Wednesday, November 29, 2023

1 CORINTHIANS 8:6

 1 Corinthians 8:6: There is solely ONE GOD, YEHOVAH; and one 'Lord', the man Jesus of Nazareth

In scripture, many people are titled 'lord' including Jesus.

YEHOVAH is also called "LORD", that is, the Hebrew word, Adonai
(To this day, the Jews rather call GOD by this title Adonai, rather than use His Name, Yehovah)

The title Adonai belongs to Almighty GOD alone, it is His title. No man is ever called Adonai.

The expression, Adonai Yehovah appears in many places throughout our Bibles; it is generally translated as "LORD GOD" in our English Bibles (note the case)

Hence, the LORD GOD, Adonai Yehovah is the LORD of Heaven & Earth
[Matthew 11.25, Luke 10.21, Acts 17.24]

What the LORD GOD has done, is raised Jesus of Nazareth from the dead, highly exalted him, and made him both, Lord & Messiah. Hence, Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord Messiah, NOT the Lord GOD

Psalms 110:1, the most quoted OT verse in the NT, foretold of the day, that GOD was going to invite a special man to sit at His Right Hand. This man was to be David's Lord! (the Hebrew word, adoni  is used to describe the Lordship of this man - NOT Adonai)

Nevertheless, by definition, no matter how high GOD has exalted Jesus the Messiah, GOD will always be Jesus' GOD and LORD i.e. the GOD of Jesus & the LORD over Jesus! (cf. John 20.17, Revelation 3.12, 11.15)

Hence, Jesus the Messiah, is second only to GOD Himself. Only GOD is higher & greater than the Messiah Jesus; such is the height and greatness of the Messiah's exaltation.

Paul summed it up like this ...

·       To us, the Apostolic Church, there is solely ONE GOD, the Father.
To us, the Apostolic Church, there is solely ONE Lord, Jesus the Messiah.
1 Cor 8:4,6 (This in no way infringes the LORDSHIP of GOD Almighty who by the very fact/definition that He is Almighty GOD, who is the GOD, Father & LORD over Jesus the Messiah)

·       When describing the 7 onenesses/unities, Paul states ...
(Ephesians 4:4-6) There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord [i.e., Jesus], one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all [i.e., YEHOVAH], who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

·       One day every knee will have to confess the Lordship of the Messiah, the Lordship that GOD conferred upon him ... (Philippians 2:10-11) That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lordto the glory of God the Father.

·       Nevertheless, GOD will always be greater and higher than the Messiah.
That is why Paul said ... (1 Cor 15:27-28) For he [GOD] has put all things under his [the Son's] feet. But when he [GOD] said all things are put under him [the Son], it is manifest [it is evident, it is obvious] that He is excepted [GOD is not included], which did put all things under him [the Son]. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him [the Son], then shall the Son also himself be subject unto Him [GOD] that put all things under him [the Son], that God may be all in all.

One of the best analogies one could use is the example of Pharaoh & Joseph.
Joseph was Pharaoh to all Egypt [Genesis 41.43-44] & to all who came to Joseph, Gen 44.18 for thou art even as Pharaoh.

That is, Joseph totally represented Pharaoh. He was his legal agent. He was, to quote Joseph: (Genesis 45:8) ... he [GOD] has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh pointed out ... (Genesis 41:40) You shall be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than you.

Joseph was second only to Pharaoh himself!

(This concept of agency is called by the Jews, the law of agency. Examples of this are shown throughout scripture by both angels and men)

So it is, with GOD & the Messiah. The Messiah Jesus totally represents Almighty GOD. He is His express image, His legal agent, His plenipotentiary. And just as Pharaoh, by definition, was greater and higher than Joseph, in like manner, so is Almighty GOD, greater and higher than the Messiah Jesus. [John 14.28, 10.29, 1 Corinthians 15.28]

Also, Joseph was even as Pharaoh, yet of course, he was NOT actually Pharaoh. They were, of course, two distinct beings. Joseph, however, was Pharaoh's agent.

In like manner, The Lord Messiah is NOT the Lord GOD.

He is the LORD GOD's agent, His right-hand man [Psalm 80.17], His Messiah [Psalm 2.2],

His Son [Psalm 2.7], His appointed King [Psalm 2.6], His distinct Representative.

Therefore, there is ONE GOD, the Father, namely, YEHOVAH, AND ONE Lord, the man Messiah Jesus, whom YEHOVAH has made Lord & Messiah! [Acts 2.36] GOD has made him, Lord of all hIS [GOD's] House [Acts 10.36]. Even GOD's angels are subject to the Lord Messiah. [1 Pet 3.22]

The Lord Messiah is second only to YEHOVAH Himself!

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