Stephen E. Jones

Jesus is Jehovah Quotes: Unclassified quotes: June 2009

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The following are quotes added to my Jesus is Jehovah unclassified quotes database in June 2009.
The date format is dd/mm/yy. See copyright conditions at end.

[Index: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jul, Aug, Sep-Dec]

2/06/2009
"Pre-existence Another attribute that Jesus and God share is preexistence. Many passages in Scripture 
support Jesus' existing prior to His birth, not as a mere idea in the foreknowledge of God, but in actuality. 
Jesus said, `I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, 
and going to the Father' (John 16:28). Many times Jesus said that He had been `sent' into the world, implying 
that His origin had been outside the world (John 3:32-34; 4:34; 5:23, 24, 36-38; 6:29, 33, 38; 7:16, 18, 28, 29, 33; 
8:18, 29, 38, 42; 13:20; 16:30; 17:8, etc.) He told Nicodemus, `... no one has ascended into heaven, but He who 
descended from heaven, even the Son of Man' (John 3:13). He said, `I am [ego eimi] the living bread that 
came down out of heaven... ` (John 6:51; see also v.58). Jesus said, `What then if you should behold the 
Son of Man ascending where He was before?' (John 6:62). John the Baptist said concerning Christ, `He who 
comes from heaven [Jesus] is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness... ` 
(John 3:31, 32). On another occasion Jesus prayed, ` ... glorify Thou Me ... with the glory which I ever had 
with Thee before the world was' (John 17:5). The writer of Hebrews assumed the pre-existence of Christ 
when he wrote that Moses considered the `reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt' 
(Hebrews 11:26). Jesus is said to have possessed the `book of life' from the `foundation of the world' 
(Revelation 13:8). John the Baptist, who was humanly six months older than Jesus, said, `He who comes 
after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me' (John 1:15, 30). Verse 30 clearly shows that 
John was referring to Jesus, not `God.' John the Baptist could not have been referring to Jesus' existing in 
the foreknowledge of God either, as some believe, since God, who is all-knowing, would have foreknown 
John too. Thus Scripture speaks with a unified voice. Jesus is a pre-existent being. This is in keeping with 
Old Testament theophanies (that is, times when God appeared in a physical form). For example, Genesis 18:1- 
19:1; 16:7-13; 22:15, 16; 31:11-13; 32:30; 48:15, 16; Exodus 4:2-4 (cf. 3:2); 1 Chronicles 21:15-19; Psalm 34:6, 7; 
Zechariah 12:10 (cf. John 19:37); and 14:3, 4 (cf. Acts 1:9-12) are a few of the main passages showing that 
God has appeared physically." (McDowell, J. & Larson, B., "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of his Deity," Here's 
Life Publishers: San Bernardino CA, 1975, pp.55-56. Emphasis original)

11/06/2009
"On the other hand, the Bible does contain accounts of dead people being restored to life. In the case of 
Lazarus, this happened after he had been dead for four days. (John 11:39, 43, 44) What, though, will 
happen to people who died hundreds or thousands of years ago? Does their prospect for future life require 
that God resurrect the selfsame body they had when they died? No. Such a thought is inconsistent with what 
happens to the atoms that make up a dead body. In time, some of these same atoms are absorbed by 
vegetation that, in turn, is consumed by other creatures and becomes part of their bodies. Does this mean 
that there is no hope for people long dead? No. The Creator of our vast universe has an awesome, unlimited 
memory. Within his perfect memory, he has the capacity to store the personality and genetic traits of any 
dead human he chooses to remember. Moreover, Jehovah God has the power to recreate a human body with 
the exact genetic code of a person who has lived before. He can also place within it the memory and 
personality of the one whom he remembers, such as Abraham." ("Your Dead Loved Ones-Where Are 
They?," The Watchtower, June 15, 1994, pp.3-4, p.4).

