JCJehovah
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JESUS CHRIST |
There are many Christians that believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but not equal to God. They do, however, readily recognize the truth that Jehovah is God. This study will show from Scripture that Jesus Christ is both Jehovah, Who is spirit, and the manifestation of Jehovah.
JESUS CHRIST IS JEHOVAH AS SPIRIT
We read in Jn. 4:24 that “God is spirit” (not a spirit, as the Greek does not have “a”). The main body of this paper is devoted to the Scriptural evidence that Jesus Christ is the manifestation of Jehovah. But it is also true that Jesus Christ is Jehovah as spirit. As far as I can tell, we are not told anything about God as spirit, but He is revealed by His titles/offices.That is to say, we would know nothing of Jehovah as spirit if He had not, in His grace, revealed Himself through His various offices.
Let us first consider a passage that, if studied thoughtfully, also tells us that Jehovah is spirit. Ps. 139 is a Psalm of David that is addressed to Jehovah. Verse 1 reads, “O Jehovah, Thou hast searched me, and known me”. And in verse 7 we read, “Whither shall I go from Thy spirit“. Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence”. The first part of this verse speaks of “Thy spirit”, i.e. Jehovah’s spirit. If it were speaking of Jehovah as spirit it would simply read “whither shall I go from Thee“. Because it reads as it does, i.e. “from Thy spirit“, I believe that “Thy spirit” refers to Jehovah in His office of Holy Spirit.
As is true of all the offices/titles of Jehovah, the office of Holy Spirit reveals part of Who Jehovah is, but certainly cannot reveal something that Jehovah is not. For example, none of the offices of Jehovah can reveal that God is a liar because we are told quite specifically that God cannot lie (see Heb. 6:18). So all the offices of Jehovah reveal part of Who He is, and none can reveal something He is not.
Going on in Ps. 139, we read in verse 8, “If I ascend up into heaven, You are there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there”. In other words, the Holy Spirit is everywhere. And because the Holy Spirit cannot reveal anything that Jehovah is not, Jehovah is everywhere. And because only spirit can be everywhere, we may conclude that Jehovah is spirit.
As we compare Ex. 3:13-14 with Jn. 1:1 we will see yet another proof that God is spirit, and it will also tell us that it is Jesus Christ that is Jehovah as spirit. Ex. 3:13-14 reads, “….and they shall say unto me, ‘What is His Name’? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM:……I AM hath sent me unto you”. As the reader may know, the original Hebrew Old Testament did not have points indicating vowels. That is to say, in the original language only consonants were used. So the spelling of Jehovah was JHVH or, JHWH. The spelling of the word translated “I AM” was HYH. Note the similarity in the spelling.
There is a slight difference in the spelling between “Jehovah” and “I AM”. I believe that Is. 42:8, (“I am Jehovah, that is My Name) makes it clear thatGod has only one name, but the spelling is slightly different in Exodus 3 to make the point of what He is, i.e. eternal. That is to say, just as in Is. 54:5, for example, the title “Sabaioth” was added to His Name, “Jehovah” in order to give a fuller meaning to His Name, so too, in my opinion, when Moses asked His name, Jehovah gave a slightly different version of His Name in order to give a fuller meaning. But the point I wish to make is that the title “I AM THAT I AM” indicates the eternal nature of Jehovah. That is to say, “I AM” is present tense. In my opinion, that suggests that Jehovah has always existed, even before the beginning of creation.
Now let us consider John 1:1, “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God…..”. There are two things to note in this verse: 1) “The beginning” mentioned in this verse is the beginning of recorded time, i.e. the creation of Gen. 1:1, and 2) the phrase “the Word” indicates the manifestation of God. Let us put these things together. Because Jehovah is spirit, He has always existed, even before the beginning of creation (i.e. I AM). At the beginning (i.e. the creation of Gen. 1:1), Christ became the Word, i.e. the manifestation of Jehovah Who is spirit.
