There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express. – Billy Sunday

Choosing a baby name can be tough. Do you go simple or rare? How many baby name books do you read through? 

One Australian couple had a daughter but couldn’t decide on a name. The husband brought up the name “Lanesra.” Immediately his wife fell in love with the name. It was unique and romantic, but the husband never revealed the meaning or the inspiration for the name. That is until the daughter was two years old. His wife, Claire Smith, wrote, “It wasn’t until she was two that my husband told me it was actually his favorite soccer team, Arsenal, spelled backwards.” Fans of the Arsenal Football Club praised the father for the name, going so far as to say that this father was their hero.

Can I just ask that you please not name your baby Rekcap or Raeb? Though being from Atlanta maybe, Noclaf…nah! 

Noah and Olivia were at the top of the list of most popular names for babies in 2025 once again, with Liam and Oliver following closely behind in popularity for boys and Amelia and Sophie for girls. New parents have always had difficulty naming their offspring. Before the advent of social media, when it was time to name the baby, soon-to-be parents dug into their family history or cracked open a baby names book. Not anymore. Names are big business.

Today, when a child is born some parents formerly purchase the name as a web domain, so they’d always have it. That’s no longer enough. Parents are now relying on available Snapchat, X, and Instagram handles to name their children. Why? Many parents want their kids to have a social media presence even before they’re born. After birth, social media might help them be successful or in business.

For example, according to an article on Business Insider, “The highest-earning YouTube star in the world is an elementary-school kid who makes millions reviewing toys. Ryan, the 7-year-old ‘host’ of Ryan Toys Review, a popular toy-review channel on YouTube, jumped from No. 8 to No. 1 on Forbes’ annual list of YouTube stars who are making the most money.”

According to Matthew’s record of the angel’s message (Matthew 1:21), a promise was given to Joseph regarding the birth of a son to Mary. It can be easy to overlook the fact that only God can make promises and keep them, guaranteed. Stock market forecasters fail. Gurus and prognosticators fail. Artificial intelligence fails. You and I fail to keep our promises. Others have failed to keep their promises to you. Our lives are littered with broken promises. But God always keeps His promises, and God made a promise that Mary would bear a son, Jesus. 

It’s a special name. Jesus is the English translation of the Greek word, Iesous, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew and Aramaic name, Yeshua, or Joshua. That Hebrew name is simply stating that Yahweh, the LORD saves. The name of Jesus draws a connection to all of the names and confessions of faith which God’s people Israel proclaimed when they gave their sons names. 

More importantly, such names expressed their trust in God. Yahweh saves. He saves. Israel did not and could not save itself. Israel needed saving. Israel did not deliver itself out of Egypt. But Yahweh saves. Israel did not deliver itself from Babylonian captivity. But God saves.

The name of Jesus reminds us of a core truth. God does the saving. We don’t and can’t save ourselves. He saves. To believe that name is to believe that only the true God, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who created the universe out of nothing who created the galaxies and solar systems, who created Adam and Eve, male and female He created them, the God who made promises and has kept them over and over without fail, without change—that God is the One who saves.

But from what does Jesus save them? He saves them from their sins. Going back to Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph: You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. There are many things Jesus could save you from. He could save you from debt. He could save you from illness. He could save you from troubles in this life. But those are all temporary things of this life. The greatest need that we all have is that we need someone to save us from our sins.

Sin damages relationships and disrupts lives. Worst of all, sin separates us from God. The Bible says: The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). So, I need someone to rescue me, and you need someone to rescue you, someone who can save us from our sins. Jesus came to be that Savior.

But what does it mean that Jesus saves me from my sin? J.C. Ryle puts it beautifully in his comment on this verse: The name Jesus means ‘Savior’ …It is given to our Lord because ‘He saves His people from their sins.’ This is His special role. He saves them from the guilt of sin, by cleansing them in His own atoning blood. He saves them from the dominion of sin by putting in their hearts the sanctifying Spirit. He saves them from the presence of sin, when He takes them out of this world to rest with Him. He will save them from all the consequences of sin, when He shall give them a glorious body at the last day.

Long ago in Scotland a Presbyterian pastor named, Thomas Boston, found an old book when he was out visiting one of his church members that spoke about Jesus in a way that fits the Christmas season so well. The book said that in the Christian message God made, a deed of gift and grant of His Son to all people without exception.

In other words, God has made a Christmas present of Jesus Christ to you and me. He’s for you. He’s for me. 

My friend, accept Him, He’s yours. What a gift is held out to us in Jesus Christ! God has made a gift of His Son to us to be our Rescuer, our Savior. Please take Him. Come and belong to His people, won’t you? He saves His people from their sins. He will save you. He’s God’s gift to you. Have you accepted God’s Christmas gift to you?