What Are the Titles of Jesus Christ – A Biblical Guide’

What’s in a name? Or, maybe more to the point, what’s in a title?

When I was a kid, my world was defined by titles like “son,” “student,” or “neighbor.” As I got older, new ones took over: “employee,” “husband,” “father.” Each one represents a different part of who I am, a different set of responsibilities. We use titles every day. They’re shortcuts to help us understand our world and the people in it.

But when we turn to the Bible, we find one figure who has more titles than anyone else: Jesus of Nazareth.

It’s a truly staggering list. For years, as a young man just trying to figure out my own faith, I wrestled with this. Why so many? Was it just ancient hyperbole? I’d hear the Sunday School answers, but they always felt thin. It wasn’t until I started really digging into these titles for myself, one by one, that it clicked. They weren’t just compliments. They were a roadmap. This journey led me to a profound discovery: if you want to understand who Jesus is and what he came to do, you have to explore his titles.

This isn’t just an academic list. It’s a guide to the heart of the Christian faith.

More in About Jesus Category

When Did Jesus Become “Christ”

What Is the Difference Between “Jesus” and “Christ”

Key Takeaways

• A Title Is a Job Description: In the Bible, a title isn’t just a name. It reveals a person’s character, their mission, and, in this case, their divine nature.
• A Role Like No Other: Jesus’s many titles—Messiah, Son of God, Lamb of God—showcase the different facets of his work as king, priest, and the ultimate savior.
• Fully Human, Fully God: Titles like “Son of Man” drive home his complete humanity, while “Son of God” and “Lord” point unmistakably to his divinity.
• It’s an Invitation: Each title isn’t just a fact to memorize. It’s an invitation to relate to Jesus in a specific way—as our Teacher, Shepherd, Advocate, or King.

So, Why Does Jesus Have So Many Names?

I get it. It seems confusing. Why not just pick one? In our world, branding is all about simplicity. One name, one logo.

But the ancient world, especially the biblical world, saw it differently. A name or a title wasn’t a brand; it was a biography. It captured a person’s essence, their authority, their origin, their destiny.

Think of it this way: I’m a father to my children, a husband to my wife, and a son to my parents. Each title is 100% true. But each one describes a totally different, vital relationship. Not one of them, on its own, captures the whole picture of who I am.

That’s just me. Now, amplify that by infinity. That’s Jesus.

No single human title could possibly hold the fullness of who he is and what he did. His mission was just too vast. He was a teacher, but so much more. He was a king, but not the kind anyone expected. He was a sacrifice, but he was also the priest. To really get Jesus, you have to see him from all these angles. The titles are the lenses that bring his complex, beautiful identity into sharp focus.

Where Do We Start? How About with ‘Messiah’ and ‘Christ’?

You can’t get far in the story without hitting these two. “Messiah” and “Christ.” They’re the big ones. And really, they’re the same title, just in two different languages. “Messiah” is from the Hebrew Mashiach. “Christ” is from the Greek Christos.

Both mean the exact same thing: “Anointed One.”

This is his job title.

When Peter makes his famous declaration, “You are the Christ” (Matthew 16:16), he’s not using a last name. He’s making a monumental, world-changing claim. He’s saying, “You’re the one. You are the Anointed One we’ve been waiting for.” For centuries, the Jewish people had been waiting for the Messiah, the figure promised in their scriptures who would finally come and set things right.

But what did they expect? By and large, they were looking for a political and military hero. They wanted a new King David, someone who would kick out the Roman occupiers and put Israel back on top.

Jesus… well, Jesus had other plans. He came to be a different kind of king. He came to build a different kind of kingdom—not one of power and conquest, but one of love, sacrifice, and service.

But What Did ‘Anointed One’ Mean Back Then?

In the Old Testament, you didn’t just decide to do a big job. You were set apart by God, and this was symbolized by a sacred anointing with oil. Three roles, in particular, got this treatment.

• You anointed Prophets to speak God’s word (1 Kings 19:16).
• You anointed Priests to stand between God and the people (Exodus 29:7).
• And you anointed Kings to rule on God’s behalf (1 Samuel 16:13).

