Truth Magazine

By Lewis Willis

Gary Gilmore and The Bleeding Hearts

Gary Mark Gilmore is dead! By order of the 4th District Court in the State of Utah, he was executed by a firing squad on January 17, 1977, and was pronounced dead at 8:06 a.m. Thus ended another life in an overgrowing company of violent men. The action of the Utah government was a landmark, in that it reversed a non-execution practice dating back to 1967 when the Colorado gas chamber was used to execute a criminal. The U.S. Supreme Court had declared a moratorium of almost 10 years, trying to determine the constitutionality of capital punishment. The question was: “Is capital punishment cruel and unusual punishment?” A decision of only a few months ago stated that it was not. Dates of execution were being set in those states where the death penalty for certain crimes was a law. Appeals were and are pending before almost every magistrate on behalf of those who are condemned to die.

Gilmore created a sensational news item when he asked that no more appeals be filed on his behalf. He had been sentenced to death and he had accepted the decision of the courts. When his mother and the American Civil Liberties Union filed appeals over his protest, he sought to take his own life and very nearly succeeded. But the courts would not reverse their decision. So, on that Monday morning in January, Gilmore was executed.

A Lifetime Of Crime

The State of Utah ended a violent life. Half of his 36 years had been spent in prison for crimes he had done. At age 14, he broke some school windows and was put in jail. In the years to come he would be convicted of crimes including vagrancy, auto theft and grand larceny. ABC News said he was guilty of rape and many cases of robbery. On the night of July 20, 1976, having had a fight with his girlfriend, he went to the City Center Motel in Provo, Utah, robbed the clerk, 26-year-old Bennie Bushnell, ordered him to lie on the floor, placed a pistol against his head and pulled the trigger twice. For this crime he was executed. Prior to his execution he had also admitted that the night before he had murdered Max David Jensen, 24, an Orem service station attendant, while committing a robbery. In two days Gilmore brutally murdered two young men in their mid-twenties, and each victim left a young widow and child.

Outside the prison, there were prayers that he not be executed. An all night vigil was kept in spite of the cold Utah weather. Inside the prison, Gilmore seemed to feel no compulsions of conscience for the evil he had done. There was no evident consideration of what was before him as he entered eternity. Throughout the night he tried to calm his relatives and lawyers who visited him. He danced with his cousin and gave pointers on boxing to those who were there. He refused the traditional final meal, took a nap, and prepared for the next day. After 11th hour appeals failed, he was taken to the place of execution, heard the decree and was asked if he had anything to say. After a few moments, his caustic reply was, “Let’s do it.” The five man squad fired, striking his heart, and the murderer died.

The American Conscience?

Now, what shall we make of Gary Mark Gilmore? Will the American people immortalize him in ballads extolling his bravery? Will he be thought of as a martyr in an unjust cause? Will he become] a national hero? Or, will he be recorded in history as a hardened criminal who paid the supreme price for his crimes? What is the American conscience? Is the American conscience that of those who kept that all-night vigil, many of them religious leaders from various parts of the country? Is it represented by the lawyers for the ACLU? Are the bleeding hearts of this nation’s “do-gooders” representative of the thinking and conviction of the American people?

Where have all these pious, religious leaders (?) been during the past decade as hundreds have been brutally slain at the hands of lawless men? When have they led a public outcry against the criminal who perpetrates such horrible deeds? Whose voice is raised in behalf of those murdered, their parents, their husbands or wives, and their orphaned children? Who lobbies for their rights? Who cries out against the inhumane treatment viciously imposed on them by the greedy, godless criminal who prefers to rob and kill instead of work like other decent people? The voices of these civil libertarians have been silent for the most part. No television camera for the national news broadcasts buzzes for the victims of the crime-just for the criminal. So, this nation’s religious leaders fall on their knees in the ice and snow to pray that the murderer might live. For what? So that he can kill again?

What are the rights of a murderer? About two weeks ago, a couple entered an Amarillo Pizza Hut. They put the employees in a large, walk-in cooler, forced the woman-manager into a back room where she was killed. But, she was not killed in the same manner as Gary Gilmore. They crammed her head into a commercial dough-mixing machine used to mix the heavy dough of which pizza crust is made, and absolutely mangled her head! Her husband was discouraged from viewing her body after she was killed. Now, what are the rights of those who would do such a thing?

