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Jesus is Yahweh: Examining the NT Use of OT Passages to Demonstrate The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ Sam Shamoun
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As any Bible-believing Christian already knows (assuming that he has actually carefully studied the entirety of Scriptures) the NT writers often apply OT passages which speak of certain characteristics or acts of Yahweh to the Lord Jesus. The only logical conclusion one can arrive at is that the NT writers clearly believed that the Lord Jesus Christ was the incarnation of Yahweh God, i.e. they believed that Yahweh God Almighty had become an actual human being in the historical person of the Lord Jesus. In this article, we will present a host of the OT citations regarding the nature and works of Yahweh which are either quoted or alluded by the NT authors in connection with the Lord Jesus. We will also address an objection which is often raised by anti-Trinitarians in trying to deny that the NT writers believed that Jesus was the visible manifestation of Yahweh. We will then conclude with a short summary. YAHWEH“Abraham
planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and
called there on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God.” Genesis
21:33
“Into
your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Yahweh,
faithful God.” Psalm 31:5 “And
it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh shall be saved. For in
Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as Yahweh
has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom Yahweh calls.”
Joel 2:32 JESUS
“And
as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he
cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said
this, he fell asleep.’” Acts 7:59-60 “Now
there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in
a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ And
the Lord said to him, ‘Rise and go to the street called Straight, and
at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold,
he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named
Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his
sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from
many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at
Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests
to bind all who call on your
name’… So Ananias departed and entered the house. And
laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has
sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the
Holy Spirit’… And all who heard him were amazed and said,
‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of
those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this
purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?’” Acts
9:10-14, 17, 21 “because,
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For
with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one
confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone
who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is
no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all,
bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Romans 10:9-13 “To
the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ
Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call
upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:”
1 Corinthians 1:2 YAHWEH“Yahweh
is my strength and my song, and he
has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my
father's God, and I will exalt him.” Exodus 15:2
“Salvation
belongs to Yahweh; your blessing be on your people!” Psalm 3:8 “For
God alone my soul waits in silence; from
him comes my salvation.” Psalm 62:1 “Yahweh
is my strength and my song; he has
become my salvation… I thank you that you have answered me and
have become my salvation.” Psalm 118:14, 21 JESUS“For
it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in
bringing many sons to glory, should make the
founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.”
Hebrews 2:10
“And
being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,”
Hebrews 5:9 “and
crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation
belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and
to the Lamb!’” Revelation 7:10 YAHWEH“You
are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall
keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your
generations, that you may know
that I, Yahweh, sanctify you.’” Exodus 31:13
“Declare
and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this
long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, Yahweh? And there is no
other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn
to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and
there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in
righteousness a word that shall not return: To
me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance. Only
in Yahweh, it shall be said of me, are
righteousness and strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him. In
Yahweh all the offspring of Israel shall
be justified and shall glory.” Isaiah 45:21-25 “Then
the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in
their midst forevermore.” Ezekiel 37:28 JESUS“to
open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from
the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and
a place among those who are
sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:18 “He
is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and
our righteousness and sanctification and
redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30 “And
such were some of you. But you were washed, you
were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11 “Therefore
God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above
every name, so that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 “For
he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin. That
is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,” Hebrews 2:11 “And
by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all.” Hebrews 10:10 “Simeon
Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained
a faith of equal standing with ours by
the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” 2 Peter 1:1 YAHWEH“And
he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and
I will give you rest.’ And he said to him, ‘If your
presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.’” Exodus
33:14-15
JESUS“Come
to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
YAHWEH“loving
the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for
he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land
that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,
to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:20 JESUS“For
you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When
Christ who is your life
appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Colossians
3:3-4 YAHWEH“See
now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.” Deuteronomy
32:39
JESUS“I
give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given
them to me, is greater than all, and
no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and
the Father are one.” John 10:28-30 YAHWEH“Because
of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about
all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore
you are great, O Yahweh God. For there is none like you, and there is no
God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom
God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for
them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom
you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? And
you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people
forever. And you, O LORD, became their God.” 2 Samuel 7:21-24 “They
shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their
detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save
them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and
will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”
Ezekiel 37:24 JESUS“waiting
for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and
Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to
redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for
his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14
YAHWEH“The
Spirit of Yahweh speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.”
2 Samuel 23:2
“You
gave your good Spirit to
instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave
them water for their thirst… Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would
not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of
the lands.” Nehemiah 9:20, 30
JESUS“Concerning
this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours
searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or
time the Spirit of Christ in them
was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the
subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were
serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been
announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the
Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”
1 Peter 1:10-12 YAHWEH“For
you are my lamp, O Yahweh, and my God lightens my darkness.”
