InstaEncouragements Building a worldwide online community of encouragers encouraging others in the faith of Jesus Christ. Join the movement!
  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Etsy Shop
    • Library >
      • Bible Emergency Numbers
      • LOVE Coupons
      • Christmas Songbook
      • Character Trait Worksheet
      • The Red Sea Rules
      • The Heart That Heals Printable Package
      • 12 Letters I Wrote
      • 16 Names of God
      • Praying Proverbs
      • Come and Gather
      • Bible Reading Plan
      • Disciple Me Program
    • Christianity
    • Come & Dwell
    • Bible Study >
      • 14 Things God’s Love Letter Says About You
      • A Journey of Worship
      • The ABCs of God's Love Letter
      • She Loves Truth
      • Hey Mama! PRAY
      • 52 Days in Psalms
      • 10 Weeks in the New Testament
      • 2 Months in The Pentateuch
      • 12 Minor Prophets
      • 3 Biblical Statements
      • 7 Books of Faith
      • 4 Major Prophets
  • Blog
    • Guest Bloggers
    • IE Link-up
    • Praying Proverbs
    • Jordan River Rules
    • Choosing Gratitude
    • Aging With Grace
    • Seeking Him
    • She Loves Truth
    • Red Sea Rules
  • The Heart That Heals
    • The Heart That Heals Media Package
  • Sweeter Than Honey
    • Sweeter Than Honey Media Package
  • Names of God
    • 16 Names of God Media Package
  • Prodigal Prayers
TDGC shop the sale

Immanuel: Our God With Us

12/18/2018

0 Comments

 
Immanuel: God With Us
Have you ever thought about the fact that Matthew says the baby born in Bethlehem is to be called Jesus but Isaiah says He is to be called Immanuel? “’She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:21-23. This seems like a contradiction at first read. Was that promised One to be called Jesus or Immanuel? Who was right, Matthew or Isaiah? 

In Matthew 1:23, Matthew quotes from the prophet Isaiah. 800 years before Jesus' birth the prophet Isaiah wrote, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." 
The Daily Grace Co. logo banner
The Daily Grace Co. Christmas mug banner
Immanuel means God with us. The baby born it that manger was literally the presence of God. The promised child. The Hope of all creation. Our Redeemer. Our King. Our Immanuel. Our God with us! You may be wondering, as I was, about the two different names, Jesus and Immanuel. The passage in Matthew that quotes the prophet Isaiah states He is to be called Jesus. Then it says He is to be called Immanuel. So what is His name supposed to be, Jesus or Immanuel? The answer is simple. Jesus is a personal name. Immanuel is a role.

Jesus is a Personal Name and Immanuel is a Role

Jesus never actually bore the name Immanuel during His earthly life. The name Immanuel indicates His role, bringing God's presence to man. Immanuel, the role, means God with us. The phrase God with us describes the nature of Jesus. He is God who became man. When Jesus was born, God came down and dwelt among man. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.... No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known.” John 1:1-18. His presence among His creation meant He was a man among men, yet at the same time, He was also the holy Son of God.

Immanuel is Messiah the God of Israel

Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah, the God of Israel. His words were not disputed at the time because he spoke of things that were distant, things far into the future. 800 years into the future! Yet, when Jesus spoke of Himself as the Messiah He pushed all the boundaries of political correctness.  

When Jesus spoke with the woman at the well in John 4:25–26 she said, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus answered her by saying, “I who speak to you am He.” In John 10:30 He also said to the Jews in the temple when they inquired if He was the Christ, “I and the Father are one."  

C.S. Lewis' quote embodies the challenge of aligning Jesus with His statements about Himself.
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." —C.S. Lewis

The Son Came to do the Father's Will

Hebrews 10:1 talks of the law and says, "...it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near." In verse 4 we read, "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Then in verses 5-7 we have this recorded dialogue between God the Father and Christ the Son. “Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but a body have You prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book.’” This is Christ. This is God. This is the babe in the manger. It's our Immanuel, our God with us coming to earth in the form of a man to do the Father’s will.

In Doing the Father's Will Jesus Experienced the Struggles of Mankind

Not only did Jesus come to earth to dwell among men, not only did He become man to do the Father’s will, He came to be God. He came to be our Immanuel, our God with us. This was His role.

Throughout His life on earth, Jesus demonstrated a constant awareness and closeness to mankind. He experienced the struggle of a fallen, chaotic world. His words were comfort. His actions were compassion. He understood the issues of the day. He demonstrated this understanding with empathy for the people and their struggle. Jesus lived the human experience to the fullest. And in all this, He remained holy.

