Jehovah, the True and Living God

“Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD.” —Deuteronomy 6:4

MORE than nineteen centuries ago, the Apostle Paul wrote, “There is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (I Cor. 8:4-6) The situation in the world today is still the same. There are all the various gods worshiped by the non-Christian world, and most of the professed Christian world worships three gods instead of one, while claiming that “these three are one.”

It is clear from the Old Testament that the ancient servants of God, beginning with Abel, believed that there was but one true and living God, the Creator of the universe, and the sustainer of all life. The Creator informed the ancient Israelites that his name was Jehovah, meaning the self-existing or eternal one. “From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God,” is the testimony of Moses concerning Jehovah.—Ps. 90:2

In Isaiah 42:8, Jehovah declares, “I am the Lord [Jehovah]: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” In, the King James translation of the Old Testament, the name Jehovah was not always used when it should have been. However, where this name does appear in the Hebrew manuscripts and is not shown as Jehovah in the English text, the name Lord which translates it appears in large and small capital letters. This is the case in the text just quoted. To know this is a valuable help to all careful students of the Bible, for thus we know that the English word Lord is translated from the word Jehovah in the Hebrew.

In the text just quoted, Jehovah explains that he will not give his glory to another. This is verified throughout the Scriptures. For example, at the time of his resurrection, Jesus was exalted to a very high position of honor and glory, to the right hand of the throne of God. But this, Paul explains, was “to the glory of God.” (Heb. 12:2; Phil. 2:9-11) Explaining further, Paul wrote, “But when he [Jehovah] saith all things are put under him [Christ], it is manifest that he [Jehovah] is excepted, which did put all things under him [Christ].”—I Cor. 15:27

Jehovah, the Creator, does not hesitate to bestow glory and honor upon those who prove worthy of it. Indeed, Adam was crowned with earthly glory and honor when created, and then failed to prove worthy of maintaining this high position of favor in the Creator’s family of those created in his image. God has bestowed honor upon his holy angels, and hath anointed his beloved Son, Jesus, “with the oil of gladness” above his fellows.—Ps. 8:5; Heb. 1:9

Jehovah, our Heavenly Father, has promised to exalt the faithful footstep followers of Jesus to a high position of honor and glory in the messianic kingdom. Jesus confirmed this in a promise to these in which he said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”—Rev. 3:21

While the Creator is thus unselfish in bestowing honor and glory upon his people, he does not share his own glory with anyone, not even with the highly exalted and glorified Jesus. Just as he has declared, “My glory will I not give to another.” Our finite minds, however, can grasp only in a very limited manner all that is implied by the expression “glory of God.” Indeed, we cannot understand it at all as it applies to his appearance and nature.

True, the Bible speaks of the eyes of Jehovah, and tells us that his “ears are ever open to our cry.” It speaks of his hands and arms and feet. But the use of these expressions in association with Jehovah must be understood as symbolic, not literal. They do not imply that the great Creator of the universe is similar in bodily form and appearance to his human creatures. They signify, rather, that he is able to know everything about us, and is abundantly able to care for his people.

Nor are we to suppose that Jehovah’s knowledge and ability are limited to matters concerning his own servants on earth. He knows what is happening throughout the whole earth, and is able to change the course of events according to the good pleasure of his will. Because this is true we may be sure that the evil in the world, while not by his planning and direction, is by his permission, and because his wisdom knows that it will result in rich blessings to all those who ultimately will be properly exercised by it.

God’s Glorious Character

Though we are ignorant of God’s bodily form, we can know about the glory of his character, for this is revealed to us through his Word and the plan of salvation contained in his Word. The principal attributes of Jehovah’s character which combine and harmonize to form his glory, are his wisdom, justice, love, and power.

The Prophet Isaiah inquired, “Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?” (Isa. 40:13,14) The obvious answer to these questions is that no one has taught Jehovah, the great Creator of the universe, for he is the fountain of all knowledge.

The wisdom of Jehovah is displayed in all his creative works. The psalmist wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There [actually] is no speech nor language, [but] without these their voice is heard.”—Ps. 19:1-3, Marginal Translation

Not alone in the heavens do we see the wisdom of the Creator displayed. Closer to us, and on every side, we see manifestations of his infinite wisdom. We see it in every flower, in every blade of grass, and in the million other works of nature with which we are surrounded. How foolish are those who ascribe all the marvelous works of creation merely to the law of nature!

