The Names of God
by
Lambert Dolphin
Old Testament (The Hebrew Scriptures, or Tanach):
EL: God ("mighty, strong, prominent") used 250
times in the OT See Gen. 7:1, 28:3, 35:11; Nu.
ELOHIM: God (a plural noun, more than two, used with singular verbs); Elohim
occurs 2,570 times in the OT, 32 times in Gen. 1. God as Creator, Preserver,
Transcendent, Mighty and Strong. Eccl., Dan. Jonah use Elohim almost
exclusively. See Gen. 17:7,
EL SHADDAI: God Almighty or "God All Sufficient." 48 times in the OT,
31 times in Job. First used in Gen. 17:1, 2. (Gen. 31:29, 49:24, 25; Prov.
3:27; Micah 2:1; Isa. 60:15, 16, 66:10-13; Ruth 1:20, 21) In Rev. 16:7,
"Lord God the Almighty." The Septuagint uses Greek "ikanos"
meaning "all-sufficient" or "self-sufficient." The idols of
the heathen are called "sheddim."
ADONAI: Lord in our English Bibles (Capitol letter 'L ', lower case, 'ord')
(Adonai is plural, the sing. is "adon"). "Master'' or "Lord"
300 times in the OT always plural when referring to God, when sing. the
reference is to a human lord. Used 215 times to refer to men. First use of
Adonai, Gen. 15:2. (Ex. 4:10; Judges 6:15; 2 Sam.
JEHOVAH: LORD in our English Bibles (all capitals). Yahweh
is the covenant name of God. Occurs 6823 times in the OT First use Gen. 2:4
(Jehovah Elohim). From the verb "to be", havah, similar to chavah (to
live), "The Self-Existent One," "I AM WHO I AM" or 'I WILL
BE WHO I WILL BE" as revealed to Moses at the burning bush, Ex.3. The name
of God, too sacred to be uttered, abbreviated ( . . . . ) or written
"YHWH" without vowel points. The tetragrammaton. Josh., Judges, Sam.,
and Kings use Jehovah almost exclusively. The love of God is conditioned upon
His moral and spiritual attributes. (Dan. 9:14; Ps. 11:7; Lev. 19:2; Hab.
1:12). Note Deut. 6:4, 5 known to Jews as the Sh'ma uses both Jehovah and
Elohim to indicate one God with a plurality of persons.
JEHOVAH-JIREH: "The Lord will Provide." Gen. 22:14. From
"jireh" ("to see" or "to provide," or to
"foresee" as a prophet.) God always provides, adequate when the times
come.
JEHOVAH-ROPHE: "The Lord Who Heals" Ex.
JEHOVAH-NISSI: "The Lord Our Banner." Ex. 1:15. God on the
battlefield, from word which means "to glisten," "to lift
up," See Psa. 4:6.
JEHOVAH-M'KADDESH: "The Lord Who Sanctifies" Lev. 20:8. "To make
whole, set apart for holiness."
JEHOVAH-SHALOM: "The Lord Our Peace" Judges
SHEPHERD Psa. 23, 79:13, 95:7, 80:1, 100:3; Gen. 49:24; Isa. 40:11.
JUDGE: Psa. 7:18, 96:13.
JEHOVAH ELOHIM: "LORD God" Gen. 2:4; Judges 5:3; Isa. 17:6; Zeph.
2:9; Psa. 59:5, etc.
JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU: "The Lord Our Righteousness" Jer. 23:5, 6, 33:16.
From "tsidek" (straight, stiff, balanced - as on scales - full
weight, justice, right, righteous, declared innocent.) The God Who is our
righteousness.
JEHOVAH-ROHI: "The Lord Our Shepherd" Psa. 23, from "ro'eh"
(to pasture).
JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH: "The Lord is There" (Ezek. 48:35).
JEHOVAH-SABAOTH: "The Lord of Hosts" The commander of the angelic
host and the armies of God. Isa.
EL ELYON: 'Most High" (from "to go up") Deut. 26:19, 32:8; Psa.
ABHIR: 'Mighty One', ("to be strong") Gen. 49:24; Deut.
KADOSH: "Holy One" Psa. 71:22; Isa. 40:25, 43:3, 48:17. Isaiah uses
the expression "the Holy One of
SHAPHAT: "Judge" Gen. 18:25
EL ROI: "God of Seeing" Hagar in Gen. 16:13. The God Who opens our
eyes.
