title: Jesus is our Lord published: true
Psalm 2
I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.-- Psalm 2:7-12 (ESV)
Many people confuse "the LORD" with "the Son".
- "The LORD" is the name YHVH which translators removed, but refers to God Almighty, also known as God the Father.
- YHVH will "begot" a Son.
- The psalmist ask the reader to serve (worship) YHVH.
- "The Son" is a prophecy to a specific "Son of God" that would be "begotten", also known as Jesus Christ.
- "The Son" is begotten by YHVH.
- "The Son" inherit from YHVH.
- "The Son" shall rule with "a rod of iron".
- "The Son" should be "kissed" (a form of respect)
Some people argue that because the Son was "begotten" with past tense, it means that Jesus was already begotten at the time the Psalm was written.
Quotes from Isaiah 45:22-23
For thus says the LORD,
Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the LORD, and there is no other.
...
For I am God, and there is no other.
I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return,
That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. -- Isaiah 45:18, 22-23 (NKJV)
Romans 14:11 context
For it is written, “As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” -- Romans 14:11 (ESV)
This scripture is often quoted out of context to "proof" that Jesus is God. However, Paul actually refers to "God" not Jesus. People get confused because both God Almighty's name YHVH is replaced with "Lord" which happens to be what Jesus is also called in the New Testament.
The one that should be worshipped is "God" himself as seen in the previous verse:
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God -- Romans 14:10 (ESV)
And the next verse also refers to God:
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. -- Romans 14:12
If verse 10 refers to God and verse 12 refers to God, why would verse 11 refers to someone else especially since it quotes Isaiah which also refers to God?
Philippians 2:9-11
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 -- Philippians 2:10-11 (ESV)
Out of context, this scripture seems to imply that Jesus is the LORD God, because everyone who worship Jesus, supposedly "confess that Jesus Christ is the LORD God". However, the previous verse reads:
Therefore God (the Father) has highly exalted him (the Son) and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so 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. -- Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)
Paul specifically addressed "the name" of Jesus. The word "name" in both Greek and Hebrew means authority. For example:
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” -- Matthew 21:9 (ESV)
This is more clear in John 17:2 when Jesus prayed
"You (God) have given him (Jesus) authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him."
God the Father gave Jesus authority over every human, everywhere, so that everyone would give obeisance to the Lord Jesus. This does not mean that Jesus is now the new god or that God the Father had retired. Instead, God the Father calls Jesus to be His servant or steward (Isaiah 42:1; Acts 3:13 (ESV)) who was called to obedience (John 4:34, 6:38, 10:37, 14:24, 14:31) so that all authority could be given to Jesus so that we may glorify God the Father.
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that He Himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show him, so that you may marvel.” -- John 5:19-20 (ESV)
The LORD is my Righteousness
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD,
"That I will raise to David a branch of righteousness; A king shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is his name by which he will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."-- Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NKJV)
Some argue this refers to Jesus and because he is considered "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" it proofs that he is YHVH, the Almighty God. However, this same name is given to Jerusalem which no one consider to be God:
In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
-- Jeremiah 33:16 (NKJV)
Note that Jeremiah did not say that "the branch" or "the king" will be "The LORD our righteousness", but instead he said that he will be called "The LORD our righteousness".
God glorifying Jesus
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You, since You have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given him. -- John 17:1-2 (ESV)
When you glorify Jesus, you automatically glorify God too. There are no contradiction here. Both Isaiah and Paul are correct. Even among humans it is mostly true that when one praise a son, then his human dad who raised him is also indirectly praised.
All may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. -- John 5:22 (ESV)
Some would reason that because God gave everything to Jesus, that it proof that Jesus is our God. If that is the case then Paul would not make sense when he teaches:
So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future —
all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. -- 1 Corinthians 3:23 (ESV)
According to Paul, when Christ had submitted himself under God's authority, he had received all that is God's. If we submit ourselves under Christ's authority, we too will receive all that is Christ's!
However, Paul has never suggested that we too are gods.
Lord of the Sabbath
And he (Jesus) said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” -- Mark 2:27-28 (ESV)
Some argue that the Sabbath was created before Jesus was born, therefore this supposedly proof that Jesus already existed before the seventh day of creation which is supposedly only possible if Jesus is God Himself.
It assumes that something can only be created by God AFTER that person was created. This does not make sense as the Earth, water, plants, and animals were created before humans were created yet to then were given dominion over it. (Genesis 1-2)
King of Kings
... which he will display at the proper time — he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords -- 1 Timothy 6:15 (ESV)
They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful. -- Revelation 17:14 (ESV)
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. -- Revelation 19:16 (ESV)
The reasoning is that the only one with higher authority than the king is God Himself, therefore Jesus should be God.
However, this reasoning is flawed because:
- Both Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:37) and Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:12) also held this titles and neither one is considered to be the Almighty God nor a member of the Godhead.
- Nothing prevent God to delegate His authority (name) to another "King of kings" or "Lord or lords" to acts as an agent of God by ruling over mankind on behalf of Himself, especially if this delegate is His Own begotten Son in whom He is "well pleased" (Mark 1:11), namely Jesus the Christ.
Even Jesus himself said that he does not possess the highest authority:
And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. -- Matthew 20:23 (KJV)