What is at stake here is not whether we celebrate with tinsel and lights the birth of the child Isaiah wrote of. What's at stake is our understanding of Who God is and His roll of Immanuel. It has everything to do with recognizing that Jesus, Immanuel, Messiah, the God of Israel cares so much for His creation that He sent His only Son to be with us. He is Immanuel. He is our God with us.

The Child is Born but the Son is Given

​The reality of Matthew 1:21-23 is not merely that a baby was born, the reality is that God became that baby. God was in that manger! We also read in Isaiah 9:6, and I find this particularly interesting, that the child is born, but the Son is given. "For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Why was the child born and the Son given? This is because the Son existed before the child was born. The virgin gave birth to a child, but the child that the virgin birthed existed before she even conceived. Therefore, the Son was given, not born.

Please Don't Judge Us! 

We love cookies, a lot! We have some beautiful Christmas cookie pins over on our Pinterest Merry Christmas Inspiration board. Dozens of them for you to choose from and share this season with your friends. Kind of like a cookie exchange, but different. Better! Please feel free to share and be an encourager. Merry Christmas!
Proverbs 3:3
Romans 12:4-8
Sam Allberry quote
Bob Goff quote
Ralph Waldo Emerson quote
Psalms 16:8
Romans 12:12
Paul David Tripp quote
I John 4:10

Who is Immanuel to you?
Please Share
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Patsy
    Hi friend, welcome to InstaEncouragements. I am so glad you are here. You’re among friends. You belong here. 

    ​Hop on over to our about page to learn more about us and then to our contact form and introduce yourself so we can be on a first-name basis. I'd like that! —Patsy
    16 Names of God
    Sweeter Than Honey
    The Heart That Heals cover

    Top Posts

    16 Names of God and What They Mean
    8 Ways God Spoke to People in the Past and How He Speaks to Us Today
    12 Things the Bible Says God Knows About Us
    A Lesson From King Jehoshaphat
    10 Verses That Support the Biblical Roots of the Declaration of Independence
    6 Things We Can Learn
    From Habakkuk
    5 Characteristics
    of God's Love
    From a Proverbs 31 Woman to a Titus 2 Woman
    The Sheep Gate
    Honoring God by Maintaining Our
    ​Physical Health
    12 Favorite
    ​Bible Study Tools
    Artza blog banner

    Featured

    Welcome Heart
    LaurenSparks.net
    beLydia.org
    Brave Women Series
    Grace & Truth
    WORTHY Bible Studies
    Money Wise Steward
    Woman of Noble Character
    The Best Bible Study Books For Women

    Categories

    All
    16 Names Of God
    7 Biblical Feasts
    7 Things God Is Not
    ABCs Of The Bible
    Amanda
    Bible Emergency Numbers
    Bible Study
    Books We Love
    Cami
    Cancer
    Christine
    Come And Gather
    Debbie
    Elisabeth
    Evidences Of Faith
    Family Life
    Guest Post
    Hey Mama! PRAY
    Journey To The Cross
    Julie
    Kathy
    Link Ups
    Our Words Matter
    Prayer
    Printables
    Stephanie
    Summer Book Club
    Sweeter Than Honey

    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018

InstaEncouragements participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a
​means for this site to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 
This site also contains affiliate links for The Daily Grace Company, Not Consumed, and Artza.
InstaEncouragements will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking one of these links or a link from one of our posts.
​​Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Terms & Conditions
InstaEncouragements logo
© InstaEncouragements |2025|  all rights reserved
IE blog footer image
  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Etsy Shop
    • Library >
      • Bible Emergency Numbers
      • LOVE Coupons
      • Christmas Songbook
      • Character Trait Worksheet
      • The Red Sea Rules
      • The Heart That Heals Printable Package
      • 12 Letters I Wrote
      • 16 Names of God
      • Praying Proverbs
      • Come and Gather
      • Bible Reading Plan
      • Disciple Me Program
    • Christianity
    • Come & Dwell
    • Bible Study >
      • 14 Things God’s Love Letter Says About You
      • A Journey of Worship
      • The ABCs of God's Love Letter
      • She Loves Truth
      • Hey Mama! PRAY
      • 52 Days in Psalms
      • 10 Weeks in the New Testament
      • 2 Months in The Pentateuch
      • 12 Minor Prophets
      • 3 Biblical Statements
      • 7 Books of Faith
      • 4 Major Prophets
  • Blog
    • Guest Bloggers
    • IE Link-up
    • Praying Proverbs
    • Jordan River Rules
    • Choosing Gratitude
    • Aging With Grace
    • Seeking Him
    • She Loves Truth
    • Red Sea Rules
  • The Heart That Heals
    • The Heart That Heals Media Package
  • Sweeter Than Honey
    • Sweeter Than Honey Media Package
  • Names of God
    • 16 Names of God Media Package
  • Prodigal Prayers