Jesus, as God's Word and Wisdom, was and is eternally an attribute of God the Father by J.P. Holding

J.P. Holding (James Patrick Holding, Also Know As Robert Turkel) is a controversial figure in Christian apologetics (for various reasons). He nevertheless does make some informative contributions to apologetics. Here's a link to his article: Jesus, as God's Word and Wisdom, was and is eternally an attribute of God the Father. I would ignore the cheesy video at the top. Just read the article.   

 

Jesus, as God's Word and Wisdom, was and is eternally an attribute of God the Father
http://www.tektonics.org/jesusclaims/trinitydefense.php

 

 

 See Also:

 Jehovah's Witnesses and Jesus by J.P. Holding
http://www.tektonics.org/gk/jwsandjesus.php

 

 

 

Is the "Word of the Lord" ever described as a "he" or "him" in the Old Testament?

 

In a facebook group someone pasted the following assertion:

//Did you know? The word of the Lord is never described as a "he" or "him" in the OT!//

I posted the following verses in the ASV as evidence that the "Word of Yehovah/Jehovah/Yahweh" is sometimes described as a "he" or "him". At least in some English translations. Not knowing Hebrew, I can't address the Hebrew grammar.

1 Kings 19:9 [ASV] And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of JEHOVAH came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Here "the word of Jehovah/Yehovah/Yahweh" seems to be referred to as a specific person who is called a "HE". Similar to 1 Samuel chapter 3.

1 Sam. 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto JEHOVAH before Eli. And the word of JEHOVAH was precious in those days; there was no frequent VISION.

Admittedly, the "word of Jehovah" in the OT is sometimes a reference to hearing the voice of God. However here, the arrival of the "word of Jehovah" seems to be associated with a VISION of a person. Not just something auditory. This seems to be conformed in verses 7, 10 & 21.

7 Now Samuel did not yet know JEHOVAH, neither was the word of JEHOVAH yet REVEALED unto him.

21 And JEHOVAH appeared again in Shiloh; for JEHOVAH REVEALED himself to Samuel in Shiloh BY the word of JEHOVAH.

In verse 10 the word of Jehovah is simply referred to as "Jehovah" and is said to have STOOD by Samuel. Similar to how the Angel of Jehovah is simply called "Jehovah" in Zech. 3.

1 Sam 3:10 And JEHOVAH came, and STOOD, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel said, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

Compare with Zech chapter 3.

Zech. 3:1 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of JEHOVAH, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary.

2 And JEHOVAH said unto Satan, JEHOVAH rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, JEHOVAH that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

Notice how the "Angel of Jehovah" in verse 1 is referred again and simply called "Jehovah". Some Unitarians say that any angel can be called "Jehovah" when it's rightfully representing Almighty God. As a Trinitarian I disagree. I believe that the divine name can only be applied to someone who is truly and fully God. Since it involves the very nature and character [and by implication essence] of God. Therefore more than one person shares the nature of highest divinity God. That pluritarianism is consistent with Trinitarianism.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 1 the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah. In verse 9 it says, "Then JEHOVAH PUT FORTH HIS HAND, and touched my mouth; and JEHOVAH said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth:"

Apparently, the Jehovah came in bodily form and touched Jeremiah and this person is also referred to as "the Word of Jehovah". Again, Similar to 1 Samuel 3 and [of the Angel of Jehovah in] Zechariah 3.

Compare Ezek. 1:3

3 the word of JEHOVAH came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; AND THE HAND OF JEHOVAH WAS THERE UPON HIM.

Exegesis of Samuel 3 and the Word of Yahweh/Yehovah/Jehovah

The following is a comment I made in a discussion I had in a Facebook group regarding the distinct person of the Word of the LORD/YHVH/Yahweh/Yehovah/Jehovah in the Old Testament as well as His visible form. Unitarians sometimes deny the personal preexistence of Jesus in the Old Testament. Trinitarians generally believe that the Word of the LORD/YHVH in the Old Testament along with the specific Angel of the LORD/YHVH is the preexistent Jesus (i.e. a Christophany of Jesus). Some Unitarians will deny that the Word of YHVH was a person and that He had a visible form. They claim it was just an audible voice. The following is an exegesis of Samuel chapter 3 that supports the Trinitarian view.

[In the course of the discussion, I wrote:]

That doesn't do justice to what the OT says regarding the Word of YHVH. Because he could be seen at times (e.g. as He did to Abram [in a vision] Gen. 15:1).

In Samuel 3 it says that "And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent V̲I̲S̲I̲O̲N̲" (v. 1).

