From the Greek word Iesous. "Jesus" is a transliteration of the Hebrew word "Joshua," meaning "Jehovah is salvation," or "Jehovah is the Savior."
When Jesus is referred to as "Jesus Christ" in the Epistles of James, Peter, John and Jude, it shows His Name and Title, because this is the order of their experience with Jesus. As "Jesus" they knew Him first. That He was the Messiah they learned finally in His resurrection.
But Paul came to know Him first in the glory of heaven, (Acts 9:1-6), and his experience was the reverse of James, Peter, John and Jude, occurring in the reverse order. "Christ Jesus" is frequently used in Paul's letters. "In Paul's letters the order is always in harmony with the context. Thus ‘Christ Jesus' describes the Exalted One Who emptied Himself, Philippians 2:5, and testifies to His pre-existence. ‘Jesus Christ' describes the despised and rejected One Who was afterwards glorified, Philippians 2:11, and testifies to His resurrection. ‘Christ Jesus' suggests His grace. ‘Jesus Christ' suggests His glory."*
*From Notes on Thessalonians, by Hogg and Vine, pp. 26, 29.
The verb means "to form an authoritative opinion; to decide as a judge, to try; to determine or pronounce after inquiry and deliberation; to form an estimate or evaluation about something." Christ did not come into the world to judge the world, but to save the world. But the one who rejects Christ's Word is already judged by that Word, and that Word is the Father's Word. In John 12:47-50, Jesus says, "As for the person who hears My Words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my Words; that very Word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of My own accord, but the Father who sent Me commanded Me what to say and how to say it. I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told Me to say." When Christ comes again, He will come as One who judges. In John 5:22-27, Jesus says, "Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, Who sent Him. I tell you the Truth, whoever hears My Word and believes Him Who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the Truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. And He [God] has given Him [the Son of God] authority to judge because He is the Son of Man." Acts 17:31 says, "For He [God] has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead."
The noun means "one who gives an authoritative opinion or decision based on facts heard and deliberated." Of Christ, the Judge of us all, He is our Judge because He became "the Son of Man," living among us in human form, without sin, being completely obedient to His Father. At the same time, He is our God, the giver of perfect justice.
(See also Judgment, Just / Justice.)
A decision or opinion given after judging; the final judging of mankind by God where there will be a separating of the righteous from the unrighteous and then a decision passed--a sentence handed down--as to their eternal destination. This final Judgment will occur after each person gives an account of himself before God for the deeds done in the body. Psalms 28:4: "Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back upon them what they deserve." Obediah 1:15: "The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head." 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus says of that Day, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
"Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.'
"Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?'
"The King will reply, ‘I tell you the Truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.'
"Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.'
"They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?'
"He will reply, ‘I tell you the Truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.'
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
(See also Judge, Just / Justice.)
From the Greek words dikaois (just) and dike (justice), to denote what is right; then, a judicial hearing; finally, the execution of a sentence--"punishment." God is the God of justice as well as the God of mercy. Psalm 9:16 says, "The Lord is known by His justice..." Psalm 33:5 says, "The Lord loves righteousness and justice..." Isaiah 30:18 says, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!"
God's righteousness, goodness, purity, etc., demands that a price be paid for sin, that punishment be administered--that Justice is meted out. God's love and mercy and grace sent Christ among mankind to pay that price so that we would not have to suffer God's justice. Only the Perfect Sacrifice could atone for the sins of mankind. Only Christ's death on the cross could open the way for mankind to escape their just and due punishment for sin against God. 1 Peter 2:24 says, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed." But the only way mankind can receive God's mercy and escape their just punishment is IN and THROUGH His Son, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:4-10 says, "But because of His great love for us, God, Who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
God is "just," meaning that He rules "rightly." God is righteous; He is always in the state of being right; He always displays right conduct. Because God is just, there is always perfect agreement between His Divine nature and His actions. Therefore, He is the standard for all men to follow so that they, also, may be just. Proverbs 21:3 says, "To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." To know what is right is to know what is just--and this IN and THROUGH Christ and His Word. 1 John 3:7-10 says, "Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
(See also Judge, Judgment, Mercy / Merciful, Righteous / Righteousness.)
From the Greek nouns dikaiosis and dikaioma and the verb didaioo. It is "the act of pronouncing righteous, justification, acquittal." Its precise meaning is determined by the verb stated above, which means, "to justify." All that is necessary on God's part has been done for our justification. This was done in the death of Christ. The propitiation of Christ was perfect and complete, and His resurrection confirmed that when we are justified in the eyes of God, we, too, will have life eternal. God justifies the believing sinner on the ground of Christ's death, and this includes His free gift of life. To be justified before God is to be declared by God to be righteous. Justification comes only through obedience to what God has declared to be right. Our sentence of punishment for our sins against God is acquitted. God acquits men of their guilt through His grace in Christ--that being Christ's expiatory sacrifice (expiate means "to make amends, to atone") AND through our acceptance of Christ by faith (and faith includes obedience). Those who come to God through faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who proceed to the obedience of God's Will through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ and who daily walk in His commands are pronounced righteous by God--they have received justification. They are acquitted of wrongdoing, and their sins are remembered against them no more, (Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 8:12, Hebrews 10:17). They stand pure before God, a people made perfect by the blood of Christ and in the process of being made holy--set aside for the use of God. Hebrews 10:8-17: "First He [Christ] said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You [God] did not desire, nor were You pleased with them' (although the law required them to be made). Then He said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do Your Will.' He sets aside the first [Will or Covenant] to establish the second. And by that Will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest [under the old Covenant] stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this Priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says: ‘This is the Covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.' Then He adds: ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.'" The way is open for mankind to be justified before God through Jesus Christ.
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