A Divine Law

God’s law legislates that they have no rights! By their crimes they have forfeited the rights of citizens in a civilized society. In every age, God has declared the same punishment for such a crime. In the Patriarchal Age, He said, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood. by man shall his blood be shed . . .” (Gen. 9:6). In the Mosiac Age, He said. “He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death” (Exod. 21:12). Some seem to think, however, that with the Age of the Gospel now ushered in, this law of God has changed. But the fact is, it has not.

Today we are taught of God, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom. 12:19). Many have concluded that this means that God shall execute wrath upon the criminal in the Judgment. Such is only partially true. The murderer shall be punished in Hell (Rev. 21:8). But, God has made provision for his punishment in this life as well. That provision is civil government. “The powers that be are ordained of God,” and this civil power “beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil” (Rom. 13:1,4). The wrath of God is meted out to the murderer through civil government as the instrument of God. The State of Utah was just such an instrument in Gilmore’s case. Gilmore got what God and the State said he should have gotten. He was no martyr! He was a common criminal who was executed in keeping with the severity of his crime. I have no tears to shed for him except those which would be shed for any man who defies the law of God unto his own ruin. It should be our prayer that God’s will might be executed by government in the many other cases pending before the courts. When the death-rows of this nation have been emptied, and when justice is speedily executed, then shall sanity be restored to our society. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Eccl. 8:11).

Conclusion

Our society is so corrupt that one is fearful for his life when he hears an unexplained noise in the night. For almost ten years the lawless element in our social system could do almost anything without fear of any life-endangering consequence. They seem to have thought that if they were caught they would go to jail for awhile, the State would pay all their expenses, they would be put on parole and be back on the streets again. If, however, the criminal knows that he will be quickly executed if caught, he has to think twice before taking an innocent life. Let the preachers go into the ice and snow to pray that God’s will might be executed, instead of praying that it not be done!

God’s way has always worked to man’s good before. It will be so again if we have the courage to implement it in American society. “And when civil government fails to carry out the penalty, this supreme penalty, . . . after a while the blood of those that were murdered is going to be washed out in the blood of the citizens of the society that tolerated the failure. I believe this to be a divine principle” (Homer Hailey, God And Capital Punishment, p. 15).

Truth Magazine XXI: 14, pp. 218-219
April 7, 1977

By Robert Jackson

Again we want to encourage you to get your Bible and study with us, with an open mind, and I recognize also that I am just a man. I have made mistakes and I have had to correct those mistakes. This is the reason I want you to bring to my mind anything that you feel like I have taught that is out of harmony with the will of God. I will assure you that I will make the proper correction. Even in our study, if you disagree with what has been written, we can disagree without being disagreeable. Our main purpose is to come back to the Bible, and be as God would have us to be.

We are studying issues that divide us. In our last article I brought to your mind that one of the first principles that causes division is a lack of respect and a lack of understanding of Authority. I tried to instill into your heart to respect Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God, to respect Jesus Christ as the One Who is the Head of the church, and to remember that “all authority” has been given unto Him, and that Jesus emphasized the fact that “if you reject my word, that you have rejected me.” There are some people that labor under the impression that they can believe in Christ, and then turn right around and deny His word. This is impossible. If you deny His word, you deny Christ. And so then, you need to be concerned about Bible authority.

Bible authority is identified by either a generic command or a specific command, which come under three headings: that is, by direct command, a necessary inference, or an approved example. Now, either in a generic sense or a specific sense, you will find these three commandments; and thus we must observe this in our authority in religion. This is the reason that Christians make the plea: We speak where the Bible speaks, and we are silent where the Bible is silent. And thus, they united upon the cause of Christ. They stand as one for the teaching of God’s word, and there is no division within their ranks.

But, secondly, we need to study another issue that divides us in the body of Christ, and that is, not having the proper understanding of what is the church. Now first of all, the question that I am going to present to you is: What is the Church? And let me emphasize the word the-What is the church of Christ? A lot of people today talk about “the Church of Christ,” and yet a lot of people fail to understand and recognize what is the church of Christ. So then, we are concerned right at this present time with what does the Bible have to say? What is the revelation of Christ in regard to the church of Christ?