KANNA: "Jealous" (zealous). Ex. 20:5, 34:14; Deut. 5:9; Isa. 9:7;
Zech. 1:14, 8:2.
PALET: "Deliverer" Psa. 18:2.
YESHA: (Y'shua) "Savior" Isa. 43:3. Jesus is the Greek equivalent of
the Hebrew "Joshua". The latter is a contraction of Je-Hoshua.
("Christ", the anointed one is equivalent to the Hebrew Maschiah, or
Messiah).
GAOL: "Redeemer" (to buy back by paying a price). Job 19:25; For
example, the antitype corresponding to Boaz the Kinsman-Redeemer in the Book of
Ruth.
MAGEN: "Shield" Psa. 3:3,
EYALUTH: "Strength" Psa. 22:19.
TSADDIQ: "Righteous One" Psa. 7:9.
EL-OLAM: "Everlasting God" (God of everlasting time) Gen. 21:33; Psa.
90:1-3, 93:2; Isa. 26:4.
EL-BERITH: "God of the Covenant" Used of Baal in Judges 9:46.
Probably used originally to refer to the God of
EL-GIBHOR: Mighty God (Isa. 9:6)
ZUR: "God our Rock" Deut. 32:18; Isa. 30:29.
Malachi calls Messiah "The Sun of Righteousness" (Malachi 4:2).
Isaiah calls Messiah "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God (El Gibhor),
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6).
'Attiq Yomin (Aramaic): "Ancient of Days," Dan. 7:9, 13, 22.
MELEKH: "King" Psa. 5:2, 29:10, 44:4, 47:6-8, 48:2, 68:24, 74:12,
95:3, 97:1, 99:4, 146:10; Isa. 5:1, 5, 41:21, 43:15, 44:6; 52:7, 52:10.
"The Angel of the Lord: " Gen. 16:7ff, 21:17, 22:11, 15ff, 18:1-19:1,
24:7, 40, 31:11-13, 32:24-30; Ex. 3:6, 13:21, Ezek. 1:10-13. Seen in the
theophanies, or pre-incarnate appearances of the Son of God in the OT (See I
Cor. 10:3 NT).
FATHER: Num. 1:9; I Sam. 16:6; Ex. 4:22-23; 2 Sam. 7:14-15; Psa. 2:7; Isa.
63:16, 64:8; Mal. 1:6.
THE FIRST AND LAST: Isa. 44:6, 48:12.
New Testament Scriptures, (Greek):
KURIOS: "Lord" Found some 600 times in the NT.
DESPOTES: "Lord" 5 times: Lu.
THEOS: "God" (equivalent to the Hebrew Elohim), 1,000 times in the
NT. In the NT all the persons of the trinity are called "God" at one
time or another.
I AM: Jesus upset his generation especially when He said, "Before Abraham
was, I AM," John
THEOTES: "Godhead" Col. 2:9; Rom.
HUPSISTOS: "Highest" Mt. 21:9.
SOTER: "Savior" Luke 1:4 7.
JESUS: Derived from the Hebrew "Joshua" (Y'shua) or
"Je-Hoshua" meaning JEHOVAH IS SALVATION.
CHRIST: is equivalent to the Hebrew
'Messiah' (Meshiach), "The Anointed One."
Other NT Titles for Jesus: Shepherd of the Sheep; Master; King of kings; Lord
of lords; Bishop and Guardian of our Souls; Daystar, Deliverer, Advocate,
Second Adam, Ancient of Days, Branch, Chief Cornerstone, Immanuel, First Born,
Head of the Body, Physician, Rock, Root of Jesse, Stone, Potentate; Chief
Apostle; Great High Priest; Pioneer and Perfecter of our Faith (or Author and
Finisher); Lamb of God; Lamb Slain before the Foundation of the World; Lord God
Almighty.
LOGOS: "The Word of God" John l; Rev. 19:13.
SOPHIA: "The Wisdom of God," referring to Christ, refers back to
Proverbs (I Cor. 1,2)
Father, Son, Holy Spirit: Christian orthodoxy has always understood God to be
One God in Three Persons (Elohim). In The NT each person of the godhead is
called "God" and "Lord" at least once.
