Q&A: Is Yahshua (Jesus) God?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="129a11c3.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the Heart4God Website!"><U><B><IMG SRC="4b55a500.png" border=0 width="90" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin"><U><B>Writings by Date</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin Organized "><U><B>Writings by Topic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm"><U><B>Audio Files</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id690.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Videos"><U><B>Videos</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id323.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings of Others"><U><B>Other Authors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id324.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id339.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions and Answers"><U><B>Q&A</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart4God Email List"><U><B>Heart4God E-mail List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com"><U><B>Parables Blog</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id306.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="File Downloads"><U><B><IMG SRC="2b264140.png" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <B>Q&A: Is Yahshua (Jesus) God?</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2827160.png" border=0 width="807" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> In recent days I have encountered a growing number of professing Christians who deny that Yahshua (Jesus) was God. They say that He was a man and a prophet, but deny His divinity. Some who hold to this view have sought to prove by the Scriptures that Yahshua (Jesus) was not God, citing verses where He is called “the Son of Man”, or some other title. It is true that the Son of God was also called the Son of Man, but we must take the entire witness of the Scriptures into account.</div> <bR> <div> I have myself labored to point those who disavow the divinity of Christ to those Scriptures that make it very plain that Yahshua is God. In reply I have received no argument that would reveal that these Scriptures mean anything other than what they say.</div> <bR> <div> I believe that many who are adopting this belief that Yahshua was not God are sincere, but it is possible to be sincerely wrong. The apostle Paul wrote of his kinsmen saying “they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” Many who have written to me are themselves very zealous for their beliefs, but I challenge any who are thinking about adopting this thinking to examine well the following Scriptures, for it is not a trivial thing to deny the divinity of Christ. The Jews knew that Yahshua claimed to be God, and for this reason they sought to kill Him.</div> <bR> <div> John 10:33</div> <div> The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." </div> <bR> <div> There are many today who are making the same error as the Jews by declaring the deity of Christ to be blasphemy. I exhort you to consider the testimony of the Scriptures on this matter, and to be as the noble Bereans who searched to see whether the things the apostle Paul was telling them were true.</div> <bR> <div> <B>The witness of men in Scriptures:</B></div> <bR> <div> The prophet Isaiah:</div> <bR> <div> Isaiah 9:6</div> <div> For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,<I><B> Mighty God</B></I>, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. </div> <bR> <div> Isaiah prophesied that the Son of God would be called “Mighty God”.</div> <bR> <div> Isaiah 7:14</div> <div> “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”</div> <bR> <div> Matthew quotes this verse from Isaiah. And adds the understanding of the name Immanuel.</div> <bR> <div> Matthew 1:23</div> <div> "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, <I><B>"God with us." </B></I></div> <bR> <div> This child born of a virgin was given the name which means “God with us”.</div> <bR> <div> The disciples of Christ also understood that Yahshua was God. We can read their own confessions. When Yahshua stood before Thomas we have the following words declared to us:</div> <bR> <div> John 20:28</div> <div> Thomas answered and said to Him, <I><B>"My Lord and my God!" </B></I></div> <bR> <div> The apostle Peter also testified the following:</div> <bR> <div> II Peter 1:1</div> <div> Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Yahshua the Messiah, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of<I><B> our God and Savior</B></I>, Yahshua the Messiah...</div> <bR> <div> I have had some argue that the phrase “our God and Savior” refer to the Father and the Son. This is poor Scriptural interpretation, however, for it is Yahshua the Messiah who is named twice in this verse, and the Father is not in focus. Those who would say that the two titles “God” and “Savior” must refer to two different individuals need only look at the context of this verse, for Peter was a single individual and he is also identified by two titles “bond-servant” and “apostle”. The parallelism is very plain here.