In order to find the answer to this, let us turn to Matthew 16. You remember, beginning at about verse 13, when Christ came to His disciples and asked them the question, “Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?” It was then that Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father, which is in Heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” Now stop for just a moment and get this: He said that “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Now then, this is the Church. Christ said, “I will build my church,” the church. So then, the church is the body of Christ. The church is the church of Christ. It is the church of the Lord, the one that you read about in the teachings of God’s revelation.

But, now in Matthew 16, when Christ said, “I will build my church,” or the church, He was talking about the church in the universal sense, which includes all of God’s people all over this earth. Now this is not like what some people have in mind. In John 15, some people turn and say that the Lord said, “I am the vine and ye are the branches and the branches represent churches. You just pick out any branch or any church that you want to join, and that will be pleasing with God.” But that, my friends, is perverting the word of God. In John 15, when Jesus said, “I am the vine and ye are the branches,” you will observe that He did not say that the branches are churches. He identified the branches as men. He said, “If any man abide not in me.” And so then, He was talking about individuals there, and not churches.

So then, we have the church in the universal sense that makes up all of God’s people everywhere, and they are people who are separated, called out from the world. That is exactly what the word church means, the called out people of God. They are separated from other people. Jesus said, “I will build my church.” They are separated from others, they are called out from others.

First of all, the church is composed of people who have been separated by the blood of Jesus Christ. Now, without the blood of Christ, there would not have been the church! Jesus died for the church, and paid for the church with His own precious blood. The apostle Paul emphasized this in Acts 20:28 when he was talking with the elders of Ephesus over at Miletus. He spoke in regards to “the church of God that he has purchased with his own blood,” and so the church is composed of blood-bought people, people who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Now then, when we talk about being redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, how were they redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ? My friend, they were redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ when they obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ, they could not be redeemed by the blood of Christ. I challenge you to find one time in the word of God where there was ever a man redeemed by the blood of Christ without first obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ! You cannot find it. In every case of conversion, before a man was added to the kingdom of God, the family of God. the bony of Christ, the church-before he is pictured as one of God’s called-out people, this man obeyed the commandments of God. Now this is where a lot of people miss it. Some people have the idea that they can be a member of the church by just believing in God, saying that there is a God. But this is not so. In order to be a member of the church, they must be sanctified, separated by the blood of Christ; and they cannot be sanctified and separated by the blood of Christ until they have obeyed what God said.

Now let me give you an example. In Romans 6:3,5, Paul said, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” Now notice they were baptized “into his death.” Now when they are baptized into his death, they’re baptized where they reach the blood of Christ–not the literal blood that was shed upon the cross of Calvary. Had you been standing there the day they killed the Son of God and a drop of the blood of Christ would have hit you on the head, it would not have sanctified you in any sense of the word. The blood of Christ meant that He gave His life. Now then, you have got to contact that blood, you have got to contact His life; and this is in obedience, and Paul says you do so when you are baptized into Christ. So you can see that the Church is composed of people who are separated by blood.

But also they are separated by living. They are called out of darkness into light. They are called out of the kingdom of the devil, into the kingdom of God. And when you talk about “What is the church?”, you need to understand that the church is composed of people-people who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, people who are separated in their living, people who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, people who have enough humility and love and faith to simply say, “Lord, you speak and I’ll obey.” And when Jesus said, “I will build my church,” He was talking about “I will call my people out;” and the people who make up the church of Christ are the people who have obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And I will tell you something else, my beloved friend, with the love of God within my heart. When you obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will not be added to any other church other than the church of the Lord, the church of Christ.

So then, when you ask the question, “What is the church?”, we are not talking about the church building. We are not talking about some church built and established by man. We are talking about the church of Christ, the people of God who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. And, as a result of not understanding this, we have division within our own ranks.

But now, this leads up to the second important question, and that is: What is a church of Christ? Now then, keep in mind we have established what is the church of Christ. The church of Christ is the universal church, the body of Christ, without any earthly organization whatsoever-just the blood-brought people of God, people who have obeyed and responded to the invitation of Christ. Now then, the second question: What is a church of Christ?