Here’s the kicker: Jesus walks in and perfectly fulfills all three. He is the ultimate Prophet, speaking the final, definitive word of God. He is the perfect High Priest, not just offering a sacrifice but being the sacrifice that bridges the gap between us and God. And he is the eternal King, ruling over a kingdom that will never, ever end.

He isn’t just an anointed one. He is THE Anointed One.

Did Jesus Ever Claim to Be God? Let’s Look at ‘Son of God’.

This one is central. It’s also one of the most controversial titles in the entire Bible. When we hear “Son of God” today, we might think of it in a general way. After all, the Bible calls believers “children of God” in a few places.

That is not what this title meant in the first century.

When Jesus claimed this title, his enemies knew exactly what he was saying. They picked up stones to kill him. Why? For blasphemy. In their words: “because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33).

The title “Son of God” points to his unique, divine nature. It doesn’t mean he was “created” by God the way a human son is. It’s a title of relationship and, more importantly, of essence. It means he shares the very same nature as the Father.

This is why the Father’s own voice booms from heaven at Jesus’s baptism: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). It’s the ultimate endorsement. It signifies a one-of-a-kind relationship, an equality of being. He is, as the Nicene Creed would later formalize, “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.”

What About That Mysterious Title, ‘Son of Man’?

If “Son of God” highlights his divinity, “Son of Man” grounds us in his humanity. And fascinatingly, this was Jesus’s favorite title for himself. It shows up over 80 times in the Gospels, and nearly every single time, it’s Jesus himself who says it.

On one level, it’s a simple, powerful statement of his humanity. He was fully human. He got tired. He got hungry. He got sad. He felt joy and he wept in grief. He wasn’t a god pretending to be a man. He was a man, in complete solidarity with all of us. He is the ultimate representative of the human race.

But this title has a hidden depth charge. His Jewish audience would have instantly caught the reference to a powerful prophecy in Daniel 7. In that vision, Daniel sees “one like a son of man” approaching the “Ancient of Days” (God). And what happens? He is given “dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him” (Daniel 7:13-14).

So, while it sounds humble, “Son of Man” is also a shocking title of supreme, divine authority. It’s a brilliant paradox: he is the humble human who is also the eternal, cosmic ruler.

And What’s the Deal with ‘Lord’?

This little word just might be the biggest title of all.

For us, “lord” is an archaic term. It sounds like something from Downton Abbey. But in the first century, it had two massive, and dangerous, meanings.

First, in the Roman Empire, it was a title reserved for Caesar. To stand up and declare “Jesus is Lord” was a direct, subversive, and dangerous political statement. It was saying, “Caesar isn’t the ultimate authority. Jesus is.”

Second, and even more importantly, was its religious meaning. When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek (the language of the New Testament), the translators had a problem. What to do with the sacred, unpronounceable name of God, YHWH? They chose to substitute it with the Greek word Kyrios.

“Lord.”

So, when the earliest Christians, all of them devout Jews, made the confession “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9), it was the most radical claim they could possibly make. They were taking the name reserved for God Almighty and applying it directly to a man who had walked and eaten with them. A man who had been executed like a common criminal.

This was their “aha!” moment. It was the atom bomb of their faith. He. Is. God.

What Did Jesus Come to Do? His Titles Tell the Story.

Many of his titles aren’t just about who he is. They’re about what he does. They are active, missional, and deeply personal.

‘Savior’: What Does He Save Us From?

“Savior” is a word we’ve heard so many times, especially around Christmas, that it can lose its punch. But what does it mean?

I remember a time in my college days, long after my initial questions about faith, when I felt completely and totally lost. I’d made a string of bad decisions. I felt alienated from my family. The world just felt… gray. The idea of a “Savior” suddenly wasn’t an abstract theological term. It was a desperate, personal need. I needed rescuing. Not from a physical enemy, but from my own cynicism, my own mistakes, my own despair.

That’s the heart of this title. The angel told Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The name “Jesus” itself is the Greek form of the Hebrew Yeshua, which means “Yahweh saves.”