</div> <bR> <div> Notice the parallels in this last verse: </div> <div>  </div> <div> Name            Identification</div> <div> Peter             bond-servant and apostle</div> <div> Yahshua       God and Savior </div> <bR> <div> Only by starting with a false belief that Yahshua is not God is it necessary to deny the clear parallels of this statement. The apostle Paul also used similar language.</div> <bR> <div> Titus 2:13</div> <div> Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of<I><B> our great God and Savior, Christ Yahshua...</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Paul, as the author of the book of Hebrews, declared in a very clear reference to an Old Testament Scripture that Yahshua was God.</div> <bR> <div> Hebrews 1:8</div> <div> But of the Son He says, "Thy throne, <I><B>O God</B></I>, is forever and ever..."</div> <bR> <div> This is a direct reference to a Messianic Psalm of David.</div> <bR> <div> Psalms 45:6-7</div> <div> Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows. </div> <bR> <div> The apostle Paul understood David to be speaking of Messiah Yahshua when he said “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.” He introduces these words by saying, “But of the Son He says....” Is it not plain that Paul is declaring the Son to be God? When Paul also writes in other places of “our great God and Savior, Christ Yahshua” we need not try to make his words appear as anything other than a declaration that Yahshua is both God and Savior, for this was truly Paul’s belief.</div> <bR> <div> Thus far we have seen that Isaiah, Matthew, Thomas, Peter, Paul and David have all declared that Yahshua is God, but we need not stop there, for there are many more witnesses. Following is the very precise declaration of John, the beloved apostle.</div> <bR> <div> John 1:1</div> <div> In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and <I><B>the Word was God. </B></I></div> <bR> <div> Some very serious Scriptural gymnastics must be attempted to deny the plain witness of these words. John says “the Word was God.” Nothing could be more clearly spoken. Lest some should question who this “Word” is that John speaks about, they need not be left to wonder, for John plainly tells us.</div> <bR> <div> John 1:14</div> <div> And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. </div> <bR> <div> This word was “the only begotten from the Father.” We need only mention tha most often quoted Scripture in all of Christendom to know Who this “only begotten” One is.</div> <bR> <div> John 3:16</div> <div> For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.</div> <bR> <div> Let us now connect the dots:</div> <bR> <div> “The Word was God...”, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”, “The Word” is “the only begotten of the Father”, Yahshua is “the only begotten Son of God”.     Therefore, Yahshua is God.</div> <bR> <div> We are able then, to take John’s statement, “The Word was God”, and understand it in its simplicity, knowing that John was referring to Yahshua, the Son of God, who was Himself God. As Matthew and Isaiah both stated, “He shall be called Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’”.</div> <bR> <div> Many more personal testimonies of Christ’s divinity could be given, but let us look at the way the Scriptures speak of the Father and the Son as being One. When Yahshua was speaking to the Jewish people He made the very bold declaration, “Before Abraham was, I AM”. The Jews knew Yahshua was declaring Himself to be God, and for this reason they sought to kill Him. He had the following dialogue with His disciples:</div> <bR> <div> John 14:8-9</div> <div> Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Yahshua 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'?”</div> <bR> <div> Yahshua was much more than a man. He was God. The Scriptures reveal that there is no distinction between the names and titles used to refer to Yahweh and Yahshua, the Father and the Son. We read the following from the pages of Scripture:</div> <bR> <div> <B>Yahweh and Christ both called "the First and the Last":</B></div> <bR> <div> Isaiah 44:6</div> <div> "Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: <I><B>'I am the first and I am the last</B></I>, and there is no God besides Me. </div> <bR> <div> Isaiah 48:12</div> <div> "Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, <I><B>I am the first, I am also the last</B></I>."</div> <bR> <div> Apocalypse 1:17</div> <div> When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; <I><B>I am the first and the last</B></I>...”</div> <bR> <div> Apocalypse 2:8</div> <div> “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: <I><B>The first and the last</B></I>, who was dead, and has come to life, says this...”