God’s wisdom is displayed in the occasional exceptions to be noted in so-called natural law. One of these laws is that heat causes expansion, and cold contraction. But there is a happy exception to this in the case of water, which, when it freezes, expands. If water contracted as it froze, the ice, more dense and heavier than water, would sink to the bottom, and in one short winter all the rivers in the temperate zones of the earth would become solid ice, and we can at once realize the calamitous circumstances to which this would lead.

But it is in the plan of God for the redemption and recovery of the human race from sin and death that we find the greatest display of his wisdom. This plan is based on the fact that one man, Adam, was made the responsible head of the human race, and that upon his creation he was placed on probation and given an opportunity to prove his worthiness to enjoy forever the blessings of life and of dominion over the earth which were given to him by his Creator.

Lacking that wisdom which can be acquired by God’s creatures only by experience, Adam failed, but redemption was provided through another man—“the man Christ Jesus.” But having partaken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this knowledge is now guaranteed to him, and not only to him, but, by divine wisdom to all his progeny. By experience Adam gained a knowledge of evil. He did not, during nine hundred and thirty years of his dying existence, actually profit by this knowledge.

Adam’s lesson and experience with evil will be of value to him when awakened from the sleep of death amidst the righteous conditions of Christ’s kingdom. It will be then that the wisdom which is displayed in the divine permission of evil will be seen, appreciated, and be of inestimable profit to Adam; and not only to Adam, but to the entire human race which came from his loins. All of these will likewise profit from their experience with evil.

Jehovah’s Justice

“Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne,” we read in Psalm 89:14. The throne is a symbol of God’s rulership, his control over the affairs of his vast universe. That rulership is based upon justice. It is never unjust. However, the justice of the Creator can be understood and appreciated only in the light of the wisdom displayed in his great plan of salvation for the human race.

To see an innocent child suffer and die because of the wrongdoing of another, when we know that God could prevent it, does not in itself seem just. But when we know that that child, and all seemingly innocent victims of evil are to be awakened from the sleep of death and receive compensating blessings; and that through the endless ages of eternity, all who have suffered because of the reign of sin and death will thereby have their joys increased, then we can understand.

Justice is equity, and we see the justice of God displayed in the redemption that is provided through Christ Jesus, who was made flesh for the “suffering of death, … that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9) The Greek word used by the Apostle Paul to describe the operation of God’s justice in connection with the redemption of Adam and his race from death is one which means “a price to correspond.” It is translated “ransom,” and Paul wrote, “There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all.”—I Tim. 2:5

God’s Love

The justice of God can be seen in its true light only when viewed in conjunction with his love. In I John 4:16 we read that “God is love.” The greatest display of this love is recorded in John 3:16, where we read 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.”

Here the teachings of the Word of God break with human tradition, a tradition which considers Jehovah to be austere, unyielding in his justice and without mercy. The tradition is that Jesus, being kind and loving, stepped in between God and man, appeased the wrath of God so that man might have life. This is quite out of harmony with the Scriptures which, as in the text just quoted, reveal that it was God himself who, in keeping with his love, sent his Son to be the Redeemer and Savior of mankind

In the text which states that “judgment and justice are the habitation of God’s throne,” we also read that “mercy and truth” shall go “before his face.” In the plan of God for human salvation and redemption through Christ, we see a marvelous blending of the two principles, justice and love. While Justice demanded the payment of a price for human sin, Love provided that payment, so that God could be just and also the justifier of all who come to him through Christ.—Rom. 3:26

Divine Power

The one true and living God, Jehovah, is almighty in his power. Because of this, the Scriptures refer to him as being the Almighty. In an assurance of divine care for the people of God we read concerning him, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Ps. 91:1) Paul had confidence in this promise, and wrote, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”—Rom. 8:31

The power of God always operates in harmony with his wisdom, justice, and love. If God were powerless, the plans devised by his wisdom would be valueless; and the blessings provided by his justice and love would go undistributed. It is the power of God which implements the various aspects of his plan of salvation and carries them through to completion.

The divine plan of salvation calls for an awakening of those who sleep in death, and only divine power is able to restore the dead to life. We have an outstanding demonstration of this in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Tradition would have us believe that Jesus himself broke the bands of death which held him in the tomb, but the Bible does not agree with this. Concerning Jesus’ resurrection, Peter said, “Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”—Acts 2:24

The Apostle Paul wrote concerning the “exceeding greatness” of God’s power “which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenlies.” (Eph. 1:19,20) In the outworking of the divine plan, the exceeding greatness of God’s power continues to operate; for in order for this plan to reach completion, there must be the resurrection of the footstep followers of Jesus to live and reign with him in his kingdom, and then the resurrection of all mankind from the sleep of death.—Rev. 20:4; Acts 24:15

God’s Protection and Care

The power of God has been exercised on behalf of his people in all ages. There were the many miracles in connection with the deliverance of the Hebrew children from their bondage in the land of Egypt. There was the deliverance of the three Hebrew captives in Babylon from the fiery furnace, as well as the deliverance of Daniel from the mouths of the lions.

