What Are the Names of God?

What Are the Names of God? explores what the biblical names and titles of God reveal about His character, His authority, and His relationship to His people. Written as part of the Crucial Questions series, this booklet offers an accessible introduction to a subject with deep theological significance.

Dr. R.C. Sproul examines several of the principal names by which God makes Himself known in Scripture—including Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai, and El Shaddai—as well as the New Testament titles Christ, Lord, and Savior, and the imagery of the Holy Spirit as wind and breath. Each chapter draws out the meaning of a particular name or title, showing how it discloses something distinct about God’s nature, sovereignty, and redemptive purposes.

Sproul begins by establishing the significance of naming in biblical culture, where names carried authority and revealed character. He then traces God’s self-revelation through the Old and New Testaments, connecting the divine names to foundational doctrines such as God’s self-existence, His lordship, the person and work of Christ, the necessity of regeneration, and the Spirit’s role in inspiration and sanctification. The result is a concise study that helps readers see how the names of God form a coherent portrait of who He is and how He acts.

Key Themes

• The biblical significance of names as expressions of character and authority
• God’s self-existence and transcendence as revealed in the name Yahweh
• The lordship and messianic identity of Jesus Christ
• The Holy Spirit’s work in regeneration, sanctification, and the inspiration of Scripture

Featured Quotes

“There can be no earthly being without a Supreme Being, without Someone whose name is ‘I AM WHO I AM.’”

“He is telling Nicodemus that if anybody wants to see the kingdom of God, he has to start over. He must have a second birth.”