HIS NAME IS JESUS—ALWAYS HAS BEEN, ALWAYS WILL BE
Every now and then somebody pops up online with that tone—you know the one—telling everybody, “You have to call Him Yeshua.” And they say it like they just discovered the secret password to Heaven, and the rest of us have been doing it wrong for two thousand years. Honestly, it’s one of the strangest hills anybody could choose to die on.
His name, in English, is Jesus. You and I don’t live in first-century Judea. We don’t speak ancient Hebrew. We don’t order lunch in Aramaic. We speak English. And in English, the name that has been preached, sung, loved, proclaimed, and lifted up for centuries is Jesus.
And the funny part is this: not a single person in the New Testament ever says, “Now make sure you pronounce it exactly like this, or else.” What they do say is that “there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts chapter 4 verse 12). And the point isn’t the syllables; the point is the Person.
Salvation isn’t a pronunciation contest. It’s not God leaning over the rail of Heaven saying, “Sorry, almost—but you didn’t roll the ‘sh’ correctly.” That whole idea collapses the moment you think about all the languages in the world. Are we going to tell Chinese believers, African believers, and South American believers that they all have to sound like a first-century Galilean fisherman or God won’t listen? It’s nonsense.
And here’s what makes the whole thing even more ridiculous: the New Testament wasn’t written in Hebrew anyway—it was written in Greek. And the Greek name is Iēsous. So if somebody wants to get picky about “the original name,” they’re already skipping right over the language the apostles actually used when they wrote the Scriptures. They preach Jesus in Greek, the gospel goes to the nations, and from that point forward His name naturally takes shape in the language of the people who call on Him. That’s how it works. Always has.
So when somebody tries to intimidate you or over-spiritualize it—“You must say Yeshua”—just smile and move on. We’re not saved because we know the secret Hebrew version. We’re saved because the Son of God died and rose again. The angels rejoice when a sinner repents; they don’t stop the celebration to check the vowel sounds. His name is Jesus in your Bible, Jesus in your prayers, Jesus in your preaching, Jesus in every hymn you’ve ever sung—and Heaven has no problem with that.
Honestly, the whole “Yeshua or nothing” argument falls apart the moment you breathe on it. If you know Him, if you trust Him, if you love Him, and if you call on His name with a believing heart, then Heaven hears you just fine. And His name, in English, is Jesus. Always has been. Always will be.
BDD
