Donate via DonorboxThe Father, who is spirit and invisible, is the supreme God being who, in Jesus’ own words, is greater1 than him. Jesus as the Son is the subordinate God being who is obedient to Father, represents him perfectly, and is the channel through whom the Father’s will is realised.
From the beginning of creation to the end, when Jesus delivers up the kingdom to the Father, the Son is the one carrying out the Father’s will through all that he does and says, as well as how he appears, always perfectly representing and reflecting the Father.
Throughout the Old Testament God speaks to individuals, such as Adam, Moses, and all the prophets. And also to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. God also appeared in different forms to various people, such as Adam2, Abraham3, 4,Joshua5, Jacob6, and Gideon7.
Since we know that no man has seen God at any time8, 9, we can know that it wasn’t the Father who spoke and appeared in the Old Testament, but the Son, the Word, the Logos who made all things. In other words, Jesus is the God with whom the people of the Old Testament interact, the one who speaks, hears, guides, chastises, redeems, defeats the enemy, and so on.
Old and New Testament Parallels
Let’s look at the parallels between the Old Testament mentions of God and the New Testament mentions of Jesus. Those who believe in “oneness” will argue that these parallels prove Jesus is the Father. However, when we understand the differences between the two, and the authority that the Father gave to the Son to accomplish his will in all things and at all times, we can see that the Old Testament mentions point to the obedient Son carrying out the will of his Father.
Creator
In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 BES)
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 by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 14 KJV)
The I AM
On which God spoke to Moses saying, I am The I Am. Moreover he said, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, The I Am hath sent me to you. (Exodus 3:14 CTB)
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58 KJV)
The Almighty
Hear, O ye priests, and testify to the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God Almighty. (Amos 3:13 BES)
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8 KJV)
Lord of Lords
For the Lord your God, he [is] God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great, and strong, and terrible God, who does not accept persons, nor will he by any means accept a bribe: (Deuteronomy 10:17 BES)
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful. (Revelation 17:14 KJV)
The King of Israel
Thus saith God the King of Israel, and the God of hosts that delivered him; I am the first, and I am hereafter: beside me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6 BES)
Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. (John 1:49 KJV)
The Holy One
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, that saves thee: I have made Egypt and Ethiopia thy ransom, and [given] Soene for thee. (Isaiah 43:3 BES)
But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; (Acts 3:14 KJV)
The Rock
And the song was thus: O Lord, my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, (2 Samuel 22:2 BES)
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4 KJV)
The Shepherd
O thou that bringest glad tidings to Zion, go up on the high mountain; lift up thy voice with strength, thou that bringest glad tidings to Jerusalem; lift it up, fear not; say unto the cities of Juda, Behold your God! Behold the Lord! The Lord is coming with strength, and [his] arm is with power: behold, his reward is with him, and [his] work before him. He shall tend his flock as a shepherd, and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and shall soothe them that are with young. (Isaiah 40:9-11 BES)
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (John 10:11 KJV)
The Redeemer
And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer. (Psalm 78:35 BES)
Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, (Luke 1:68 KJV)
The Saviour
I am God; and beside me there is no Saviour. (Isaiah 43:11 BES)
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Luke 1:47 KJV)
Every Knee Shall Bow
By myself I swear, righteousness shall surely proceed out of my mouth; my words shall not be frustrated; that to me every knee shall bend, and every tongue shall swear by God, (Isaiah 45:23 BES)
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; (Philippians 2:10 KJV)
The Judge
For God is the judge; he puts down one, and raises up another. (Psalm 75:7 BES)
I charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; (2 Timothy 4:1 KJV)
Coming with Power
Behold the Lord! The Lord is coming with strength, and [his] arm is with power: behold, his reward is with him, and [his] work before him. (Isaiah 40:10 BES)
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21:27 KJV)
Reign For Ever
The Lord shall reign for ever, [even] thy God, O Sion, to all generations. (Psalm 146:10 BES)
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of righteousness. (Psalm 44:7 BES) [Psalm 45:6 MT]
And he [Jesus, KM] shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:33 KJV)
But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8 KJV)
Footnotes
- Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come [again] unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. (John 14:28 KJV)↩︎
- And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the afternoon; and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8 BES)↩︎
- And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am thy God, be well-pleasing before me, and be blameless. (Genesis 17:1 BES)↩︎
- And God appeared to him by the oak of Mambre, as he sat by the door of his tent at noon. (Genesis 18:1 BES)↩︎
- And he said to him, I am now come, the chief captain of the host of the Lord. And Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and said to him, Lord, what commandest thou thy servant? (Joshua 5:14 BES)↩︎
- And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him till the morning. … And Jacob called the name of that place, the Face of God; for, [said he], I have seen God face to face, and my life was preserved. (Genesis 32:24, 30 BES)↩︎
- And an angel of the Lord came, and sat down under the fir tree, which was in Ephratha in the land of Joas father of Esdri; and Gedeon his son [was] threshing wheat in a wine-press in order to escape from the face of Madiam. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord [is] with thee, thou mighty in strength. (Judges 6:11-12 BES)↩︎
- No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him]. (John 1:18 KJV)↩︎
- No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:12 KJV)↩︎