Now a church of Christ is a local church of Christ. You read about this in the revelation of Christ in Romans 16:16. The Bible says, “The churches of Christ salute you.” Now some people have in mind when it talks about “churches” that he is talking about man-made churches. That is not what he is talking about. He is talking about local churches. For example, in Galatians 1, “the churches of Galatia.” In the book of Revelation, “the seven churches of Asia.” Now then, you can find local churches of Christ. A good example is in the book of Phillipians, chapter 1, when Paul was writing to the “church which is in Philippi,” as he did in Corinthians 1, “to the church which is in Corinth.” So then, when we ask, What is a local church?, we are talking about a local church of Christ.

Now a local church of Christ is composed of Christians who come together in a specific locality. It was called the church at Corinth because it was at Corinth. Now the church at Twin Oaks is made up of people in a specific locality where they have joined together as the saints of God, meeting together in a specific locality and identified as the Twin Oaks Church of Christ. That is what a local church of Christ really is.

But now, secondly, the local church of Christ is organized. It has an organization. Now this organization has been revealed-the arrangement made by the God of Heaven. Let me give you the scripture. In Acts 14:23, “they ordained elders in every city.” So then, they had to have elders in every congregation. But these men must be qualified, as 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 bring out the qualifications of the men who serve as elders in the local church.

But now, let me establish one thing here that we want to come back to further in our study. In 1 Pet. 5, he said that elders have the oversight of “the flock of God which is among you.” Now then, when you talk about “What is a church of Christ?”, you have got elders to oversee it. But they only oversee the flock of God which is “among” them. They have no oversight of another church. They have no jurisdiction outside of the local congregation. They only have the oversight of the flock of God which is “among them.” As a result of misunderstanding this, and abusing this principle, we have division within our own ranks. We will have more to say about this later, but keep in mind that a local church is a congregation in a specific locality with elders to oversee it.

But also, they have deacons. If you have your Bibles, you might read of the deacons in the congregation, as we read about deacons in the church in Philippians 1:1. We read about deacons in the body of Christ, the local congregation. They are the special servants, and they must be qualified to serve in this capacity (1 Timothy 3).

But then, when you have a local church, you have a need to be met. There is a work to be performed: the preaching of the gospel of Christ, the edifying of the saints of God, the doing of the work of benevolence and taking care of their own poor. Then there must be money raised to take care of this. How is the local church to raise its money? Well, according to the teaching of God’s word in 1 Corinthians 16, a local church raised its money by the saints of God giving upon the first day of the week-no pie suppers, no rummage sales-just the saints of God giving.

So, what is the church? The church is the universal body of Christ with no earthly organization. A local church of Christ is organized with elders, saints of God giving and doing what God told it to do. So then, you are identified with a local church and where they stand for the truth.

Truth Magazine XXI: 14, pp. 216-218
April 7, 1977

By Cecil Willis

In this article, we are concerned with when did or will miracles cease. I maintain that they have already ceased, and others contend that they have not ceased as yet, but that they will cease at some future time. It might aid in clarifying the point of difference if we point out just exactly what the controversy is about. It is not about whether miracles were performed in the New Testament time or not, for I verily believe they were. It certainly is not whether God has the power to perform miracles or not, or believing God did perform miracles through the apostles and early disciples; certainly I believe He has the power to do so. Furthermore, if God chose to work a miracle today, He would definitely have the power to do so, being an infinite God. It is not whether Jews only received miraculous power for both Jews and Gentiles received miraculous gifts. So that is not the point of difference. Well, what is the point of discussion? It is simply whether God is working miracles though men today or not. It is not a question of power, but a question of fact. We want to study some of the passages on the cessation of miraculous gifts in this article. Also we shall note some of the arguments advanced seeking to prove that miracles are yet being performed.

First let us turn to 1 Corinthians 13: “Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away. For we know in part, and we prophecy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, that which in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I be known fully even as also I was fully known. But know abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love” (vs. 8-13). In this passage Paul was definitely talking about the time when prophecies would be done away-spiritual gifts would cease. He mentions the time when prophecies would be done away, tongues would cease, and knowledge would be done away. It should be apparent to all that Paul was speaking of miraculous .powers, and the time when they would be no more. Prophecies, tongues and knowledge were miraculous gifts. It is absurd for a person to declare that if one teaches that miraculous gifts were done away there is no knowledge left in the earth. Note the specific knowledge that Paul had in mind: “For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:8). In this passage Paul was enumerating the spiritual gifts. One of them was the gift of knowledge. While I certainly believe that natural knowledge is yet in the world, I do not believe that any man today has supernatural power. The apostles were told to take no thought what they, should say, for it would be given to them of their Father who is in heaven (Matt. 10:19). If these men who claim to have miraculous gifts of divine knowledge have such power, I could ask them to quote any passage in the Bible and even though they may never have memorized it, by divine power they could recite it. Find such a person. We would like for him to be tested.