</div> <bR> <div> Apocalypse 22:13</div> <div> "I am the Alpha and the Omega,<I><B> the first and the last</B></I>, the beginning and the end." <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Yahweh and Christ both called "the Rock":</B></div> <bR> <div> Isaiah 44:8</div> <div> 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other <I><B>Rock</B></I>? I know of none.'" </div> <bR> <div> I Corinthians 10:4</div> <div> And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and <I><B>the rock was Christ</B></I>. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Yahweh and Christ are both called "I AM":</B></div> <bR> <div> Exodus 3:14</div> <div> God said to Moses, "<I><B>I AM WHO I AM</B></I>"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "<I><B>I AM </B></I>has sent me to you.'" </div> <bR> <div> Matthew 18:20</div> <div> "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, <I><B>I AM </B></I>there in their midst."</div> <bR> <div> Matthew 28:20</div> <div> Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, <I><B>I AM </B></I>with you always, even to the end of the age."    </div> <bR> <div> John 8:58</div> <div> Yahshua said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, <I><B>I AM.</B></I>"  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Both are called "The Almighty":</B></div> <bR> <div> Genesis 17:1</div> <div> Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, "<I><B>I am God Almighty</B></I>; walk before Me, and be blameless.   </div> <bR> <div> Genesis 35:11</div> <div> God also said to him, "<I><B>I am God Almighty</B></I>; be fruitful and multiply..."</div> <bR> <div> Genesis 49:25</div> <div> From the God of your father who helps you, and by the <I><B>Almighty</B></I> who blesses you...</div> <bR> <div> Apocalypse 1:8</div> <div> "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, <I><B>the Almighty</B></I>."</div> <bR> <div> Apocalypse 4:7-8</div> <div> And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, <I><B>the Almighty</B></I>, who was and who is and who is to come." </div> <bR> <div> Apocalypse 11:17</div> <div> "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, <I><B>the Almighty</B></I>, who art and who wast, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign."</div> <bR> <div> Apocalypse 19:14-15</div> <div>  And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God,<I><B> the Almighty</B></I>.</div> <bR> <div> Apocalypse 21:22</div> <div> And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God,<I><B> the Almighty</B></I>, and the Lamb, are its temple.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Both the Father and the Son bear the name "Yahweh":</B></div> <bR> <div> Joel 2:32</div> <div> "And it will come about that <I><B>whoever calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved</B></I>."</div> <bR> <div> Romans 10:12-13</div> <div> For "<I><B>Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved</B></I>."</div> <bR> <div> (We know it was the practice of the Jews to replace the sacred name Yahweh with the title Adonai which is interpreted "Lord". Paul was quoting from Joel as he was referring to Christ. Compare this also with the following verse which says there is salvation in no other name. Joel says that those who call on the name "Yahweh" will be saved, and there is no other name. The Father and Son bore the same name.)</div> <bR> <div> Acts 4:12</div> <div> "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."</div> <bR> <div> <B>This substitution of names is seen in other places as well:</B></div> <bR> <div> Psalms 118:26</div> <div> <I><B>Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Yahweh...</B></I></div> <bR> <div> John 12:12-13</div> <div> On the next day the great multitude who had come to the feast, when they heard that <I><B>Yahshua</B></I> was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and began to cry out, "Hosanna! <I><B>Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, </B></I>even the King of Israel."</div> <bR> <div> These Scriptures, and many others, reveal that there is no distinction between the Father and the Son. To see the Son is to see the Father. The mystery of Yahweh being a triune God existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit should not be incomprehensible to the saints. God has everywhere in His Word given us symbols that reveal His nature of being three, yet one.</div> <bR> <div> Perhaps the most profound imagery is shown through the simile of speech. I have written of this in the article “Yahweh, His Breath, and His Word”. Even as the spirit of man is unseen until it is given expression in words, or deeds, so the invisible Spirit of Yahweh “whom no man has seen at any time” can only be known as He gives a visible expression of His Spirit. Christ is called the Word of God, and we are told that He has perfectly manifested God. He was the outward expression of invisible God. To see Christ was to see the Father.</div> <bR> <div> Following the simile of speech, God is Spirit and He has breath. This breath is the Holy Spirit who is often pictured as a divine wind as on the day of Pentecost, or in Yahshua’s words when he breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit is God’s breath, and even as man must breathe out to form words, so too does God send forth the breath of His Spirit to form the Word. Thus the Spirit came upon the virgin Mary and an expression of God was formed within her who was to be called “The Word of God.”