14/06/2009
"The Fear Factor It is basic to biblical religion that there is only one deity whom human beings should 
fear or reverence. `You shall fear the LORD your God' (Deut. 10:20; cf. 6:13). The fear of the Lord is a major 
theme of the book of Proverbs: `The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom' (Prov. 9:10; see also 1:7; 
2:5; etc.). The prophets sounded the same theme: `Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls 
conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as 
holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread' (Isa. 8:12-13)." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., 
"Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, pp.63-64. 
Emphasis original)

14/06/2009
"In the New Testament, the apostles enjoin followers of Jesus to fear him as their divine `Lord,' in language 
that clearly treats him as God. Consider the following passage from one of Paul's epistles: `For all of us must 
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in 
the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we 
ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. (2 Cor. 5:10-
11)' The plain meaning of these statements is that we fear the Lord because we must appear before him 
(Christ, who is the Lord) on the Day of Judgment. In other words, `the Lord' in verse 11 is clearly the same as 
`Christ' in verse 10." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the 
Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, p.64)

14/06/2009
"If that were not plain enough, elsewhere Paul tells Christians to `be subject to one another in the fear of 
Christ' (Eph. 5:21 NASB). Even slaves are to render service as if they were serving the Lord, not people, 
remembering `that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do' (Eph. 6:7-8 NLT). The motivation 
for fearing Christ here is the same as in 2 Corinthians 5: we will be facing him on Judgment Day. Paul makes 
the same point in similar language in Colossians: `Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on 
earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the 
Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the 
Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does 
wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. (3:22-25 
NASB, emphasis added)' If it is not immediately clear in verse 22 that `the Lord' is Jesus, this is made rather 
explicit in verse 24, where Paul states, `It is the Lord Christ whom you serve:' Once again, the motivation for 
doing one's work responsibly even when not being supervised is that the Lord is watching and will one day 
be our judge. In Ephesians, Paul emphasizes that the Lord Jesus will reward the good that we do; in 
Colossians, he emphasizes that the Lord will punish the wrong that we do. Both are reasons to `fear' him, 
that is, to behave in ways that respect his awesome authority and power as our ultimate, eternal judge." 
(Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ," 
Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, pp.64-65)

14/06/2009
"The apostle Peter also taught that Christians should fear Christ as Lord: `But even if you do suffer for 
doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your 
hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an 
accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. (1 Peter 3:14-16a)' As 
exegetical commentators routinely point out, Peter is here applying to Christ the words from Isaiah 8:12-13 
(which we quoted earlier), which speak about fearing the Lord. Given this application, we should consider 
the possibility that the `fear' with which Peter says we should make a defense for what we believe is the fear 
of the `Lord,' that is, Christ. In some translations (e.g., the NIV) the word phobos at the end of verse 15 is 
translated `respect,' and this is understood to refer to the attitude we should have toward others when we 
are explaining our reasons for being a Christian. Although this is good advice, it is almost certainly not what 
Peter meant. Peter has just said, quoting Isaiah 8:12, that we should not `fear' (phobethete) the people 
around us. It would be strange if in the next breath he were to say, using the related noun, that we should 
defend our beliefs in an attitude of `fear' (phobou), meaning `respect,' toward those who ask. By far the 
better interpretation is that `gentleness' describes the attitude we should have toward those who ask us 
about our beliefs while `fear' (or `reverence') describes our attitude toward the `Lord' while defending our 
beliefs. We conclude that here Peter is telling believers to conduct their defense of the faith in a spirit of 
gentleness toward others and of reverential fear toward the Lord Christ." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & 
Komoszewski, J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI,
2007, p.65)

27/06/2009
"This same language, and same transfer of divine prerogative to Christ, occurs again in 2 Cor 8:21, where 
Paul is safeguarding his integrity with regard to the gift for the Jerusalem poor. In this case, however, Paul 
lifts language directly out of Prov 3:4 and applies it to his own relationship to the churches and the world 
with regard to this collection. Thus: ... 2 Cor 8:21 For we consider what is good not only before the 
Lord but also before human beings. Prov 3:4 And consider what is good before the Lord and human 
beings. Here is another case where Paul borrows a kurios phrase from the Septuagint and applies it to 
Christ, although in this case the Septuagint translator took a bit of liberty with the Hebrew text. In 
conjoining lines in the Hebrew Bible, the text has `God/Elohim' in v. 3 and `the LORD/Yahweh' in line 1 of v 
4. For reasons not clear to us, the translator reversed these two mentions of Israel's God. But in either case, 
the `Lord' = Yahweh before whose face Paul desires to do what is good is now the Lord, Jesus Christ. Thus 
by way of this identification of Christ with the Septuagint's kurios = Yahweh, another divine prerogative is 
attributed to Christ as presupposition." (Fee, G.D., "Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study," 
Hendrickson Publishers: Peabody MA, 2007, p.189. Emphasis original. My transliteration)

