| News and Views | February 1942 |
God’s “Must” Program
DESPITE the present all-out war efforts of the Democracies, considerable official attention is being given to making plans for the post-war era. “After the war, what?” is a question that is being asked and considered by both governmental and religious groups. The National Resources and Planning Board, an official organization sanctioned by the President, is making definite and far-reaching plans which it is hoped will assure this country and the world an era of peace, prosperity and happiness outstripping anything humanity has ever experienced.
In recognition of the fact that so much of the world’s ills is the outgrowth of selfishness and hatred, religious groups are setting themselves to the task of exerting a stronger influence among men along the lines of justice and love. This, too, is encouraging, for it indicates that despite the present blackout of peace and security, the people are determined that better times shall come, and are willing to energetically work toward that end. The late Arthur Brisbane advanced the theory that whatever man can think he can do. While this is not literally true, nevertheless, it IS necessary to think about better things, and plan for them, in order to be prepared to receive them. One of the divine purposes in permitting the present great time of distress upon the nations is to turn the hearts and minds of the people in the direction of the good things God has in reservation for them.
Another interesting trend that can be noticed by the watchers in Zion is the fact that in a vague way the people are beginning to wonder whether or not God may have a hand in the present trouble. Winston Churchill, addressing the Congress of the United States, said he believed that a divine destiny for mankind was being worked out in this war. He didn’t say what he thought it was. Probably he didn’t have any definite idea to express. It seemed to be merely that from his vantage point of observation he could see that something was taking place for which human strategy and theories could not account.
The Gary (Ind.) Post Tribune, recently published a cartoon, with comments, which also is a recognition that, in some inscrutable manner, God’s will is being carried out through present world events. In the foreground of this cartoon are pictured the sands of the seashore upon which man’s effort to build the world his own way is pictured by crumbling buildings, out from which humanity, garbed as soldiers, are fleeing in fear. Coming up over these sands of human wisdom and effort is a mighty tidal wave, sweeping away everything before it as it moves irresistibly forward. Man’s efforts to build a happy world are as nothing in the pathway of this mighty ocean which, in the cartoon, is labeled “God’s Will.” Under this vivid illustration of Man vs. God, appears the following comment.
“We can see God’s will becoming once more an inescapable, irresistible force in life. Man’s arrogant and selfish determination to build the world his own way is beginning to crumble before the incoming tide. God will wash the shore clean of man’s materialistic patterns in sand, and an age of spiritual defiance and individual indifference will be ended. The storm that brings this in will hurt many of us, sweep away much that we have been trying to gather unto ourselves. But God rides in the storm. His hand is again moving—clearly and unmistakably in the winds of the Russian winter and in the vastness of the Pacific.”—Charles A. Wells.
Those who can read the message of the prophecies given us in the Word can agree with Mr. Churchill, and with the lesson of the above noted cartoon. There IS a divine destiny being worked out in the present world-wide struggle of the nations. There is a divine strategy over and above all that man is now planning and doing; a strategy which in God’s due time will shape up a new world order that will be the “desire of all nations.” (Hag. 2:7) The prophet indicates that a part of the divine strategy accomplishing this desirable end is the “shaking” of all nations.
This shaking is now going on, and already is beginning to awaken the people to a sense of their great need for the very blessings which the Lord has promised to give to them. After all, before the desire of the nations can be satisfied, the desire itself must be intensified to the point where the people insist that it must be realized. The educational processes of the “time of trouble” have already caused many to insist that war “must” end, and that all people “must” be guaranteed their proportionate share of earth’s bounties, without fear of molestation and aggression.
God’s plan calls for just such a happy and equitable arrangement for all people. He has promised that “They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make afraid.” (Micah 4:4; Zech 3:10) But before the people are ready to appreciate a world in which such arrangements can and will exist, they must be prepared for it. The folly of human selfishness must be demonstrated. The vested rights of the over-privileged God will wrest from the hands of those unwilling to give them up willingly. All mankind, rich and poor, prince and peasant, must be so humbled through their own failures that they will finally give heed to the Lord’s voice bidding them to “Be still, and know that I am God.”—Psa. 46:10
NINE FREEDOMS FOR POST-WAR ERA
While human wisdom alone comes far short of visualizing the full scope of divine blessings in store for the world under the administration of Christ’s Kingdom, yet it is interesting to note that many of the things now being hoped for do approximate, in part at least, the very blessings which the Kingdom will provide. For example, the National Resources and Planning Board, recently submitted a nine-point program which, in turn, was transmitted to the Congress by President Roosevelt, and which, in the light of the Kingdom blessings promised by God, is very interesting. The first of these is the freedom “to work usefully and creatively through the productive years.”