My point is that Christ, Who is the Word became the manifestation of God when time began. But we know that God existed before the beginning of time. In what form did He exist? Because God was not manifested by the Word until time began, we must conclude that God existed in spirit form before time began.
Now the question is: How do we know that Christ Himself was I AM, i.e. Jehovah as spirit? The answer is found in John 8:58-59, “Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at Him….”. Those who were listening to Christ knew that He was telling them He was the “I AM” of the burning bush.
JESUS CHRIST IS THE MANIFESTATION OF JEHOVAH
In Old Testament times Jehovah appeared to some in the form of a man. For example, in Gen. 18 Abraham spoke with Jehovah in the form of a man. Gen. 18:1, ” and Jehovah appeared unto him….” (Abraham). Bearing in mind that Jehovah is spirit (John 4:24), Jehovah must have assumed some form in order to appear to Abraham. The next verse tells us that Jehovah appeared to Abraham in the form of a man, “and he (Abraham) lift up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him”. As the account of this meeting unfolds two of the “men” left and the third remained. Verse 22, “And the men turned their faces from thence and went to Sodom“. As we compare that with 19:1 we will see that only two of the “men” left. leaving one “Man” behind..”And there came two angels to Sodom….”. So that when we read in verses 18:23-32 of Abraham’s conversation, we know that it was indeed Jehovah in the form of man with Whom Abraham was speaking.
Let us take a brief look at the conversation recorded in Gen. 18:23-32. In verse 22 we read, “The men (two of them, see 19:1) turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Jehovah“. In verse 26 after Abraham had asked God to spare Sodom for the sake of the righteous, we read, “And Jehovah said“. This shows that Abraham was speaking to Jehovah. In verse 27 we read, “I (Abraham) have taken upon me to speak unto Jehovah…..”). Here again, it is clear that Abraham was speaking to Jehovah. In verses 30, and 32 we read Abraham saying “let not Jehovah be angry and I will speak”. My point is that Jehovah took on the form of a man in Old Testament times in order to communicate with certain individuals.
The question is: was that Christ as Jehovah in bodily form that appeared to Abraham and to others in Old Testament times? The answer is yes, it was Christ. Why do I say that? Because we read in Col. 1:16 that Christ created all things. We read in Gen. 1:1 that Elohim created the heavens and the earth. Therefore we can only conclude that Christ is Elohim. But we read in other scriptures that Jehovah created the heavens and the earth. See for example Isaiah 44:24, “Thus saith Jehovah, ….. I am Jehovah that maketh all things: That stretcheth forth the heavens alone; That spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself”. And Is. 45:12, “I have made the earth”. Also, Zech. 12:1,”The burden of the word of Jehovah for Israel, saith Jehovah, Which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
What we have learned is that Christ is Elohim. In order to not have a contradiction in God’s perfect written Word, we must conclude that “Elohim” is one of the titles of Jehovah. (For further proof of that statement please see the paper on this web-site, The Trinity: Elohim.) Christ is Elohim. Elohim is one of the titles of Jehovah. Therefore, because Jehovah is spirit, Christ is Jehovah in the form of a man.
Part of the difficulty is due to the fact that we tend to assume that Jesus Christ did not exist until He was born to Mary at the beginning of the New Testament. It was then that He took upon Himself “the form of a servant” and it is His being in the form of a servant that leads some to the erroneous conclusion that He is not God. In the next section we will examine that incorrect conclusion that Christ did not exist until He was born to Mary.
JESUS CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
In Genesis 1:26 we read, “And God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness….”. To correctly understand what is meant by the phrase “in Our image, after Our likeness” let us turn to Gen. 5:3 where we read the same phrase, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness after his image….”. When we read of Adam’s son being born in “his own likeness after his image” we understand that Adam’s son looked like Adam. So also, when God created man in His likeness after His image, we must understand that God created Man to look like Himself. Any other interpretation is without scriptural basis.
