A name denotes the identity of a person, being the term distinguishing that person from others. A title is the term indicating office or service, and the same title may apply to a number of different persons. King is a title, denoting regal dignity and belonging to David, Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, and to all holding that office. The name is personal to him who bears it, and when it was divinely given it exactly suited him; thus, the Lord said to one of the apostles, “Thou art Peter.” The name expresses what a person is; the title describes what a person does.
“Saviour” is a title of the Lord: “Unto you is born . . . a Saviour” (Luke 2:11). But His personal name is “Jesus,” meaning Jehovah the Saviour (Matt. 1:21). The idea of salvation underlies both the name and the title, but the title “Saviour” describes the work of Him who came that the world through Him might be saved, while “Jesus” expresses who that incarnate Person is — Jehovah the Saviour. So, in celebrating the salvation of Israel, Moses sang, “Jehovah is a man of war; Jehovah, His name (Ex. 15:3 JND).
W. J. Hocking (adapted from
The Son of His Love)