Names for the Holy Spirit: Counselor; Comforter; Baptiser; Advocate;
Strengthener; Sanctifier; Spirit of Christ (not the same as the spirit of
Christ); Seven-Fold Spirit (Rev.); Spirit of Truth; Spirit of Grace; Spirit of
Mercy; Spirit of God; Spirit of Holiness; Spirit of Life. Symbolized in OT and
NT by (l) breath or wind; (2) fire; (3) water; (4) oil; (5) light; (6) a dove.
The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ: Most Study Bibles have notes which give
references to the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is what the Scofield
Study Bible Notes say:
(1) In the intimations and explicit predictions of the O.T.
(a) The theophanies intimate the appearance of God in human form, and His
ministry thus to man (Gen. 16:7-13; 18:2-23. especially v. 17; 32. 28 with Hos.
12:3-5; Ex. 3:2-14). (b) The Messiah is expressly declared to be the Son of God
(Psa. 2:2-9), and God (Psa. 45:6, 7 with Heb. 1:8,9; Psa. 110. with Mt.
(2) Christ Himself affirmed His deity. (a) He applied to
Himself the Jeho-vistic I AM. (The pronoun "he" is not in the Greek;
cf. John 8:24; John 8:56-58. The Jews correctly understood this to be our
Lord's claim to full deity [v. 59]. See, also, John 10:33; 18:4-6, where, also
"he" is not in the original.) (b) He claimed to be the Adonai of the
O.T. (Mt.
(3) The N.T. writers ascribe divine titles to Christ (John
1:1; 20. 28; Acts
(4) The N.T. writers ascribe divine perfections and
attributes to Christ (e.g. Mt. 11:28; 18:20, 28:20; John 1:2, 2:23-25; 3:13;
5:17; 21:17; Heb. 1:3, 11, 12 with Heb. 13:8; Rev. 1:8,17,18; 2:23; 11. 17;
22:13).
(5) The N.T. writers ascribe divine works to Christ (John
1:3. 16:17, Col. 1:16, 17; Heb. 1:3).
(6) The N.T. writers teach that supreme worship should be
paid to Christ (Acts 7:59, 60; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 13:14, Phil. 2:9, 10; Heb.
1:6; Rev. 1:5, 6; 5. 12, 13).
(7) The holiness and resurrection of Christ prove His deity
(John
Philippians 2 is the great Chapter on the kenosis or
self-emptying of the Lord Jesus Christ when He became a man. His equality with the
Father as the Son of God is stated here.
Note also John 5:18 "This was why the Jews sought all
the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God
his Father, making himself equal with God."
A well-known NT passage of mine is Romans 9:5 "...to
them (the Jewish race) belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to
the flesh, is the Messiah (who is) God who is over all, blessed forever.
Amen."
ALPHA AND OMEGA: The First and the Last, The Beginning and
The End (Rev. 1).
The
Trinity
Notes on the Trinity
by "Richard Young" (richard_e_young@hotmail.com)
These notes briefly comment on the idea of Jesus being God
in human flesh and the idea of the trinity (the One God consisting of three
persons).
The unique thing about Jesus is that he was fully man and
fully God. That is, He is God come in the flesh. So, just as the tabernacle was
the place where God dwelt among the Israelis so was Jesus. That is why John
wrote:
"And the Word [i.e., God - see John 1:1] became flesh,
and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from
the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14).
In the Old Testament we see God clothe Himself in a cloud,
a pillar of fire (see Ex
The concept of the "trinity" is that God consists
of three persons who are one in being and nature. The concept of the "trinity"
is not something that one just reads a verse or two and says "so there it
is!" The word itself is not a translation of any word or phrase found in
the Bible. The concept is derived and "falls out" of the evidence.
Without Jesus' revelation when He was on earth I would say that the idea of the
trinity would be difficult to determine from the Hebrew Scriptures, for after
all, Deuteronomy 6:4 states "the LORD is one." But, because of Jesus,
we are forced to re-examine our first impression understanding of this
statement. Here are the pieces:
(1) Jesus speaks to the Father in the second person. Jesus
refers to the Father and the Holy Spirit in the third person. Jesus refers to
His will being distinct from His Father's "not my will but yours be
done."
(2) The Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all referred to as God. Each is
described as deserving of worship by us something only God Himself is worthy
of.
(3) The Scriptures clearly teach that "the LORD is one" and that
there are "none besides Him."
