One Lord God And One Lord Jesus Christ
ACTS 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
An assertion most errant is being circulated, and it is needful that it be addressed in detail. In essence, it has been said that Jesus is Lord because God who is the only Lord dwelt in him. In other words, Jesus isn’t Lord within himself, but only on the basis that God the only Lord entered him. This is a very disturbing concept and false for many reasons.
The teaching that the only Lord, is God in Jesus, is actually a denial that God made Jesus Lord according to the Scriptures. God did not make himself Lord in Jesus, he made Jesus Lord. Such a twist is the slight and cunning craftiness of men. Are we really to believe that David could be Lord in Israel, but Jesus can't be Lord over the church? Something is terribly wrong with this line of thinking.
One must understand that the LORD God (Yahweh Elohim) possessed the title of Lord (Adonai) from ancient times. Adonai is applied exclusively to Yahweh (the LORD God). The title applied to the Messiah in Psalms 110:1 is “Adoni” (my lord). While Adonai (Lord) is exclusively God’s title, Adoni (my lord) is never used of God. It is always used in reference to a human or angel.
The Greek and Hebrew usage of these words provide us insight. The Hebrew language is much more thorough than the Greek language. There is only one main word used for 'lord' in Greek and that is “kurios” [Strong's 2962]. The New Testament uses the title Lord (kurios) interchangeably, sometimes referring to the One God, other times referring to Christ. However, to the Greek-speaking Jewish Christians, the context would show which 'lord' is being referred to, whether it be God, man or angel.
The Hebrew language however uses at least 4 main words (actually one word and 3 derivatives of another word) for “lord” therefore minimizing the chance of misunderstanding. Therefore, the Apostles and other Greek-speaking Jewish Christians would have followed which Hebrew equivalent to KURIOS was meant!
Adonai (Lord) [Strong's 136] appears over 400 times in the Old Testament. It is a title of God, not his name. His name is YHVH (pronounced Yahweh or Jehovah) which most english versions substitute LORD (all caps). Adonai is the Supreme Lord God.
Adoni (my lord) [Strong's 113] is essentially the same Hebrew word “Adon” (lord) with a different vowel pointing which makes it 'my lord'. It appears over 160 times in the Old Testament. It is used to refer to human lords. David is referred to as “adoni” many times in the Scriptures. Sarah called Abraham “adoni.” And it is used in regards to Messiah that would come in Psalms 110:1 - “my lord”. The LORD God (Yahweh) himself is never referred to as “adoni”.
[*Adonai is pronounced “Adon eye.” Adoni is pronounced “Adon nee.”]
PSALMS 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
This should correctly say, Yahweh (or Jehovah) said unto adoni (my lord), NOT Adonai.
There is only one Lord cited in this verse (although we understand Jehovah is Lord Almighty) and that lord is not God, but the human messiah.
The fact of the matter is, we are not simply looking at Psalms 110:1. “Jehovah said unto adoni (my lord)”, but that Jehovah actually does have an exclusive title of Lord (Adonai). So there is one Supreme Lord (or Lord God), who made his firstborn son the one lord over the church.
God hath exalted Jesus to this position as Lord over the church. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is our adon (lord) according to Psalms 110:1, Acts 2:32-36. He is not Adonai (Lord). God alone is Adonai. Jesus was not made Adonai (deity title), but Adon (non-deity title). To say Jesus is Lord because the only Lord (God) dwelt in him is a gross error and heretical idea that does not compare with the Scripture.
The references to Psalms 110:1 in the NT affirm the Father (Jehovah) is the Supreme Lord God and the Messiah is my lord. The Majesty on high, of which Jesus has sat down on the right hand of— is God Himself. God, is his Majesty, Jesus is a prince of his Majesty.
HEBREWS 1:3 Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
ACTS 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand [to be] a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
REVELATION 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince [chief ruler] of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
PHILIPPIANS 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
HEBREWS 12:2 WNT(i) 2 simply fixing our gaze upon Jesus, our Prince Leader in the faith, who will also award us the prize. He, for the sake of the joy which lay before Him, patiently endured the cross, looking with contempt upon its shame, and afterwards seated Himself-- where He still sits--at the right hand of the throne of God.
Rotherham(i) 2 Looking away unto our faith’s Princely-leader and perfecter, Jesus,—who, in consideration of the joy lying before him, endured a cross, shame, despising! And, on the right hand of the throne of God, hath taken his seat.
majesty
/'mæd??st?/
noun
- great dignity of bearing; loftiness; grandeur
- supreme power or authority
- an archaic word for royalty
Full Definition of MAJESTY
1: sovereign power, authority, or dignity
2 —used in addressing or referring to reigning sovereigns and their consorts <Your Majesty> <Her Majesty's Government>
Jesus is lord (prince/ruler) to the glory of God the Father. So there is only one Supreme Lord and that is God the Father! But the Son is the prince i.e. Ruler, Chief, over us, the kings and priests or kingdom of priests. Joseph is a type, he was rejected of his brethren, (the Jews) raised from the dungeon to the throne to be a Prince and saviour, he was equal to Pharaoh in all the kingdom except the throne, he was Lord of the Egyptians and Pharaoh was the Supreme Lord, a type of Jesus raised to his Majesty's throne and made ruler of the Kingdom.
Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, that his Majesty is subjecting all things under our Lord except his Majesty himself, he's the one doing the subjecting, and when all things are brought into subjection under our Lord then our Lord himself will be subject unto his Majesty which put all things under him, this is the perfect picture of New Jerusalem, our Lord is our Joesph sitting on the throne with the Lord God (his Majesty) above him in the form of the Logos, the great light forever and ever.
1 Corinthians Chapter 15 Verse 24
Then cometh the end, when he (Son) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he (God) hath put all enemies under his (Jesus) feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he (God) hath put all things under his (Jesus) feet. But when he saith all things are put under him (Jesus), it is manifest that he (God) is excepted, which did put all things under him (Jesus).
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him (Jesus), then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him (God) that put all things under him (Jesus), that God may be all in all.
For one to contend that Jesus is Lord on the basis that the only Lord (God) was in him is a blatant denial that God hath exalted his son to the position of Lord over the church.
II CORINTHIANS 6:18
KJV(i) 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
LITV(i) 18 "And I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons" and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Sam. 7:8, 14; Isa. 43:6
Here is an instance where the Father is referred to as the Lord Almighty, and conveys the Old Testament designation of Adonai Yahweh as Supreme Lord. The Father is Lord Supreme and thus signifies he is the head of Lord Messiah. Only a greater authority can make one Lord (Acts 2:36).
JUDE 1:4
KJV(i) 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here is another example where there is an obviously distinction of Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. One does not void the other, when the Old Testament titles are understood and applied correctly. That is why understanding the context of Scripture is vital.
I CORINTHIANS 15:47
The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven.
This doesn’t say God is the Lord from heaven, but that the second man is the Lord from heaven.
Jesus Christ is Lord because the Lord God made him Lord. Rightfully dividing the scripture here is the difference in truth and error. Jehovah is Adonai. Jesus is our Adon, that Adonai has placed over the body.
I CORINTHIANS 6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
Now by the line of reasoning in question, that ‘God is the only Lord’; how could God have raised up the Lord? There is something about this way of thinking that has a familiarity with the Oneness/Jesus Only way of thinking—that is, never mind the context, it says what we want it to say to fit our understanding.
EPHESIANS 4:4 [There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
EPHESIANS 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
EPHESIANS 4:6 One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all.
It has been said that Paul is saying “one Lord” here is in reference to Deut. 6:4. This is a consequence of misunderstanding that “LORD” (all caps) is not a title (like Adonai) but the sacred name (substituted). [LORD is substituted for YHVH-Yahweh.]
Here is Deut. 6:4 correctly rendered:
Rotherham(i) 4 Hear, O Israel: Yahweh, is our God,—Yahweh alone.
WEB(i) 4 Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:
So where is the “one lord” mentioned? Adonai is one of God’s exclusive titles, but God’s name Yahweh is used in Deut. 6:4 not his title of Lord (same in Zech 14:9). Jesus is Adoni (my lord) which is a non-deity title, and so the distinction is there, but must be comprehended.
The context of Eph. 4:4-5 dictates that the “one Lord” is not God himself because God is mentioned in the next verse, and declared to be above all (supreme)—even Christ (the “one Lord”). The “one Lord” is the head of the church—the Lord Jesus Christ of whom the one faith pertains to. It is he that the only Lord God Almighty hath made the one Lord.
To say God made Jesus Adonai is inconceivable. The other alternative is that he made him Adoni like Psalms 110:1 declared him to be, and Peter cited in Acts 2, and thus renders false the idea that Jesus is Lord because the only Lord God entered him.
MARK 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
MARK 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Jesus speaking with a scribe (that concurs with him) affirms the Shema of Israel that the LORD is one LORD. Therefore continuing on in his conversation in Mark 12:36 it must be understood that "my Lord" that is being spoken to by "the LORD" is not and cannot be God. "My Lord" is the Messiah, the son of God, "adon" (not Adonai) - Psalms 110:1
In conclusion, Jesus being exalted to the right hand of God and bestowed the title "Lord" is the fulfillment of the Father's plan ordained from the foundation of the world. It is a title granted him by God that conferred to him Lordship over the church. He of course derived this Lordship from His Lord God who is above all, including himself. Both God the Father and his son Jesus can be appropriately and scripturally called "Lord" respectively, because they are as is clearly evidenced in the Scriptures, and dare any man say different. The one Lord God, the Father, and one Lord Jesus Christ, the son.
I CORINTHIANS 8:6 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.
EPHESIANS 1:22 And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church,
Saying God "gave him to be the head over all things to the church”, is another way of expressing that God had made Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
In other words, Jesus is exalted and installed, he is positioned, he is granted the authority by God's decree to be the head of the church, the same as God is his head. He has been proven and approved.
To refuse to acknowledge that God exalted his son Jesus and made him Lord is to deny the faith. To attempt to void Christ's lordship by saying God made himself Lord in Christ is seed of discrepancy. Without accepting the Lordship of the man Christ Jesus, one does not have a Lord because they have denied the one faith and the one lord, that the only Lord God Almighty has set over the church.
Ephesians 1:20-23 Moffatt(i) 20 which he exerted in raising Christ from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavenly sphere, 21 above all the angelic Rulers, Authorities, Powers, and Lords, above every Name that is to be named not only in this age but in the age to come -- 22 he has put everything under his feet and set him as head over everything for the church, 23 the church which is his Body, filled by him who fills the universe entirely.