His very name is his mission. He saves us from our “sins”—a word that literally means “missing the mark.” He rescues us from the brokenness, the guilt, the separation, and the meaninglessness that come from living life apart from our creator. He is the rescuer for those who know they are lost.

‘Lamb of God’: Isn’t That a Bit Strange?

It certainly sounds strange to our modern ears. But to John the Baptist, standing by the Jordan River, it was the most loaded description he could think of. When he saw Jesus and declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), everyone listening would have felt the weight of that.

Their minds would have gone straight to the Passover. Every year, Jewish families sacrificed a spotless lamb to commemorate their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It was the blood of a lamb on the doorpost that saved their firstborn from death.

John was pointing to Jesus and saying, “He is the ultimate Passover Lamb. He is the one, perfect, final sacrifice. His death won’t just cover sin temporarily. It will take it away. Permanently.”

This title transforms our understanding of the crucifixion. It wasn’t just a tragic execution. It was a mission. It was a purposeful, substitutionary sacrifice. He was the innocent one who died in our place, for our deliverance.

‘Good Shepherd’: What Does That Mean for Me?

This is one of the most intimate and comforting titles of Jesus. In a culture of shepherds and sheep, this image was instantly understandable. The 23rd Psalm, “The LORD is my shepherd,” was the bedrock of their trust in God.

Then, in John 10, Jesus takes this beloved image and claims it for himself. “I am the good shepherd,” he says. He immediately contrasts himself with the “hired hands” who don’t truly care for the sheep and will run at the first sign of danger.

This Good Shepherd is different. He knows his sheep: “I know my own and my own know me.” He’s not a distant deity. He guides them, leading them out to “find pasture.” He protects them, defending the flock from the “wolf.”

And then he says the line that shatters the mold: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” He doesn’t just protect the sheep. He dies for them. This title is a profound promise of personal care, guidance, and ultimate protection, all rooted in his own self-sacrifice.

Who Put Jesus in Charge? Titles That Speak of His Authority.

Then you have the titles that just radiate authority. The ones that establish his rank over… well, everything.

‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’: What Kind of King is He?

This title, found in the book of Revelation (19:16), is the ultimate statement of his sovereignty. It means that every other king, every president, every prime minister, every CEO, every earthly power—all of them are ultimately accountable to him. He is the final authority.

But we must remember what his kingdom is like.

When he stood trial before Pilate, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting” (John 18:36). His kingdom doesn’t advance by the sword, by coercion, or by political power.

His kingdom is one built on truth, love, service, and sacrifice. He rules not by crushing his enemies, but by dying for them. He is the King who washed his disciples’ feet. This title, “King of Kings,” is a promise that, in the end, his way of love and justice will triumph over all the world’s systems of power and violence.

‘Alpha and Omega’: The Beginning and the End?

This is another title from Revelation (21:6). Alpha (A) and Omega (Ω) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. It’s like saying, “He is the A to Z.”

This is a profound claim. It means he is eternal. He was there before creation. He will be there after it all passes away. He is the source of all things and the goal of all things. All of history is, in a sense, His story. This title tells us that our lives, and all of human history, aren’t just a random, chaotic series of accidents. It’s all being held together and guided toward a purposeful conclusion by the one who is the Beginning and the End.

‘The Word’ (Logos): What Does John Mean by That?

The Gospel of John doesn’t start with a Christmas story. It starts with a thunder-clap of a theological statement: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

A few verses later: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

The Greek word here is Logos. This word was electric. To his Greek readers, Logos was the rational principle of the universe, the divine mind, the force that brought order to all things. To his Jewish readers, the “Word of God” was God’s powerful, creative, active agent in the world (as in, “And God said, ‘Let there be light'”).

John takes both of these huge ideas and combines them into one person. Jesus is the Logos. He is the mind of God, the reason behind the universe. He is the creative power of God. He is God’s ultimate communication.

If you want to know what God thinks, what God is like, what God wants to say to you… look at Jesus. He is God’s final Word.

Okay, But Can We Know Him? Titles of Intimacy.

Some of the most powerful titles aren’t about his cosmic power. They’re about his immediate presence and accessibility.

