Is Jesus God?
What the Old Testament Says
by Beatrice Neall
“I can tell you one thing about Jesus. He was not God,” declared a Jewish
rabbi, speaking to the Contemporary Religions class at Union College. “God is not a man or a Jew
or a Baptist or a Seventh-day Adventist. He is beyond all that. He is far above the millions of galaxies
and stars of the vast universe.”
Who is Jesus? To the Jews, a false Messiah. To the Muslims, a human prophet. To
pioneer Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, not God but the Son of God created before
the world was made. To the Church of God, Jesus did not exist until God created Him in Mary’s womb.
Some Adventists today would like to revert to the position of our pioneers.
What difference does it make if Jesus is God or not? And how could He be God when the
Bible says “The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut. 6:4)? If we believe that the Father,
Son, and also the Holy Spirit are God, do we then worship three Gods? No, the Godhead is a unity of
three Persons who are one in character and purpose, cemented together by love. Out of this love
relationship all things animate and inanimate were created. Three gods would have to be lesser,
rival gods, competing with each other for dominance. Their massive conflicts, as described in heathen
pantheons, would place the whole cosmos in jeopardy. The security of the universe depends on the unity
of the Godhead.
What if God were a single individual, as Jews and Muslims believe? A single Person
who existed alone in the eternity of the past before anyone else was created, could not be a God of love.
He would be the distant God of Islam, a harsh judge who demands obedience and executes violators. Our
God, as the Bible reveals, is a union of three who live in an such an atmosphere of love that the Father
was willing to sacrifice His Son and the Son His life, to save Their rebellious creation.
But why must Jesus be God? Why couldn’t God create a savior to redeem us? First,
because the task was so huge that only God could accomplish it. “I, I am the LORD, and besides
me there is no savior” (Isa. 43:11). Only the Creator Himself has power to re-create human
beings in His image. Second, a created being has only one life to give. His life would not have
sufficient value to redeem the millions of lost humanity. Only the life of the Creator Himself had
sufficient value to redeem His creation. Third, only one equal with the law could meet the demands of
the law. The law is an expression of the character of God. Only God could satisfy His own requirements.
Fourth, God was not willing to send a substitute. He would not stand aside and watch someone else suffer
to vindicate His name. He chose to become personally involved in the struggle to save His lost family.
In the Bible God defines Himself by His great acts. He alone is the Creator.
For thus says the LORD . . . who formed the earth and made it . . . . “I am the
LORD, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:18).
He alone is the Redeemer.
The Old Testament indicates that this one God did not act alone in either creation or
redemption. There was Another with Him who, by definition, would have to be a part of this one God.
Jesus in the Old Testament
It is easy to find God’s Co-creator in the book of Genesis: “In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Here He is called “Elohim,”
the plural of “El” or “Eloha,” the word for God. Why is the word plural? Critics
would say it is “the plural of majesty,” similar to the “editorial we” when a
royal person speaks in the plural. But “the plural of majesty” was unknown in Scripture.1 2 Furthermore, the plural pronoun
is used for God: “Let us make man in our image” in verse 26. And when God created man in His
image, He did not create a single individual, but a family to mirror the divine image. Some argue that
God is speaking in the plural with the heavenly court in mind-the angels: “Let’s do
this.” But angels did not “make” man, and man is not made in their image. For other
examples of God using the plural pronoun, see Gen. 3:22; 11:6-7, and Isa. 6:8.
There was also an Associate with God in the work of redemption. By far the most
interesting study I found in the Old Testament concerned the Angel of the LORD. Remember that the word
LORD in capital letter is the translation of the holy name Yahweh, Israel’s God. This
mysterious Angel who appeared on many occasions was clearly identified as God and Yahweh. Not only is
he “the angel (or messenger) of the LORD,” He is the LORD Himself. He is the LORD and yet
distinct from the LORD. It appears that there are then two Beings called LORD. Note the following
examples:
When Hagar fled from her mistress, Sarah, “the angel of the LORD” appeared
to her. (Gen. 16:7, 9, 11). But he is also the LORD Himself: “She gave this name to the LORD who
spoke to her, ‘You are the God who sees me’” (v. 13).
God told Abraham to sacrifice his son (Gen. 22), but at the crucial moment “the
angel of the LORD” called from heaven reversing the command (v. 11). In His second speech He says,
“I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this...I will surely bless
you” (vv. 15-17). Once again the LORD’s messenger is identified as the LORD.
When Jacob blessed his grandsons, he recognized the Angel as God: “The
God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has led me all my life
long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads" (Gen. 48:15-16).
