Jesus is Lord

Jesus is Lord

Jesus is Lord. A simple yet profound statement that we must embrace if we are to be saved:

Romans 10:8-9 (NASB) But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9  that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (emphasis added)

The word confess here means more than just a recitation of words, but a heart and mind that are in agreement with his authority over our lives.  Thus, confessing Jesus as Lord means that we are obedient to him.  Indeed, Jesus questioned why those who called him Lord didn’t obey him.  

Luke 6:46 (NASB) “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  

Some assume or have been taught that because God and Jesus are both called Lord it is proof that Jesus is also God. But does calling Jesus Lord mean he is on an par with God?  Does being Lord mean he is deity?  To answer these question, let’s begin by looking at the definition of the word lord.

The Definition of Lord

The word Lord in the Greek is kurios (also spelled kyrios), and it can mean lord, master, owner and sir. It comes from the root word for authority and thus depicts one who is in authority. It is used of both God and humans.  Here are several instances of those who were called kurios (and how the word is translated) in the New Testament:

• • God (Lord), Luke 1:32
  • husband (master), 1 Peter 3:6
  • father (sir), Matthew 21:30
  • slave owner (master), Matthew 10:24
  • land owner (owner), Matthew 20:8
  • the Roman emperor (lord). Acts 25:26
  • a government official (sir), Matthew 27:63
  • a term of respect when addressing a stranger (lord), John 12:21

Therefore, as we can see, Lord is not in and of itself a designation for deity.

LORD vs Lord

In the Old Testament, the word adon in Hebrew means lord, and it can be used of both men and God.  It is similar in meaning to kurios in the Greek.  But unlike Greek, Hebrew has a way to differentiate between lord in the general sense of human authority, and Lord when it refers to God.  The word adonay (also spelled adonai), means Lord, and it is used exclusively of God.  On the other hand, the word adoni, is used exclusively of human lords.  For example, note how the word lord is used in the following passage when Gideon unwittingly addresses an angel:

Judges 6:13 (NASB) Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord [adoni, used of men], if the LORD [Yahweh] is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD [Yahweh] bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD [Yahweh] has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”  (emphasis added)

Believing the angel to be a man,[1] Gideon respectfully refers to him as adoni, the word used exclusively for human lords.  The MacArthur Study Bible agrees by noting that adoni, is used of man.[2]   So we see that the Hebrew language can differentiate between a human lord (adoni) and the divine Lord (God, adonay), whereas the Greek and English languages cannot. 

Regrettably, most Bible translators have added to the confusion by substituting the word LORD for Yahweh, God’s proper name.  In the previous passage we saw that LORD is used three times.  However, in each case the Hebrew text actually says Yahweh (YHWH).  Scholars say this substitution was made because of a “later Jewish belief ” that the name Yahweh was “too holy to utter.”[3]  Martin Luther, the 15th century reformer, in his German translation of the Bible, is said to be the first person to use all capital letters to visually differentiate LORD[4] (as a substitution for Yahweh) from Lord or adonay.[5]  Unfortunately, for English readers, LORD has, in a sense, become God’s name, thus helping to create the misunderstanding that Lord is as a designation for deity.

Is Lord a divine title for Jesus?

Which brings us to the question: does referring to Jesus as Lord indicate he is God?  Thankfully, Scripture provides us with an answer.  On the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, stood up among the crowd and began to preach that the crucified Nazarene was the Christ (King).  What’s more, Peter said this man,[6] whom God attested to by working miracles through him, had been exalted to God’s right hand:[7]

Acts 2:33 and 36 (NASB) 33  “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear…36  “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”  (emphasis added)

Peter, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared that God had made Jesus Lord and Christ.  In other words, Jesus was not intrinsically Lord, but because God highly exalted him to His right hand as the Christ (King) he is also Lord.  Paul provides us with specific insight as to why Jesus received such an honor:

Philippians 2:8-11 (NASB) Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10  so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11  and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (emphasis added)

Paul writes that the reason for Jesus’ exaltation was because of his obedience to do the will of God, even unto death.  The apostle writes nothing about Jesus being exalted because he is deity.  In fact, one cannot be exalted to a position  one already occupies, especially God.  Furthermore, God has given Jesus the name–that is the authority–that is above every name so that everyone will bow to the Christ (King) as Lord.  This act of exaltation results in glory to God the Father with no mention of the  supposed Godhead or the Trinity. 

