The Name Above Every Name: At a Glance
The question: What is “the name which is above every name” that God gave to Jesus after his obedience unto death --- and what does it mean that believers are promised to share in that name?
Key Scripture: Philippians 2:9-11
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” --- Philippians 2:9-11 (KJV)
The Study at a Glance:
| Chapter | Key Finding |
|---|---|
| 1. The Ancient Pattern | Scripture reveals a recurring pattern: faithful service in obscurity, testing and suffering, demonstration of wisdom, elevation to authority, delegated sovereignty. Joseph, Moses, David, and Solomon all follow this template --- each receiving a new name or title at their elevation. Christ fulfills the pattern perfectly. |
| 2. The Name Above Every Name | Philippians 2:6-11 presents the exaltation timeline: pre-existence in the form of God, voluntary descent and obedience unto death, exaltation and bestowal of “the name above every name.” In Jewish tradition, “the Name” (ha-Shem) always refers to the Tetragrammaton --- YHWH. Paul applies Isaiah 45:23 (a passage about YHWH alone) directly to Jesus. |
| 3. The Sacred Names | Biblical names reveal divine nature and mission. YHWH, El Shaddai, Adonai --- each reveals something about God’s character. In the New Testament, Jesus’s name carries divine power (Acts 3:6; 4:12). The pattern of name-transformation (Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter) culminates in Revelation 3:12, where believers receive God’s own name. |
| 4. The Great Timeline | The exaltation operates in phases: pre-incarnate glory, incarnation and humiliation, exaltation and naming, the present “until” period of delegated sovereignty (Psalm 110:1; 1 Cor 15:25), and the consummation when the kingdom is delivered to the Father. We live now in the “until” --- Christ reigns, enemies are being subdued, and believers participate in his authority. |
| 5. Wonder and Worship | The stunning realization: the Son descended from equality with God to the cross, and was exalted higher than before --- not to divine nature (which he always had) but to divine name (which he earned through obedience). Believers are invited into this: “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), seated with Christ (Eph 2:6), given “a new name” (Rev 2:17). |
The core insight: Christ did not merely resume his pre-incarnate glory. He earned something new --- the divine name itself --- through voluntary humiliation and perfect obedience. And the astonishing promise of the gospel is that believers are invited to share in that name and that authority.
For every believer: You bear the name of the one who bears the name above every name. The pattern that runs through all of Scripture --- faithful service, suffering, exaltation --- is not just Christ’s story. It is the story God is writing with every life surrendered to him.