27/06/2009
"Peter and Paul each made the assertion that Jesus is `Lord of all' (Acts 10:36; Romans 10:12). Paul also 
said, `... for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory' (1 Corinthians 
2:8). Who is the Lord of glory? Psalm 24:10 states that `The LORD [YHWH] of hosts, He is the King of 
glory.' (See also Psalm 96:7, 8.)" (McDowell, J. & Larson, B., "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of his Deity," 
Here's Life Publishers: San Bernardino CA, 1975, p.36. Ellipses original)

27/06/2009
"In 2 Corinthians 4:4-5, Paul called Jesus Lord, saying, `The god of this world [Satan] has blinded the 
minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is 
the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord.' Thus, Christ, the image of 
God, is Lord." (McDowell, J. & Larson, B., "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of his Deity," Here's Life 
Publishers: San Bernardino CA, 1975, p.36. Emphasis original)

27/06/2009
"Paul used the same language and imagery in calling Jesus Lord that Isaiah used in the Old Testament 
of Yahweh (Jehovah): 

God `I am God and there is no other... to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear 
allegiance. They will say of Me, `Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength' (Isaiah 45:22-24). 

Jesus ` ... at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... and that every tongue should confess 
that Jesus Christ is Lord' (Philippians 2:10-11). 

Paul, an Old Testament scholar and Pharisee, would not have used that parallel by accident." 
(McDowell, J. & Larson, B., "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of his Deity," Here's Life Publishers: San 
Bernardino CA, 1975, p.36. Emphasis original)

27/06/2009
"Jesus referred to Himself as `Lord of the Sabbath,' a reference to Himself as the creator of the sabbath. In 
Exodus 31:13, 17 God said, `You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you... 
It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever.' For the Jew, Yahweh was both author and Lord of the 
sabbath. When some Pharisees rebuked Jesus for allowing His disciples to pick grain on the sabbath, thus 
breaking the law, by `working,' He said that it was all right because he was `Lord of the Sabbath' (Matthew 
12.:8). As C. S. Lewis says, Here is another curious remark: In almost every religion there are unpleasant 
observances like fasting. This Man suddenly remarks one day, `No one need fast while I am here.' Who is 
this Man who remarks that His mere presence suspends all normal rules? Who is the person who can 
suddenly tell the school they can have a half holiday? [Lewis, C. S. "What Are We To Make of Jesus 
Christ?" The Grand Miracle: Essays from God in the Dock. New York: Ballantine, 1983, p. 113] The Jews 
who heard Him considered His words blasphemy. Then, that same sabbath day, He went into their 
synagogue and made a point again of `working,' healing a man, which further infuriated them. That, too, was 
breaking the sabbath according to their understanding. Incensed at His claiming authority that only God 
could have, they tried to kill Him (Matthew 12:14). To reiterate, according to Deuteronomy 6:4 and Mark 
12:29, there can be only one Lord." (McDowell, J. & Larson, B., "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of his Deity," 
Here's Life Publishers: San Bernardino CA, 1975, pp.36-37)

27/06/2009
"Husband One of the beautiful aspects of the title husband, when it is used for God, is that it 
reminds us that God's love longs to fill the emptiness and loneliness of people's hearts the way a loving 
husband meets his wife's needs (and vice versa). Isaiah reminded Israel of this truth when he told them, 
`For your husband is your Maker' (Isaiah 54:5). In the book of Hosea, God's love for Israel is compared 
with a faithful husband's loving an unfaithful wife. God gave the promise that even though judgment 
was coming, Israel would once again call Him "husband" (Hosea 2:16). Just as God is the `husband' of 
Israel, the New Testament sees Jesus as the `husband' of the church. Christ said His disciples were 
justified in not fasting since He was the `bridegroom' (Mark 2:18, 19). In Matthew 25:1 the virgins (the 
church) are told to await the `bridegroom,' Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul said the church is 
betrothed to `"one" husband, that to Christ.' In Revelation 21:2, 9, Jesus is referred to as the `husband' of 
his `bride,' the new Jerusalem, in heaven. Like God, Jesus Christ is the divine husband.' " (McDowell, J. 
& Larson, B., "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of his Deity," Here's Life Publishers: San Bernardino CA, 1975, 
p.43. Emphasis original)