From these pieces the idea of God's nature being more
complex than we would have imagined emerges. The question then needs to be
addressed as to exactly what "one" means in Deuteronomy 6:4. Consider
what Jesus said about His relationship to the Father. Jesus said that He and
the Father were one (see John
What exactly does "oneness" then mean? The Hebrew
word used for God as one "echad." Echad can mean one as in "one
goat," "one day," "one stone," etc. However, it can
also refer to a plural unity such as in a composite whole. For example, in Num
Now the true nature of God's oneness we can only describe
by how it appears to us from what Jesus said and did. The best words we have to
describe the members of the trinity seem to be as "persons."
Notes
on the Trinity
by Helen Fryman (bhs4light@NS.NET)
The concept of the Trinity is present from the opening
verse of the Bible, actually. The word "God" in Genesis 1:1 is
"elohim." This is not a simple plural of the word 'god.' The plural
of that word, which means 'two,' is "eloh." "Elohim" means
"three or more."
In Deuteronomy 6:4, we have the resounding,
"Hear O
"God" is, there again, "Elohim." What
is also interesting is that the last word of that, the word "one" is
the word "echad." "Echad" means unity in plurality. It is
the same word used regarding marriage in Genesis.
Now go to Isaiah 9 --
the famous Christmas verse:
"For unto us a
child is born
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace."
Now go to Isaiah 44:6
--
"This is what the
LORD says --
I am the first and I am the last;
Apart from me there is no God."
Please cross reference
this with Jesus' words to John in Revelation
"Do not be afraid.
I am the First and the Last.
I am the Living One.
I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever."
Check the Gospel of
John, opening sentences, opening chapter:
"In the beginning
was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God
in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was
made that has been made. [Remember Genesis 1:1 -- "In the beginning, God
created the heavens and the earth.:] .... The Word became flesh and made his
dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who
came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Please note also that the absolutely correct translation of
the Greek is "...and God was the Word," - I urge you to look it up.
And remember Jesus words' at the end of Matthew:
"...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit...." and, again, Jesus' words defining eternal life in John
17:3 clearly equate Him with the Father.
And so, although we may not understand the Trinity with our
human minds very well, the doctrine of the Trinity is present in the Bible from
the first. Jesus is God Himself in the flesh, and it was because this was His
very claim that the Pharisees were so outraged and attempted several times to
stone Him.
THE TRINITY (GENERAL)
God is a trinity of persons: the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. The Father is not the same person as the Son; the Son is not the
same person as the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not the same person as
Father. They are separate persons; yet, they are all the one God. They are in
absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance. They are co-eternal,
co-equal, and co-powerful. If any one of the three were removed, there would be
no God. A further point of clarification is that God is not one person, the
Father, with Jesus as a creation and the Holy Spirit as a force (Jehovah's
Witnesses). Neither is He one person who took three consecutive forms, i.e.,
the Father who became the Son who then became the Holy Spirit (United Pentecostal).
Nor is the Trinity an office held by three separate Gods (Mormonism). The chart
below should help you to see how the doctrine of the Trinity is derived from
Scripture. The list is not exhaustive, only illustrative. "I am the LORD,
and there is no other; besides Me there is no God" (Isaiah 45:5).
T H E T R I
N I T Y (ATTRIBUTES)
|
|
Father |
Son |
Holy Spirit |
|
Called God |
Philippians 1:2 |
John 1:1,14 |
Acts 5:3-4 |
|
Creator |
Isaiah 64:8; 44:24 |
Colossians 1:15-17 |
Job 33:4,26:13 |
|
Resurrects |
1 Thessalonians 1:10 |
John |
Romans 8:11 |
|
Indwells |
2 Corinthians 6:16 |
Colossians 1:27 |
John 14:17 |
|
Everywhere |
1 Kings |
Matthew 28:20 |
Psalms 139:7-10 |
|
All knowing |
1 John 3:20 |
John 16:30 |
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 |
|
Sanctifies |
1 Thessalonians 5:23 |
Hebrews 2:11 |
1 Peter 1:2 |
|
Life giver |
Genesis. 2:7 |
John 1:3; |
2 Corinthians 3:6,8 |
|
Fellowship |
1 John 1:3 |
1 Corinthians 1:9 |
2 Corinthians 13:14 |
|
Eternal |
Psalms 90:2 |
Micah 5:1-2 |
Romans 8:11 |
|
A Will |
Luke 22:42 |
Luke 22:42 |
1 Corinthians 12:11 |
|
Speaks |
Matthew 3:17 |
Luke |
Acts |
|
Love |
John 3:16 |
Ephesians 5: 25 |
Romans 15:30 |
|
Searches the heart |
Jeremiah 17:10 |
Revelation. |
1 Corinthians 2:10 |
|
We belong to |
John 17:9 |
John 17:6 |
|
|
Savior |
1 Timothy 1:1; 2:3 |
2 Timothy 1:10 |
|
|
We serve |
Matthew 4:10 |
Colossians 3:24 |
|
|
Believe in |
John 14:1 |
John 14:1 |
|
|
Gives joy |
|
John 15:11 |
Romans 14:17 |
|
Judges |
John 8:50 |
John 5:21,30 |
|
Some
Unique Scriptures
Revelation 1:7-8 Jesus
was the Almighty.