2 Samuel 22:29 “I
will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting
covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them,
and will set my sanctuary in their
midst forevermore. My
dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the
LORD who sanctifies Israel, when
my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” Ezekiel 37:26-28 JESUS
“And
I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty
and the Lamb. And the city has
no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it
light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth
will bring their glory into it,” Revelation 21:22-24 YAHWEH “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for Yahweh searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9 “But,
O Yahweh of hosts, who judges righteously, who
tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.” Jeremiah 11:20 “I
Yahweh search the heart and test the mind, to give every man
according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah
17:10 JESUS “Therefore
do not pronounce judgment before the time, before
the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in
darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one
will receive his commendation from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5 According
to Paul, the Lord that is coming is none other than the Lord Jesus
Christ: “so
that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for
the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain
you to the end, guiltless in the
day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 “And
to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son
of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like
burnished bronze. I know your works, your love and faith and service and
patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first… and
I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that
I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as
your works deserve.’” Revelation 2:18-19, 23 YAHWEH “For
the eyes of Yahweh range throughout the earth to strengthen those
whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing,
and from now on you will be at war.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 “Yahweh
is in his holy temple; Yahweh’s throne is in heaven; his
eyes see, his eyelids test, the children of man.” Psalm 11:4 “So
he said to me, ‘This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel: 'Not by
might nor by power, but by my
Spirit,' says Yahweh of hosts… Who despises the day of small
things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of
Zerubbabel. (These seven are the
eyes of Yahweh, which range throughout the earth.)” Zechariah 4:6,
10 JESUS “To
the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who
holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your
deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.”
Revelation 3:1 “Then
I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of
the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He
had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent
out into all the earth.” Revelation 5:6 YAHWEH “You
are Yahweh, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the
earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and
you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.”
Nehemiah 9:6 JESUS“For
by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him. And he is before
all things, and in him all things
hold together.” Colossians 1:16-17 “but
in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the
heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the
radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and
he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making
purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on
high,” Hebrews 1:2-3 YAHWEH “O
Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have
set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength
because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” Psalm
8:1-2 JESUS “But
when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he
did, and the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son
of David!’ they were indignant, and they said to him,
‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes;
have you never read, “Out
of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise”?’”
Matthew 21:15-16 YAHWEH“Lift
up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the
King of glory may come in. Who
is this King of glory? Yahweh, strong and mighty, Yahweh, mighty in
battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient
doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who
is this King of glory? Yahweh of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah” Psalm 24:7-10
JESUS“None
of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would
not have crucified the Lord of
glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:8 “My
brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” James 2:1 YAHWEH“Oh,
taste and see that Yahweh is good! Blessed is the man who takes
refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8 “But
the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy. Let him be your
fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a
sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of
Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” Isaiah
8:13-14 JESUS“if
indeed you have tasted that the
Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected
by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves
like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy
priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I
am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and
whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ So the honor is for
you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone
that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ and ‘A
stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.’ They stumble because
they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” 1 Peter 2:3-8 “but
in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a
defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in
you.” 1 Peter 3:15 YAHWEH “Come
and hear, all you who fear God, and
I will tell what he has done for my soul.” Psalm 66:16 JESUS “‘Return
to your home, and declare how much
God has done for you.’ And he went away, proclaiming throughout
the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39 YAHWEH “Once
God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and
that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For
you will render to a man according to his work. Psalm 62:11-12 “Behold,
the Lord Yahweh comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold,
his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his
flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will
carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”
Isaiah 40:10-11 “Behold,
Yahweh has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of
Zion, ‘Behold, your salvation
comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.’”