Since man was created to look like God, God obviously must have taken on a bodily form, otherwise He could not have created man to look like Himself. As we shall see in the next section, under the title “Savior”, Jehovah is the creator of Man.Therefore, when we read of man looking like God, we are reading of man looking like Jehovah in bodily form.
Again, I am suggesting that Jesus Christ is Jehovah in bodily form.
Let us continue for now with the Scriptural evidence showing that Jehovah took on a bodily form in the Old Testament. In Gen. 3:8 we read, “And they (Adam and Eve) heard the voice (should be translated “footsteps” as in II Sam. 5:24, I Kings 14:6 and II Kings 6:32) of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…”.Adam and Eve heard the footsteps of God walking in the Garden of Eden. They could not have heard His footsteps, if He was not in bodily form, i.e. having feet.
As discussed above, Gen. 18 describes the meeting between Jehovah, in the form of a man, with Abraham. Some have suggested that the One Abraham was addressing was not Jehovah, but a man sent by Jehovah. That however is not consistent with the fact that Abraham did indeed address the One to Whom he was speaking as “Jehovah”. Also, consider that Abraham, when left alone with Him after the two others had left, spoke to Jehovah. To assume that Abraham was speaking to a man sent by Jehovah is simply conjecture and unwarranted by the Scriptural evidence.
The New Testament also testifies to the truth that Christ is Jehovah in bodily form in Old Testament times. In John 8:14, “Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going”.It is clear that Christ came from heaven and was going to return to heaven. If He came from heaven, He must have been in heaven before He was born to Mary.In my opinion, this truth, along with the scriptures in the Old Testament which speak of Jehovah in bodily form helps to establish the fact that Jehovah in the Old Testament was Christ in bodily form.
It is important to differentiate between Jehovah in bodily form and Jehovah in human form. Jehovah took on bodily form when He created man to look like Himself. He took on the form of a human being, i.e. flesh and blood, when He was born to Mary.
Let us look briefly at a New Testament verse that proves that Christ is Jehovah in human form in the New Testament. We read in Matthew 3:3, “For this is he (John the Baptist) that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His path straight”. This is a quote from Isaiah 40:3 where we read, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah“. (The KJV has “the Lord” but the Hebrew is “Jehovah”.) The one for Whom John the Baptist was preparing the way was Christ. John the Baptist was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah who wrote that he would prepare the way for Jehovah. By comparing the prophecy (Is. 40:3) with the fulfillment of prophecy (Matt. 3:3) we see one reason for believing that Christ is Jehovah in bodily form. Other, more compelling reasons will be presented as we continue in this study.
O. Q. Sellers has written an excellent article, Call His Name Jesus. I offer the following paragraphs from that article.
“When Moses was directed by God to search out the land of Canaan, he was told to select one man from each tribe who was already a tribal ruler (Numbers 13:2). The one selected from the tribe of Ephraim was Oshea, the son of Nun (Num. 13:8). His name meant “Savior”, and to his name Moses prefixed the shortened form of Jehovah, so that from that time forward he bore the exalted name of Jehovah-Savior (Num. 13:16). Thus Oshea became Yehowshua, and this has been anglicized into Joshua. And it needs to be carefully noted that Oshea was given this name by Moses as a constant reminder and proclamation that it was Jehovah who was saving and delivering, even though He used a human agent to lead Israel over Jordan, conquer the land, and give portions to the tribes of Israel.
“… in Hebrew we have the untranslatable name of Jehovah, and its shortened form Jah. Then we have the name Oshea, which is translatable. It means Savior. To this is attached the shortened form of Jehovah which when translated means Jehovah-Savior. So whether we say Yehowshuwa or Jehoshua or Joshua, there is no difference in meaning-they all mean Jehovah-Savior.
When the Old Testament was translated into Greek several hundred years before Christ (The Septuagint Version) a meaningful word had to be found to render Yehowshuwa, and the word used was Iesous.. This was a good choice, for when the New Testament was written the name Iesous is found on almost every page. Then when the English translations were made of the Greek, Iesous became Jesus. So, as already said, whether we say Yehowshuwa, Jehoshua, Joshua, Iesous, or Jesus, we are saying Jehovah-Savior. The change is only in the language, not in the meaning.”