Quite apart from economic necessity, to work “usefully and creatively” is both a necessity and a joy to normal human beings. No greater calamity can befall a healthy man or woman than to be deprived of the privilege of being usefully employed for a reasonable average amount of time each day. As a result of man’s fall into sin and death the majority of the race have been subjected to hard labor and slavery. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,” is the sentence that was imposed upon man because of sin. (Gen. 3:19) This has been a hard sentence, but total idleness would have been still worse.
Even the drudgery endured by billions throughout the centuries has been a blessing in disguise to the fallen race, in that it has prevented the more rapid deterioration of moral standards which would have resulted had idleness been the common heritage of the masses. Now, as we approach the end of the reign of sin and death, the increasing light of the dawning new day is providing labor-saving machinery, and other advantages which are gradually doing away with the necessity of hard labor, yet, at the same time, an unemployment situation is being produced the solution of which is baffling the ability of human wisdom.
It is well to plan for a new order in which all will have the right and the opportunity to be usefully employed, but will human selfishness permit this, and, at the same time, permit freedom along all other lines? The National Resources and Planning Board hopes so, and this hope is expressed in some of the others of the nine “Freedoms”; namely, “The right to fair play,” “The right to live in a system of free enterprise, free from compulsory labor, irresponsible private power, arbitrary public authority and unregulated monopolies.” That’s a big order!
It’s encouraging to realize that men are able to visualize a world filled with so many advantages and blessings, and these very blessings are among those for which provision has been made in God’s new world. Where the plans formulated by human wisdom fall short of the mark is in the fact that they make no provision for doing away with human selfishness. Only divine wisdom and power can deal with this problem. The divine program calls for the writing of God’s law in the hearts of the people, and thus will love, instead of selfishness, become the motivating power of human activity.—Jeremiah 31:31-34
Points three and four in the plan for the world of tomorrow are (3) “The right to adequate food, clothing, shelter, and medical care”; (4) “The right to security, with freedom from fear of old age, want, dependency, sickness, unemployment, and accident.” These, too, are noble sentiments, and represent the best that man can do to meet the accident, sickness, and old-age problems. But God has a better plan covering these points. That plan is not to care for people when they grow old and decrepit; but to prevent them from growing old and decrepit; not to care for them when they get sick, but to enable them to remain well and healthy; not to provide hospitalization when they are hurt by accidents, but to prevent accidents.—Isa. 11:9; 25:6-9; 33:24; 35; Rev. 21:1-5
In short, God’s plan for the new world calls for the restoration of paradise, and the extending of Edenic blessings to all mankind. Sickness and death came as a result of sin. The redemptive work of Christ provides for a recovery of that which was lost in the fall, which means that the human race will be restored to its pre-sin status of perfection and everlasting life. Yes, God’s plan provides for a “freedom” that goes far beyond the fondest dreams of fallen men—a freedom from every form of evil including sickness and death.
“The right to equality before the Law,” is another of the freedoms included in the general outline of what must be after the war, as submitted to the President by the National Resources and Planning Board. God didn’t overlook this provision either in the Messianic arrangement for the establishment of a new world. Concerning it the prophet declares, “He shall judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with judgment.” And again, “He shall judge the poor of the people. He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.”—Psalms 72:2,4
Article eight in this plan for the new world is, “The right to education, for work, for citizenship, and for personal growth and happiness.” The divine plan specifically provides for a program of education—a program that will, indeed, result in personal growth and happiness—a growth so rich and full that it will not stop short of actual mental, moral, and physical perfection; and a fullness of happiness and joy that can be experienced only by those wholly at one with the Creator and rejoicing in the privilege of doing His will.
In Isaiah 26:9, we are told that when the Lord’s judgments are abroad in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. In Micah 4:1-4, we are assured that then the people will learn of the Lord’s ways, and that the Lord’s program of education will promote peace and good will among the nations, as a result of which they will learn war no more. In Isaiah 29:18-24, we are promised that in the Lord’s new world a “book” is to be opened, causing the eyes of the spiritually blind to see, and the ears of the spiritually deaf to hear. Then, we are told, “The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” The prophet also says: “They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.”
