Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel Lesson 5

Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel Lesson 5: Jesus Christ was Jehovah of the Old Testament Flagstaff, AZ LDS Institute of Religion Instructor: Christina G. Hibbert www. Grow. With. Scriptures. org

What are some names and titles of the Savior?

The God of the Old Testament • Exodus 5: 2 • Many today are just as ignorant of who the God of the Old Testament actually was. • “Could this be the same God as the being of love in the New Testament revealed through the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ? Others contend that the Jehovah of Old Testament times was the same as God the Father in the New Testament. Why all this confusion? Who, really, was the God of Adam, of Enoch and Abraham, of Israel and Moses? ” (Old Testament SM)

Jehovah=Jesus Christ “Although for many it seems a paradox, Jehovah of the Old Testament was none other than the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He created the world under the authority and direction of God the Father. Later, Jehovah came to earth as the Savior and Redeemer of the world. This truth is one of the most misunderstood doctrines in the history of the world, despite the fact that the Old Testament and the other standard works are filled with evidence to support it. ” (Enrichment Section A: Who is the God of the Old Testament, Old Testament Student Manual Genesis 2 -Samuel, (1980), 44 -48)

“Before Abraham Was…I Am” • Read John 8: 52 -53, 56 -59 silently • What questions were the Jews asking the Savior? • What did Jesus mean by His response, “Before Abraham was, I am? ”

“I AM” • Review Exodus 3: 11 -14; 6: 2 -3 • According to these verses, what names did the God of the Old Testament use to identify Himself? • How do these verses clarify the significance of Jesus Christ’s statement, “Before Abraham was, I am? ”

Bruce R. Mc. Conkie “This is as blunt and pointed an affirmation of divinity as any person has or could make. ‘Before Abraham was I Jehovah. ’ That is, ‘I am God Almighty, the Great I AM. I am the self-existent, Eternal One. I am the God of your fathers. My name is: I AM THAT I AM. ” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965 -73], 1: 464)

Jehovah • Jehovah is “the covenant or proper name of the God of Israel. It denotes the ‘Unchangeable One. ’” (Bible Dictionary, “Jehovah”) • “Jehovah is the Anglicized rendering of the Hebrew, Yahveh or Jahveh, signifying the Self -existent One, or The Eternal. This name is generally rendered in our English version of the Old Testament as Lord printed in capitals. The Hebrew, Ehyeh, signifying I Am, is related in meaning and through derivation with the term Yahvehor Jehovah. ” (James Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 36)

Jehovah’s Titles/Names • Jehovah Elohim (Lord God)—because Jesus is “one with God and is also God” • Adonai Jehovah (Lord)—use “Lord God” to avoid awkward repetition. • Jesus the Christ— “Christ” comes from the Greek word christos, which means ‘the anointed one. ’ The Greeks used the title Christosto translate the word meshiach, which means ‘the anointed one. ’. . Jesus the Christ means ‘Jesus the Messiah. ’”

Jehovah & Elohim • ”Elohim, as understood and used in the restored Church of Jesus Christ, is the name-title of God the Eternal Father, whose firstborn in the spirit is Jehovah—the Only Begotten in the flesh, Jesus Christ. ” (Jesus the Christ, p. 38) • Elohim is “a plural form of the Hebrew word for God. ” Joseph Smith taught: “If we pursue the Hebrew text further, it reads…’The head of one of the Gods said, Let us make a man in our own image. ’. . . In the very beginning the Bible shows there is a plurality of Gods beyond the power of refutation. It is a great subject I am dwelling on. The word Eloheim ought to be in the plural all the way through—Gods. The head of the Gods appointed one God for us; and when you take that view of the subject, it sets one free to see all the beauty, holiness, and perfection of the Gods. ” (Teachings, p. 372)

Jehovah & Elohim “It is vital to remember the place of God the Father: He is the Father of our spirits (see Hebrews 12: 9) and is our God. The existence of other Gods cannot alter that fact. He is the author and sponsor of the eternal plan of salvation. It is equally essential to note, however, that the agent by whom He administers His affairs on this earth is His Firstborn Son, known as Jehovah in the Old Testament. He gave Jesus the full “Fatherly” authority to organize and govern the earth, then through the Atonement Jesus became the Father of the faithful. The Savior thus became the chief advocate of the Father’s plan. ” OLD TESTAMENT STUDENT MANUAL GENESIS-2 SAMUEL; ENRICHMENT SECTION A: WHO IS THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Joseph Fielding Smith “All revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ, who is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. … The Father [Elohim] has never dealt with man directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appeared except to introduce and bear record of the Son. ” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. Mc. Conkie, 3 vols. [1954– 56], 1: 27)

Jehovah Established the Everlasting Gospel Anciently • Moses 6: 51 -52, 64 -66—What did Jehovah teach Adam? • What do you notice about the gospel taught to Adam? • The gospel of Jesus Christ is everlasting and unchanging in each gospel dispensation. • Abrahamic Covenant—Jehovah renewed his everlasting gospel through this covenant

Abrahamic Covenant Promises Made to Abraham What Was Required (Gen 13: 14 -16; 17: 2 -8; Abr 1: 18 -19; 2: 8 -11) Gen 17: 1 -5, 9; Abr 1: 19; 2: 8 -11 • Land (Abr 2: 6) • Posterity (Abr 2: 9) • Priesthood (Abr 1: 18) • Salvation and Exaltation (Abr 2: 10) • To serve the Lord Jehovah (Gen 17: 4 -8)

Abrahamic Covenant • “Abraham received the gospel and was ordained to the higher priesthood…entered into celestial marriage, which is the covenant of exaltation…received a promise that all of the blessings of these covenants would be offered to his mortal posterity…Together, these covenants and promises are called the Abrahamic covenant. The restoration of this covenant was the restoration of the gospel in the last days, for through it all the nations of the earth are blessed” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Abrahamic Covenant”; scriptures. lds. org). • Elder Nelson reminds us that Book of Mormon prophets knew this: “Isn’t that amazing? Some 600 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, prophets knew that the Abrahamic covenant would be finally fulfilled only in the latter days. ” (Covenants, Gen Conf 2011)

Jehovah Blessed & Led Ancient Israel • Joshua 24: 3 -13; 1 Nephi 17: 23 -32 • What did Jehovah do for ancient Israel? • Exodus 6: 2 -6 • What reason did Jehovah give for doing many of the things in Joshua & Nephi? What does this tell you about the promises He has made to you?

If we live Faithfully, the Lord will keep the promises He has made to us. “Because God has been faithful and kept His promises in the past, we can hope with confidence that God will keep His promises to us in the present and in the future. In times of distress, we can hold tightly to the hope that things will ‘work together for [our] good’ [D&C 90: 24]. ” • (“The Infinite Power of Hope, ” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 23).

Come Unto Christ and bring others with you!

Search, Ponder & Pray… • Additional Study: • Russell M Nelson, “Covenants, ” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 86– 89. • “The Abrahamic Covenant, ” The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual (Church Educational System manual, 2000), 93– 98. • Ponder the Savior’s ministry in the Old Testament. How do you feel about His work with prophets and people of old? What does it indicate for you in your life? • Pay attention to the times when you use “I am…”. How might you improve your use of this title for our Savior? • Continue working on memorizing the first two paragraphs of “The Living Christ. ”

Next Week • WEDNESDAY, Oct. 11, 10 AM • Lesson 6: Types, Shadows, & Symbols of Jesus the Christ • Readings: • 2 Nephi 11: 2– 6; Moses 6: 63. • Russell M. Nelson, “In This Holy Land, ” Tambuli, Feb. 1991, 10– 19.