After Samuel is called by YHVH twice and twice Samuel goes to Eli thinking Eli called him, verse 7 says, "Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and t̲h̲e̲ ̲W̲o̲r̲d̲ ̲o̲f̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲L̲O̲R̲D̲ had not yet been *̲*̲*̲R̲E̲V̲E̲A̲L̲E̲D̲*̲*̲*̲ to him." Implying a visible form. Notice that the Word of the LORD is also simply identified as YHVH in the passage too.

Then in verse 10 it says, "And the LORD C̲A̲M̲E̲ ̲A̲N̲D̲ ̲S̲T̲O̲O̲D̲, calling as at other times,". Notice that it wasn't just an audible voice, but a visible form STOOD before Samuel.

Then in verse 15b it says, "...And Samuel was afraid to tell the V̲I̲S̲I̲O̲N̲ to Eli." Again, not merely an audible voice.

Finally, in verse 21 it says, "And the LORD A̲P̲P̲E̲A̲R̲E̲D̲ again at Shiloh, for the LORD R̲E̲V̲E̲A̲L̲E̲D̲ himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD."

Similarly in Jeremiah chapter 1 the Word of YHVH is sometimes referred simply as YHVH and is apparently in a visible form. Jeremiah says the Word of YHVH came and spoke. In fact, in verse 9 it says of YHVH (evidently the same person as the Word of YHVH) "Then the LORD P̲U̲T̲ ̲O̲U̲T̲ ̲H̲I̲S̲ ̲H̲A̲N̲D̲ ̲A̲N̲D̲ ̲T̲O̲U̲C̲H̲E̲D̲ my mouth." Indicating it wasn't merely an audible voice but a visible form that had a hand that could touch Jeremiah.
These are just some places in the OT that I could cite to document this phenomena. Another would be the encounter of Moses at the burning bush. And others.

The "Word of the Lord" in the Targums

Here's an interesting webpage I found that documents some of the places in the Targums where the "Word of the Lord" is either personified or is a stand in for YHVH. Showing again how the concept of a plurality of persons in God (the "Two Powers in Heaven" concept) was already floating around and in the radar screens of some Jews before the Christian era. From which the author of GJohn in all likelihood was alluding to and amplifying in chapter 1.

http://juchre.org/articles/word.htm

This was to explain and safeguard both the transcendence of YHVH on the one hand, and at the same time the immanence of YHVH on the other hand. A seemingly paradoxical reality of OT statements and theology. In the Christian concept of the Trinity it all makes sense and provides a satisfactory resolution to the seemingly contradictory data we find in the OT (e.g. two YHVHs in Gen. 19:24; or the three agents in Isa. 63 with YHVH, the Angel of YHVH and the Spirit of YHVH).

"Memra" article from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia

The following article is copied from the link here:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10618-memra

MEMRA (= "Ma'amar" or "Dibbur," "Logos"):

By: Kaufmann Kohler

Table of Contents

• —Biblical Data:
• Personification of the Word.
• —In Apocryphal and Rabbinical Literature:
• —In the Targum:
• Mediatorship.
• The Logos.

"The Word," in the sense of the creative or directive word or speech of God manifesting His power in the world of matter or mind; a term used especially in the Targum as a substitute for "the Lord" when an anthropomorphic expression is to be avoided.

—Biblical Data: 

In Scripture "the word of the Lord" commonly denotes the speech addressed to patriarch or prophet (Gen. xv. 1; Num. xii. 6, xxiii. 5; I Sam. iii. 21; Amos v. 1-8); but frequently it denotes also the creative word: "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made" (Ps. xxxiii. 6; comp. "For He spake, and it was done"; "He sendeth his word, and melteth them [the ice]"; "Fire and hail; snow, and vapors; stormy wind fulfilling his word"; Ps. xxxiii. 9, cxlvii. 18, cxlviii. 8). In this sense it is said, "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven" (Ps. cxix. 89). "The Word," heard and announced by the prophet, often became, in the conception of the seer, an efficacious power apart from God, as was the angel or messenger of God: "The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel" (Isa. ix. 7 [A. V. 8], lv. 11); "He sent his word, and healed them" (Ps. cvii. 20); and comp. "his word runneth very swiftly" (Ps. cxlvii. 15).

Personification of the Word. 