The final point in the National Planning Board’s nine-freedom program for the new world calls for “The right to rest, recreation, and adventure; the opportunity to enjoy life and take part in an advancing civilization.” This, too, will be given to the people in God’s new world. It is to provide opportunity for rest that, in the divine providence, all the labor-saving machinery has come into such general use. This gradually will result in removing that part of the curse relating to the “sweat of face.”
As already noted, too much idleness under present conditions would be disastrous, but in God’s new world there will be abundant opportunity to employ time in wholesome, thrilling and profitable recreation and adventure, There will not only be the opportunity, but the time also, to explore all the wondrous things of God as dis. played in nature, on and in the sea; on and under the earth; and in the air. All eternity will be spread out before the people as a never-ending vista in which there will be opportunities to learn more and more about God and about His wonderful works.
And all will have an opportunity of taking part in an advancing civilization which will continue to advance until every evil is fully eradicated. The Scriptural statement of this declares that Christ must reign until all enemies are put down, the last enemy to be destroyed being death. (I Cor. 15:25,26) What unlimited and blessed opportunities there will be for all to take part in a program of this kind! The responsibilities for its success will rest upon Christ for we are told that the “Government shall be upon His shoulder,” but all will be privileged to take part in it.—Isaiah 9:6,7
The complete program calls for a resurrection of the dead—all the dead, beginning with Adam. Think of the preparation required in order for the living generations to absorb and properly provide for the billions of those who have died! What joy there will be in “reconstruction” work of that kind. It will not be a case of building for later destruction by war. Nor yet will it be a case of building for a future generation while the builders themselves go into death; for then “There shall be no more death.”—Rev. 21:4
Thus we see that what the noble-minded people of the world are hoping for and planning for, God already has on His “must” program, and the divine conception of these blessings goes far beyond that of human wisdom and ability. There can be no question about the success of the divine program, for we are told that “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isa. 9:7) Yes, divine power is back of the divine plan, which means that the power that subdued the waves of Galilee, that healed the sick and raised the dead throughout Judea nineteen centuries ago, will shortly subdue the turbulent passions of a world gone mad, and give peace and health and life to all. “Haste ye along, ages of glory.”
| The Everlasting Gospel |
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
“For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”—I Timothy 2:5,6
ALL ARE born with an inherent tendency to worship a higher power—a supreme Being. Humanity, in its desire to worship, has formulated all sorts of crude and misleading conceptions concerning deity. Some, even whole nations at times, have tried to dismiss the idea of God, and to get along without religion, but sooner or later come back to the worship of some kind of a higher power. Others, in their anxiety not to overlook any advantage that might accrue to them from allegiance to deity, have had a multiplicity of gods. The Athenians of old even went so far as to erect an idol to the “unknown God.”—Acts 17:23
The true Deity of the Bible has been an “unknown God” to most people in all ages, and is so even today. At this time in the world’s history when powerful forces in Europe are attempting to push aside the God of the Bible, and set up, instead, the worship of a pagan god, and when one of the stated war aims of the democracies is to maintain the right to worship a “God of love and mercy,” what could be more appropriate than to re-examine the Scriptural testimony concerning the God of Christianity so that we, who insist on continuing to worship this true God, may be able to do so understandingly, and “in spirit and in truth.”—John 4:23,24; Jer. 9:24; John 17:3; Neh. 8:8,12
That more or less confusion exists relative to the God of the Bible is apparent from the many conflicting ideas extant concerning Him. However, it isn’t necessary that we examine the merits of these conflicting theories in order to know what the Bible really teaches on the subject. It is better, rather, to go direct to the Bible itself; and when we do, there comes to light the fact that there is but one God, whose name is Jehovah; and that Christians of this age are entitled to think of Him and address Him as their Heavenly Father.
The Bible also tells us of the “Son of God,” who is our Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer and Savior of the world. According to the first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, Jesus, in His pre-human existence was known as the “Logos,” that is, the “Word,” or mouthpiece of Jehovah, the Creator. In His relationship to mankind, as Savior and Redeemer, Jesus is prophetically spoken of as the “Prince of Peace”; the “Mighty God”; “Emmanuel”; “Michael”; “King of kings”; “Mediator”; etc. These various titles do not describe different Gods, but various characteristics of this one Son of God, whom the Father has commanded shall be honored even as He Himself is honored.—Isa. 9:6; Matt. 1:23; Dan. 12:1; Rev. 19:16; I Tim. 2:5
The Bible also speaks of the “Holy Spirit.” Through a misunderstanding the Holy Spirit has been construed to be a personality, a third mighty being, equal in power and glory to the Father and Son, yet in some mysterious way, one in substance with them. But this view is not Scriptural, as we shall see. Rather, the Holy Spirit mentioned so prominently in the Scriptures is the holy power or influence of God—a power which operates for the accomplishment of the divine purposes wherever and whatever they may be. This fact will become readily apparent as we examine the Scriptural testimony appertaining thereto.
