"Strong's Concordance
Yhvh: the proper name of the God of Israel
Original Word: יְהֹוָהPart of Speech: Proper Name
Transliteration: Yhvh
Phonetic Spelling: (yeh-ho-vaw')
Short Definition: LORD
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom havah
Definition
the proper name of the God of Israel
NASB Translation
GOD (314), LORD (6399), LORD'S (111).
Therefore every Bible verse that reads Jesus is Lord (see below) is actually saying Jesus is Jehovah, God of Israel. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am," (John 13:13), "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet," (John 13:14), "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved," (Romans 10:9), "For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living," (Romans 14:9), "Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ," (Ephesians 6:23), "No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are," (Acts 15:11), "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you," (Romans 16:20),"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich," (2 Corinthians 8:9), "keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life," (Jude 1:21), "Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love," (Ephensians 6:24), "and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," (Philippians 2:11) "that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time-- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords," (1 Timothy 6:14-15), and "From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:15-16). The King of Kings and Lord of Lords would actually read King of Kings and God of Gods (Jehovah of jehovahs). There is the name of Jesus which is Emmanuel, also spelled Immanuel that literally means "God with Us." (Matthew 1:23). Then why does this doctrine found in most of New Testament elude Sunday service? Why are many Christians willing to call Jesus Son of God, and acknowledge Him as part of Trinity, but never out rightly call Him God? The answer is baffling.
One school of thought takes out of context Christ's words about the Father, "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does," (John 5:19, although this affirms Jesus is God and One with Father),
"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me," (John 5:30), and "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me." (John 8:28). With these verses some theologians like Origen (184-253 A.D.) claimed the misconception that Jesus is Second to Father, citing this prayer, "Our Father in Heaven," (Matthew 6:9) as proof. However, a further look at Scripture debunks this apostasy called Origenism, For Jesus says of Father, "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 Father are One, The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. " (John 10:29-31), "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it," (John 14:7-14), and, "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one, I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me, Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me, and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them," (John 17:20-26). Clearly Jesus Christ reveals He and Father are One and they are God; for Jesus Christ is the fullness of Father in bodily form, "For in Him dwells the fullness of Godhead in bodily Form." (Colossians 2:9).
The second school of thought is that Jesus is not called God by worshippers because of fear. If you claim Jesus is a prophet, a philosopher, teacher (Rabboni), and only a man, no one is offended. But call Him God and suddenly feathers are ruffled, especially if you mention the verse, "I am the Way, the Truth, and Life, none may come to Father except through me," (John 14:6), and "In Beginning was Word, and Word was with God, and Word was God, And all things were made through Him and by Him, nothing was made apart from Him." (John 1:1,3). Adherents of other religions are fine with calling Jesus the Word of God and Son of God, for in the Old Testament, Adam and his descendants are called "sons of God." (Job 2:1). The problem is when one asserts the Doctrine of Supremecy, that Jesus Chrit is not a son of God, but the very Son of God, and He is God and fullness of diety. At these words Unitarianism and other religions become hostile. It is for this reason many Seeker Friendly churches and cowardly churches will not call Jesus God, for they fear it will hurt relations with other religions.
The Supremacy of Christ is found spelled out in the first chapter of Colossians. Here are three translations:
"Christ Is Supreme
15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it." (Colossians 1:1-23, NLT). This is the most accurate translation of this passage. The NLT was once criticized, but it now contains the most unaltered text, while other translations have changed meanings of words (see my post on The Trouble of Translation). "The Preeminence of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 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. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." (Colossians 1-23, ESV)
The Incomparable Christ
13 [For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. 25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." (Colossians 1:1-29, NASB). Note on NASB, the NASB is a word for word translation, and it omits certain classifications because the Apostle Paul spoke in Greco-Roman-Jewish logic that people understood easily back then, but we now need some help with more synonyms and explanation, hence Thought for Thought translations.
The Supremacy of Christ is supported by other Scriptures, "For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God," (John 5:18), "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins," (John 8:24), "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am," (John 8:25), "Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God," (John 20:28), "But of the Son He says, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom," (Hebrews 1:8), "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades," (Revelation 1:17-18), "And God never said to any of the angels, "Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet," (Hebrews 1:13), "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him," (1 Corinthians 8:6), "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort," (2 Corinthians 1:3), which is connected to "I and Father are One," (John 10:30), "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me," (John 17:21). Certainly the Supremacy of Christ is established in Scripture, and behold, "Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other (every) names 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" (Phillippians 2:6-11, NLT).
The Supremacy of Christ stands. Jesus Christ is God, One with Father and Holy Spirit, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you," (John 14:26), and "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father--the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father--he will testify about me." (John 15:26). This word "send" is same word Jesus said about being sent by His Father, "Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." (John 20:21). Since we have established that Jesus being Sent by Father is One with Father (John 10:30) then it stands to reason the Holy Spirit is One with Jesus and Father, hence the Doctrine of the Trinity (see other posts) and the Great Commision, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19), and the words of St. Peter, "Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38), and finally, "So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:21-22).
Jesus Christ is God, the fullness of Godhead: the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit in Bodily Form. Amen.
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