Dear [],
Please would you read the following verses and send comments to me if I have erred in what I have written, because I know I am fallible in my own understanding of the Word of God and it is my sincere prayer that I would not promote an erroneous understanding of God’s Word.
To me, these verses show Jesus is Jehovah – and why it matters whether we will say He is, or not.
The name “Jehovah” comes from this verse:
Exodus 3:13-14 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, `The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, `What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you.'”
God tells Moses that His name is “I AM”. “. Literally in Ancient Hebrew this is YHWH. Some people bring that into English as Yahweh, or Jehovah. These are both English derivations from the actual Hebrew letters. In our current English Bible versions YHWH is usually translated LORD with capital letters. This distinguishes it from “Lord” which is a different Old Testament word for God. When the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage including this word YHWH=LORD=Jehovah, it uses the Greek word “kurios” which in our English translations is “Lord”.
In the New Testament we see Jesus identified with YHWH=LORD=Jehovah in various ways.
Firstly, Jesus Himself in several places in John’s gospel makes this identification! See for example John 8:58 where Jesus says “Before Abraham was, I am!” Now I am going to give a human opinion, nevertheless there is wisdom in many counselors, Proverbs says: the commentators are unanimous in saying that here and elsewhere where Jesus says “I am” in John’s gospel, Jesus is deliberately ascribing the name “I AM”, in other words, “Jehovah” to Himself.
Secondly, there are places in the New Testament where an Old Testament passage about the LORD=Jehovah, is quoted referring to Jesus. Such as Hebrews 1:8-12:
But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” {[9] Psalm 45:6,7} He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” {[12] Psalm 102:25-27}
Thirdly, and building on the second reason, I would say it is a reason to believe Jesus is Jehovah, that the same word “Lord” (in Greek, kurios) in the New Testament is used of Jesus and YHWH=Jehovah: Romans 10:9-13 says:
…if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” {Isaiah 28:16} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” {Joel 2:32}
Suppose we substitute “Jehovah” for all the references to “Lord” in this passage. We know we can do that with the OT passages quoted so why not in verse 9? Then we get: “…if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Jehovah,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. If this is a valid substitution, then this means that whether we will confess “Jesus is Jehovah” or not is extremely important. You may think I have twisted Scripture but if so, please write back and tell me where I did so, so that I may learn and grow in my knowledge of what the Bible teaches.
I have written this for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
Helen Mildenhall