Jehovah, a God of Love
In a more or less widespread misconception of Jehovah, He is thought of as being austere and unsympathetic, demanding cruel punishment for all who deviate from the doing of His will. In this view, Jesus is looked upon as the loving God of the Bible, the One who stepped between the stern Creator and man, as a Redeemer and Savior of the human race. This viewpoint is well illustrated by a story that is told of a little girl who was asked what would be the first thing she would do when she got to heaven, and her reply was that she would hide behind Jesus so God wouldn’t see her.
In our search of the Scriptures to find what they say about the “God of love and mercy,” it is important, first of all, to note that Jehovah Himself, as well as Jesus, is clearly shown to possess the quality of love. In Titus 3:4, in fact, He is spoken of as our “Savior,” and is there said to be kind and loving. This, the Scriptural view of Jehovah, reveals Him as being the Author of the plan of salvation, and Jesus as heartily cooperating. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16; I John 4:9,10; Hebrews 10:5-7
The name Jehovah means the Self-existent, or Eternal One (Dr. James Strong). In the Bible it is applied exclusively to the Creator, the great First Cause of everything. “From everlasting to everlasting,” is one of the Scriptural expressions used by the Holy Spirit to emphasize that Jehovah is not a created being, but the Creator of all things. (Psa. 90:2) The name Jehovah is never applied to Jesus.
The name Jehovah is, of course, an Old Testament word. It is not used by the New Testament writers, evidently for the reason that they considered it too sacred a name to translate into another language, or, perhaps, because there was no suitable Greek word to use in translating it. But this doesn’t mean that Jehovah is merely a tribal god of the Jews, as some would try to make us believe. He is the one true God, the Creator of the universe, and the one in whom all animate creation lives and moves and has its being.—Acts 17:24-28
In the King James Version of the Old Testament the name Lord is often used to translate the word Jehovah. When this is done, the word Lord appears in large and small capital letters, so the student has no difficulty in identifying it. By noting this, it will be found that the name Jehovah is used a great deal in the Old Testament, but is applied exclusively to the Creator—never to other gods, whether good or evil.
Other Gods in the Old Testament
However, there are other Hebrew words in the Old Testament translated Lord and God. These, while sometimes applied to Jehovah, are also sometimes prophetically applied to Jesus; sometimes to one or more of the angels; and sometimes even to heathen rulers and heathen gods. There are three of these Hebrew words—adon, Adonai, and elohim. The most frequent application of adon is to great and mighty ones of the earth. Adonai is always applied to Deity, but not always to Jehovah, For example in Psalms 110:5, we read, “the Lord at Thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath.” Here the name Lord is a translation of the Hebrew word Adonai, and refers to Christ, while the pronoun “Thy” refers to Jehovah.
The Hebrew word elohim in the Old Testament is a plural form most frequently translated “God” and “Gods,” and is sometimes used with reference to Jehovah, sometimes prophetically of Christ, occasionally, by way of deference, to magistrates, sometimes to angels, and sometimes to false gods. We mention the use of these various Hebrew words translated Lord and God in order to emphasize the fact that Jehovah is the one and only Almighty God, who is “from everlasting to everlasting.” There are other lords and other gods referred to in the Scriptures, but Jehovah, even when mentioned as Adonai, or Elohim, is The Adonai, and The Elohim.
Attributes of Jehovah’s Character
Jehovah has been belittled in the minds of many by a traditional misconception of His personality that has been handed down to us from the dark ages, in which He was depicted as an old man with a beard. The Bible does not attempt to give us a description of the bodily appearance of the Great Eternal One, because our finite minds could not conceive of His glory even though it were described to us.
The Bible does, however, reveal a great deal concerning the outstanding attributes of the divine character. It tells us of His infinite Wisdom, Justice, Love, and Power. These attributes of Jehovah’s character are in perfect balance; and by their manifestation through His dealings with the human race, His glory is revealed. However, it is largely to the degree that we understand the divine plan for the human race, that we can appreciate the beauty of the divine character.