Furthermore, one says if you say that that “which is perfect” had not come in New Testament times, you are declaring that the church was then imperfect. Paul was speaking of the fact that the New Testament Scriptures had not all been given, and that when they were perfected, or completed, for that is the meaning of the word “perfect”, then that which was in part, namely spiritual gifts or divine knowledge, prophecies, and tongues, were to be done away. Notice also that it is not I who says that that which is perfect had not come, but the apostle Paul: “…but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.”

We are told by men that miracles are a part of the perfect state of the church, and that if one says that miracles are no longer performed, he has removed himself from the gospel of Christ, and has a form of godliness, but denies the power thereof. They tell us that miracles are a part of the perfect state of the church. So if the New Testament was given after miracles were given, it made the church imperfect, because anything added to a perfect state would make it imperfect. We know that the giving of the Bible did not make the Lord’s church imperfect. Paul teaches that the revelation itself is that which is perfect. But if spiritual gifts or miracles are a necessary part of the perfect state of the church, then if what some of our friends teach us to be true, namely that the miracles will be done away in heaven, then we would have an imperfect church in heaven. Logic which is so contradictory to plain Bible truth must be predicated upon a fallacy. And it is! Miracles were needed only until the perfect revelation was given and confirmed.

In Mark 16:17, 18, Jesus said, “And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” We are told by our friends who claim the power to work miracles, that not all of these powers were intended to be perpetuated. Jesus only meant that three of them would follow them that believed, and not all five. Notice that Jesus said that believers would be able to (1) cast out demons, (2) speak in new tongues, (3) take up serpents, (4) drink deadly things, (5) heal the sick. But our religious friends who use this passage as proof of their divine authority and power to work miracles say that Jesus only intended for us to cast out demons, speak in tongues, and heal the sick. He never really intended for us to take up serpents without harm or drink poison without bodily injury. But friend, Jesus said that these five signs shall follow those that believe. Either these signs are not continued until today, or if they are to be done today, those who cannot do the signs are unbelievers, for Jesus says that the believers will be able to do these signs. I would like for someone to give the rule of Bible interpretation which makes it possible for one to say three of these signs were to continue and the other two were not. Again I say that the reason why these fellow do not handle serpents and drink deadly things is because those things will get a preacher killed. They lack faith in their power to do these things. In fact, they know if they drank poison, they would die just as you and I would. All these signs were for a given period and are not done today.

Now then, this question; Is it inconsistent for one to pray who does not believe that God works miracles today? It certainly is not. I pray for the sick, but I do not pray that God will heal them by a miracle. I pray that if it be according to His will, that such a one be restored to his normal health. And let me say this humbly: I declare that my prayer which is uttered in faith is as powerful as the prayers of these fellows who claim they can perform miracles. Every time God heals a person today, he does so by the established laws. I want to witness one single person healed instantlv of some organic disease. I have not lived too long, but as yet I have not seen such. I would like to see some of these miracle-workers raise someone from the dead-leave them in a tomb for four days, and then raise them from the dead. If you know of any willing to try it, I will gladly drive the person to the cemetery. I believe in prayer as much as any. I pray that God might grant me my daily food. But I have never expected God miraculously to rain down roast beef and cream pie to supply my need for food. But the fact that I do not expect it to be done by a miracle is not a reason why I should not pray to God for my daily food. If I cannot pray for the sick unless I expect God to answer by miracle, I cannot pray for my food unless I expect God to answer by a miracle. I believe in prayer. I also believe the prayers of righteous people are stronger that the prayers of fake-healers, so we do not call them in when one of the members where I attend becomes ill.

We are told that doctors all over the country will testify to the fact that miracles of healing are being performed. We are not asking for the testimony of doctors all over the country. We are only asking for the testimony of two of them. This request was made where I preached one time with a thousand dollar reward given to the miracle-worker who actually did heal a person, as verified by two doctors. No one collected the reward. Get any instance where a man is completely healed of a blind eye, a withered leg, or a severed leg made whole. We would like to see this.

