Spiritual Thoughts

The deity of Jesus

Just as Peter warned that there were false teachers among Christians in his day, there are false teachers also today (2 Peter 2:1, cf. Jude 3-4).  Some are busy in our community and throughout the world spreading the view that Jesus is not God (The Kingdom is at Hand, p. 46; Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. V, p. 84; The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 47; Let God Be True, p. 32). Jesus is, according to the view, an angel and that he was not co-extent, co-eternal, and of one nature with the Father.

Yet, consider the names of deity that are ascribed to Jesus in the Scriptures. (1) “O God” is used in reference to Jesus by the Father himself in Hebrews 1:8 (cf. Ps. 83:1 where it is used of the Father).

(2) “Mighty God” refers to Jesus in the Messianic prophecy of Isa. 9:6 (cf. the same term used of the Father in Jer. 32:18; Isa. 10:21; Gen. 49:24; Ps. 50:1)

(3) “The Great God and Savior” is found in Titus 2:13-14 and refers to Jesus. One rule of Greek grammar states that when “and” connects two nouns of the same case and the article comes only before the first noun and not the second, the second noun refers to the same person expressed by the first noun.

(4) “Jehovah” is used of Jesus. This name of God (Deity) is not transferable (Ps. 83:17-18; Isa. 42:8), yet the person of Christ is included in the name. For example, Isa. 40:3 reads, “The voice of one that cries, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God.” This passage is quoted in Mark 1:2-3 and applied to John preparing the way for Jesus. Jeremiah foretells that Christ’s name would be “Jehovah, our Righteousness.”  Further, Revelation 22:6 says the Lord God sent His angel and verse 16 identifies Jesus as the one who sent the angel. Therefore, Jesus is the Lord God, the same identification given to him by Thomas who confessed, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).  No wonder John’s gospel opens with this affirmation (John 1:1-3,14), “The Word was God.” Of the things made, nothing came into being without him. Did he create himself?

The Masoretic Hebrew text has “Yawheh” and it is translated “Jehovah” or “Lord.”  Interest-ingly, you will discover that the New World Translation who claims to have restored the translation of “Jehovah” carefully places “Jehovah” in the text where it is desired. It is not consistently translated “Jehovah.” This is especially seen in New Testament Greek. For example, Philippians 2:9-10 reads, “Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The New World Translation did not restore the word “Jehovah” in place of “Lord” in this text.

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The Parallel Bible, the Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues : being the Authorised Version arranged in parallel columns with the Revised Version