March 14

WHAT IS GOD’S NAME?

-There is much controversy over the question of God’s name. Many try to determine God’s name by looking to the Old Testament alone. This can not be done, for the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The Old Testament sheds some light on this question, so we will start there.

-In the Old Testament, God’s name is represented by the tetragrammaton ( four letters ) Yod He Waw He, transliterated into the Roman script YHWH. Because it was considered blasphemous to utter the name of God it was only written and never spoken. This resulted in the original pronunciation being lost. The name may have originally been derived from the old Semitic root ( hwy ) meaning “to be” or “to become”.

According to Dr. Stephen Jones:

-“Adonai Yahweh is one of the prophet Ezekiel’s favorite terms for Yahweh. He uses the term 214 times—for example, Ezekiel 2:4. It is translated “The Lord God” in the KJV. Personally, I would prefer NOT to translate the term at all, but simply leave it as it reads in the Hebrew: Adonai Yahweh. However, if men insist on translating it, the term could more accurately read, “Lord Yahweh.” ( Putting The Sacred Names In Perspective, Dr. Stephen Jones )

-The name Yahweh ( YHWH ) comes from a verb which means “to exist, be”. This, plus its usage, shows that this name stresses God as the independent and self-existent God of revelation and redemption ( Genesis 4:3, Exodus 6:3 ). The name Yahweh tells us much about the character and nature of God. It tells us that He is:

-SELF-EXISTENT

-THE GREAT I AM

-I AM THAT I AM

-INDEPENDENT

-SELF-SUFFICIENT

-While the name Yahweh tells us much about God, it still leaves us with just a general picture of God, and a longing for a greater, more specific name that defines Who and what He is. Let us now look to the New Testament to know beyond a shadow of a doubt what God’s name is.

-John 17:6 states, … ( Jesus is speaking ) I HAVE MANIFESTED YOUR NAME unto the men which You gave Me out of the world: … John 17:26 states, … ( Jesus is speaking ) And I have declared unto them YOUR NAME, and will declare it: … John 8:58 states, … Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM ( Sound familiar? … How about … I AM THAT I AM! ) … Revelation 1:8 states, … ( Jesus is speaking ) I AM Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, Which is, and Which was, and Which is to come, THE ALMIGHTY … John 14:7 states, … ( Jesus is speaking ) …IF YOU HAD KNOWN ME, YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN MY FATHER ALSO: AND FROM HENCEFORTH YOU KNOW HIM, AND HAVE SEEN HIM … Finally, Jesus states in John 5:43, … I AM COME IN MY FATHER’S NAME!!! ... Well … What name did He come with? YES … YOU GUESSED IT! The name He came with was … J E S U S! According to Dr. Stephen Jones: "( The Greek name itself is spelled Iesous or Iesus and is translated into English as Jesus. Of course, the “J” in the English language did not come into usage until about 200 years ago, so prior to this time it was spelled with an “I”." [ Putting The Sacred Names In Perspective, Dr. Stephen Jones ] )!

-Well … There you have it! It is undeniable! We have our answer!

-GOD’S NAME IS JESUS!-