Does Isaiah 45:23 & Philippians 2:10-11 read together prove that Jesus is God?
Sometimes the Old and New Testament scriptures are used together to build a picture in order to promote the Trinity Doctrine. An example of this is Isaiah 45:23 and Phil. 2:10-11.
Isaiah 45:23
By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.
Philippians 2:10-11
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The thrust of this Trinitarian argument starts to appear when read together. The Old Testament verse is taking about everyone bowing down to God and every tongue will swear or confess. So the logic goes, that Jesus is God because they both require every knee bowing down to them and every tongue confessing to them.
I would first like to point out the obvious in the Philippians verses; that God and Jesus are clearly spoken of as two different identities It is assumed that the God spoken of here is the Father and Jesus is the Lord. And this confession that ‘Jesus is Lord’ results in giving God glory.
Next, one has to wonder why Trinitarians conclude that Jesus is God in identity just because Jesus shares a lot of attributes in common with God and so from that they conclude that he must be God. But if we look at it from a Father and Son perspective, it is obvious that the Son is like the Father and will share many attributes. In addition to this, Jesus is described as the Image of the Invisible God. So Jesus is like God, very like God, and is described as the fullness of God or the express image of God.
Let’s be honest. To be an image of anything is really another way of saying that you are not the original. We are made in the image of God, yet who assumes that we are God himself? Well that teaching might exist in New Age thinking, but Trinitarians certainly do not hold to that view. It is obvious that to be like God, to be his Image, or made in his image doesn’t make the image the God who is the source.
But how do we explain the similar action of bowing ones knee and confession with the tongue. Well first of all it actually doesn’t say what they are confessing in Isaiah 45:23 but that verse is definitely talking about God. In Philippians 2:10-11 it says that all will confess Jesus as Lord and then it says that this will glorify God. So the God in Isaiah 45:23 is glorified when all will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The verse doesn’t say that all will confess Jesus as God and nor does any other verse. No matter how much Trinitarians may insinuate this, it is simply not the case and is not written anywhere in scripture.
These scriptures and many others actually teach that Jesus is Lord and the Father is God, just as the rest of the New Testament also says.
1 Corinthians 8:6
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
And just as the Pharaoh (King of Egypt) made Joseph ruler (lord over Egypt), God made Jesus Lord over all that he created. People had to bow the knee and acknowledge that Joseph was ruler of Egypt. It was obvious that the Pharaoh was still the King and Joseph ruled on his behalf. The Pharaoh still had the power to remove Joseph, meaning that Joseph was not the most high ruler of Egypt. Joseph represented the Pharaoh and the Pharaoh gave Joseph his authority. Of course I am sure that this was God’s plan and Joseph was truly blessed by God. But the Pharaoh and Joseph analogy is used to demonstrate that Jesus can be Lord and ruler of God’s creation and yet not be God himself, rather as someone appointed by God as Lord.
So the answer to swearing to God a certain confession and to Jesus a certain confession is simple. They are different confessions. First we confess that the Father is God and second we confess that Jesus is Lord. Knowing this to be true, we then need to understand that God made Jesus Lord, but Jesus did not make the Father as God, thus God is greater than the Lord. Jesus himself said, “why call me good, only God is good”. He also said, “The Father is greater than I”. So God is greater than the one who he made Lord.
Acts 2:36
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah”.
And finally, just to put this all into perspective, we should know the following:.
John 5:23
that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. The reason for this is not because they are part of the same God, but that Jesus our Lord is the exact image of the invisible God, therefore when you reject the image of God, you reject God.
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