While the Bible, of course, does say that God is love, that He is just, and wise and powerful, yet it is only as we see the outworking of these glorious attributes in the Creator’s designs toward the children of men that they become truly meaningful to us. While we can, it is true, behold the power of Jehovah in the works of creation with which we are surrounded, yet God’s plan for a resurrection of the dead; and especially His resurrection of Jesus, is a display of His power surpassing even that of His creative work.—Eph. 1:19,20
Without a knowledge of God’s plan as a whole, one might wonder why He doesn’t use His power to put an immediate stop to human suffering; especially in view of the fact that He is reputed to be loving as well as powerful. But we must remember that God is just and wise, as well as powerful and loving. Everything He does must be fully in harmony with all these attributes of His character.—Psa. 89:14
Had God been merely loving and merciful He would not have condemned our first parents to death, although He had told them if they sinned they would die. One of the fundamentals of God’s law is that the “wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) His Justice, therefore, demanded that our first parents pay the penalty of their sin. Some may argue that God’s plan to raise the dead is, in effect, a setting aside of God’s justice in demanding the death sentence for the violation of His law?
But that’s where God’s wisdom and love enter into the arrangement. Had justice alone been considered, no provision would have been made to set aside that original sentence of death; but divine wisdom and love found a way whereby God could be just, yet use His power to restore the dead to life. This way is through Christ, the Redeemer. The first feature of the redemptive work of Christ is referred to in the Bible as a “ransom,” which means a corresponding price. It was divine love that made the provision of the ransom, for the Scriptures say that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16; Hebrews 2:9
Nor does this mean that Jehovah has changed His mind concerning the “wages of sin.” Divine wisdom also plays an important role in connection with the Creator’s attitude toward His human creatures. God saw that it would be highly desirable that man obtain a thorough knowledge of sin and its dire consequences. There are four ways in which knowledge can be obtained: namely, by information, by observation, by experience, and by intuition.
Intuitive knowledge belongs to God alone. Our first parents were given knowledge by information as to the results of sin, but this was not sufficient. If they were to receive knowledge by observation it would mean that evil would need to be experienced by others somewhere in the universe. Hence God, in His wisdom, permitted evil to enter the human domain, that man himself might learn by experience its terrible results, and also serve as an object lesson to other beings.
The manner in which evil was permitted is a further display of God’s infinite wisdom. He could have created enough human beings to fill the whole earth, and thus have the planet populated, without the process of procreation. This would have meant that each one would have been individually on trial for life. In this case, if those who transgressed were to be redeemed from death, it would have required a separate Redeemer for each one of them. Hence, we can see the wisdom in the divine arrangement whereby Adam was held the responsible head of the entire human race. Thus his sin not only brought condemnation upon all, in that from the very start they were born imperfect, but it also made possible the redemption of all through the death of but one Redeemer.—Romans 5:12
Meanwhile, as each generation of the human race comes upon the scene, it receives an experimental knowledge of sin and its results, and then passes away temporarily in the sleep of death, to be restored during the coming Kingdom period when their present experience will be a most valuable asset to them in weighing the advantages of obedience to the divine law then in force. By this infinitely wise arrangement every child of Adam will be given an experimental knowledge of both good and evil, and thus will be equipped to choose intelligently between the two. Those who choose the good, and accept of God’s grace through Christ, the Redeemer, will then live forever.
God’s Diversified Wisdom
In Ephesians 3:10, St Paul speaks of the “manifold” wisdom of God. The Emphatic Diaglott translation of this text uses the word “diversified.” The apostle also shows that this “diversified” wisdom of God is being manifested even to the angelic beings in the universe, being revealed to them specially through God’s dealings with the church of this age. This means that God’s creatures on the other planes of existence are being benefited by observing the outworking of the divine plan for the recovery of the human race from the results of sin.
