When Yahweh Shared His Title

Jesus believed he was the Messiah (Yahweh’s chosen), but he did not believe he was Yahweh and neither did his Jewish followers. Jesus’ first disciples believed the holy spirit (Yahweh’s power) came down from the heavens and rested upon Jesus at the time of his baptism (Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22). This power enabled him to carry out the mission Yahweh had for him (Acts 10:38).

Yahweh raised the mortal Jesus from the dead. Paul said, “[Yahweh] raised [Jesus] from the dead and seated [Jesus] at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under [Jesus’] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:20-22).

Notice Jesus wasn’t born with this power and he didn’t send it to himself. He didn’t raise himself from the dead and he didn’t exalt himself and give himself authority over all things. The bible says Yahweh “bestowed” upon Jesus “the name that is above every name,” i.e. “Lord” (Philippians 2:9).

During Jesus’ lifetime he was addressed as “lord,” a title used for rabbis, priests, the wealthy, rulers, etc.; however, the Bible says that he was made king of kings and lord of lords!

Jesus was never Yahweh; God exalted Jesus, sharing with him his divine name, throne, and glory. Yahweh did this so that Jesus could reign over the kingdom of God and be worthy of worship alongside of himself. In essence, Jesus was made a god. (The Greek trinitarian concept had not yet been invented.) Furthermore, Paul says Jesus will only reign until “all things are subjected to him,” and then he will subject himself to Yahweh like everything else “so that [Yahweh] may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).

Question 1: Doesn’t the fact that Jesus was born of a virgin prove he was not the same as other humans?

Answer 1: See this post: Are the details surrounding Jesus’ birth historically accurate?

Question 2: In several places, New Testament writers state that Jesus existed prior to creation. Doesn’t that prove he was God?

Answer 2: See this post: Did Jesus have a pre-human existence?

Question 3: If Jesus were not God, how did he perform miracles?

Answer 3: God performed miracles through him. The Bible has many accounts of God performing miracles through his prophets. In the New Testament, we are told the spirit of God descended on Jesus at his baptism (Mar 1:10), that he cast out demons by the spirit of God (Mat 12:28), that God did miracles through Jesus (Acts 2:22), and that the miracles were done to show that he was God’s chosen one, the Christ (John 20:30-31).

Question 4: If Jesus were not God, how could his death have paid the price for men’s sins?

Answer 4: The Bible says that Yahweh accepted the death of Jesus “as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). The writer of Hebrews says, “After making purification for sins, [Jesus] sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name Jesus has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (emphasis added). Because of Jesus’ faithfulness, Yahweh accepted his death as payment (redemption) for sins committed by Israel under the first covenant (Hebrews 9:15)¹. It was Jesus’ faithfulness that made him worthy, not any claims of divinity.
______________________________________________
Related Posts:
Formation of Trinitarianism
The holy spirit in the Bible
Jesus’ gospel or Paul’s gospel
Why is the Gospel of John so Different?

Note:
¹Although Jesus’ death was to save Israel, Paul said believing Gentiles would also benefit from the cross since they would escape the wrath of God in the age to come and be reconciled to Yahweh along with the Jews (Ephesians 2:11-16).