We hear a great deal of talk about people who limit the power of God by saying He cannot work miracles. I personally have never met a single member of the body of Christ who taught that God cannot work a miracle, We teach He is not, not that He cannot. But some of our religious friends would really limit the power of God. They say that God cannot do anything unless He does it through a miracle. God cannot heal unless He does it miraculously, they tell us. Now who is limiting God’s power? They are. There are many denominations who claim that they are working miracles. All of them claim their power to inspired preaching and miraculous power comes from Almighty God. Yet they declare that the other groups definitely could not be of God. At the same time, they all present the same kind of human testimony to prove their miracles. God does not grant all of them divine power, and then by inspiration guide them to teach conflicting and contradictory doctrines. The truth is that any doctrine that is taught which cannot be found in the Scriptures is not of divine origin. And if all these people teach is of Biblical origin, of what value is their claim to inspiration in their teaching and preaching? Does that make it doubly inspired?

We are asked to believe some of the most astounding events as miraculous. Once I was asked if I believed that all of the so-called miracles which have been claimed were frauds. I reply’ by stating that I deny that there has been a single miracle performed since the death of the last disciple on whom the apostles bestowed the power to work miracles. Find me an exception if you can. I was asked if I believed that the so-called miraculous experiences of John Wesley were just fraud. Sometimes people call things miracles which are not at all. We often say that it was a miracle that a man could do such-and-such a thing. but it was not or he could not have done it, without divine power. Such were some of the things spoken by John Wesley. Some time ago I ran across this account of a miracle, or at least a preacher called it that. A preacher who believed that God performed a miracle on John Wesley said this: “John Wesley was riding along on his horse, and said, `I see no reason why the great God of high heaven can’t rest me while I am riding along’. And his horse was lame and he prayed God, and God rested him in his body, and healed his horse so he trotted and didn’t limp’ ” (Nichols- Weaver Debate, p. 77). Maybe some of the healers should try healing horses. They might be more successful. Friends, don’t be deceived by these men who claim miraculous power. If they are so powerful it should be a simple matter for them to refute the arguments of one who is uninspired, but who humbly tried to reason from God’s word.

Truth Magazine XXI: 14, pp. 214-216
April 7, 1977

By Mike Willis

Jehovah Passages Applied To Jesus

Another line of evidence which shows that Jesus is God is to notice the number of passages from the Old Testament which speak of Jehovah and which are applied in the New Testament to Jesus. These passages force one to the conclusion that Jesus is the God called Jehovah in the Old Testament. Carefully notice that I am not saying that the Son is the Father but that the name Jehovah is applied to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here are some of the passages which in the Old Testament speak of Jehovah but in the New Testament are applied to Christ.

1. Psa. 68:18-“Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captive thy captives; thou hast received gifts among men, even among the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell there.” In Eph. 4:8, this passage is quoted and applied to Jesus Christ.

2. Psa. 102:25-27. This psalm opens, “Hear my prayer, O Lord” (Jehovah). Then, in the verses which interest us, the psalmist said, “Of old Thou didst found the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. Even they will perish, but Thou dost endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing Thou wilt change them, and they will be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end.” The “Thou” of these verses is Jehovah as verse 1 indicates. This passage is quoted in Heb. 1:10-12 as applicable to the Son. The only way that this could be, in any sense, applied to the Son is if the writer of Hebrews thought that he was Jehovah incarnated.

3. In John 12:37-41, the apostle wrote, “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him; that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed ? For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them.’ These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.” When he said that Isaiah saw His glory and spoke of Him, John intended this to be understood to refer to Jesus, Yet, the passages which he quoted was Isaiah 6:10 which tells of Isaiah being in the presence of Jehovah when Jehovah called him to be His prophet. The only possible explanation of this is that John identified Jesus with Jehovah.

4. Isaiah 40:3. In Isaiah’s prophecy of the ministry of John. the Baptist, he said, “A voice is calling, `Clear the way for the Lord (Jehovah) in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.” Matt. 3:3 quotes this passage as foretelling the ministry of John the Baptist. Notice, however, for whom the path was made ready. Isaiah called it the way of the Lord (Jehovah) but Matthew applies it to John’s preparation for the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, the evidence is that Jesus is identified as Jehovah.