In the selection and preparation of the church to cooperate with Jesus in the future Kingdom work of rehabilitating the lost race, there is a still further manifestation of divine wisdom. How wise that representatives of the fallen race should be chosen, tested, and then equipped to deal with and bless their fellows in the Mediatorial arrangements of the new age. And the qualification test placed upon these is so wise; namely, that they love God’s will so supremely, and their fellow men so unselfishly, that they gladly lay down their lives in service now—imperfect though that service may be—in order that they may be exalted to a glorious future service which will actually give life to all mankind. It is this that St. Paul refers to as a baptism for the dead.—I Corinthians 15:29
Yes, those who follow in Jesus’ footsteps now, will reign with Him in His thousand-year Kingdom. The purpose of that Kingdom is the restoration of the entire human race to the lost earthly paradise. During that thousand years Christ and the church will serve as a Mediatorial board to instruct and bless the world; and finally, to restore the people to at-one-ment with the Creator.—Rev. 20:4; Acts 3:20,21; Acts 15:16,17
Thus we see that God’s plan displays His love, His justice, His power, and His wisdom. The more we learn about that plan the better we can see God’s glorious character revealed therein. In the light of God’s plan even the present severe experiences through which the human race is passing, are understandable, because we can view them from the standpoint of the wonderful future provision God has made for the blessing of all the people.
Who Is Jesus?
Jehovah of the Old Testament Scriptures is the Heavenly Father of the New Testament. Thus, Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven.” Jesus is the Son of God, this being the relationship He has always enjoyed with Jehovah, the Creator. The Scriptures make it plain that Jesus had been actively associated with His Father since the earliest dawn of creation. They tell us, in fact, that He was the “Beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14), and also, “the firstborn of every creature.”—Col. 1:15
These passages indicate that Jesus was the direct creation of the Father, and therefore properly spoken of as His “only begotten Son.” The apostle also tells us that Jesus was the active agent of Jehovah in all the creative work. He says: “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him.”—Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2; John 1:3; Eph. 3:9
Another interesting passage bearing on this same point is that of the first chapter of the Gospel according to John. Here, Jesus in His pre-human existence is referred to as the “Word” of God. Verse 14 says that the “Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” The term “Word” here used is a translation of the Greek word Logos. Ancient kings when addressing their people, customarily sat behind a lattice, in front of which stood a representative who proclaimed the king’s message to the people. This representative was styled the Logos—the king’s word, or mouthpiece.
With this illustration in mind the title Logos, when applied to God’s only begotten Son, is seen to be peculiarly fitting. God’s Son, as the Logos, has always been the active agent of Jehovah, and the Bible assures us that He always will be. Not only in the work of creation, but in the call and preparation of the church in this age, and also in the gigantic task of restitution scheduled for the Millennial age, this beloved Son of God, acts for the Father, expressing His will, and doing His work. In the Millennial age He will speak peace to all the nations, and they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks. —Micah 4:1-4; Psalms 46:9
Speaking of that future glorious triumph of the divine cause in the earth, under the leadership of God’s Son, the Apostle Paul says: “He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For He [Jehovah] hath put all things under His [Jesus’] feet. But when He saith, all things are put under Him [Jesus], it is manifest that He [Jehovah] is excepted, which did put all things under Him [Jesus]. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him [Jehovah] that put all things under Him, that God [Jehovah] may be all in all.”—I Cor. 15:25-28
Considerable confusion has resulted from an inaccurate translation of John 1:1, 2, where the King James Version makes it appear that the “Word,” or Logos, is the same personality as God. The “Word was God,” is the way this faulty translation puts it. But in the original Greek text the matter is made clear. There a distinction is made between the Logos, who was “a” God, and the Father, who is referred to as “The” God. The translation should read, “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was a God. The same was in the beginning with The God.”
The Greek word Theos is the one in this text that is translated God. Theos simply means a mighty one, and it must be determined from the text in which it is used, whether the reference is to Jehovah, the great and Almighty One, or to His Son, Christ Jesus, formerly the Logos, who is “a” mighty One. As a matter of fact, this same word Theos is used in II Corinthians 4:4, where the reference is to Satan, the “God [theos] of this world,” However, in the Greek text, the definite article “The,” makes it clear who is meant.
Thus we see that it was the Logos, as “a” God, the one who was the active agent of Jehovah in the creative work, who was “made flesh.” It was not Jehovah, the Almighty God. It is interesting to note, in this connection, the form of expression used in the Genesis account of creation, where we read, “Let US make man in OUR image,” etc. Here Jehovah is speaking to the Logos, outlining and directing the work in hand.—Gen. 1:26
And, in keeping with this spirit of oneness and cooperation, when the time came for fallen man to be redeemed, the Logos “humbled Himself,” becoming a servant in lowly form, for the suffering of death upon the cross. (Phil. 2:7,8) During the whole period of His earthly ministry Jesus remained humble, always reminding those to whom He ministered that the words which He spoke, and the works which He did, were not His own, but those of the Heavenly Father. This was in full keeping with His plain assertion that “My Father is greater than I.”—John 14:28
Jesus’ Oneness with the Father
Jesus declared to His disciples, “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30) This statement has been misused in an effort to prove that Jesus and His Father were one and the same person. But all will concede, we believe, that there are forms of oneness other than that of a similarity of being. In the 17th chapter of John, Jesus is quoted as praying for the oneness of His church. In this prayer He asks His Father to bring about the same kind of oneness between His church and Himself as existed between Himself and His Father. This, obviously, is a oneness of will and purpose.
