By carlos@thehumanjesus.org
The Bible is a story about two different lords, the LORD God and His anointed, procreated human Son, the lord Messiah Jesus. Hence, the LORD God cannot be the lord messiah and the lord messiah cannot be the LORD God. As we know, the word Messiah means a chosen human anointed by God. And we also know God cannot be anointed!
These two different lords are carefully distinguished in the most used Psalm by the NT writers, Ps 110:1. This is the foundation text for understanding the word lord in relation to the LORD God in the NT. Because the Hebrew word for the 2nd lord in the Psalm is not Adonai (another name for YHWH) but adoni, a word never used for God in the OT! Similarly, the Greek translation of the Hebrew l'adoni, to kyrio mou (to my lord) is never used for God either.
As a result, Ps 110.1 informed and shaped the Apostles' Christological framework. For example, note how Paul carefully distinguishes between the lord messiah and the Lord God based on Ps 110:1.
On 1Cor 8:6 Dr James McGrath says that for Paul to add Jesus in the one God of the Shema "without explaining it or defending it, seems very unlikely indeed. The fact of the matter is that Paul does not say that there is one God who is both Father and Son; he says rather that there is one God and also one Lord,” I.e., there’s one Lord God, who is the Father, and one lord Messiah.”
(NOTE Paul says for us Christians there is one God, who is the Father.
Whereas the Trinity says there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)
Dr. McGrath's observations influenced his own more renowned teacher, the late British scholar Dr. James Dunn. In one of his last books Dr. Dunn quietly reversed his 4 decades old thesis that in 1Cor 8.6 Paul had somehow "split the Shema"!
“It is quite possible to argue, alternatively, that Paul took up the Shema [in 1Cor 8.6 for us there is one God]; and to that added the further confession, and one Lord Jesus Christ.” So that now, said Dr. Dunn, “the fuller confession of 8.6 could be said to be a more natural outworking of the primary conviction that the Lord (God) had said to the Lord (Christ), Sit at my right hand (from Ps. 110.1).”
Yet, other fellow trini scholars like Dr Richard Bauckham continue to argue that “Paul is not adding to the one God of the Shema [but] including Jesus in the unique identity of the one God affirmed in the Shema.”
Now, ask yourself, in what other profession can you get away saying adding does not mean including?
The Bible is a story about two different lords, the LORD God and His anointed, procreated human Son, the lord Messiah Jesus. Hence, the LORD God cannot be the lord messiah and the lord messiah cannot be the LORD God. As we know, the word Messiah means a chosen human anointed by God. And we also know God cannot be anointed!
These two different lords are carefully distinguished in the most used Psalm by the NT writers, Ps 110:1. This is the foundation text for understanding the word lord in relation to the LORD God in the NT. Because the Hebrew word for the 2nd lord in the Psalm is not Adonai (another name for YHWH) but adoni, a word never used for God in the OT! Similarly, the Greek translation of the Hebrew l'adoni, to kyrio mou (to my lord) is never used for God either.
As a result, Ps 110.1 informed and shaped the Apostles' Christological framework. For example, note how Paul carefully distinguishes between the lord messiah and the Lord God based on Ps 110:1.
On 1Cor 8:6 Dr James McGrath says that for Paul to add Jesus in the one God of the Shema "without explaining it or defending it, seems very unlikely indeed. The fact of the matter is that Paul does not say that there is one God who is both Father and Son; he says rather that there is one God and also one Lord,” I.e., there’s one Lord God, who is the Father, and one lord Messiah.”
(NOTE Paul says for us Christians there is one God, who is the Father.
Whereas the Trinity says there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)
Dr. McGrath's observations influenced his own more renowned teacher, the late British scholar Dr. James Dunn. In one of his last books Dr. Dunn quietly reversed his 4 decades old thesis that in 1Cor 8.6 Paul had somehow "split the Shema"!
“It is quite possible to argue, alternatively, that Paul took up the Shema [in 1Cor 8.6 for us there is one God]; and to that added the further confession, and one Lord Jesus Christ.” So that now, said Dr. Dunn, “the fuller confession of 8.6 could be said to be a more natural outworking of the primary conviction that the Lord (God) had said to the Lord (Christ), Sit at my right hand (from Ps. 110.1).”
Yet, other fellow trini scholars like Dr Richard Bauckham continue to argue that “Paul is not adding to the one God of the Shema [but] including Jesus in the unique identity of the one God affirmed in the Shema.”
Now, ask yourself, in what other profession can you get away saying adding does not mean including?
