GOD'S NAME
All scriptural references are from the Darby Translation, unless otherwise noted
Introduction Of the Bible versions which use His Name, some use The Name more often than others. Regardless of frequency though, you can see this name in all of these versions at Exodus 6:3,(Darby) Psalms 83:18,(HCSB) Isaiah 12:2,(ASV) and Isaiah 26:4 (KJV) . Versions which use the Divine Name include:
The Name in the Old Testament Many have noticed that the Divine Name is only present in the Old Testament and completely absent in the New Testament, being replaced instead with substitutions such as "God" and "Father". Although there are a scant few Bible versions do publish The Name in the New Testament in an effort to preserve it, the reality is that The Name was not originally placed in the New Testament. It is natural to question why this happened. The name of God was well known among the Israelites, as God's law demanded scheduled reading of the Law which contained The Name (Deuteronomy 17:19, 31:11). Various faithful men performed the public reading of the Law (Joshua 8:34, 2 Kings 23:2, Nehemiah 8:1-5, 9:3, 13:1). At this point, there is about a 400 year gap between the finish of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Knowing this is important, because, even though the name of Yahweh doesn't actually appear in the New Testament, many references to the Torah are made throughout the New Testament; references which do contain the name of the Father. For example, when the Messiah referred to the text at Deuteronomy 8:3 during his temptation experience (Matthew 4:4), the Torah reference he gave contained the name of Yahweh/Jehovah. More such examples of this referencing can be found at:
Although there are many other similar references, this list clearly shows the point: New Testament conversations which don't cite the Name of God refer to Old Testament references that do cite the Name of God. In other words, the Jews living at the time already knew the Name of God very well, so citing of Scripture that did relate to His Name was enough. But that's not all.
Christ's Role Unlike the Old Testament, the New Testament focuses on human salvation through the blood of Yeshua/ Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20, John 3:16) via the New Covenant -- a covenant that the Messiah inaugurated upon his death (Luke 22:20). Without this covenant, no one could be saved (Matthew 1:21). Our salvation depends completely on our belief in the Messiah's blood saving us (John 20:31), meaning that Yeshua/Jesus is the only name that we are saved by (Acts 4:12, Romans 10:13). Before the Messiah's death, mankind remained in a damned state (1 Corinthians 15:22). Therefore, his death was a profound event for all of mankind. Not only did Yeshua commence the New Covenant with his death, he also become the sole mediator between the mankind and God (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 9:15). Being our sole mediator, the Messiah promised that he would always be with us believers (Matthew 18:20, 28:20). Because Yeshua Messiah is our sole mediator, he instructed us to come to the Father through him when we pray (John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23). Therefore, it all boils down to this: This, of course, does not diminish Yahweh's Holy Name, as the New Testament reminds the reader that Yahweh is the only true God that is to be worshipped (John 17:3).
In Conclusion The Name of the Father is very important, as He is the Almighty God and the authority in the universe. Because He is our Father and the master Designer of all things, He deserves our honour and respect without question. Part of that honour and respect includes using His name freely (instead of stifling it with superstition) and proudly. Our Yahweh is awesome and should be proclaimed. Along with this, the name of Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ is also very important, because it is through him that we have any salvation at all. He is the Mediator between mankind and God; therefore we do not diminish Christ's name even though we exalt the Father. Thus, both names are vital to learn, vital to know.
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