27/06/2009
"Shepherd A beautiful term for God and His care for human beings is shepherd. `The Lord is my 
shepherd, 1 shall not want... ,' David sang (Psalm 23:1). Psalm 80:1 reads, `Oh give ear, Shepherd of Israel, 
Thou who dost lead Joseph like a flock.' Genesis 49:24 refers to God as the `Shepherd, the Stone of Israel.' 
Ezekiel devoted a whole chapter to God as `shepherd' to the lost house of Israel, the sheep of His pasture 
(Ezekiel 34). Although the use of the term shepherd does not prove Christ's deity, Peter and the author of 
Hebrews went so far as to call Jesus the `Chief Shepherd,' the `great Shepherd of the sheep,' and the 
`Shepherd and Guardian' of our souls (1 Peter 5:4; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25). Jesus also called Himself 
`shepherd,' asserting that He was the `good shepherd' (John 10:11), the one shepherd (John 10:16)." 
(McDowell, J. & Larson, B., "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of his Deity," Here's Life Publishers: San 
Bernardino CA, 1975, p.44. Emphasis original)

27/06/2009
"`No One Except God Is Good' A man once approached Jesus and said, `Good Teacher... ` Jesus 
interrupted Him: `Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone' (Mark 10:17-18). At first 
glance it may seem that Jesus was denying His divinity. He was not. Rather, He was underscoring that God 
alone was good. Scripture is clear. Jesus was `sinless,' `holy,' `innocent,' `righteous,' `separate from sinners,' 
and `undefiled' (Acts 3:14; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26: 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5). By all 
standards of goodness, Jesus was truly `good.' Thus, Jesus shared an attribute of God: goodness. A possible 
reason for Jesus' response to the man's statement was to gauge the depth of his awareness of who He was, 
and how serious his intent was to follow Him. As soon as Jesus told the man that there is none good but 
God, He asked the man to sell His possessions and follow Him as a disciple. Note that He did not say 
`Follow God,' but `Follow Me.' Contrary to first impressions, this passage lends strong support to Christ's 
deity." (McDowell, J. & Larson, B., "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of his Deity," Here's Life Publishers: San 
Bernardino CA, 1975, pp.97-98. Emphasis original)

27/06/2009
"In conclusion, almost all of the arguments used to deny that Jesus is God stem from a misunderstanding of 
Philippians 2:6-11, which teaches that Jesus had two natures, the human and the divine. Jesus `existed' in 
two `forms,' as God (v.6) and as a man ('bond-servant,' v. 7). The text teaches that His first state was a 
position of `equality' with God, the second a `humbled' state. Almost all of the verses used to argue that 
Jesus was unequal to God the Father, and therefore not one with God, compare Jesus in His humble state as 
a man with God's exalted position in heaven. The fact is overlooked that Jesus left His exalted position of 
equality with God the Father in order to become a man, die for the sins of the world, be resurrected, and 
then once again be exalted." (McDowell, J. & Larson, B., "Jesus: A Biblical Defense of his Deity," Here's 
Life Publishers: San Bernardino CA, 1975, pp.36-37)

27/06/2009
"If one were to ask a person who denies the deity of Christ if he or she `prays to the Lord' that person 
would have to ask, `Whom do you mean?' That is the point. Throughout the New Testament, God and Jesus 
are both called Lord. The general answer he or she would be apt to give is `I pray to God, but I don't believe 
in praying to Jesus.' In response, there are five New Testament examples where prayer is offered to Jesus in 
heaven as Lord (or the Son of God). 1. In Acts 7:59, 60 Stephen called on Jesus as Lord. As he was being 
stoned, he prayed, `Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' That indicated his belief that Jesus was more than a man, 
powerful enough to receive his spirit. `Falling on his knees he cried out with a loud voice, `Lord, do not hold 
this sin against them!' A pious Hellenistic Jew would not pray to anyone less than God. 2. In 1 Corinthians 
1:2 Paul wrote to the `saints ... who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord 
and ours.' 3. In 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 as Paul spoke of his `thorn in the flesh,' he said, `Concerning this I 
entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He has said to me, `My grace is sufficient 
for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my 
weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.' 4. In 1 John 5:13-15 we read: `These things I have 
written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal 
life. And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He 
hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request which we 
have asked from Him.' The pronouns He and Him refer to the Son of God (v.13). 5. In Acts 8:24 
Simon said, `Pray to the Lord... ` (in Verse 16 Jesus is the `Lord.')" (McDowell, J. & Larson, B., "Jesus: A 
Biblical Defense of his Deity," Here's Life Publishers: San Bernardino CA, 1975, pp.35-36. Emphasis original)

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