Genesis 17:1 And the Almighty was God.
John
Exodus
Acts
Isaiah 43:15 and the "HOLY ONE" was God
John
Isaiah 43:10 and the "I Am He" was God
Revelation
Isaiah 44:6 and the "First and the Last" was God
I Corinthians 10:4
Jesus was "The Rock"
Psalm
II Corinthians 11:2
Jesus was the "One HUSBAND"
Jeremiah 31:32 and the "One HUSBAND" was God
Matthew 23:8 Jesus was
the "ONE MASTER"
Malachi 1:6 and the "ONE MASTER" was God
John
Isaiah 40:11 and the "ONE SHEPHERD" was God
Acts
Isaiah 45:21 and the "ONE SAVIOR" was God
Luke 1:68 Jesus was the
"ONE REDEEMER"
Isaiah 41:14 and the "ONE REDEEMER" was God
Revelation
1 Timothy
Deuteronomy
Philippians 2:10 Every
knee must bow to Jesus
Isaiah 45:23 Every knee must bow to God
John 1: 3-10 Jesus was
the "ONE CREATOR"
Isaiah 44:24 Jesus was the "ONE CREATOR"
Genesis. 1:1 and the "ONE CREATOR" was God
John
Isaiah 44:6 and the "KING OF
Deuteronomy 4:35 The
Lord He is God, there is NONE else beside him
Deuteronomy 4:39 there
is None Else
Deuteronomy 6:4 the
Lord our God is ONE Lord
Deuteronomy 32:39 I
even I, am He and THERE IS NO GOD WITH ME
1 Kings 8:60 The LORD
is God - There is None Else
2 Kings
Psalm 86:10 You are
God, YOU ALONE
Isaiah 40:8 I am
Jehovah, and to no one else shall I give my own glory
Isaiah 43:10,11 Before
me there was no God formed
NEITHER SHALL THERE BE AFTER ME. I, EVEN I AM THE LORD:
AND BESIDE ME THERE IS NO SAVIOR.
Isaiah 44:6 I AM THE
FIRST, AND THE LAST: AND BESIDE ME THERE IS NO GOD
Isaiah 45:5 I am the
Lord, and there is NONE ELSE, THERE IS NO GOD BESIDE ME
Isaiah 45:6 There is
NONE beside Me. I am the Lord and there is NONE else.
Isaiah 45:15 you are a
God, the /god of
Isaiah 45:22 turn to me
and be saved. For I am God, and there is no one else
Isaiah 48:11 I will not
give my glory unto another.
Isaiah 45:5
Isaiah 48:12 I am he, I
am the first, I also am the Last. Revelation 1:8
Hosea 13:4 I am Jehovah
your God, there was no God except me, and there was no savior but I.
Joel
Zechariah 14:9 In that
day shall there be ONE LORD AND HIS NAME ONE
Philippians 2:11 that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father
Matthew 23:9 For one is
your Father, the heavenly one
Mark 12:29 Jehovah our
god is one Jehovah
The "I AMs"
of Jesus
Introduction
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law,
Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness,
and came to Horeb, the
John's Gospel:
1. Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you,
you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the
loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which
endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has
God the Father set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we
do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the
work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to
him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What
work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is
written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus then said to
them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread
from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of
God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world."
