Is Jesus Yahweh or Jehovah?

In a divine sense, I assuredly believe our Lord Jesus bears this title. He is called Son of God, when His full, unqualified, eternal Deity is expressed, when revealed as one with the Father and the Holy Ghost (three Persons in one God). For John says, "Therefore the Jews sought to kill Him, because He had not only broken the sabbath, but said also that God was His Father;" making Himself equal with God (John 5:18). And again, after speaking largely of Himself as Son of God, He closes with assuming full divine glory, saying, "before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). And the divine dignity of this title clearly appears from John 10:30-39, and from 1 John 1, 2. Indeed on the truth, that there is Father and Son in the Godhead, the very life of the christian seems to depend; for this life is fellowship with God in love; which will be found to be fellowship with the Father and the Son. "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father" (1 John 2:23). "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God; he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son" (2 John 9).

How you can say the scriptures do not say He is God, I do not understand: they do over and over again, directly and indirectly, in equivalent terms. I have not quoted "God manifest in the flesh," "Christ who is over all, God blessed for ever," as critics may reason about them. The last, however (Rom. 9:5) is as plain a testimony as can well be conceived, and the language such as makes it impossible to apply it to any one but Christ. Is it not singular that you should have passed over all the passages I have referred to, and only quoted what shews that Christ was truly a man, which nobody denies - without which, indeed, His Godhead is of no avail to us? I cannot in the compass of a note pretend to discuss fully such a subject. But all scripture confirms the truth, that Jesus is Jehovah. John the Baptist was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord" - that is, Jehovah (Isa. 40): so Luke 7:27, from Malachi 3:1: so Luke 1:76: so when He says to the leper, "I will, be thou clean." In Isaiah 66:15 Jehovah comes with fire and the sword, but we know it is Christ who comes. What is the meaning of Micah 5:2? Who is Jehovah's fellow? (Zech. 13:7.) The cleansing of the leper was Jehovah's work: the feeding of the five thousand, a reference to the Psalms speaking of Jehovah; and though done as Son of man (Luke 9:10-17 and following) accomplished Psalm 132:15, spoken of Jehovah. He not only works miracles, which God can enable any one, if He pleases, to do, but He confers the power of working them by His own power on others, which man cannot do (Luke 9). All these I refer to as confirmations of the direct statements of scripture that He is God, and they are consistent with no other doctrine. And they might be multiplied by reference to every page of the gospel. He quickens whom He will (John 5:21); can that be said of a mere man, a creature? The Old Testament declares that Jehovah was to come, and His way be prepared, but this was Christ. Hebrews 12:25-26, shew positively that Christ is the Jehovah of mount Sinai.

This Name of the Messiah indisputably denotes the deity and the omnipotent power that belongs to such a glorious Person. It is in the middle of the five features of the Name of David's greater Son. It guarantees that illimitable power will be available to Him to effect all that the other features represent. “There be god's many”, wrote the apostle Paul, but for the intelligent Christian there is only one living and mighty God (1 Cor. 8:5-6). Dagon, the fish god of the Philistines, was humiliated beside the Ark of God. The gods of Egypt were impotent in the presence of Jehovah's power (Ex. 12:12). Baal and his worshippers were ridiculed by Elijah on mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:21-39). But someone might say “The title The Mighty God is connected with a man, David's seed, who will sit on David's throne. Can a man be The Mighty God?” The answer is an emphatic “yes”. The Man who will fill David's throne is God. The Old and New Testaments bear witness to this fundamental truth. In Micah 5:1-2 the prophet wrote that the ruler who would come from Bethlehem Judah was One whose goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity. Zechariah prophesied that the coming Shepherd who was to be smitten would be none other than Jehovah's Fellow (Zech. 13:7. See also Mark 14:27). A careful comparison of Isaiah 6:1-5 with John 12:37-41 will reveal that the King, Jehovah of Isaiah 6, is the Jesus of John chapter 12. Three times in the book of Isaiah Jehovah is called the First and the Last (Isa. 41:4; Isa. 44:6; Isa. 48:12. There is a slight difference in Isaiah 41:4). Three times in the book of Revelation the Lord Jesus is called the First and the Last (Rev. 1:17; Rev. 2:8; Rev. 22:13). Compare Exodus 17:9 with Matthew 1:21 (Mr. Darby has a footnote to Ex. 17:9, “Joshua — Jah the Saviour, called Jesus in Greek”). The Jehovah the Saviour of the Old Testament is Jesus, Jehovah the Saviour of the New Testament. In the New Testament the testimony to Jesus being God is abundant and plain. Jesus the Word, is God (John 1:1-4). That unequivocal testimony should be quite sufficient for any unbiased reader. So called “Jehovah's witnesses”, who do not believe that Jesus is God, have attempted to alter the accepted Greek text of this passage to support their denial. Competent scholars have exposed their errors. The Jews were in no doubt that when the Lord Jesus claimed that God was His Own Father He was claiming equality with God (John 5:17-18). When Jesus said, “I and My Father are One” the Jews attempted to stone Him. They accused Him of blasphemy and that He was claiming to be God (John 10:30, 33). Thomas, the doubting apostle, addressed the Lord Jesus as “My Lord and My God” (John 20:28). The Lord Jesus didn't rebuke him, as the angel rebuked the apostle John (Rev. 22:8-9). Jesus is God, but the angel was a creature. Paul worshipped the Lord Jesus in his doxology in Romans 9:5. Christ is God blessed for ever. The fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell in Him, the Son of God (Col. 1:19. See also 2:9). That could never be said about a creature. Jesus existed in the form of God and did not grasp to be on an equality with God. He is God (Philip. 2:6). This is the great contrast between the first man and the second Man. The Lord Jesus is the great God and our Saviour who is to appear in glory, the Son of God (Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:7-8). Peter refers to the Lord Jesus as our God and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:1). John ends his first epistle as he began his gospel, with a clear testimony that Jesus is God: “We are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This (He) is the true God, and eternal life” (1 John 5:20. See also John 17:3). The Lord Jesus is referred to as the Image of God (Col. 1:15; 2 Cor. 4:4). He is never referred to as being in the likeness of God for the simple reason that He is God. A humble contemplation of these Scriptures will provide substance in the soul for worship. What a glorious Man to sit on David's throne. The Mighty God, possessor of omnipotent and irresistible power, will subdue all things to Himself (Philip. 3:21).