Jesus also attests to this delegation of God’s authority:

Matthew 28:18 (NASB) And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (emphasis added)

Of significance is the fact that the authority was given to Jesus, meaning, it wasn’t something he already possessed.  Moreover, this authority doesn’t make him the supreme God because, while Jesus has been designated “Lord of all,”[8] he is still in subjection to God, who is the Father:

1 Corinthians 15:27-28 (NASB) For HE [God] HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS [Jesus’] FEET. But when He [God] says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He [God] is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him [Jesus]. 28  When all things are subjected to Him [Jesus], then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. (emphasis added)

Even though Jesus has been exalted to such a high position, nevertheless, he is still under God’s authority so that God Himself is supreme.

Some will say that when Jesus was exalted to God’s right hand, he was simply reclaiming his place of authority after having humbled himself at his supposed incarnation.  However, this post-Biblical theory is not supported by Scripture.  No New Testament author says that Jesus “set aside his deity” or that “he returned to his throne” or anything even remotely similar.  What is corroborated by Scripture, however, is the fact that a human was exalted as Lord of all by his God and Father.

Psalm 110:1 The Exaltation of a Human Lord

We briefly looked at Acts chapter 2 where Peter is explaining to the crowd that the risen Jesus has been exalted as Lord.  Let’s look at this passage more closely for it will supply us with further clarity:

Acts 2:29-36 (NASB) 29  “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30  “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, 31  he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. 32  “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33  “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34  “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, 35  UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”‘ 36  “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

In verse 34, Peter quotes Psalm 110:1:

Psalm 110:1 (NASB) The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” (emphasis added)

The first LORD, written in all capital letters, is actually the Hebrew word Yahweh and, as you know, it is God’s name.  The second Lord in the passage is the word adoni which, as we’ve discussed, exclusively denotes a human lord or master.  Adoni is not to be confused with the word adonay which is used for exclusively for God.  Baptist seminary professor of Old Testament, Claude Mariottini, also makes note of the importance of King David’s choice of words and what they mean:

The word translated “lord” is “adoni” and should be translated “my lord.” The word is not “Adonai” which, if it had been used, would be a reference to God.[9] (emphasis added)

In other words, King David prophesied that the LORD (Yahweh) would invite one of his future descendants to sit at His right hand. As evidenced by the language (as well as the context of both Psalm 110 and Acts 2), God did not invite God (adonay) to sit at His right hand. Rather, He invited adoni,[10] that is a human whom He made Lord.[11] If the coming Messiah was to be God Himself, David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would have identified him as adonay.  But he didn’t.  Jesus attests that this human lord is the Christ.[12]  And we have already seen that Peter declares Jesus to be the fulfillment of this prophecy.  Some might argue that Jesus was a God-man and thus either adoni or adonay would be appropriate.  However, this fourth century theory of Jesus having dual natures is never mentioned or explained in Scripture.   

That the exalted Lord would be a human is also seen in Daniel’s prophecy where he records a vision that one like a Son of Man, that is a human being, was given dominion, glory and a kingdom by God.[13]  If Jesus was God, he would not need to be made Lord, nor be given dominion, glory and a kingdom as they would inherently be his.  Moreover, Oxford University professor, Charles Bigg, cites Psalm 110:1 as proof that the apostles did not believe Jesus to be God:

We are not to suppose that the apostles identified Christ with Jehovah [God, Yahweh]; there were passages which made this impossible, for instance Psalm 110:1, Malachi 3:1.[14] (emphasis added)

Use of the term Lord and its application in Scripture can at times be confusing for readers of the English Bible.  Tradition may tell us that when Jesus is called Lord, it is indicative of deity.  However, word choice, definition, usage and context say otherwise.  

We indeed have a risen Savior who has rightfully been exalted to God’s right hand and made Lord because of his sacrificial obedience.  For this reason, every knee will bow and tongue confess his delegated authority as Lord, to the glory of God the Father who gave him such an honor.  However, he is still in subjection to his God and ours.  Yes, Jesus is Lord.  But he is not God.