They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always." Jesus said to
them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he
who believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:26-35)
2. Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light
of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the
light of life." The Pharisees then said to him, "You are bearing
witness to yourself; your testimony is not true." Jesus answered,
"Even if I do bear witness to myself, my testimony is true, for I know
whence I have come and whither I am going, but you do not know whence I come or
whither I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh, I judge no one. Yet
even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone that judge, but
I and he who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two men
is true; I bear witness to myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness to
me." They said to him therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus
answered, "You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would
know my Father also." These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught
in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.(John
3. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter
the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and
a robber; but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him
the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by
name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before
them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not
follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of
strangers." This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand
what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I
say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and
robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if any one enters by
me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
4. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I
came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and
not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves
the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees
because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good
shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, 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 heed my voice. So
there shall be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me,
but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father." (John
10:10-14)
5.[Jesus]...said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has
fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep." The disciples said to
him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Now Jesus had
spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then
Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad that
I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." Thomas,
called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we
may die with him." Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already
been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off,
and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning
their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him,
while Mary sat in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been
here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask
from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will
rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in
the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the
resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he
live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe
this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ,
the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." (John 11:11-27)
6. "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God,
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so,
would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that
where I am you may be also And you know the way where I am going." Thomas
said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know
the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. If you had known me, you would
have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him."
(John 14:1-7)
7. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that
does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made
clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can
you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides
in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can
do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and
withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you
abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be
done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so
prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you;
abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just
as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.(John 15:1-10)
8. Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he
will never see death." The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you
have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, `If any one keeps
my word, he will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham,
who died? And the prophets died! Who do you claim to be?" Jesus answered,
"If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies
me, of whom you say that he is your God. But you have not known him; I know
him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know
him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my
day; he saw it and was glad." The Jews then said to him, "You are not
yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." So they took
up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the
temple.(John 8:51-59)
9. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with
his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and
his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place; for
Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, procuring a band of
soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there
with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to
befall him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" They
answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I
AM." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When he said to
them, "I AM," they drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked
them, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of
Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he; so, if you seek
me, let these men go." This was to fulfil the word which he had spoken,
"Of those whom thou gavest me I lost not one." (John 18:1-9)
Added October 22, 1999
More
Notes on the Trinity
by Richard Young (http://home.talkcity.com/LibraryLawn/richard_e_young/Communications.html)
The concept of the "trinity" is that God consists
of three persons who are one in being and nature. The concept of the
"trinity" is not something that one just reads a verse or two and
says "so there it is!" The word itself is not a translation of any
word or phrase found in the Bible. The concept is derived and "falls
out" of the evidence. Without Jesus' revelation when He was on earth I
would say that the idea of the trinity would be difficult to determine from the
Hebrew Scriptures, for after all, Deuteronomy 6:4 states "the LORD [YHWH]
is one." But, because of Jesus, we are forced to re-examine our first
impression understanding of this statement. Here are the pieces:
1) Jesus speaks to the Father in the second person. Jesus
refers to the Father and the Holy Spirit in the third person. Jesus refers to
His will being distinct from His Father's "not my will but yours be
done."
2) The Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all referred
to as God. Each is described as deserving of worship by us something only God
Himself is worthy of.
3) The Scriptures clearly teach that "the LORD is
one" and that there are "none besides Him." [Scriptures will be
provided later in this article that demonstrate these items].
From these pieces the idea of God's nature being more
complex than we would have imagined emerges. The question then needs to be
addressed as to exactly what "one" means in Deuteronomy 6:4. Consider
what Jesus said about His relationship to the Father. Jesus said that He and
the Father were one (see John 17:22). Jesus wants us to be one as He is one
with the Father. Further, when God created man and woman He desired that they
be united as "one flesh" (Gen 2:24). This could not simply be a
reference to the bearing of children, which are in a sense, a one flesh result
of their union. It must refer to the marriage itself, for certainly they were
"one flesh" before they bore any children. This concept of
"one" then does not then refer to a uniform or homogenous state of
being; men and women are very different (despite what some feminists would have
you believe) and the members of the body of Christ are also very different.
Individuals who are united in marriage do not lose their individual traits,
such as their own thoughts, emotions, etc. And a married couple does not have
the same blood type after they were married if their blood types were different
before they were married. If the members of the body of Christ were to become a
"uniform and homogenous" being then we each would lose our identity
as "self" and what would emerge would be something akin to an eastern
religious "cosmic consciousness." The "oneness" must refer
not to a homogenous singularity. The oneness of the marriage and the body of
Christ are reflective of the nature of God Himself.