The main thrust of this article is that the English “Jesus” is the same as the translated Hebrew “Jehovah-Savior”.
“JEHOVAH” IS GOD’S NAME
God has one Name, and that Name is “Jehovah”. Isaiah 42:8, “I am Jehovah, that is My Name…”. Please note this verse begins, “I am Jehovah”. This verse tells us much more than what God is called, which is the usual reason for a name. It is important to understand that “name” is sometimes used as a figure of speech Metonym of Adjunct, which is defined in the Companion Bible as, “When something pertaining to the subject is put for the subject itself”. In this verse the phrase “My Name” is used as that which pertains to Jehovah, Who is the subject. It is used as a figure of speech for Who God is.
Figures of speech are used to enhance a truth. What truth is being enhanced by the use of the figure of speech in Is. 42:8? In my opinion, it is used to enhance the truth of Who God is. A definition of “Jehovah” might be helpful in making this point. Dr. Bullinger gives the following definition of the word “Jehovah” in the Companion Bible: “Jehovah means the Eternal, the Immutable One, He Who Was and IS and IS TO COME”. So when we read “I am Jehovah, that is My Name” we are reading, I am “the Eternal, the Immutable One, He Who Was and IS and IS TO COME”, that is Who I am.
Exodus 6:3 is also helpful in establishing how “My Name” is used as a figure of speech to enhance the truth of Who God is. That verse reads, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My Name, Jehovah, I did not make Myself known to them”. In other words, God had appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but not as “the Eternal, Immutable One”. but as “God Almighty”. But when God appeared to Moses, He made Himself known as Who He is, His very essence, i.e. Eternal.
Thus far we have considered “name” in a figurative sense, i.e. the name tells us who a person is. But it is also used in God’s Word in a literal sense, i.e. in the sense of what one is called. In Is. 54:5 He is called “Jehovah-Sabaioth“. And in II Sam. 6:2 we read, “Whose name is called by the name of Jehovah of hosts“. In Is. 54:5 we read, “For thy Maker is thine Husband, Jehovah of hosts is His name.…….the Holy One of Israel, the Elohim of the whole world shall He be called”. And we have in Amos 5:27, “Whose name is Elohim of hosts”. These verses do not use “Name” as a figure of speech, they use it quite literally. Note none say that God is……, they say He is “called” or “is His name”. When we read in Is. 42:8, “I am Jehovah”, we are reading of Who God is in His very being. In that sense then, God has only one name, i.e. “Jehovah”.
We read in John 8:58-59, “Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at Him….”. Those who were listening to Christ knew that He was telling them He was I AM of the burning bush.
I have tried to show from Scripture that Christ was Jehovah in bodily form in Old Testament times. However, when we come to the New Testament, when Christ took on a human body of flesh and blood, as such He was the manifestation of Jehovah in human form. We will see that the titles that are ascribed to Jehovah in the Old Testament are also ascribed to Christ in the New Testament. In my opinion, this proves that Christ, in fulfilling the titles of Jehovah was the manifestation of Jehovah.
TITLES ASCRIBED TO CHRIST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT AND TO JEHOVAH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
SAVIOR
It is clear from the following New Testament verses that Jesus Christ is the Savior.
I John 4:14, “We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world”
Luke 2:11 “This day in the city of David, a Savior is born”.
The Bible makes it quite clear that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. What is not clear, especially in the King James Version, is that the title “Savior” is ascribed to Jehovah in the Old Testament. Some of the scriptures quoted below mention other titles besides “Savior” as well as His Name, “Jehovah”. A study of all the titles of Jehovah will show that all are ascribed to Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
Isaiah 43:3, “For I am Jehovah thy Elohim, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior“.