It is clear that Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus in the New Testament. His very name given by the Angel of the Lord at His birth proves this, JESUS, the combination of Jah (the contraction of Jehovah), and Hoshea, or Joshua, meaning Saviour; in other words He is the Saviour-God. He Himself claimed to be Jehovah. In speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees, He told them to their utter astonishment that Abraham rejoiced to see His day and was glad. They replied with scorn and unbelief, that He was not fifty years old, how then could He make this claim? His reply was,

His name is called Jesus - Jehoshua, that is, Jehovah the Saviour, for He shall save His people - who, and whose people, in connection with the explanation of such a name? Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. Thus John 12, Isaiah saw His glory, and spoke of Him, quoting Isaiah 6. Whose glory was seen there? Jehovah of hosts.

The name Jesus means JEHOVAH SAVIOUR. Likewise the Holy Child was called IMMANUEL, which being interpreted means GOD with us (Matt. 1:23). Our Lord clearly claimed to be Jehovah, the I AM of the Old Testament, when He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58).

Again, the Psalms are cited to show that the Son is therein addressed as God (Ps. 45:6-7). And as if anticipating the objection of a captious Jew that rulers and magistrates were similarly designated in the same book (Ps. 82:6) another scripture is advanced in which the incommunicable Name is ascribed to Him. "Thou, LORD, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thy hands; they shall perish but thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail." "Jesus" to Him (Matt. 1:21) was not a mere appellation, as to the son of Nun, but accurately descriptive of His person and work as Jehovah the Saviour.

(Vv. 2, 3) Secondly, the prophets are quoted, as bearing witness to the glory of His Person. They not only foretell His coming, but they announce His glory. Jehovah's word to Malachi is, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me." The Spirit applies these words to Christ, for He says, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way." Jesus of the New Testament is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. (Mal. 3:1). The second quotation from Isaiah speaks of preparing the way of the LORD. Thus again it is Jehovah whose way is prepared — for Jesus is Jehovah. (Isa. 40:3).

Thus salvation must be altogether of grace; and if of grace, distinctions are impossible. Here our second text comes in most blessedly. The atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus has one value for all who believe, whether Jews or Gentiles. The "no difference" doctrine angered the Jewish people deeply. Paul, as its chief exponent, was fiercely persecuted by them on this account. Even Peter, when charged to preach to Cornelius and his company, was slow to admit that the grace of God was for all alike. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Remark in passing one of the many incidental proofs of the Deity of Christ. This verse is cited from Joel 2:32, where manifestly the reference is to Jehovah; in Rom 10 it is applied to the Lord Jesus. Then He is Jehovah! Were He not, He would not possess the competency to be the Saviour of men. He is moreover "Lord over all." Thus every one must bow to Him, either now or in the great hereafter.

What is required of men in order that they might be saved? Simply to "call" upon the name of the Lord This was all Israel could do in the midst of their misery in Egypt. To shake off Pharaoh was impossible; to get rid of the taskmasters was out of the question; but they could cry to God. In like manner to-day, he who calls upon the name of the Lord, acknowledging Him thus as his only hope, will be saved. To all such He is "rich." The blessings bound up in the salvation of God are neither few nor small; no creature tongue could declare them in their blessed fullness.

The word "Lord" has two distinct uses. One — Jehovah — involving the essential being of the Godhead. If Jehovah be thus found to be applied to Jesus, then He is fully and properly God. The Jews deny to the name of Jehovah anything connected with suffering. (Zech. 13:7.) We have another use of the word "Lord," as "Adon;" as we see Sarah used it, calling Abraham "Adon" — Lord. Both are true of Jesus, both are applied to Jesus, both "Jehovah" and "Adon." This latter in His official character. I proceed to refer to two passages where the title "Jehovah" is applied to Jesus. John 12:39-41, where Esaias is quoted as speaking of the Jewish hardness of heart, "when he saw His glory," — the glory of Jesus. Turn to Isaiah 6:5. The glory he saw was the glory of the God of Sabaoth — Jehovah of Sabaoth: "Mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts." Has God the Holy Ghost applied these words to Jesus? Yes; by the pen of John (v. 41), "These things [alluding to the blinding of their eyes, and the hardening of their hearts] said Esaias, when he saw His glory, and spake of Him."