—In Apocryphal and Rabbinical Literature: While in the Book of Jubilees, xii. 22, the word of God is sent through the angel to Abraham, in other cases it becomes more and more a personified agency: "By the word of God exist His works" (Ecclus. [Sirach] xlii. 15); "The Holy One, blessed be He, created the world by the 'Ma'amar'" (Mek., Beshallaḥ, 10, with reference to Ps. xxxiii. 6). Quite frequent is the expression, especially in the liturgy, "Thou who hast made the universe with Thy word and ordained man through Thy wisdom to rule over the creatures made by Thee" (Wisdom ix. 1; comp. "Who by Thy words causest the evenings to bring darkness, who openest the gates of the sky by Thy wisdom"; . . . "who by His speech created the heavens, and by the breath of His mouth all their hosts"; through whose "words all things were created"; see Singer's "Daily Prayer-Book," pp. 96, 290, 292). So also in IV Esdras vi. 38 ("Lord, Thou spakest on the first day of Creation: 'Let there be heaven and earth,' and Thy word hath accomplished the work"). "Thy word, O Lord, healeth all things" (Wisdom xvi. 12); "Thy word preserveth them that put their trust in Thee" (l.c. xvi. 26). Especially strong is the personification of the word in Wisdom xviii. 15: "Thine Almighty Word leaped down from heaven out of Thy royal throne as a fierce man of war." The Mishnah, with reference to the ten passages in Genesis (ch. i.) beginning with "And God said," speaks of the ten "ma'amarot" (= "speeches") by which the world was created (Abot v. 1; comp. Gen. R. iv. 2: "The upper heavens are held in suspense by the creative Ma'amar"). Out of every speech ["dibbur"] which emanated from God an angel was created (Ḥag. 14a). "The Word ["dibbur"] called none but Moses" (Lev. R. i. 4, 5). "The Word ["dibbur"] went forth from the right hand of God and made a circuit around the camp of Israel" (Cant. R. i. 13).

—In the Targum: In the Targum the Memra figures constantly as the manifestation of the divinepower, or as God's messenger in place of God Himself, wherever the predicate is not in conformity with the dignity or the spirituality of the Deity.

Instead of the Scriptural "You have not believed in the Lord," Targ. Deut. i. 32 has "You have not believed in the word of the Lord"; instead of "I shall require it [vengeance] from him," Targ. Deut. xviii. 19 has "My word shall require it." "The Memra," instead of "the Lord," is "the consuming fire" (Targ. Deut. ix. 3; comp. Targ. Isa. xxx. 27). The Memra "plagued the people" (Targ. Yer. to Ex. xxxii. 35). "The Memra smote him" (II Sam. vi. 7; comp. Targ. I Kings xviii. 24; Hos. xiii. 14; et al.). Not "God," but "the Memra," is met with in Targ. Ex. xix. 17 (Targ. Yer. "the Shekinah"; comp. Targ. Ex. xxv. 22: "I will order My Memra to be there"). "I will cover thee with My Memra," instead of "My hand" (Targ. Ex. xxxiii. 22). Instead of "My soul," "My Memra shall reject you" (Targ. Lev. xxvi. 30; comp. Isa. i. 14, xlii. 1; Jer. vi. 8; Ezek. xxiii. 18). "The voice of the Memra," instead of "God," is heard (Gen. iii. 8; Deut. iv. 33, 36; v. 21; Isa. vi. 8; et al.). Where Moses says, "I stood between the Lord and you" (Deut. v. 5), the Targum has, "between the Memra of the Lord and you"; and the "sign between Me and you" becomes a "sign between My Memra and you" (Ex. xxxi. 13, 17; comp. Lev. xxvi. 46; Gen. ix. 12; xvii. 2, 7, 10; Ezek. xx. 12). Instead of God, the Memra comes to Abimelek (Gen. xx. 3), and to Balaam (Num. xxiii. 4). His Memra aids and accompanies Israel, performing wonders for them (Targ. Num. xxiii. 21; Deut. i. 30, xxxiii. 3; Targ. Isa. lxiii. 14; Jer. xxxi. 1; Hos. ix. 10 [comp. xi. 3, "the messenger-angel"]). The Memra goes before Cyrus (Isa. xlv. 12). The Lord swears by His Memra (Gen. xxi. 23, xxii. 16, xxiv. 3; Ex. xxxii. 13; Num. xiv. 30; Isa. xlv. 23; Ezek. xx. 5; et al.). It is His Memra that repents (Targ. Gen. vi. 6, viii. 21; I Sam. xv. 11, 35). Not His "hand," but His "Memra has laid the foundation of the earth" (Targ. Isa. xlviii. 13); for His Memra's or Name's sake does He act (l.c. xlviii. 11; II Kings xix. 34). Through the Memra God turns to His people (Targ. Lev. xxvi. 90; II Kings xiii. 23), becomes the shield of Abraham (Gen. xv. 1), and is with Moses (Ex. iii. 12; iv. 12, 15) and with Israel (Targ. Yer. to Num. x. 35, 36; Isa. lxiii. 14). It is the Memra, not God Himself, against whom man offends (Ex. xvi. 8; Num. xiv. 5; I Kings viii. 50; II Kings xix. 28; Isa. i. 2, 16; xlv. 3, 20; Hos. v. 7, vi. 7; Targ. Yer. to Lev. v. 21, vi. 2; Deut. v. 11); through His Memra Israel shall be justified (Targ. Isa. xlv. 25); with the Memra Israel stands in communion (Targ. Josh. xxii. 24, 27); in the Memra man puts his trust (Targ. Gen. xv. 6; Targ. Yer. to Ex. xiv. 31; Jer. xxxix. 18, xlix. 11).