Isaiah 49:26, “….and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
Is. 60:16, “…and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah-Moshiek (Hebrew “Jehovah- Savior“, one of the ten Jehovah titles) and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Hosea 13:4, “Yet I am Jehovah thy Elohim….there is no Savior beside Me”.
Note that in Hosea 13:4 Jehovah says, “There is no Savior beside Me”. So Jehovah did not relinquish the office of savior by sending His Son. Jehovah became flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. (Later in this paper we will discuss the verses in the New Testament where Jesus says that He was sent by the Father. Suffice it to say for now, that “Father” and “Son” are not two different Persons. “Father” and “Son” are New Testament titles of Jehovah. Please see the paper on this web-site, The Trinity: Is God Three Persons In One?)
REDEEMER
That Jesus Christ is the Redeemer is clear from Rev. 5:9, “…for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood …”.
Consider also Eph. 1:6-7, “..He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, …”.
Heb. 9:12, “….by His own blood He entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us”.
That Jehovah is the Redeemer is clear from the passages quoted below.
Ex. 6:6, “I am Jehovah and I will bring you out from under the Egyptians…. And I will redeem you with a stretched out arm….”.
Job 19:25, “For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth”. Note, Job says that he knows that his Redeemer lives, not, will live. Job knew that Jehovah/Christ was in bodily form. Note also that Job knew that his Redeemer would stand on the earth. That can be said only of Jesus Christ, Jehovah in the flesh.
Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable O Jehovah, my strength and my redeemer“.
Ps. 103-104, “Bless Jehovah, oh my soul…….Who redeemeth my life from destruction”.
Is. 41:14, “Jehovah and my Redeemer”.
Is. 43:14, “…..I will help thee saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel…”.
Is. 63:16, “….Thou Jehovah art our Father, our Redeemer“. Note in this verse that Jehovah is the Redeemer, who is Christ, He is also the Father.(Again, “Father” is one of the titles of Jehovah, just as “Redeemer”, “Savior” etc.)
SHEPHERD
In His discourse recorded in John chapter 10, our Lord said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (verse 10).And again, in verse 14, “I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me”.
Hebrews 13:20, “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant, Who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep…”.
I Peter 5:20, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of glory”.
The following scriptures from the Old Testament will show that Jehovah is the great Shepherd.
Psalm 23:1, “Jehovah is my shepherd, I shall not want…”.
Isaiah 40:11, “He (Jehovah Adonai, see verse 10) shall feed His flocks like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young”.
Ezekiel 34:12-15, “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered: so will I seek out My sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. ……I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: ….I will feed My flock and I will cause them to lie down saith Jehovah Adonai”.
BRIDEGROOM, HUSBAND
In the New Testament we read of Christ, the Bridegroom/Husband in the following verses.
Matthew 9:15, “And Jesus said unto them, ‘Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, a long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast”.
In John 3:29 we read of John the Baptist’s answer to those questioning him; “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled”.
Rev. 21:9, “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials …and talked with me saying, ‘Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife”.(Please note that the terms “bride” and “wife” are not used in the same way as they are today.)
In the Old Testament we have the following verses which speak of Jehovah as the Husband.
Isaiah 54:5-6, “For thy Maker is thine husband; Jehovah of hosts is His Name: and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called”, (note the use of many of the titles of Jehovah).
Jer. 31:31-32, “Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers…..which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith Jehovah”
Hosea 2:19-20, “And I will betroth thee unto Me forever:…..I will even betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know Jehovah“.
CREATOR
Elohim is the creator of heaven and earth, as that is the title used in Gen. 1:1.But as we shall see in this section, Jehovah/Christ is the creator, using one of His many titles, i.e. “Elohim”.
Confirmation of the fact that Christ is the creator is found in the following verses in the New Testament.
John 1:10, “He (Christ, see verse 9) was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not”.
Col. 1:16, “For by Him (Christ, see verses 13-15) were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him”. In the Old Testament we find the following verses showing that Jehovah is the creator:
Isaiah 44:24, “Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am Jehovah that maketh all things: That stretcheth forth the heavens alone; That spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself”.