What exactly does "oneness" then mean? The Hebrew
word used for God as one is "echad." Echad can mean one as in
"one goat," "one day," "one stone," etc. However,
it can also refer to a plural unity such as in a composite whole. For example,
in Num 13:23 echad refers to a cluster of grapes. And in Gen 11:6 those who
built the tower of Babel are referred to as "one people." When we
refer to a person we know that the "one" person consists of several
distinct components (emotions, thoughts, hands, heart, liver, etc.). Yet we all
understand all of these parts constitute "one person." Echad was the
word to describe the "one flesh" of marriage (Gen 2:24). Since God is
referred to as "echad" in the same way as man and woman are referred
to as "echad" this heavily implies that the oneness of marriage
reflects the oneness of God. We also see echad used very intensely in Ezekiel
37:15-28 in the prophecy of the "two sticks" of Israel and Judah
becoming one. In that prophecy we have a representative picture and the
actuality. Examine the passage carefully and you will see that the intent of
the two sticks is to be a picture that Ezekiel first shows to the captive Jews
in Babylon. The idea is that they would remember this message as they go about
their daily activities and would pick up sticks (for building cooking fires,
for example) and be reminded of this promise of God and have hope. In Ezek
37:17 the sticks don't fuse together into a single stick. It appears that this
was representative of the reality of what happens in God's hand in Ezek 37:19.
Even then, Judah and Israel contain distinct tribes (after all, one must know
who the Levites are for priests and who the tribe of Judah is from which the
Messiah will come). So the oneness of the two sticks in Ezekiel's hand
obviously is a representative oneness and echad in Ezek 37:17 could be easily
translated as "united." But, nevertheless, the oneness of Israel and
Judah still consists of many individuals from twelve distinct tribes. The
individuals do not become a homogenous consciousness or a physical singularity
of any sort. We are dealing on a spiritual level of oneness, which is
reflective of God's nature. The "oneness: we observe in marriage and the
other examples are shadows of the reality of the oneness within God.
Now the true nature of God's oneness we can only describe
by how it appears to us from what Jesus said and did. The best words we have to
describe the members of the trinity seem to be as "persons."
Let's look at some Scriptures pertaining to the trinity.
At the baptism of Jesus we see the following:
"Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also
baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit
descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven,
"You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased." (Luke 3:21-22).
We see three mentioned:
1) Jesus
2) Holy Spirit
3) Father (implied by "my beloved Son")
We see these three mentioned together at other times:
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." (2 Cor
13:14).
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you
were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph
4:4-6).
Jesus later tells his disciples to "Go therefore and
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matt 28:19).
The point of this is that we are speaking of three distinct
persons. Now let's press on to examine each of these persons.
The Father:
I don't think I need to go into any detail here. It is
pretty clear that the references to "the Father" are to God (see, for
example, John 20:17). So let me go on.
The Son:
The Scriptures tell us that only God is permitted to
receive worship (see Matt 4:10; Luke 4:8; Ex 20:2-5)
Yet Jesus receives worship:
"Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding
him, He said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' He answered, 'Who is He,
Lord, that I may believe in Him?' Jesus said to him, 'You have both seen Him,
and He is the one who is talking with you.' And he said, 'Lord, I believe.' And
he worshiped Him." (John 9:35-38).
"When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And
those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, 'You are certainly God's
Son!'" (Matt 14:32-33).
"And when He again brings the firstborn into the
world, He says, 'And let all the angels of God worship Him.'" (Heb 1:6).
We see that the angels of God refuse worship:
"Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said
to me, 'Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who
hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy.'" (Rev 19:10). See also Rev 22:8-9.
Jesus is declared to be God:
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in
Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form
of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and
bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of
Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under
the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father." (Phil 2:5-11).
An interesting note here is the Paul stating that "bestowed
on Him the name which is above every name." YHWH is referred to as
"the Name" (Hebrew, "hashem"). To say that Jesus is above
every name can only mean one thing to a Jew like Paul. Only one name is above
every name and that is hashem (YHWH). Thus, Paul has unmistakably referred to
Jesus as YHWH.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into
being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come
into being.... And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His
glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and
truth." (John 1:1-3,14). Note how John 1:1 parallels Genesis 1:1. The
parallel is intentional to show that Jesus is the Creator God of Gen 1:1.