The Memorial Name of God and His purpose
One of the things that we can learn from reading and studying God’s Word is what God’s purpose was and is. What is His purpose or plan for men and what was His purpose in sending His Son? We might expect that if we can understand God’s purpose, it will help us to understand other things presented in the Scriptures. This turns out to be true and it especially helps us in understanding the Memorial Name of God, Yahweh1(or as it is sometimes rendered, Jehovah). One reason this is true is that the Name is one of the ways in which God revealed His purpose. However, we must consider the subject of God’s purpose from a more general point of view before beginning to examine how the Memorial Name relates to it.
God revealed His purpose to Moses: “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Num 14:21). Creation was for God’s glory and honor: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power: for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created” (Rev 4:11, ESV).
God’s purpose to fill the earth with His glory is described again in a number of other passages:
“And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen” (Psalm 72:19).
“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isa 11:9).
“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab 2:14).
There are many ways in which God is filling the earth with His glory but the chief way is through the work of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and we will focus on that avenue. There are also many things to consider about God’s glory, but we will emphasize His righteousness (or moral perfection).
Since God is glorious by nature, the best way for the earth to be filled with His glory is for Him to be fully revealed to the world. The Scriptures show us that one of the central features of Jesus’ work was to show or manifest the Father to the world.
Christ as the Word
God and His Word are inseparable. When God speaks, His will is carried out:
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light…And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters (Gen 1:3,6)
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psa 33:6).
When the Word became flesh, God’s glory began to be shown to men much more completely than it had been previously.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14).
In other words, Jesus gave us a perfect picture of God by living and working perfectly according to the Scriptures. Only the Son of God could have done this.
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known” (John 1:17-18).
Jesus made God known by his preaching and by his example. This includes the example and the message of his sacrificial death, which showed God’s righteousness and man’s sinfulness. His death was a continuation and completion of his ministry, in which he revealed God to us. Such revealing therefore includes not only speaking and teaching, but also actions.
We have brought out that Jesus revealed, showed, or manifested many things about God’s glory. How else has God’s glory been shown? The physical creation – the living world around us – shows it in an astonishing number of ways if a person is willing to see it. But, the revealing which has by far the greater impact on our spirits and minds is that given through Christ and through the Bible. And Christ is the Word (the Bible) made flesh. When we see how extensive Christ’s role is in revealing to us God’s glory, it helps us to understand how he (Christ) relates to God’s Memorial Name.
The meaning of God’s Memorial Name
The revelation of God’s divine Name to Moses is recorded in Exodus 3. The Name is given in an expanded form in verse 14. Generally, the translation of this given in the text is “I AM WHO I AM”. This is appropriate as an expression of God’s existence and His clear identity as the one and only God and creator. Footnotes for the various translations explain that the Name in verse 14 can have several related meanings2. A fuller meaning begins to be seen when the secondary meanings are examined, such as “I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE”. An implied meaning or suggestion of a future purpose or event is introduced.
Studies by unbiased scholars indicate that “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE” is a valid meaning, and that the shorter forms of the Name, Yahweh or Jehovah, would then have the corresponding meaning, “HE WHO WILL BE”. This would tell us that God’s existence (as the glorious King of the Universe) would be expressed in the future through some person. Does this meaning make sense? It certainly does if we apply it as a prophecy of God’s Son, Jesus the Christ.
Immanuel, God with us
We have seen previously that one of the central features of Jesus’ work was to show or manifest the Father to the world. Christ was sent by his Father to be sacrificed, to show God’s righteousness (Rom 3: 21-26). Righteousness is a very important part of God’s glory but Christ showed us many other things about his Father. Jesus showed what the Father is like so well, that if God came to the earth as a man, Jesus showed what that man would be like. Thus the name, Immanuel, meaning “God with us”, was very appropriate though it is used only in Isa 7:14, as quoted in Matthew:
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel (which means, God with us)” (Matt 1:21-23).