Mediatorship.
Like the Shekinah (comp. Targ. Num. xxiii. 21), the Memra is accordingly the manifestation of God. "The Memra brings Israel nigh unto God and sits on His throne receiving the prayers of Israel" (Targ. Yer. to Deut. iv. 7). It shielded Noah from the flood (Targ. Yer. to Gen. vii. 16) and brought about the dispersion of the seventy nations (l.c. xi. 8); it is the guardian of Jacob (Gen. xxviii. 20-21, xxxv. 3) and of Israel (Targ. Yer. to Ex. xii. 23, 29); it works all the wonders in Egypt (l.c. xiii. 8, xiv. 25); hardens the heart of Pharaoh (l.c. xiii. 15); goes before Israel in the wilderness (Targ. Yer. to Ex. xx. 1); blesses Israel (Targ. Yer. to Num. xxiii. 8); battles for the people (Targ. Josh. iii. 7, x. 14, xxiii. 3). As in ruling over the destiny of man the Memra is the agent of God (Targ. Yer. to Num. xxvii. 16), so also is it in the creation of the earth (Isa. xlv. 12) and in the execution of justice (Targ. Yer. to Num. xxxiii. 4). So, in the future, shall the Memra be the comforter (Targ. Isa. lxvi. 13): "My Shekinah I shall put among you, My Memra shall be unto you for a redeeming deity, and you shall be unto My Name a holy people" (Targ. Yer. to Lev. xxii. 12). "My Memra shall be unto you like a good plowman who takes off the yoke from the shoulder of the oxen"; "the Memra will roar to gather the exiled" (Targ. Hos. xi. 5, 10). The Memra is "the witness" (Targ. Yer. xxix. 23); it will be to Israel like a father (l.c. xxxi. 9) and "will rejoice over them to do them good" (l.c. xxxii. 41). "In the Memra the redemption will be found" (Targ. Zech. xii. 5). "The holy Word" was the subject of the hymns of Job (Test. of Job, xii. 3, ed. Kohler).

The Logos.
It is difficult to say how far the rabbinical concept of the Memra, which is used now as a parallel to the divine Wisdom and again as a parallel to the Shekinah, had come under the influence of the Greek term "Logos," which denotes both word and reason, and, perhaps owing to Egyptian mythological notions, assumed in the philosophical system of Heraclitos, of Plato, and of the Stoa the metaphysical meaning of world-constructive and world-permeating intelligence (see Reizenstein, "Zwei Religionsgeschichtliche Fragen," 1901, pp. 83-111; comp. Aall, "Der Logos," and the Logos literature given by Schürer, "Gesch." i. 3, 542-544). The Memra as a cosmic power furnished Philo the corner-stone upon which he built his peculiar semi-Jewish philosophy. Philo's "divine thought," "the image" and "first-born son" of God, "the archpriest," "intercessor," and "paraclete" of humanity, the "arch type of man" (see Philo), paved the way for the Christian conceptions of the Incarnation ("the Word become flesh") and the Trinity. The Word which "the unoriginated Father created in His own likeness as a manifestation of His own power" appears in the Gnostic system of Marcus (Irenæus, "Adversus Hæreses," i. 14). In the ancient Church liturgy, adopted from the Synagogue, it is especially interesting to notice how often the term "Logos," in the sense of "the Word by which God made the world, or made His Law or Himself known to man," was changed into "Christ" (see "Apostolic Constitutions," vii. 25-26, 34-38, et al.). Possibly on account of the Christian dogma, rabbinic theology, outside of the Targum literature, made little use of the term "Memra." See Logos.