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[1] Gideon realizes later that he had been speaking with an angel: Judges 6:22-23

[2] The MacArthur Study Bible, John F. MacArthur, ed., p.344

[3] “adonay,” The Complete Word Study Dictionary (Old Testament), Warren Baker, ed., (Chattaooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), p. 129

[4] HERR in German

[5] “William Tyndale and the Language of At-one-ment,” Religious Studies Center, accessed 8-6-19, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/king-james-bible-and-restoration/3-william-tyndale-and-language-one-ment

[6] Acts 2:22

[7] Acts 2:22-36

[8] Acts 10:36

[9]  Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament (blog) accessed 8-3-19, 
https://claudemariottini.com/2012/08/21/the-lord-said-to-my-lord/  

[10] The word in Hebrew is ladoni (l + adoni) which means my human Lord.

[11] The NASB Study Bible understands “lord” to be a reference to a man as they say a possible alternate application to that of Messiah, would be that King David is referring to his son, Solomon. p. 856

“Psalm 110:1,” NASB Study Bible, Kenneth Barker, ed., Grand Rapids, MI; Zondervan, 1995, p. 856.

[12] Matthew 22:44

[13] Daniel 7:13-14

[14] Charles Bigg, D.D., Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Oxford, in International Critical Commentary on Peter and Jude, (T&T Clark, 1910), p. 99.

The above article was taken from:One God Worship: Jesus is Lord

God is The Father

God is The Father

The most fundamental question one can ask about Christianity is, “Who is God?” That’s because God’s identity is the foundation upon which the tenets of the faith stand. Who then is this God? The Church Fathers of the fourth century, backed by the cunning and heavy handed Emperor Theodosius[1] at the Council of Constantinople (381 AD), declared God to be three persons in one substance. If this is the case, we should be able to find this doctrine stated in Scripture. However, even Trinitarian scholars admit that the teaching is not in the Bible. Charles Ryrie, professor, author and theologian, writes in his respected work Basic Theology:

It is fair to say that the Bible does not clearly teach the doctrine of the Trinity… In fact, there is not even one proof text, if by proof text we mean a verse or passage that ‘clearly’ states that there is one God who exists in three persons. [2]  

Ryrie is not alone in his assessment.  C. Peter Wagner, author and professor at Fuller Theological Seminary writes:

Nevertheless, there is no appearance of the word Trinity in the Bible, nor is there any single passage that describes God as three Persons in one essence. That is why it took hundreds of years of debate to arrive at our trinitarian doctrinal conclusion. It obviously had to be the result of extrabiblical revelation.[3] 

If we are to truly know God, it is important that we base our understanding of who He is, not on who we think He is or who we want Him to be, but on who the Bible reveals Him to be.  To that end, let’s explore what Scripture has to say about God’s identity. 

According to the Jews, God is the Father:

Isaiah 64:8 (NASB) But now, O LORD [Yahweh], You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand. (emphasis added)

 John 8:41 (NASB) “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” (emphasis added)

John 8:54 (NASB) 54  Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’ (emphasis added)

A survey of Paul’s thirteen epistles reveals this fundamental truth about God’s identity, but it is often overlooked because it appears in his greetings.  Nevertheless, in every letter the apostle plainly states that the Father is God.  He also delineates between God and Jesus, whom he says is Lord and Christ, both of which are both Messianic titles and not designations of deity.  For example:

Romans 1:7 (NASB) to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (emphasis added)

Galatians 1:3-5 (NASB) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4  who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5  to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. (emphasis added)
Philippians 1:2 (NASB) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (emphasis added)
1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 3  (NASB) Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace…3constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father  (emphasis added)

 Note also that the Holy Spirit–whom Paul designates in his letters as the Spirit of God[4]–is never included in his standard greeting.  If the Holy Spirit is God, this would be quite the omission.

Unlike the Council of Constantinople, Paul unequivocally declares the “one God” to be the Father and not some triune being. Moreover, Jesus is not God, rather he is the Christ (Messiah):

1 Corinthians 8:6 (NASB) 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. (emphasis added)

Ephesians 4:6 (NASB) one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (emphasis added) 

Furthermore, Paul knows Jesus to be the man who mediates between the one God and men:

1 Timothy 2:5 (NASB) For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (emphasis added)

Paul is joined by James, the Lord’s brother, in his acknowledgement of God being the Father and Jesus being the Christ:

James 1:1 and 27 (NASB) James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (emphasis added)