5. Joel 2:28-32. “And it shall come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” Our readers, no doubt, recognize this as the passage quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2, the Jews were told to call on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Hence, Peter identified the Lord Jehovah with the Lord Jesus. The same application of this passage occurs in Rom. 10:13 where Paul quotes Joel 2:32 and applies it to Jesus.

6. 1 Pet. 3:14-15 quotes Isa. 8:12ff in part. Peter said. “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts . . . .” The passage in Isa. 8:12-13 says, “And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the Lord (Jehovah) of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread.” The quotation of this passage with the identification of Christ as the Lord makes the conclusion irresistible that Jesus is Jehovah.

7. Deut. 30:11-14. “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it that we may observe it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, `Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe.” This passage is obviously referring to Jehovah (v. 10). Yet, in Rom. 10:6-11, Paul specifically applied this to Christ. Here is what he said: “But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, Do not say in your heart, `Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or `Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? `The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, `Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”‘ The only conclusion is that Jesus is Jehovah.

8. Zech. 12:10. The reader must recognize that the personal pronouns of this passage apply to Jehovah God. The verse reads, “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first born.” Notice that the passage says that they will look on Me Jehovah whom they have pierced. Jn. 19:37 applies this messianic prophecy to Jesus. Obviously, Jesus is Jehovah.

Unexplainable Passages

There are a number of passages which teach that certain things belong exclusively to Jehovah which things are later said to also belong to Jesus. These passages are contradictory of each other unless Jesus is Jehovah. Here are a number of those passages:

1. Lord of Lords. In Deut. 10:17, Moses said, “For the Lord (Jehovah) your God is God of gods and Lord of lords . . . .” In Rev. 17:14, Jesus is identified as “Lord of lords.” Who is Lord of lords? The passages are not in conflict once Jesus is identified as Jehovah.

2. Knows the hearts of men. In 1 Kgs. 8:39, the writer said that Jehovah alone “dost know the hearts of all the sons of men.” Yet, Lk. 5:22 and Jn. 2:25 explicitly say that Jesus knew the hearts of men. Again, this is best harmonized by admitting that Jesus is Jehovah.

3. The Glory of God. In Isa. 42:8, Isaiah said, “I am the Lord (Jehovah), that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images.” Yet, in Jn. 17:5 and 1:14, Jesus is said to have the glory of God.

4. Creator of the World. In Isa. 44:24, Jehovah is identified as Creator of this World; He said, “I, the Lord (Jehovah), am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone.” The New Testament teaches that Jesus is the Creator (Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). The only way that Jehovah could have done these things “all alone” was if Jesus is Jehovah.

5. Lord of Sabbath. In Ex. 20:8-11, the Sabbath is consecrated and set apart to Jehovah; it belonged to Jehovah because on that day He rested. Yet. Jesus boldly taught that He was Lord of the Sabbath (Mk. 2:28). He was guilty of blasphemy if He were not Jehovah.

6. The Rock. In 1 Cor. 10:4, Paul related some of the history of Israel. He said, “. . .and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.” The only person referred to as the rock for Israel in the Old Testament was Jehovah (Isa. 44:8). Yet, Jesus is here identified as the Rock from which Israel drank in the wilderness. Paul obviously is identifying Jesus as Jehovah (cf. Deut. 32:15).

7. Stills the Sea. In Psa. 89:8-9, the psalmist said, “O Lord God of hosts, who is like Thee, O mighty Lord (Jehovah)? Thy faithfulness also surrounds Thee. Thou dost rule the swelling of the sea; when the waves rise, Thou dost still them.” Yet, Jesus also stilled the sea (Mt. 8:23ff); Jesus exercised the power of Jehovah because He is Jehovah.

8. Savior. In Isa. 43:11 and 45:21, Jehovah is identified as the only Savior. Yet, the New Testament teaches that Jesus is our Savior (cf. Mk. 2:7; Tit. 2:13). Jesus is able to be our Savior and forgive our sins because He is Jehovah.

Other evidences similar to these could be added to show that things which were exclusively the characteristic of Jehovah in the Old Testament were said to be true of Jesus in the New Testament. These evidences confirm what I have been seeking to establish, namely, that Jesus is Jehovah.