It is in this same sense, according to these words of Jesus, that He and the Father are one. This is clearly borne out by many things the Master said. During His ministry He emphasized over and over that He came not to do His own will, but the will of the Heavenly Father who sent Him. When Jesus was facing mockery, ignominy, and death, He asked the Father to let this cup pass from Him if it were possible. “Nevertheless,” He said, “not My will, but Thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42; Matthew 26:39; John 5:30; 6:38) The Heavenly Father’s will was ever paramount in the Master’s life, hence He could truly say, “I and My Father are one.”
This is also the reason Jesus could truthfully say, “He who hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9) That this statement of Jesus doesn’t mean that in seeing Him one actually saw Jehovah, is clearly shown by both the Old and the New Testament statements to the effect that no one can look upon God and live. (Exod. 33:20; I Tim. 6:16; 1:17; John 1:18) If those who looked upon Jesus in the flesh thereby actually saw God, it would mean that God, the creator of the universe, is a human being. What Jesus meant was that His life and ministry served to reveal the Father to those who had “eyes to see.”
And besides, it should be remembered that Jesus in the flesh was an exact counterpart of father Adam, of whom it is said, that he was created in the “image of God.” This, of course, refers to a moral image, not a physical likeness. It means that Adam was capable of discerning between right and wrong, as those principles were enunciated in the law of His Creator. This is the reason he was held responsible for his sin.
Jesus, like Adam before the fall, was also in the image of God—a perfect, sinless human being. It was necessary that Jesus be thus, else He could not have redeemed Adam and his race from death. He came to earth as a representative of the Heavenly Father, and everything He did and said was just what the Father would have done and said had He personally visited the earth. Thus it was true that, in a very wonderful way, those who saw Him saw the Father. It was the only way that a fallen human being could see God and live.
This Scriptural understanding of the identity of Jesus as the beloved and only begotten of the Father, should greatly enhance our appreciation of Him, and give Him the proper place in our hearts He merits and deserves—second only to Jehovah Himself. We should honor the Son even as we honor the Father. (John 5:23) God so highly regarded and honored the Son that He even commanded the angels to worship Him. (Heb. 1:6,7) If we take the view that Jesus was God Himself, then we have the inconsistency of the Master praying to Himself, as well as other incongruities in connection with His earthly life and ministry.
Jesus Now Highly Exalted
The Bible shows that in carrying out the divine plan of redemption for the human race, the only begotten Son of God has experienced two changes of nature. Before His human existence, He was a glorious spirit being, next in honor and authority to the Heavenly Father Himself. Jesus referred to His pre-human glory, when He prayed, “O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” (John 17:5.) That glory was laid aside when the Logos was “made flesh.” Jesus was made flesh, the apostle explains, “for the suffering of death.” (Heb. 2:9,14) As a spirit being He could not give Himself as a corresponding price for father Adam and his race, so He humbled Himself that He might die as a ransom to save the human race from eternal destruction.—Phil;. 2:7,8; I Tim. 2:5,6
In raising the Master from the dead the Father did more than restore His Son to His former position of glory in the heavenly realm. He highly exalted Him to a place next to Himself on the throne of the universe. He exalted Him to the divine nature, also, so that now He is truly the divine Christ—the “express image of the Father’s person.” (Psa. 110:1; Acts 2:34,36; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1:3,13) Hallelujah, what a Savior!
The Holy Spirit
Through mistranslations and otherwise, many have been led to erroneously believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, the third person of a trinity of Gods; but the Scriptures, when properly understood, do not warrant this thought. One of the mistranslations contributing to this misunderstanding is where the Greek word pneuma is rendered by the English word “ghost.” This makes the Holy Spirit to be a Holy “Ghost.”