The writer to the Hebrews puts it another way:
“In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power” (Heb 1:1-3).
Jesus “reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature”. Jesus shows the glory of God by reflecting it. “Very stamp” can be rendered literally “exact impress”. Thus, the image of God which Jesus shows by reflection is a true image of God. It is complete so as to accomplish God’s purpose in every way.
Christ, the image of God
The fact that Jesus is the image of God is expressed by Paul
“He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities – all things were created through him and for him” (Col 1:15-16).
This last passage also brings out how important Christ is to the purpose of God. In order that the creation can be filled with the Glory of God through Jesus Christ, all things in it have been made to depend on him, and to serve him.
In the following passages in John, Jesus himself states that to know him is to know what God is like and to see him is to see what God is like.
“They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father also” (John 8:19).
“If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:7-9).
“O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:25-26).
These passages all state that Jesus is the image of the Father. And an image is not the same as that which it is the image of. It is separate, and it is always different from the original. For example, we often speak of a child being the image of one of the parents at the same age. But, they are an entirely different person. In a somewhat similar way, Jesus is an entirely different person from his Father.
Paul speaks of “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God”, and “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:4-6). Christ showed mankind what God is like and when we know what God is like, we see His glory.
HE WHO WILL BE
We have learned that God caused His Son to be born so that His Son could reveal Him, to act for Him, and to speak for Him. We see from this why God chose, as His Memorial Name, YAHWEH , “HE WHO WILL BE”, or in its longer form (Exod 3:14), “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE”. God’s purpose was for His glory to be shown by him who was to come as the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Memorial Name in the form referring to the future was a prophecy that Christ would show His Glory.
With Christ’s coming, the prophecy given by the Name was fulfilled. Its purpose of looking forward to the coming of the Son of God was completed. Therefore, YAHWEH is not used in the New Testament. No one, not even Jesus, uses it in the New Testament. Not only that, but when an Old Testament passage is quoted in which Yahweh is used, the Greek word for Lord is substituted.
This is no accident of translation, as is shown by Rom 9:29, and James 5:4 where a name of God in the form, the Lord of Hosts3, is used. In the Greek manuscripts, Lord is a Greek word, while Hosts is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament — Sabaoth, and is used without translation. Why wasn’t Yahweh transliterated along with the word for Hosts? Paul and James have deliberately avoided using Yahweh while keeping the Hebrew word for Hosts. This could not be and was not accidental. We believe that it was done to show that it is not essential to use Yahweh any more.
What name has taken the place of Yahweh in referring to God? Jesus usually spoke of God as the Father, and addressed him in prayer as Father. However, the change is even greater than that. We will consider what is said about Jesus’ name (Yah saves, Joshua, Jesus). But first, let us make sure we understand that Jesus’ mission is described as being to bring glory to the Father’s Name. We are not talking about bringing glory to the name Yahweh. It is not used by Jesus, or by the New Testament writers. So, what is meant by Jesus bringing glory to the Father’s Name is that Jesus was to make His wonderful nature and being known.
God’s glory must be known by men and women in their minds, hearts, and spirits. Words, except God’s Word, and any names made up of letters are inadequate. When the Word was made flesh in Jesus Christ, God’s purpose to bring glory to His Name began to be fulfilled.
The following passages illustrate how Jesus viewed his mission to bring glory to his Father’s Name.
“Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matt 6:9).
“I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive” (John 5:43).
“Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me;’ ” (John 10:25).
“… for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again’ ” (John 12:27-28).
“Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14).
The name of Jesus
As we stated above, Jesus addresses God as Father, and does not use Yahweh. And, as we brought out, the change is even greater than that. Peter states about Jesus in Acts 4:12: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” What does this mean? Jesus’ work (and our work) is still to bring glory to the Father’s Name. We are now to approach the Father through Jesus Christ. Let’s look at a few more passages in Acts about Jesus’ Name.
“Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41: see vs 40)
“But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12).
“But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name’ ” (Acts 9:15-16).
If we consider references to “name” in the rest of Acts, and in all the rest of the New Testament, we find that same strong emphasis upon the Name of Jesus Christ. One passage that is especially important is:
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 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” (Phil 2:9-11).
So, the exaltation of Jesus’ name has the great overall purpose of bringing glory to God.
It is clear then that God has caused the name “Jesus” to be substituted for the name “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”. Where the Name of God is referred to, it is meant in a broader sense than that of a single spoken word or a single spoken (or written) phrase. The Name of God is made up of all the ways in which His Glory is expressed and shown. It is especially shown through the work of Christ and of the faithful.
Jesus subjected to God
This great prominence of Christ given to him by God must be balanced against the goal of God’s purpose and this is done very well in 1 Cor 15:24-28. We’ll just give vs 28 here: “When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.” But, until this goal is reached “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given” to Jesus (Matt 28:18). We read in John 3:34 “it is not by measure that He (God) gives the spirit.” Verse 35 continues, “the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” The “all things given” evidently includes that the name Jesus is, in many ways, to be used instead of Yahweh. Keep in mind that Jesus commanded us to pray to God through his name.
Does this all mean that we should never use the name Yahweh? There hasn’t been any command given not to use it. So it can be used, and should be used often enough so that all of us keep it in mind and understand it. Perhaps it should be rendered as such in the translations of the Old Testament instead of being masked as LORD. It is clear though, that the Name of God is now to be expressed in a broader and fuller and more glorious way than in letters and words. There are situations in which a name made of letters is needed. For these, we should usually follow the example of Jesus and the Apostles and use God or Father in referring to God or addressing Him in prayer. Finally, we need to understand and keep in mind that Jesus has been given “the name which is above every name”, and “there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Before leaving the subject of the revealing or manifestation of God by Christ, we need to consider the instances recorded in the New Testament in which Jesus is called God or is worshiped. The above discussion of the use of Jesus’ name in the New Testament instead of Yahweh, is helpful in understanding these instances, as is the role of Jesus in manifesting or showing God, his Father. Jesus was fulfilling a very exalted role during his ministry on earth.
There is a distinct difference between the description in the Old Testament of the revealing of God by the angels, and the description in the New Testament of the revealing of God by Christ. It was not made clear in the Old Testament that angels were acting and speaking for God. We have to study all the applicable Scriptures (Old and New Testaments) carefully before we are sure that this is the case. In the New Testament, we are always sure that it is Christ who is acting and speaking for God, and not God Himself. The angels were called God and worshiped as though they were God in the Old Testament. This was done frequently. The angels were identified as angels often enough for us to understand their role of revealing or representing God.
Christ was called God and worshiped (though only a very few times). So, God considers it acceptable for this to happen. It helps us to realize the exalted role Christ filled during his ministry on earth and the even more exalted role he is filling now, and will have in the future.
The following is a complete list of the places where Jesus is called God as far as we know.
“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).
“Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen” (Rom 9:5)
“waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13).
“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Heb 1:8-9, quoting Psa 45:6-7).
“Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:1 ESV: there are variations in the translations)
There are about six instances in which Jesus was worshiped. Two examples are:
“Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matt 14: 33).
“And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him [Jesus]” (John 9: 38).
It was therefore acceptable to call Jesus Christ God or worship him in a limited number of occasions in New Testament times. It is difficult to say how the faithful should apply these examples today and we won’t attempt to discuss that.
- In most translations, when we see Lord in capitals in the Old Testament, the Hebrew behind it is יהוה, usually transliterated by Yahweh.
- The various meanings are derived from the fact that the Hebrew of the Old Testament has no future tense, only past and continuous i.e. present as well as future. So the idea might be represented as the idea of a continuing, eternal being — to be revealed to us in Jesus.
- The Lord of Hosts: RSV. The KJV has “Lord of Saboath”.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One