Colossians 2:9

The book of Colossians was addressed to a church which was bothered by a Gnostic heresy very similar in doctrine to that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Instead of saying that Jesus was God, Gnosticism said that Jesus was an emanation from God. William Barclay described the Gnostic heresy as follows:

“Gnosticism began with two basic assumptions about matter. First, it believed that spirit alone is good, and that matter is essentially flawed and evil. Matter is basically an evil thing. Second, it believed that matter is eternal; and that the universe was not created out of nothing-which is orthodox belief-but that this flawed matter is the stuff and material out of which this world was made. Now this basic belief has certain inevitable and logical consequences . . . .It has its effect on the doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ. If matter is altogether evil, and if Jesus Is the Son of God, then Jesus cannot have had a flesh and blood body-so the Gnostic argued. Jesus must have been a kind of spiritual phantom. He must have looked as if He had a body, and yet not have had one. So the Gnostic romances say that when Jesus walked, He left no footprints on the ground, because He had no body to leave them. This, of course, completely removes Jesus from humanity, and makes it completely impossible for Him of be the Savior of men. It is to meet this Gnostic doctrine that Paul insists on the flesh and bloody body of Jesus, and insists that Jesus saved men in the body of His flesh” (The Daily Study Bible, “The Letter to the Colossians,” pp. 118-119).

“It is best if we go through the whole perversion of Christianity by Gnosticism before we look at Paul’s resounding answer to ft. The next mistake in which Gnosticism issued was a denial of the uniqueness and the full divinity of Jeuss Christ. The Gnositcs had drawn their picture of the long series and ladder of emanations between man and God. They then went on to say that Jesus was no more than a link in that chain; he might even be the highest link; but he was no more than of these many beings who were intermediaries between God and man. To them he was no longer unique; he was simply one of many, even if he was the highest of many. The direct and unique unity of Jesus with God was gone, and at the best Jesus ranked only with the highest of the prophets” (The All-Sufficient Christ, pp. 52-53).

Like the Gnostics, the Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the full deity of Jesus Christ; they teach that Jesus was just an emanation from Jehovah and not Jehovah Himself. Hence, Col. 2:9 must be understood as a full denial of the Gnostic (and Jehovah’s Witnesses) doctrine of Christ.

The passage says, “For in Him (Jesus-mw) all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” This passage states that Christ is very God Himself. Here are some comments about this passage from reputable Greek scholars:

“Here Paul declares that `all the fulness of the Godhead’ dwells in Christ `bodily.’ The phrase `fulness of the Godhead is an esp. emphatic one. It means everything without exception which goes to make up the Godhead, the totality of all that enters into the conception of Godhood . . . .The distinction is that theotes emphasizes that it is the highest stretch of Divinity which is in question, while theiotes might possible be taken as referring to Deity at a lower level. It is not merely such .divinity as is shared by all the gods many and lords many of the heathen world, to which `heroes’ might aspire, and `demons’ attain, all the plenitude of which dwells in Christ as incarnate; but that Deity which is peculiar to the high gods, or, since Paul is writing out of a monotheistic consciousness, that Deity which is the Supreme God alone. All the fulness of supreme Deity dwells in Christ bodily. There is nothing in the God who is over all which is not in Christ . . . .Paul wishes here to assert-that all that enters into the conception of God, and makes God what we mean by the term `God,’ dwells in Christ, and is manifested in Him in connection with a bodily organism” (“Godhead,” Benjamin Warfield, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, pp. 1269-70).

“When the apostle thus describes Christ he has in mind the latter’s deity, not just his divinity. He is referring to the Son’s complete equality of essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit, his consubstantiality, not his similarity. He is saying that this plenitude of deity has its abiding residence in Christ, and this bodily” (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Colossians, p. 111).

. . .St. Paul is declaring that in the Son there dwells all the fulness of absolute Godhead; they were no mere rays of divine glory which gilded Him, lighting up his person for a season and with a splendour not his own; but He was, and is, absolute and perfect God . . . .” (R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, p: 8).

That Jesus is God cannot be denied.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that Jesus is fully God; they will state that Jesus is “a god” or “divine” but will deny that He is Jehovah God. In essence, they are saying that not all the fulness of God dwelt in Jesus. Yet, Col. 2:9 teaches otherwise; it asserts that Jesus is God. (Continued Next Week)

Truth Magazine XXI: 14, pp. 211-214
April 7, 1977