‘Immanuel’: God With Us?

This title is a promise from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, which Matthew’s gospel says was fulfilled in Jesus’s birth: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:23).

This, for me, is the core of it all. This is the comfort that anchors my faith.

The God who created the galaxies didn’t stay distant. He didn’t just shout instructions from heaven. He put on skin. He “became flesh and dwelt among us.” He entered our messy, painful, beautiful world.

He is Immanuel. He is God with us. He’s with us in our joy, but just as present in our grief. He’s with us in our success, and even closer in our failure. He’s not a remote deity we have to appease. He is a present God we can know.

‘Rabbi’ / ‘Teacher’: What Can We Learn From Him?

This is what so many people called him during his earthly ministry. “Rabbi” simply means “Teacher.” It was a title of deep respect. And he was, without a doubt, the greatest teacher who ever lived.

But he was a teacher with a difference. Other rabbis would quote famous rabbis from the past. Jesus taught with a startling, direct authority. “You have heard that it was said…,” he would begin, and then follow it with, “But I say to you…”

His teachings weren’t just wise advice or helpful proverbs. They were life-altering invitations to see the world in a new way. To see God as a loving Father. To prioritize the “least of these.” To love our enemies. To find life not in gaining the world, but in losing our lives for his sake. As our Teacher, he still calls us to be his students, his “disciples,” learning his way of life.

‘Advocate’ and ‘High Priest’: Who’s in Our Corner?

These two titles are about what Jesus is doing right now.

The book of 1 John tells us, “But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). An “advocate” is a defense attorney. When we fail—and we all do—our first instinct is to feel the crushing weight of guilt and accusation. This title tells us that Jesus doesn’t stand with the accuser. He stands with us. He’s in our corner, pleading our case. Not based on our innocence, but on his own righteousness.

The book of Hebrews explains this further with the title “High Priest.” Unlike the priests of the Old Testament, he doesn’t need to offer sacrifices over and over. He offered himself once, for all. And crucially, he is a High Priest who “is able to sympathize with our weaknesses,” because he was “in every respect tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Because he lived a fully human life, he gets it. He understands our struggles. This makes him the perfect, compassionate bridge between us and God. For a deeper look at his role as High Priest, the resources at Dallas Theological Seminary offer a great starting point.

What Did Jesus Mean When He Said ‘I AM’?

And then there’s the ‘I AM’ statements. This is a category all its own. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven of these “I AM” claims.

This phrase, “I AM,” was explosive. It was a direct echo of God’s own name, revealed to Moses at the burning bush: “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). When Jesus used this phrase, he was making an unmistakable claim to be the one, true God. These statements explain how he is God for us.

• He’s not just a provider; “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35)
• He’s not just a guide; “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)
• He’s not just an entrance; “I am the gate.” (John 10:9)
• He’s not just a leader; “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11)
• He’s not just a comforter; “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25)
• He’s not just a philosophy; “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
• He’s not just a support; “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1)

Each statement is a profound declaration of his identity and an invitation to find our very life in him.

So, What’s the Point of All These Titles?

So, we’ve got Messiah, Lord, Savior, Son of Man, Lamb of God, Immanuel, Advocate, The Word. And that’s just scratching the surface.

My youthful quest to understand who Jesus is never really ended. I’ve just found that the answer is bigger, deeper, and more wonderful than I ever imagined. The titles aren’t a box to put him in. They are doorways to walk through. They are not a list to be memorized for a test. They are a series of invitations from God.

“Messiah” invites us to submit to his loving rule as King. “Savior” invites us to trust him with our brokenness. “Good Shepherd” invites us to follow his lead. “Immanuel” invites us to enjoy his presence.

The staggering variety of his titles doesn’t obscure his identity; it reveals it. It shows us a God who is both big enough to be King of Kings and intimate enough to be the Lamb of God. He is the Alpha and Omega, and he is also our Advocate.

In the end, all this history and theology funnels down to one, simple, personal question. It’s the same one he asked his friends 2,000 years ago, and it’s the one that echoes down to us today:

“Who do you say that I am?”

FAQ – What Are the Titles of Jesus Christ