</div> <bR> <div> There are other patterns and types in Scripture that reveal the Triune nature of God. Another illustration is seen in the image of the golden candlestick. We know this represents God for we are told:</div> <bR> <div> Revelation 4:5</div> <div> Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God...</div> <bR> <div> The candlestick was also seen in the Tabernacle of Moses, and in the Temple. It spoke of the character of God. The construction of the Temple instruments was very detailed, and every detail had a specific revelation attached to it. </div> <bR> <div> Exodus 25:31-37<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; <I><B>the lampstand shall be of hammered work</B></I>. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower -- and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. <I><B>You shall make seven lamps for it</B></I>, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it.</div> <bR> <div> We see that there are three distinct elements that make up the Menorah, or candlestick. It has a single <I><B>hammered</B></I> piece of pure gold that forms the visible structure of the candlestick, this speaks of Christ who was subjected to many sufferings that He might be perfected. It has the olive oil which is the source and origin of the light of the flames. This oil is not seen under normal usage, and it speaks of the invisible Father. And then of course there are the seven flames themselves, which depict the seven Spirits of God. Yet the seven Spirits are actually one, for the Menorah had a single well in which the olive oil was contained. Each branch was connected to the main branch which is called the servant branch. Though there are seven flames that are manifested, they all burn from the same oil, all having the same source. The symbolism would have been much different had there been seven wells of oil, one for each lamp, for then each would have been independent of the other, but this is not how it was constructed.</div> <bR> <div> So we see even in the Menorah a picture of God being One, though He has His several aspects. Think about what a cohesive unity is the whole of the Menorah. What would happen if we took away the hammered body of the Lampstand? Where would the oil go? What if we took away the oil? What would be the source of the flame? What if we removed the flame? Where would the light come from? All three are dependent upon the other if the lampstand is to give light unto mankind. Yet because the lampstand is of these three separate and clearly identifiable elements we do not say that there are three lampstands. There is but one, and even so is God One, though He be known as Father, Son and Holy Ghost.</div> <bR> <div> Another Scriptural type that speaks of the Triune nature of God is the Temple. There was only one Temple which Solomon built, but it had three parts. It had the Outer Court, which was visible to all men and thus represents Christ. It had the Inner Court wherein was the Table of Shewbread and the Golden Candlestick, which speak of the Holy Spirit, and it had the Holy of Holies that was out of sight behind a curtain, and in which the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This portion of the Temple speaks of the invisible Father. These three portions of the Temple are inseparable even as God is inseparable in Three Persons. Yet we do not say there were three Temples anymore than we would say there are three Gods. There is One God, and He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.</div> <bR> <div> A last type I will mention is that of man who was formed in the image and likeness of God. Man is also three parts, being body, soul and spirit.</div> <bR> <div> I Thessalonians 5:23</div> <div> Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your<I><B> spirit and soul and body </B></I>be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Yahshua the Messiah. </div> <bR> <div> The new man in Christ is very evidently a tri-part being, and this is also a type of God being a tri-part being. I have a body, a soul and a spirit, yet I do not speak of there being three of me. I am but one person. This also is a wonderful testimony of God’s nature. It would be foolish of me to say that my body is not a part of Joseph Herrin, and it is equally folly to say that Yahshua is not God.</div> <bR> <div> I have shared these Scriptures with some who have remained recalcitrant in their denial of Yahshua’s divinity, of His intrinsic oneness with the Father and Holy Spirit. Many Scriptures must be denied, or distorted to hold to such a false position, but I am convinced that those who love the truth will acknowledge that the Scriptures, the disciples, the prophets, and Christ Himself, all testify that Yahshua is God.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>