Who is Yahushua? Yahuwah, Christ, or Both?

Just who is Yahushua? A Barna study conducted in 2014 revealed that 93 percent of Americans¹ believe that Yahushua Christ “was a real person who actually lived.”² Sixty-three percent said they have made a commitment to Yahushua that is still important in their lives today. However, less than half (43 percent) believe “Yahushua was God living among humans.” But before someone cries Heretic!, Let’s examine the Scriptures and consider why they might think this.

An attentive reader will observe that Scripture consistently places Yahushua in a category outside that of God [Yahuwah]. For example:

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Yahushua the Nazarene, a man attested to you by Yahuwah with miracles and wonders and signs which Yahuwah performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—

Ephesians 1:2 Grace to you and peace from Yahuwah our Father and the Lord Yahushua Christ.

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of Yahuwah and of Christ and shall reign…

Yahuwah is the Father, while Yahushua, a man, is the Christ. Notice also that Yahushua is not only the Christ, but he is also Yahuwah’s Christ, thus further emphasizing their distinction. In addition, we are told at least twenty times in Scripture that Yahushua has a God.³ For instance:

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yahushua Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Yahushua Christ from the dead,

Romans 15:6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Yahushua Christ.

Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Yahushua Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Revelation 1:6 and He [Yahushua] has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 3:2 ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I [Yahushua] have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.

Of course, these passages and others like them beg the question, If Yahushua is God, how can he have a God and still be God? Confusing and contradictory. On the other hand, Scripture offers clarity on the matter. Whenever a determination is made, the Father is the only one specifically classified as God, while Yahushua is repeatedly said to be the Christ. This finding affirms Yahushua’s own statement that the Father is the “only true God” while he is the Christ whom Yahuwah sent (John 17:1, 3).

Contrary to what many Christians believe, the term Christ and its Hebrew equivalent, Messiah, are not designations for deity. The synonymous terms mean anointed one, and they refer to someone who has been consecrated for service unto Yahuwah. Professor of religion and philosophy, Douglas McCready, writes:

In biblical Judaism the term “messiah” did not necessarily carry any connotation of divine status, and Jews of [Yahushua’s] day were not expecting their messiah to be other than human.⁴

The word Christ is used over 500 times⁵ in the New Testament to refer to Yahushua, and is indicative of his role as Yahuwah’s anointed king. This royal position, however, was not inherently his. Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost that it was Yahuwah who made Yahushua both Lord and Christ:

Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that Yahuwah has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Yahushua whom you crucified.”

One would think that if Scripture put so much emphasis on identifying Yahushua as the Christ–several hundred times–it would emphasize that he is a deity all the more. However, we are never explicitly told in Scripture that Yahushua is God, God the Son, God-incarnate, or the second member of the Trinity. Those who hold to the supremacy of Scripture should find it troubling that the sacred texts clearly and repeatedly identify Yahushua as Christ but not as God. Scholars agree that any identification of Yahushua as God is absent from Scripture. Bible professor and prolific author William Barclay states:

Time and time again, the Fourth Gospel speaks of God sending [Yahushua] into the world. Time and time again, we see [Yahushua] praying to God. Time and time again, we see [Yahushua] unhesitatingly, unquestioningly, and unconditionally accepting the will of God for himself. Nowhere does the New Testament identify [Yahushua] and God.⁶ He said: “He who has seen me has seen God.” There are attributes of God I do not see in [Yahushua]. I do not see God’s omniscience in [Yahushua], for there are things which [Yahushua] did not know.”⁷

And according to Biblical scholar and popular author N.T. Wright:

“Messiah” or “Christ’, does not mean ‘the/a divine one.” It is very misleading to use the words as shorthands [sic] for the divine name or being of [Yahushua]. It is comparatively easy to argue that [Yahushua]…believed he was the Messiah. It is much harder, and a very different thing, to argue that he thought he was in some sense identified with Israel’s God.⁸

It’s also significant that acclaimed Biblical scholar and author James Dunn, writes in his exhaustive work, Christology in the Making, “We cannot claim that Yahushua believed himself to be the incarnate Son of God…⁹

Is Yahushua Both Yahuwah and Christ?

To call Yahushua both Yahuwah and Christ creates quite a conundrum. As mentioned, if Yahushua is God, how can he have a God? Furthermore, if Yahushua is a deity, it makes no sense for him to be anointed and empowered by Yahuwah. On the contrary, it is Yahuwah who empowers his servants. As author and professor Bill Schlegel explains:

“Christ” (Hebrew, “Messiah”) means “anointed”. Grammatically, the word is an adjective with a passive sense. One who is anointed has been acted upon by someone else. The one doing the anointing is not the anointed. In the Bible, God is the Anointer, and the one whom God has anointed is the Christ (the Messiah). The Anointer is not the Anointed… To believe that [Yahushua] is the Christ means to believe that [Yahushua] is the one anointed by God. The Christ/Messiah in the Bible can’t be God, because God chose and anointed the Christ.¹⁰

In addition, how can Yahushua be exalted to the position of Christ-King and given authority if he is already God? Isn’t Yahuwah in a higher position than even the highest king? Moreover, how can Yahuwah be exalted to Yahuwah’s right hand, a seat of delegated authority? If Yahushua were Yahuwah, he would already have occupied the highest place and received the greatest honor as a deity. To be made Lord and Christ would be a demotion.