Bibliography:

• Bousset, Die Religion des Judenthums im Neutestamentlichen Zeitalter, 1903, p. 341;
• Weber, Jüdische Theologie, 1897, pp. 180-184.

The Trinity At the Beginning of Creation

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.- John 1:1-3

Some Unitarians have denied a connection between John 1:1 and Genesis 1:1. Robert M. Bowman gave 5 reasons why such a connection makes sense.

1. The words en arche occur at the beginning of each book; 
2. The name God (ho theos) occurs in the opening sentence in each book, and frequently thereafter as well; 
3. Both passages speak about the creation of all things; 
4. The name given to the preexistent Christ, "the Word," reminds us of the frequent statement in Genesis, "And God said, 'Let there be...'"—that is, in Genesis God creates by speaking the word, in John he creates through the person of the Word; 
5. Both passages in Greek use the words egeneto ("came into existence"), phos ("light") and skotos or skotia ("darkness"), and both contrast light and darkness. 

These point of similarity taken together constitute a powerful cumulative case for understanding en arche to be referring to the same beginning in John 1:1 as that of Genesis 1:1—the beginning of time itself. 

-Robert M. Bowman, Jr., Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Christ & the Gospel of John, pp. 21-22  [The Greek transliterations are not exactly reproduced here]

 Once the connection is accepted, some Unitarians might object and say, if the doctrine of the Trinity is true, "Why isn't the Holy Spirit mentioned in John 1:1?" Bowman wrote:

It is extremely common for JWs [Jehovah's Witnesses] to ask with reference to this text why the Holy Spirit is not mentioned as another person who was also with God. The answer is that John was concerned at that point to write about the Word, not the Holy Spirit. The JWs reason that if the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in John 1:1, then the Holy Spirit either (a) was not there; or (b) was not a person; they opt for the latter explanation. But there is a third explanation: John simply did not care to mention the Holy Spirit at that point.
-Robert M. Bowman, Jr., Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Christ & the Gospel of John, pp. 24

 John not caring to mention the Holy Spirit at this point is consistent with his decision to reveal the person, work and divinity of the Holy Spirit later in his Gospel (chapters 14-16). He did the same with respect to the Father and Son as witnesses who personally authenticate the message of Jesus. Early in the Gospel Jesus appeals ONLY to the testimony of the Father and Son (John 8:16-18; 5:31-32, 37) apart from the Holy Spirit. But then later on additionally appeals to the testimony of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26).

See my blogpost titled "The Witness of the Holy Spirit" for why the Holy Spirit's delayed witness is evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity:

The Witness of the Holy Spirit

But more can be said in response to the objection that the Holy Spirit either wasn't at creation or, if present, wasn't a person. When we look as Genesis chapter 1 we see in verse 2 "the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters".

When we combine John 1:1 with Genesis 1:1-3 all three persons of the Trinity are mentioned.

1    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3    And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.- Gen. 1:1-3

God (either as the Trinity or at the very least the Father) is mentioned in verse 1.
The Holy Spirit is then mentioned in verse 2 as "the Spirit of God"
The Word is implicitly alluded to in verse 3 when God SPOKE. In fact, once the doctrine of the Trinity is accepted, it could be argued that the "God" mentioned in verse 3 is the Word Himself (the pre-incarnate Jesus) who spoke the world into existence (cf. Heb. 1:3b; 2c; Col. 1:16-17; 1 Cor. 8:6b; John 1:3 etc.)

Psalm 33:6 is probably a remez by God hinting at the doctrine of the Trinity. The word for "breath" in Hebrew can also be translated "spirit" or "Spirit."

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

David H. Stern in his Jewish New Testament Commentary wrote:

 (2) Remez ("hint") — wherein a word, phrase or other element in the text hints at a truth not conveyed by the p'shat. The implied presupposition is that God can hint at things of which the Bible writers themselves were unaware. - page 12

(1) P'shat ("simple") — the plain, literal sense of the text, more or less what modern scholars mean by "grammatical-historical exegesis,"...- page 11

See Wikipedia's article on PaRDeS
If the remez is accepted, then Psalm 33:6 includes all three persons of the Trinity 1. IN ONE VERSE,  2. and that IN THE OLD TESTAMENT NO LESS!

That the Holy Spirit creates is taught in the following Old Testament passages: Job 33:4; Ps. 33:6; 104:30.