When Moses was tending his flocks in the wilderness, “the angel of the LORD
appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush” (Exodus 3:2). This
“angel” was no less than God Himself: Unitarians3 argue that “the angel of the
LORD” was God’s agent, speaking with the authority of God Himself. But the text does not
allow this. “When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the
bush” (v. 4). God told him to take his shoes from his feet because he was standing on holy
ground (v. 5). Then “he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at
God” (v. 6). No agent of God, whether angel or prophet, would dare to speak in this
manner.
During the exodus from Egypt “the angel of God” traveled with Israel in
the pillar of cloud, separating Israel from the Egyptians (Ex. 14:19). The next morning it was ”the
LORD” who looked down from cloud and troubled the Egyptians (v. 24). God’s angel, traveling
with Israel in the cloud, was the LORD.
God tells more about this angel in Ex. 23: “Behold, I am sending an angel before
you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Give heed to him and
hearken to his voice, do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name
is in him. . . . My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites,
Hittites,” etc. (vv. 20-23). This angel is distinct from God -- he is sent by God. The distinction
is further emphasized in God’s pronouncement after the golden calf incident: “I will send
an angel before you...but I will not go with you” (Ex. 33:2-3). But this “angel of the
LORD” is also God.
In Joshua’s encounter with the LORD outside of Jericho, there are two Persons
mentioned. “As commander of the army of the LORD I have now come” (Joshua 5:14). The
commander of the army is presumably second in command to the LORD of the army. But in his instructions
to Joshua regarding the conquest of Jericho, this commander of the army himself is called “the
LORD.” “And the LORD said to Joshua, ‘See, I have given into your hand Jericho,’
(Josh. 6:22ff). So again there is the LORD on earth speaking to Joshua in behalf of the LORD in heaven.
“The angel of the LORD” who appeared to Gideon and Samson’s parents
was also the LORD (see Judges 6:11-14, 23; 13:3, 18, 22).4
The Double Use of LORD
These passages clearly identify more than one Person known as “the
LORD.”5 It is significant that God revealed
Himself to Moses by proclaiming His name two times.
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name,
the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate
and gracious God....” (Ex. 34:5-6).
Are there then two Beings called LORD who constitute the one compassionate
God?
The great verse for the oneness of God is Deut. 4:6, the shema (pronounced
sheMAH). The Hebrew literally reads, “The LORD our God the LORD one.” In view of the
texts above showing more than one who are called LORD, could it be that the shema itself tells us
that there are two divine Persons, “The LORD our God” and “the LORD”? Is the
shema telling us that these two are one? The Hebrew word one (echad) is related to the
verb yachad which means to unite. God, here, is a unity of two Beings in one. Two because God is
love and love cannot exist alone. One because love unites Them in character, mind, and purpose.
Would God Become a Man?
Rabbi Tovia Singer, a strong opponent of Christian missionaries, believes it is
incredible that God would humble Himself to become a man. God is too distant, too far away, to come
close to His creatures. But the Bible view of God is different.
For thus says the high and lofty One
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and
humble spirit” (Isa. 57:15).
Are there any intimations that the Creator of a vast universe would become a
particular human being at a particular point in time in an obscure nation on an obscure planet in an
obscure solar system? Do the Jewish Scriptures support the idea of God becoming human? Did God ever take
on human flesh to appear as a man? He did it for His friend Abraham! On one occasion Abraham looked up
and saw three men standing by (see Gen. 18). The text indicates that one was the LORD and the other two
were angels. They took on physical bodies, feeling the heat of the day, needing their dusty feet to be
washed, and eating an unkosher dinner of veal, bread, curds, and milk. Afterward the LORD walked with
Abraham down the dusty road toward Sodom, professing to be on a mission to investigate for Himself
whether conditions there were as bad as He had heard. He let Abraham bargain with Him about the fate of
the city. Almighty God condescended to come down to earth as a man and dialog with his friend Abraham!
On another occasion God became a man and wrestled with Jacob in hand-to-hand, muscle
to muscle, contact (Gen. 32:22-32). When Jacob realized from the crippling touch of the Stranger that he
was wrestling with a divine person, he pleaded for a blessing (v. 26). The Stranger gave him a new name,
Israel, because “you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome” (v. 28).
Jacob concluded: “I saw God face to face,” (32:30). Hosea gives a similar description:
...as a man he struggled
with God.