Is. 45:12, “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded”.
Zech. 12:1,”The burden of the word of Jehovah for Israel, saith Jehovah, Which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.”
HOLY ONE
We read in Acts 2:25-27 of yet another title of Christ that is used of Jehovah in the Old Testament. “For David speaketh concerning Him,……….neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption”.
Acts 3:13-14, “The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus, Whom ye delivered up, and denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when He was determined to let Him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you”.
The title “Holy One” is used of Jehovah in the following Old Testament scriptures:
Isaiah 43:14, “Thus saith Jehovah, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel”.
Isaiah 54:5, “For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel…”.That this verse refers to Jehovah is clear from the fact that the other titles given in this verse are ascribed to Jehovah.
EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW
We have seen that the titles ascribed to Jesus Christ in the New Testament are ascribed to Jehovah in the Old Testament. In my opinion, this shows that Christ is Jehovah. There are other scriptures, besides those that mention His titles, which are applicable to Jehovah and to Christ, proving once again that Christ and Jehovah are one and the same.
We read in Isaiah 45:21-23, “…..Who hath told it from that time? Have not I Jehovah?….I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear”.
In Romans 14:10-11 we read, “…we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written…every knee shall bow to Me and every tongue, shall confess to God”.
And in Phil. 2:10-11, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We shall discuss the phrase “to the glory of God the Father” in the next section.
“THE FIRST AND THE LAST”
In Rev. 1:17-18 we read, “And when I saw Him I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, ‘Fear not; I am the first and the Last; I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore”. This is obviously Jesus Christ Who is speaking to John in this passage. As we shall in the Old Testament, the title “the First and the Last” is one of the titles of Jehovah.
Is. 44:6, “Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer the Lord of hosts; ‘I am the first, and I am the last, and beside Me there is no God'”.
“FATHER” AND “SON”
I have tried to show in this paper that Jesus Christ is Jehovah of the Old Testament. That He was in bodily form but when He was born to Mary He became flesh and blood. Let us consider the magnitude of His humiliation as we read in Phil. 2:5-8, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal to God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”.
May I again clarify the point that Christ was in bodily form in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, when He was born to Mary, He became flesh and blood, i.e. Man. So also, when our Lord ascended into heaven after His resurrection He ascended, not as a human being, i.e. not as flesh and blood, but in the bodily form of a man.
“FATHER”
All titles are titles of Jehovah, and because Christ is the manifestation of Jehovah all titles are in one sense ascribed to Him, even the title of “Father”.
Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. That this prophecy refers to Christ is evident from the other titles in this passage, especially “unto us a Son is given”. And we know from Ps. 2:7-9 that Christ will rule in the millennium. We know that Christ is “the Prince of Peace”. If “Son” and “Prince of Peace” are titles of Christ, so too, logic dictates, must “Everlasting Father” be one of Christ’s titles.
Isaiah 63:16, “…..Thou O Jehovah art our Father, our Redeemer: Thy Name is from everlasting”. The reader will recall that “Redeemer” is one of the titles of Jehovah that is ascribed to Christ in the New Testament. Again, logic dictates that because the titles “Father” and “Redeemer” are used of one Person, and “Redeemer is used of Christ, so too is “Father” used of Christ.
Isaiah 64:8, “But now O Jehovah, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou art our Potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand”. Again, the reader will recall that Jehovah is the creator and that title is also ascribed to Christ in the New Testament.
It is clear from the scriptures quoted above that “Father” is one of the titles of Jehovah. The title “Father” does not, in any way imply that He is “more God” than the Son. It says only that the title is superior to the title “Servant”, for example, or to the title “Son”.
Let us look at some of the important passages in John’s Gospel in terms of telling us Who Christ is, so that we might have a better understanding of the truth.