Again, if Ps. 33:6 hints at the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in creation, then it makes sense that the Holy Spirit is a person since "the word of the LORD" would refer to Jesus and the "LORD" of the "word of the LORD" would refer to the Father. If both "the word/Word" and "the LORD" are personal, why wouldn't "the breath of his mouth" be personal too? The word for spirit/breath/wind are all the same in both Hebrew (ruach) and Greek (pneuma). This argument doesn't assume or depend on the truth of Trinitarianism. Even a Unitarian could see a veiled reference to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in this verse. Trinitarians would just see more. There are many other such triadic passages in both the Old and New Testaments (See HERE for documentation).

That the Holy Spirit is the (or also along with the Father and Son) Source of Life is seen in the following verses: John 6:63; Rom. 8:2, 6, 10, 11; 2 Cor. 3:6; Job 33:4; John 3:5-8; Gal. 4:29; 5:25; 6:8; 1 Pet. 3:18 [assuming the "water of life" refers to the Holy Spirit then the following verses also apply John 4:10-14; 7:37-38; Rev. 7:17; 21:6; 22:1, 17]. Compare with God the Father being referred to as "the Living God" (Matt. 16:16 and many other passages) and Jesus referring to Himself as "the Living One" (Rev. 1:18; compare the phrase, "El Chai" ("the Living God"), at Joshua 3:10, Psalms 42:3, 84:3).

The fact that both the Holy Spirit and the Word (the pre-incarnate Jesus) was involved in creation would be evidence of their full deity with the Father by the fact that Jehovah [or Yahweh] stated in Isaiah 44:24

 Thus saith JEHOVAH, thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb: I am JEHOVAH, that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth (who is with me?);- Isa. 44:24 ASV

Thus says the LORD [Yahweh], your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD [Yahweh], who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,- Isa. 44;24 ESV

Unitarians are therefore caught in a dilemma. Either Yahweh/Jehovah had no one who aided Him in creation, in which case the Word and the Holy Spirit were not involved [contrary to direct and explicit Biblical teaching]; OR the Word and the Holy Spirit are themselves Yahweh along with the Father.

"The Word of the Lord" as Used in the New Testament

posted 9/12/14

In the Old Testament the phrase "the word of the LORD" or "the word of Jehovah/Yahweh" is frequently used. Sometimes it describes a supernatural being rather than merely a propositional message from Jehovah. For example, when God called Samuel (1 Sam. chapter 3). Verse one connects visions with the coming of "the word of Jehovah." Implying that a being named the word of Jehovah often arrived with a message (compare verse 7). Verse 10 states, "And the Jehovah came and stood, calling as at other times..." This suggests that the word of the Jehovah was a being who could stand and is Jehovah Himself. There are other examples that could be pointed out in the Old Testament and an argument could be made that that "word of Jehovah" was the pre-incarnate Christ. Nevertheless, the point of this particular blog is different.

The New Testament's use of the phrase "the word of the Lord" often doesn't distinguish between it being a message from Jesus or a message from God. As some of the following list of verses show. The fact that the New Testament writers were fine and comfortable with that is consistent with a belief that Jesus is Jehovah Himself. So, it wouldn't matter if the message was specifically from the Father or from the Son since both are Jehovah even though they are not the same person (though are the same being).

Ps. 119:11  "Thy word have I laid up in my heart, That I might not sin against thee."

Col. 3:16a "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..."

Isa. 40:8  "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever."

Matt. 24:35  "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."


 Using the American Standard Version:

Luke

22:61  And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how that he said unto him, Before the cock crow this day thou shalt deny me thrice.

In this instance it's clear that the phrase refers to a statement by Jesus while on earth.

Acts

8:25  They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

11:16  And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

The above verse probably refers to a statement by Christ while on earth. Notice that the verses in Acts below could be referring to the message of Christ (i.e. His Gospel and their Gospel), or about Christ or from/of the Father, or of the Father through Christ. The ambiguity is best consistent with a Trinitarian or Modalistic understanding.

13:49  And the word of the Lord was spread abroad throughout all the region.

15:35  But Paul and Barnabas tarried in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

15:36  And after some days Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us return now and visit the brethren in every city wherein we proclaimed the word of the Lord, [and see] how they fare.

16:32  And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house.

19:10  And this continued for the space of two years; so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

19:20  So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed.

1 Thessalonians

1:8  For from you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith to God-ward is gone forth; so that we need not to speak anything.

4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.

2 Thessalonians

3:1  Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also [it is] with you;

1 Peter

1:25  But the word of the Lord abideth for ever. And this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you.