvation to all who would place faith in Him, God has elevated Jesus’ Name in order “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” (Philippians 2:10-11).
Paul tells us in this passage of Scripture that every knee will bow, and every tongue will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord in heaven, earth, and under the earth. Jesus’ Name is honored, glorified, and praised above all other names because of His work on the cross.
This does not mean that every person will place faith in Jesus, nor does it mean that every person is automatically saved as salvation is by the conscious choice to place faith in Christ. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
What this verse means is that in the future, all people will ultimately acknowledge Jesus’ authority as Lord and Redeemer overall. In the present day, all people do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
Many people even deny Jesus ever existed or at best believe Him to be only a “good moral teacher.” It will not always be this way as in the future all people will acknowledge Jesus as being Lord and yield to His authority.
Jesus has the Name that is above all names, and it will never be taken away from Him. The Lord rightfully has the authority to have the Name above all names because of His suffering, obedience, and sacrifice on the cross. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).
He is presently sitting at the right hand of the Father, and He will return one day to destroy the wicked and establish His kingdom (Colossians 3:1). Only by Jesus’ Name can a person be redeemed, saved, and transformed to reflect His brilliant light.
Similarly, only Jesus can intercede for us, reconcile us to the Father, and provide us with forgiveness (Romans 8:34; Ephesians 2:12-17; 1 John 1:9).
What’s in a Name?
Ultimately, when Paul tells us that Jesus is the Name above all names, it means Jesus’ Name is superior, greater, and more powerful than any other name in the world because Jesus is superior, greater, and more powerful than anyone else in the world because He is God (John 1:1).
When we die and go to heaven, the first person we will see is the Lord. It is only by placing faith in Him now during our earthly lives that we have the promise of living with our King and Lord for all eternity.
Only Jesus’ Name can save and only His Name should be glorified. May we always glorify Jesus’ Name with praise, worship, adoration, and thankfulness. His Name is truly the Name above all names.
For further reading:
Why Do We Say 'Hallowed Be Thy Name'?
How Is the Name of the Lord a Strong Tower?
Is There Power in the Name of Jesus?
How Is There Power in the Name of Jesus?
Does the Name ‘Jesus’ Actually Mean, ‘Hail, Zeus’?
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This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.
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