Isaiah 62:11 JESUS “For
the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his
Father, and then he will repay
each person according to what he has done.” Matthew 16:27 “I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep… I am the good
shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the
Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the
sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them
also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one
shepherd.” John 10:11, 14-16 “‘Behold,
I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for
what he has done’… He who testifies to these things says,
‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come,
Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:12, 20 YAHWEH “You
ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and
receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that Yahweh
God may dwell there.” Psalm 68:18 “Am
I a God at hand, declares Yahweh, and not a God afar off? Can
a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares
Yahweh. Do I not fill heaven and
earth? declares Yahweh.” Jeremiah 23:23-24 JESUS “But
grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's
gift. Therefore it says, ‘When
he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’
(In saying, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also
descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended
is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that
he might fill all things.)” Ephesians 4:7-10 YAHWEH “Your
word, O Yahweh, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” Psalm
119:89 “The
grass withers and the flowers fall, but
the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8 JESUS “Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away.” Mark 13:31- cf. Matthew 24:35 YAHWEH “O
Israel, hope in Yahweh! For with Yahweh there is steadfast love, and
with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” Psalm 130:7-8 “Say
to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your
God will come with
vengeance, with the recompense of God. He
will come and save you.’” Isaiah 35:4 JESUS“‘She
will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for
he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took
place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the
virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name
Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” Matthew 1:21-23 YAHWEH “‘O
my God,’ I say, ‘take me not away in the midst of my days-you whose
years endure throughout all generations!’ Of
old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work
of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear
out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass
away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.” Psalm
102:24-27 JESUS “But
of the Son he says… And, ‘You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the
heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them
up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your
years will have no end.’” Hebrews 1:8a, 10-12 YAHWEH“And
it came to pass in the year in which king Ozias died, that I
saw the Lord [eidon ton
kurion] sitting on a high and exalted throne, and
the house was full of his glory [tees doxees autou]. And seraphs
stood round about him: each one had six wings: and with two they covered
their face, and with two they covered their feet, and
with two they flew. And one cried to the other, and they said, Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the
whole earth is full of his glory [tees
doxees autou]’. And the lintel shook at the voice they uttered,
and the house was filled with smoke. And I said, Woe is me, for I am
pricked to the heart; for being a man, and having unclean lips, I dwell
in the midst of a people having unclean lips; and I have seen with mine
eyes the King, the Lord of hosts… And I heard the voice of the Lord,
saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people? And I said,
behold, I am here, send me. And he said, Go, and say to this
people, Ye shall hear indeed, but ye shall not understand; and ye shall
see indeed, but ye shall not perceive. For
the heart of this people has become gross, and their ears are dull of
hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with
their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart,
and be converted, and I should heal them.” Isaiah 6:1-5, 8-10 LXX JESUS
In a footnote, the translators of the NET Bible state: 88
tn
Grk “his”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the
translation for clarity. The referent supplied here is “Christ”
rather than “Jesus” because it involves what Isaiah saw. It is clear
that the author presents Isaiah as having seen the preincarnate glory of
Christ, which was the very revelation of the Father (see John 1:18; John
14:9). sn
Because he saw Christ’s
glory. The glory which
Isaiah saw in Isa 6:3 was the glory of Yahweh (typically rendered as
“Lord” in the OT). Here John speaks of the prophet seeing the glory
of Christ since in the next clause and
spoke about him, “him”
can hardly refer to Yahweh, but must refer to Christ. On the basis of
statements like 1:14 in the prologue, the author probably put no great
distinction between the two. Since the author presents Jesus as fully
God (cf. John 1:1), it presents no problem to him to take words
originally spoken by Isaiah of Yahweh himself and apply them to Jesus. (http://www.bible.org/netbible/joh12_notes.htm#1288) YAHWEH“Who
has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning?
I, Yahweh, the first, and with
the last; I am he.” Isaiah
41:4
“Thus
says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts:
‘I am the first and I am the
last; besides me there is no god.” Isaiah 44:6 “Listen
to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first,
and I am the last.” Isaiah 48:12 JESUS“When
I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand
on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and
behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and
Hades.’” Revelation 1:17-18 “And
to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the
first and the last, who died and came to life.’” Revelation 2:8 “Behold,
I am coming soon, bringing my
recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and
the end.” Revelation 22:12-13 YAHWEH“‘You
are my witnesses,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and my servant whom I have
chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.’”
Isaiah 43:10
JESUS
YAHWEH“I
am Yahweh; that is my name; my
glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” Isaiah
42:8
“For
my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be
profaned? My glory I will not give
to another.” Isaiah 48:11 JESUS“And
now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with
the glory that I had with you before the world existed… Father,
I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I
am, to see my glory that you have
given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”
John 17:5, 24 YAHWEH“for
my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the
fountain of living waters, JESUS“On
the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out,
‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water.”’”
John 7:37-38 YAHWEH “Thus
says Yahweh: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from Yahweh. He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of
the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed
is the man who trusts in Yahweh, whose trust is Yahweh. He is like a
tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does
not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not
anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear
fruit.’” Jeremiah 17:5-8 JESUS “Let
not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe
also in me.” John 14:1 “which
is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for
I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to
guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.” 2 Timothy 1:12 YAHWEH “And
behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And
the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the
earth shone with his glory.” Ezekiel 43:2 “As
I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days took his
seat; his clothing was white as
snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery
flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand
thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.” Daniel
7:9-10 “I
saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to
him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples,
nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not
be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14 JESUS“Then
I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw
seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one
like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash
around his chest. The
hairs of his head were white like wool, as white as snow. His
eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished
bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many
waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his
mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun
shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though
dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the
first and the last, and the living one. I
died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of
Death and Hades.’” Revelation 1:12-18 YAHWEH“For
I Yahweh do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not
consumed.” Malachi 3:6 JESUS“Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 In
light of the foregoing, is it any wonder that the Church from its
inception believed that the Lord Jesus Christ is Yahweh God Almighty? AN OBJECTION CONSIDEREDIt
is unfortunate that there are many groups that claim to believe in the
Holy Bible and yet deny the position taken here regarding Jesus being
Yahweh God. They assert that the NT applying OT passages that speak of
the functions and characteristics of Yahweh to Jesus does not prove that
the latter is Yahweh God Almighty.