On the other hand, it makes sense that Yahushua of Nazareth needed the anointing of Yahuwah to do the work Yahuwah had called him to do. Moreover, for Yahushua to be exalted to Yahuwah’s right hand as a reward for his obedience would be a true exaltation and great honor (Philippians 2).

Some might contend that only Yahushua’s human nature has a God, experienced exaltation, and was granted authority to reign. However, this theory is nowhere to be found in Scripture. Instead, it was developed amidst fierce, protracted debates by the Hellenized Church Fathers. Professor of Theology A.T. Hanson, states:

No responsible New Testament scholar would claim that the doctrine of the Trinity was taught by [Yahushua], or preached by the earliest Christians, or consciously held by any writer of the New Testament. It was in fact slowly worked out in the course of the first few centuries in an attempt to give an intelligible doctrine of God.¹¹

Indeed, the theory of Yahushua’s dual natures did not become official Church dogma until the Council of Chalcedon in the 5th century.

The True Debate

Unlike the post-Biblical councils, the debate during Yahushua’s ministry was not whether or not he was Yahuwah but whether or not he was the Christ:

John 7:40-44 Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? ⁴² “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” ⁴³ So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. ⁴⁴ Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

Many believed Yahushua to be the promised Messiah sent by Yahuwah, and they freely confessed it. For example, Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus, acknowledged Yahushua was the Christ:

John 11:27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of Yahuwah, even He who comes into the world.”

Some confusedly interpret the title, Son of God [Yahuwah], to be a reference to some preexistent divine nature. However, a survey of the Bible reveals that, while there are many sons of Yahuwah, it is ultimately a designation for the Messiah. Again, McCready clarifies the term for us:

While some have used the title Son of God to denote [Yahushua’s] deity, neither Judaism nor the paganism of [Yahushua’s] day understood the title in this way. Neither did the early church.¹²

Wright agrees with McCready’s assessment:

…the phrase ‘son of God’ is systematically misleading because in pre- and non-Christian Judaism, its primary referent is either Israel or the Messiah, and it retains these meanings in early Christianity…¹³

What did Yahushua say?

Yahushua’s testimony was that he was the Christ:

John 4:25-26 ²⁵ The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” ²⁶ Yahushua said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

John 10:24-25 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Yahushua answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.

Despite certain so-called proof texts, Yahushua never claimed to be Yahuwah. Millard Erickson, Baptist seminary professor and author, concedes the point:

Indeed, Yahushua did not make an explicit and overt claim to be a deity. He did not say in so many words, “I am God.”¹⁴

John’s Gospel

Ironically, we’ve been told that John’s gospel is unlike the Synoptic Gospels because he reveals the deity of Christ in it. However, John plainly states that the purpose for which he wrote his account was so that we might believe that Yahushua is the Christ, not that we might believe he is Yahuwah:

John 20:30-31 Therefore many other signs Yahushua also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these have been written so that you may believe that Yahushua is the Christ, the Son of Yahuwah; and that believing you may have life in His name.

Indeed, the revelation of Yahushua’s deity would have served as the greater motivation for writing his gospel than that of Yahushua being the Christ. Yet, John’s stated purpose for writing is that we might believe Yahushua is the chosen and anointed king.

What Others Believed

While some did not accept that Yahushua was the Christ, the demons knew exactly who he was:

Luke 4:41 Demons also came out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of Yahuwah!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak because they knew Him to be the Christ.

Without question, the demonic spirits would have known if Yahushua was the Almighty. But in every encounter Yahushua had with demons, they never declared him to be Yahuwah. On the contrary, they understood him to be the Nazarene and the “holy one of Yahuwah,” not Yahuwah, the holy one.¹⁵

One of the most potent and memorable declarations made regarding Yahushua’s identity came from Peter via a revelation given to him by Yahuwah the Father:

Matthew 16:15-17 and 20 He [Yahushua] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Yahushua said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven… ²⁰ Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

Yahuwah said that Yahushua was the Christ. Yahuwah never identified Yahushua as co-deity. In fact, in Luke’s rendering of the same event, Peter says that Yahushua is the “Christ of Yahuwah,” not Yahuwah the Christ.¹⁶ This divinely given revelation was to be kept private for the time being. The “secret,” however, was not that Yahushua was Yahuwah but that he was the promised king.

Yahushua’s Trial

But what about when Yahushua was arrested and tried by Pilate? Wasn’t the charge brought against him that he claimed to be Yahuwah? Not according to the Bible:

Matthew 26:63 But Yahushua kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of Yahuwah.”

Luke 23:1-3 Then the whole body of them got up and brought Him before Pilate. ² And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” ³ So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”

John 19:21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.'”