Peter also, in both of his epistles, affirms that God is the Father, whereas Jesus is the Christ:

1 Peter 1:2 (NASB) according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ … (emphasis added) 
2 Peter 1:17 (NASB) For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—(emphasis added)

The apostle John writes in his epistles that God is the Father and, like the other New Testament writers, places Jesus in a separate category, that of “Christ”:

2 John 1:3 (NASB) Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. (emphasis added)

 Jude, another of the Lord’s brothers, also knows that God is the Father.  He ranks Jesus as the Christ:

Jude 1:1 (NASB) Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ  (emphasis added)

As important as all of these passages are, of even greater significance is the fact that five times Paul declares that God, who is the Father, is also the God of Jesus:

Romans 15:6 (NASB) so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (emphasis added)

 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. (emphasis added)

2 Corinthians 11:31 (NASB) The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. (emphasis added)

Ephesians 1:3 (NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (emphasis added)

Ephesians 1:17 (NASB) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.  (emphasis added)

This is quite astounding considering orthodoxy from the 4th century onward has insisted, often under penalty of death,[5]  that Jesus is God.  How can God have a God?  A question to which orthodoxy has still not provided a satisfactory answer.

Paul is not alone in his claim that Jesus has a God.  Peter also states this truth:

 1 Peter 1:3 (NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (emphasis added)

Perhaps it would be best if we allowed Jesus to settle the question as to God’s identity.  If anyone knows the answer, it’s Jesus.  Who does he say God is?

John 4:21-24 (NASB) Jesus *said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22  “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23  “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24  “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (emphasis added)

Jesus’ doctrinal creed is that the Father is God.  He also states, most emphatically, that the Father is his God.

John 20:17 (NASB) Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'” (emphasis added)

At least twenty times[6] the Bible tells us that Jesus (Messiah) has a God.  Ten of those times Jesus himself says God is, “My God.”  Some try to explain this away by saying Jesus had a God while in the earth in his humbled state.  However, even after Jesus is exalted by God the Father to His right hand, he continues to call Him, “My God.” 

Revelation 3:12 (NASB) ‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. (emphasis added)

Some might suggest that the Father being God does not preclude Jesus or the Spirit from being God as well.  However, in what has been called Jesus’ “high priestly prayer” he resolutely declares the Father to be the only true God, and says of himself that he is the Christ (Messiah):

John 17:1 and 3 (NASB) Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You…3  “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (emphasis added)

While there are numerous other times in Scripture where God is referred to as the Father, this list should be sufficient to demonstrate who the first century Church believed the one God to be.  The question is, who do you believe Him to be?  Does your belief align with that of Jesus’ and the Scriptures?  Or are you more in agreement with the post-Biblical tradition known as the Trinity?  Either way, we encourage you to walk with us as we continue to explore the One God of the Bible. 

Philippians 4:20 (NASB) Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (emphasis added)

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[1] In January 380 AD, the Emperor Theodosius I decreed by law that one must believe in the doctrine of the Trinity or face the penalty of death.  This was done one and a half years prior to his convening the Council of Constantinople at which the Church Fathers were, not surprisingly, found to be in agreement.  Kegan A. Chandler, The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma, (McDonough, GA: Restoration Fellowship, 2016),  p. 219

[2] Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth, (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1999), p. 89.

[3] C. Peter Wagner, “But That’s Not in the Word!” Charisma Magazine, June 2014, accessed 04-13-19, http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/bible-study/19995-but-that-s-not-in-the-word

[4] The Spirit of God is not a separate person from God, just as the spirit of Elijah is not a separate person from Elijah, and your spirit is not a separate person from you.

[5] For example, Emperor Theodosius II also order the death penalty for those denying the doctrine of the Trinity. Robert H. Bainton, Christendom: A Short History of Christianity and Its Impact on Western Civilization, Vol. 1 (New York: Harper & Row, 1964), p. 101.

[6] Messiah has a God: Micah 5:4; Psalm 45:6-7; Psalm 22;1; Psalm 89:26.  Jesus has a God: Matthew 27:46 (2x);
Mark 15:34 (2x); John 20:16-17; Romans 15:5-6; 2 Corinthians 1:2-3; 11:30-31; Ephesians 1:1-3; 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:8-9;
1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:4-6; 3:2; 3:12 (4x). 

The above article was taken fromOne God Worship: God is The Father