They
seek to undermine the identification of Jesus with Yahweh by turning to
places in the NT where OT citations referring to specific individuals or
groups are applied to others. Case in point: “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’? Or again, ‘I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son’?” Hebrews 1:5 Here, the inspired author applies a passage to Jesus which initially referred to Solomon: “…
Moreover, Yahweh declares to you that Yahweh will make you a house.
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I
will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body,
and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne
of his kingdom forever. I will be
to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity,
I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons
of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him,
as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.” 2 Samuel
7:11b-15 According
to 1 Chronicles 28:6 this son was Solomon: “He said to me, ‘It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.’” “This
is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before
your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly, I say to you,
among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the
Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater
than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of
heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For
all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and
if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He
who has ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11:11-15
The
anti-Trinitarian seeks to demonstrate from this that the Trinitarian
hasn’t proven his case regarding Jesus being Yahweh God. They claim
that if Jesus is Yahweh God solely because the NT applies Yahweh
passages to the Lord Jesus, then this means that Jesus is Solomon since
a passage initially referring to the latter is applied to the former.
This would also mean that John the Baptist was actually Elijah.
The
anti-Trinitarian then reasons from this that the methodology used by
Trinitarians to arrive at their belief in the deity of Christ is
biblically inconsistent and invalid.
The
confusion here should be apparent to the reader. It is obvious that the
preceding examples do not mean that Jesus is Solomon or that John the
Baptist was Elijah. Rather, the application of these passages show that
Jesus and John share certain characteristics or functions with Solomon
and Elijah; yet these characteristics are not unique to either Solomon
or Elijah. For instance, Solomon is called God’s son due to his being
chosen to rule over Israel. Yet this intimate relationship was not
something unique to Solomon, since all of the Davidic kings enjoyed
filial relations with God, much like their father David:
“Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: ‘I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him’… He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.” Psalm 89:19-20, 26-27In
fact, this same Psalm goes on to apply the warning given to Solomon in
case he sins to all of David’s royal offspring: “My
steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand
firm for him. I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as
the days of the heavens. If his
children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules, if they
violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish
their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, but I
will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my
faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that
went forth from my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I
will not lie to David. His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as
long as the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established
forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah
Psalm 89:28-37 Therefore,
for Hebrews to apply to Christ a passage originally referring to Solomon
doesn’t mean that Jesus is Solomon since the characteristics that are
mentioned are not unique to Solomon. All the Davidic kings shared them.
In
the case of John and Elijah, the latter was to be given the privilege of
preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah, on honor which was
bestowed on John also. It is in this sense that John is considered to be
Elijah since he heralded the Messiah, the very thing that Elijah is
suppose to do. The similarity is one of function, not one of identity. But
these examples are in no way parallel with the Yahweh passages due to
the fact that these citations all focus on characteristics that
distinguish Yahweh from all creation and from every other so-called god.
Unlike the examples of Solomon and Elijah, the NT writers apply passages
to Jesus that speak of the unique characteristics and functions of
Yahweh. In other words, the NT writers claim that Jesus performs the
works and has the very same attributes that are only true of Yahweh; no
one else shares these characteristics or is able to perform these works.
Hence, the similarities are not simply that of shared characteristics
that others may also share in, but of identity since Jesus does those
very things and has the same attributes which identify one as Yahweh God
Almighty. Here
is an example of what we mean: 1.
According to the
OT, Yahweh alone created and sustains all things. Cf. Job 9:8; Isaiah
44:24; Nehemiah 9:6 2.
According to the
NT, Jesus created and sustains all things. Cf. John 1:3, 10; Colossians
1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2-3, 10-12 3.
Therefore, Jesus
is Yahweh God. Again:
1.
According to the
OT, Yahweh is immutable in contrast to creation which is mutable. Cf.
Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6 2.
According to the
NT, Jesus is immutable. Cf. Hebrews 1:10-12; 13:8 3.
Therefore, Jesus
is Yahweh God. The
foregoing shows that the attempt to deny Jesus’ identification with
Yahweh is based on a faulty approach which does nothing to undermine the
Trinitarian position. It only exposes the logical fallacies of those who
will not allow the Bible to speak for itself, but seek to read their
unbiblical traditions and erroneous views into the text of Holy
Scripture. CONCLUSIONThe evidence presented in this article conclusively demonstrates that the NT writers believed the Lord Jesus was none other than Yahweh God in the flesh. The NT documents also show that the Father and the Holy Spirit are fully divine, and that these three are distinct persons. It is little wonder that the early Church was forced to formulate the doctrine of the Trinity since this is the only logical conclusion one can arrive at from a careful analysis and correct reading of the Holy Scriptures. |