(395) – THE WORD

The apostle John, full of the Holy Spirit, said: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).

It is obvious that the text is speaking of Jesus Christ, who is the light and the life to men. Also, in Jesus Christ all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found (Col. 2:3). And John declares that the Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

As we examine the Teologia Sistemática of Charles Hodge, in the chapter that deals about the deity of Christ, on page 377, we read that Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Word of God, and to him the sub existence and divine perfections are credited (Ps. 33:6; 107:20; 119:89; Is. 40:8). These are the texts carefully chosen as the foundation for this conclusion. These texts deal with the WORD. It is obvious that, if Jehovah is the Word manifested in the Old Testament, he and Jesus Christ are the same person; and if they are the same person, they do the same works and have the same purpose. Let us analyze some points of this theology system:

1. Jesus, the Word, is light, and the light of life, and true light that illumines every man who comes to the world (John 1:9). Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The light that is Christ tears those who believe away from darkness. The light that is Christ is so powerful, that all those who are touched by it are turned into light. Matthew says about those who believe in Christ: “You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14-16).

Considering that Jehovah is the Word, he should act accordingly; but David, his faithful and beloved son, said: “He (Jehovah) made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies” (Ps. 18:11). Can light hide in darkness? What is the darkness of waters? It is the meanness of men, for waters are peoples (Rev. 17:15). And Isaiah says: “But the wicked are like the troubled sea; for it can’t rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt” (Is. 57:20). Those are the waters that surround Jehovah’s canopy. Instead of eliminating darkness with light as Jesus does, Jehovah is surrounded by darkness. But theology claims that Jehovah is the Word; and Jehovah created a people for his glory. This people is Israel, of which Jehovah is king (Is. 43:1,7,15). And Jesus says in Isaiah, about Israel: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined” (Is. 9:2). The light shone, but the darkness did not understand it (John 1:5). This text reveals that the people of Jehovah is darkness, and such dense darkness, that they do not understand or discern the light from the darkness. How can light rule over darkness, without changing it? The truth is that Jehovah likes darkness. Solomon declared: “Jehovah has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness” (1 Kings 8:12).

What does it mean dwell in darkness? It means to dwell in this world, and this world is surrounded by darkness. The psalm 104, speaking of creation, says: “He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever. You covered it with the deep as with a cloak (Ps. 104:5-6). There was darkness over the face of the abyss, though, since the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:2). And the abyss, which is this world, is not only covered by darkness, but it is also the dwelling of the dead. Paul reveals the following: “But the righteousness which is of faith says this, ‘Don’t 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.)’” (Rom. 10:6-7).

And David, once more, declares the future plans of Jehovah, saying: “For Jehovah has chosen Zion. He has desired it for his habitation. This is my resting place forever. Here I will live, for I have desired it” (Ps. 132:13-14). Now, the Hebrew people do not believe in Jesus Christ until this day; therefore they are in darkness, and they are darkness, for the Bible says: But God, the Father, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen, nor can see (1 Tim. 6:16).

2.  John said: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Word, which is Jesus, is God, and therefore John says: “We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life” (1 John 5:20). And the Word is in our favor, and so much so that he gave his life to save the sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). And he did it according to the will of God, because Jesus and God, the Father, are one in essence and in purpose (Gal. 1:4; John 10:30). So we can say with Paul: “What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would He not also with him freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31-32). Jesus Christ is so much in our favor, that he is our advocate if, after we are saved, we sin (1 John 2:1-2). Christ is so much on our side, that he paid the highest possible price to buy us from our oppressor (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

If Jehovah is the Word, how can he be against?

.    Jehovah was against Moab (Is. 16:13-14; Jer. 48:1). And Jehovah was against the children of Ammon (Jer. 49:1). And who are the Moabites and the Ammonites? They are the sons of Lot, who became cursed of Jehovah, because Lot lived in Sodom (Gen. 19:34-38; Deut. 23:3-4).

.    Jehovah as Word was against the Chaldeans, dwellers of Babylon (Jer. 50:1,11,17). How can this be? Jehovah used the Chaldeans to execute his judgment over the nations and delivered them all to Nebuchadnezzar. He declares that Nebuchadnezzar was pleasing in his eyes and was his servant, and so much, that the nation that did no submit to it, the very Jehovah would destroy it with plagues, pestilences and the sword (Jer. 27:4-8). Was Jehovah against it? And did he destroy Babylon? (Is. 13:13-22). This Word is not the same as the Word of the New Testament. We won’t go on to mention dozens of kingdoms and nations that Jehovah opposed: they were all of them.

.    Jeremiah says: Jehovah is against the nations and will kill men, which will be stretched from one extremity of the earth to another, and will be as dung on the earth (Jer. 25:30-33; Is. 66:16).

.    What scares and alarms us is that Jehovah is against the people that he created for his glory — the people that he declared that he loved (Is. 43:6; Hos. 11:1). “Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I, even I, am against you; and I will execute judgments in the midst of you in the sight of the nations” (Ezek. 5:8). Jehovah turned against Moses — the greatest prophet, the greatest servant, who served 40 years, day and night — and did not allow him to go into his rest, which is the figure of the heavenly kingdom of God. Jehovah, besides condemning Moses, delivered him in the hands of Satan (Deut. 34:1-6; Jude 9). But the true Word, which is Jesus, sent for Moses in hell, and raised him up. And Moses appeared alive on the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:29-31). In the letter to the Hebrews we read that Moses believed in Christ, and so was against Jehovah (Heb. 11:23-27). If Jehovah is the Word, he is a Word joined to Satan, who incited him to torment, afflict, and destroy Job, the most righteous man on the face of the earth (Job 2:3).

By Olavo Silvera Pereira

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