He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
God humbled Himself further to communicate with Moses: He hid in a desert thorn bush
-- a thorn bush hosted the presence of Almighty God (Ex. 3:1-3)! He made Himself lower than Moses in
order to speak to him. (At the same time He insisted upon His divinity: “Take off your sandals,
for the place where you are standing is holy ground” [v. 5]). Was He foreshadowing a future time
when He would humble Himself to enter human flesh?
In these Old Testament stories we see God becoming a man -- Jesus taking on humanity
before His birth at Bethlehem! He told His opponents that He had known Abraham (John 8:56-58).
Many of the royal Psalms indicate that Messiah was to be God.
I address my verses to the king . . . .
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever (literal Hebrew). (Psalm 45:2, 6).
May he live while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! (Ps. 72:5).
(David speaking): The LORD says to my Lord:
Sit at my right hand,
till I make your enemies
your footstool (Ps. 110:1).
A dictionary article on the Messiah describes these as “extravagant statements
heaped upon the king.”6 They would be extravagant indeed
if they did not apply to a divine Personage, Jesus, the Son of David.
Isaiah predicted in explicit terms that God would be born in human flesh.
“Behold a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel” (7:14)
Matthew applies this text to Jesus:
“Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called
Emmanuel (which means, God with us)” (Matt. 1:21).
The name of this child means God dwelling with humanity -- “God with us.”
Isaiah 7:14 is a great text but must be interpreted carefully. According to the
context, the birth of this child was a sign to King Ahaz that God would not only defeat his enemies (vv.
4-9) but also bring judgment on his own nation of Judah (vv. 16-17).7 But Isaiah goes on to describe
a greater Child yet to come, of whom his child was a sign (8:18). “For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given” (9:6). Isaiah’s prophecy of a child called Emmanuel, then, had a
local application of deliverance and judgment, but became a type of a greater Child who would bring
salvation to believers and judgment to unbelievers. Isaiah describes this Child as follows:
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his
shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
(Isa. 9:6).
Rabbi Singer admits that many Jews are “blown away” by this text. He then
explains that many Jewish names incorporate the name of God. The letters iah in a name stand for
Yahweh, and el stands for God. Hezekiah means Yahweh is strong; Tovia, Yahweh is
good; Daniel, God is my judge, etc. So the name “mighty God” can be just an example
of a reference to God in a Jewish name. But let’s let Isaiah explain what “mighty God”
(“El Gibbor” in Hebrew) means, since he is the only one who uses the term. It occurs just a
few verses later: “A remnant will return . . . to the mighty God” (10:21)!8 The term definitely means God Himself.
Isaiah goes on to explain the expression “wonderful Counselor” -- “the LORD of hosts;
he is wonderful in counsel” (28:29). The other expressions, “Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace,” are equally divine. The text continues by saying that His government will have
no end. It is indisputable that the passage is referring to God -- the God who would be born as a son to
the human race!
These are some Old Testament passages which reveal a second Person called God and
Yahweh who appeared in ancient times to His people as “the angel of the LORD,” as God in
human form, and as God to be born a son to humanity. It is clear that the one God of the Shema includes
a second Person whom we know as Jesus Christ.
Let us never forget that the vast creation was born, nurtured, and rescued out of the
love nest of Trinity.
1 We must not read into Scripture ideas understood in our
culture. The plural of majesty is a modern way of thinking. The kings of Israel and Judah are all
addressed in the singular in our biblical record. Wayne Grudem: Systematic Theology: An Introduction
to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England: InterVarsity and Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 227.
2 The Spirit, brooding over the waters to bring forth life, is
mentioned in verse two.
3 That is, people who believe God is a single individual.
4 For the name that is wonderful, see Gen. 32:29 and Isa. 9:6.
5 Other passages that identify two Persons as Lord are Gen.
19:24 and Zech. 3:2.
6 Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (1962), s.v.
“Messiah,” E. Jenni, p. 361.
7 This child apparently was Isaiah’s own son (8:3).
Isaiah’s children were given names as signs and portents to Israel-they have symbolic meaning
(8:18; compare vv. 3-4). The name “Emmanuel” meant that God was with Judah to punish her
with an invasion by Assyria (8:5-10, note especially verses 8 and 10). God, who wanted to be with His
people to deliver them if they would only believe (7:4, 9b), instead would become “a stone of
offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel. . . . And many shall stumble thereon; they
shall fall and be broken” (vv. 14-15). Centuries later, when Simeon held the baby Jesus in his
arms, he quoted Isaiah’s prophecy: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of
many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against” (Luke 2:34).
8 Jeremiah has a similar expression, “O God, great and
mighty” (32:18).
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