But this is a gross mistranslation, and so recognized by the American Revision Committee who translated the Revised Version. In a number of instances, both the British and American Revisers corrected “Ghost” to “Spirit.” The American Revisers use the word “Spirit” where the King James Version reads “Ghost.” The King James Version was translated at a time when superstition was rife, hence the word “Ghost” would command a great deal more respect and reverence than it does today. In those “good old days (?)” ghosts were very real in the minds of most people, yet very mysterious. They were always associated with the thought of personality, and the translators, believing in a personal Holy Spirit, conceived the idea of calling it a Holy “Ghost.”
In the Old Testament the word “spirit” is a translation of the Hebrew word ruach. The primary significance of this word is “wind.” We do not mean to imply by this, however, that the Holy Spirit is a holy wind. This is merely the root meaning of the word. Wind is both invisible and powerful, hence the ancients applied this word to various invisible and powerful influences. Since divine power is exercised through channels and by agencies beyond human sight and understanding, this word ruach came to be applied more and more to all of God’s dealings.
The word ruach, in addition to being translated “spirit,” is also translated in the Old Testament by the English words “blast,” “breath,” “tempest,” “mind,” “smell,” “wind,” and “windy.” It will be seen that in each of these translations the thought behind the word is that of invisible power, or influence. There is power in the “mind,” for example, but it’s a power that is invisible, and its operation but little understood.
As already noted, in the New Testament the Greek word translated “Spirit,” or “Ghost,” in the expressions Holy Spirit or Holy “Ghost,” is pneuma. The primary meaning of this word is also wind, or air. It is the word from which our English word pneumatic is derived. In addition to being translated “Spirit” and “Ghost,” it is also translated in the New Testament by the words “life,” “spiritual,” and sometimes “wind.” In Revelation 13:15 it is translated life, and here the reference is to “life” that is given to the “image of the beast.”
The “Holy Spirit” then, is the invisible power of God, a power that is manifested in a great variety of ways. Speaking of God’s creative power we read that His “Spirit moved upon the face of the waters.” (Gen. 1:2) That was a life-giving power. The influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christians is primarily that of God’s mind—the power of His expressed will for us.
Through the inspirational power of His Spirit, God caused His thoughts pertaining to His plan of salvation to be recorded in the Scriptures. As we place ourselves under the influence of these thoughts we are guided, strengthened, and comforted thereby. Jesus referred to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as the coming of the Spirit of Truth; and He said that this Spirit of Truth would guide the church into all truth, and reveal things to come.—John 15:26; 16:13
It helps in an understanding of what constitutes the Holy Spirit, to contrast what the Scriptures say about it, with what they say about the unholy spirit of Satan. Various manifestations of the Holy Spirit are referred to as “The Spirit of Christ,” the “Spirit of holiness,” the “Spirit of truth,” the “Holy Spirit of promise,” the “Spirit of meekness,” the “Spirit of grace,” the “Spirit of prophecy,” etc.
The various manifestations of the spirit of Satan are described as the “spirit of fear,” the “spirit of windage,” the “spirit of the world,” the “spirit of error,” the “spirit of divination,” the “spirit of antichrist,” and the “spirit of slumber.” No one would conclude that because the word spirit is thus used to describe the various manifestations of Satan’s influence in the world, that there is a personal “unholy spirit,” that is one in substance with the devil.
Space will not permit an examination of the various terms used in connection with the Holy Spirit, such as “begotten,” “born,” “baptism,” “seal,” “witness,” “filled,” etc. Suffice it to say that the entire testimony of God’s Word harmonizes beautifully with its fundamental teaching concerning the Holy Spirit, namely, that it is the power, or influence of God, the channel through which He carries out His purposes in and for the church during this age, and on behalf of all mankind during the thousand-year reign of Christ’s Kingdom.
Of that future period the Scriptures say that then the Lord will “pour” out His Spirit upon “all flesh.” (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17) It would be difficult to think of an individual, personal Holy Spirit being poured out; but when we take the Scriptural view that the Holy Spirit is. God’s power, then we can understand this promise, and rejoice in it as one of those blessed assurances of God’s Word that ultimately divine power will take control in the affairs of mankind, bringing peace and happiness forevermore.
NOTE:—In case anyone may wonder about the statement recorded in I John 5:7,8, which is the only one in the Bible that suggests the possibility of the Trinity, we wish to say that this text as it is recorded in the Common or Authorized Version is not found in any of the Oldest Greek manuscripts, and the words purporting to lend weight to this doctrine are obviously interpolated. The word “Trinity” itself does not appear anywhere in the Bible.