In Jesus’ day, the power of God was employed by him for healing the sick and raising the dead. In a less spectacular way, although very realistically, the power of God sustained Jesus, giving him strength to endure the hardships inflicted upon him by his enemies. In every time of need the Spirit, or power of God, filled the mind and heart of the Master, and by it he was comforted and made strong.

The Holy Spirit, or power of God, came upon the waiting church at Pentecost, and forthwith the apostles were able to speak in languages hitherto unknown to them, enabling them to accomplish the divine purpose of witnessing the Gospel to the visiting Jews in Jerusalem who had gone there from various parts of the then known world to commemorate the yearly Feast of the Passover.

Throughout the entire age since then, the Spirit or power of God has continued to operate in the lives of his people, those who have dedicated themselves to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. As with Jesus, it has sustained them in their trials, and enabled them to be overcomers in this world of selfishness and sin. While the worldly-minded have not understood, actually every faithful follower of the Master has been a miracle of grace, a miracle that has been wrought by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or power of God.

God’s Glory

God’s power is always utilized at the behest of divine wisdom which, in turn, plans all things in keeping with God’s justice and love. It is the perfect and harmonious blending of these four attributes of the divine character that constitutes the glory of God—That glory which is yet to fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.—Isa. 11:9; 40:5

The traditional conception of the glory of God is quite different from that presented to us in the Word of God. Tradition holds that the glory of God is revealed by the fact that those who die in unbelief are eternally tortured in a hell of fire and brimstone. What a distortion this is of the facts as presented to us in the Bible!

In the first place, it is contrary to the principle of justice, a divine principle of equity which is expressed in the Bible by that well-known expression, “Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” (Exod. 21:23,24; Deut. 19:21) How far removed from this concept is the theory that divine justice is satisfied when a person suffers excruciating pain in hell-fire for all eternity, as punishment for a few short years of unbelief and wrongdoing during the present span of life.

This tradition is also contrary to the principle of divine love and mercy. The Bible informs us that man was created in the image of God. This of necessity must mean, for one thing, that the qualities of mercy and love displayed by normal men and women must be a reflection of the divine image which has come to them from their first parents, Adam and Eve. Because of these qualities, humans will not normally inflict torture even upon one of the lower animals, much less upon their own children. Yet tradition says that God, who is the very embodiment of mercy and love, will torture unbelievers eternally.

Human traditions also do violence to the infinite wisdom of God in various ways, one being in connection with the teachings of the Bible with respect to the world’s future Day of Judgment. The tradition-makers developed the theory that saints will be returned from heaven, and sinners from torment, and be caused to pass before the judgment throne of God to have their good and evil deeds rehearsed before them, and to be re-sentenced, with no useful purpose at all being served, since all will be returned to the places assigned to them when they died. And all of this according to tradition, is to be accomplished in twenty-four hours.

Human tradition has also failed to take into consideration the almighty power of God. Tradition says that God wanted his people to convert the world, beginning with Pentecost; and, by converting the world to Christ and his laws of righteousness, bring in an era of universal and lasting peace and happiness. But the world has not been converted, and peace has not been established. This means that if tradition is true, then God lacks the power to accomplish his purposes, a supposition which is unthinkable in the light of the testimony furnished in the Word of God.

Only as we accept the teachings of the Bible itself and ignore all human tradition with respect to the divine plan for human salvation, do we find exemplified what the Word plainly tells us, that God is infinitely wise and just, also that he is merciful, loving and powerful, fully capable of carrying out his wise, just, and loving plans for the salvation and eternal happiness of his human creatures.

This divine plan of salvation is carried out through God’s beloved Son, who, because of his work of sacrifice on behalf of mankind, is styled the Lamb of God. When the divine plan of salvation through the Lamb is fully accomplished, and the knowledge of the glory of God fills the earth, there will be fulfilled the prophecy of Revelation 5:13, which reads, “Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, … and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.”

“Who shall not fear [reverence] thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.”—Rev. 15:4

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