Before we begin, let me reiterate, it is absolutely crucial to keep in mind that God has only one Name, and that Name is “Jehovah”. All the others are titles. So when we come to the New Testament, we understand that when we read of Christ as “Savior”, as “Redeemer”, as “Good Shepherd”, etc., we are not reading of different Persons, we are reading of different titles applied to the same Person, Christ/Jehovah.
So too, when we read the title “Son of Man”, and “Son of God”, it is still one Person, Christ/Jehovah. And when we read of the “Father”, we are not reading of a different God, we are reading of a different title of the same God, Jehovah.
Indeed, we read in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one”. When we understand that “Father” is a title, we can understand the true meaning of that statement. Along the same line of thought, please also consider John 12:45, “when he looks at Me, he sees the One who sent Me”.
Let us look at some of the statements in the New Testament which prove that Christ is God.
John 1:1, “….and the Word (Christ) was God“.
1:14, “..and the Word became flesh”.
5:18, The Jews tried to kill Him “because He was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God“. If Christ was making Himself equal to God, does that not prove that He was equal to God? To say that He was not equal to God would make Him a liar. And how could He have been equal to God unless He was God?
John 1:18, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, Which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him”. The word translated “declared” means “revealed”. If Christ were not God He could not have revealed God..
In Hebrews 1:3, the writer says of the Son (verse 2) “Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person……”.Bullinger’s note on the phrase “express image” is helpful. He writes, “The word means the exact impression as when a metal is pressed into a die, or as a seal upon wax”. Again, if Christ were not God, He could not be the exact impression of God.
Matthew 1:23, “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Now let us consider those verses which seem to suggest that the Father and the Son are two different Persons.
John 5:16, “My Father is working, I also am working”.
5:19, “The Son can do nothing by Himself….whatever the Father does the Son does also.
6:46, “No one has seen the Father except the One Who is from God, He has seen the Father”.
12:45, “…when he looks at me he sees the One Who sent Me”.
I believe that all confusion will be erased as one keeps in mind that “Son” is a title and “Father” is a title; both titles are ascribed to the one true God, Jehovah. Because the New Testament presents Christ as the “Son”, He must have a “Father”, so the titles only seem to present two different Persons.
Just as in one sense the Son is equal to the Father, because both “Father” and “Son” are titles of Jehovah, in another sense Jesus humbled Himself to take upon Himself the form of a Servant. That is to say, “servant” is a lesser title than “Father”. As “Son” and as “Servant” He is less than “Father”. But as Jehovah in the flesh, Jesus Christ is God and equal to the Father.
Please see the following papers on this web-site for further proof that “Father”, “Son” and “Holy Spirit” are titles of One God, not three different Persons:
The Trinity: Is God Three Persons In One?
Trinity Part Two: “Elohim”
The Trinity: Scriptures That Disprove The Doctrine
The Trinity Part Four: Does Jesus Christ Sit Next To God In Heaven?
CONCLUSION
There is, I believe, no question that Jehovah is God. There is a question in the minds of some that Jesus Christ is God. I believe that much of the confusion comes in not recognizing that “Jehovah” is His Name, and the rest of what we read are titles. It is, unfortunately, quite understandable that there may be some confusion in that regard, as the King James Version does not give us His Name in the original language, but translates “Jehovah” to “Lord”. I have tried to show from the Bible that Jesus Christ is Jehovah in bodily form and is the manifestation of Jehovah in human form, i.e. flesh and blood. Once that is accepted there should be no question as to whether Christ is God.
Another thing that has led many into confusion is the thinking that Christ did not exist until He was born to Mary. That supposition leads one to begin the story of Jesus Christ, i.e. Who He is, at the beginning of the New Testament. The New Testament begins with Christ’s humiliation when He took on the form of a servant. So, in one sense, it may be understandable to think of Him as less than God, but only when one begins at the middle of the story.
JEHOVAH IS GOD. JESUS CHRIST IS JEHOVAH. JESUS CHRIST IS GOD.
This paper was written by Joyce Pollard. If you would like to respond please e-mail me at: [email protected]
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