What’s more, as Yahushua hung on the cross, he was mocked and taunted for claiming to be the Christ, the king of Israel, not for claiming to be a deity:

Mark 15:29-32 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying…³⁰ save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. ³² “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

Luke 23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”

Without a doubt, claiming to be Yahuwah would have been the more serious offense, yet the charge brought against Yahushua was that he and his followers said he was the Messiah.

The Post-Resurrection Message

Even after Yahuwah exalted Yahushua to His right hand, the message continued to be that he was the Christ, not God incarnate. Every sermon preached or gospel message shared, whether it was to Jews or Greeks, was not about Yahushua being the God who died for the sins of the world. Instead, it was always about Yahushua being the Christ:

Acts 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Yahushua as the Christ.

Paul never taught or attempted to prove that Yahushua was Yahuwah or Yahuwah-incarnate. Instead, his ministry was consistently focused on proclaiming Yahushua to be the Christ:

Acts 9:22 But Saul [Paul] kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Yahushua is the Christ.

Acts 17:2-3 And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ³ explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Yahushua whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”

Acts 18:5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Yahushua was the Christ.

The reason Yahuwah exalted Yahushua to His right hand was because of his obedience, even in the face of a horrific death. What will Yahushua’s reward be for his costly obedience? At the end of the age, will every knee bow and declare once and for all that Yahushua is Yahuwah? No! Instead, that he is the Christ:

Philippians 2:9-11 For this reason also, Yahuwah highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Yahushua EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Yahushua Christ is Lord, to the glory of Yahuwah the Father.

Not surprisingly, Apollos, a powerful but lesser-known preacher in the Bible, presented the same gospel message as that of Paul:

Acts 18:28 ²⁸ for he [Apollos] powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Yahushua was the Christ.

What was it that the Scriptures demonstrated? That Yahushua is Yahuwah? No, instead that he is the Christ.

The disciples performed miracles and cast out demons by the name of Yahushua the Christ and never by Yahushua, who is Yahuwah:

Acts 3:6 But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Yahushua Christ the Nazarene—walk!”

Acts 16:18 She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Yahushua Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.

Who is this man from Nazareth? Yahuwah incarnate? The second member of a triune deity? Or the Christ, sent by Yahuwah? It depends on whether you answer according to fourth-century orthodoxy or Scripture. The post-Biblical tradition says that we must believe Yahushua is Yahuwah to be saved. But according to Scripture, we are born again if we believe that Yahushua is the Christ:

1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Yahushua is the Christ is born of Yahuwah, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

Who do you say he is?

¹ Barna used a representative sample of adults over the age of 18 in each of the 50 United States.

² “What Do Americans Think of Jesus: Man, Myth, or God?” The Christian Post, April 15, 2017, accessed 10-02-19.

³ Messiah has a God: Micah 5:4; Psalm 45:6-7; Psalm 22;1; Psalm 89:26. Yahushua has a God: Matthew 27:46 (2x); Mark 15:34 (2x); John 20:16-17; Romans 15:5-6; 2 Corinthians 1:2-3; 11:30-31; Ephesians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:4-6; 3:2; 3:12 (4x). --- Mark 15:34

⁴ Douglass McCready, He Came Down from Heaven: The Preexistence of Christ and the Christian Fatih, (IVP Academinc, 2005), p. 55.

⁵ Christ (Yahushua Christ, Christ the Lord, etc) is used of Yahushua 503 times in the New Testament. Messiah is used two times (messias in Greek). Herbert Lockyer, All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House), 1975, p. 101-102; 104-105, and 206.

⁶ Professor Barclay: “But we shall find that on almost every occasion in the New Testament on which Jesus seems to be called God there is a problem either of textual criticism or of translation.” William, Barclay, Jesus As They Saw Him: New Testament Interpretations of Jesus. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing, 1983), p. 21

⁷ William Barclay, The Mind of Jesus, (Harper & Rowe, 1961), p. 56.

⁸N.T. Wright, “Jesus’s Self-Understanding” NTWrightPage – blog post accessed on 4-15-19 http://ntwrightpage.com/2016/04/05/Jesus-self-understanding/

⁹James Dunn, Christology in the Making, (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996 ), p. 254.

¹⁰ Bill Schlegel, “Do You Love God’s Child, The Person Who Believes Jesus is the Christ? Comments on 1 John 5:1,” Land and Bible, 9-27-91; accessed 9-27-91.

¹¹ Anthony Tyrrell Hanson, The Image of the Invisible God, (London: SCM Press, 1982), p.87.

¹² McCready, p. 56

¹³ N.T. Wright, “Jesus’s Self-Understanding” NTWrightPage – blog post accessed on 4-15-19 http://ntwrightpage.com/2016/04/05/Jesus-self-understanding/

¹⁴ Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1992, 2001)

¹⁵ Luke 4:34.

¹⁶ Luke 9:20.

This is a non-WLC article. Source: https://oneGodworship.com/who-is-Jesus-God-christ-or-both/

We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired authors of the Bible. -WLC Team