and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father. [ASV]Phil 2:11
I have gone back to the quote from the ASV for Philippians 2:11 and changed one word. You can work out the word I have changed. The word that has always puzzled me as to why no translator has capitalised it. Well now I have nailed my colours to the mast and made the bold step which I am sure if Paul had been around in this day and age he would have done himself. Probably adding “Did you not understand what I was making so clear? How could you have missed the point I was making?”
Our Remaining Options
- YHWH ✔
- YAHWEH
- ADONAI ✔
- LORD ✔
You will note that I have added to our short list YAHWEH. Normally I would not include YAHWEH in deference to the Jewish people who will not take that name on their lips because they consider it too holy to say. But now that you have seen Richard Rohr’s input in Gem 1947 I feel I am at liberty do that. Why? Because while it is true that God is Holy and His Name is Holy, God Himself causes us to whisper His Name every time we take a breath. It is almost like He has said under His breath, so you think My Name is too holy to say and so it is, but I have created you in such a way as to breathe My Name with every inhalation and exhalation of breath.
I have also gone back to Gem 1941 – Now is the Time to Put Jesus in His Rightful Place once more in order to make it clear to you what Paul was spelling out to us.
Wherefore also God highly exalted Him,
and gave unto Him
the name
which is above every name;
that in the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
of beings in heaven and
beings on earth and
beings under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is LORD,
to the glory of God
the Father.
I am sure that you have seen I have substituted Messiah for Christ in the title of this Gem. Just to make it clear to you that is what the Greek word [Christos] actually means. Now I trust the significance of what Paul wrote in That Majestic Passage is now manifestly obvious. But there is one more thing to draw your attention to in closing. Note that all of this is to the Glory of God, the Father! Why? Because this was God’s plan all along. He was the One Who hid in the Genealogy in Genesis 5 the clue to His Plan. Yes God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.
For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:19
So it is only fitting that God would give to Jesus the Name of God. LORD and Adonai, YHWH and YAHWEH are the name of both Jesus and God. That is a mystery but a fact. Do you see that in the process of emptying Himself and humbling Himself (Gem 1931) to the extent that He did, it was only fitting that God would exalt Him to the highest place and give Him the name that is above every Name. You can do a study for yourself on the paradox of humble and exalted. But you can also see in That Majestic Passage God at work in Christ. I trust it is now clear to you. At least as clear as I can make it without getting too wordy. There again I guess I can’t say that when iI have taken 27 Gems in my attempt to make it all clear to you. I now declare this Gem series which started with Gem 1923 to be finished with this Gem. I have done all I am able to make this wonderful passage as clear as I can. I would now suggest that you go back through the passage to remind yourself of what we have covered in this series of Gems. And of course you have the Gems available to you to review if and when you need them.
Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. American Standard Version (ASV)
Phil 2:5-11
Of course there is one more thing to do which will take you a lifetime: to have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus. . .
The INFINITE ONE has become the INTIMATE ONE who accompanies you with every breath.
Ian Vail
Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God dwells within you?
1 Corinthians 3:16
You can rise to the challenge of having the mind of Christ in you when you know you have His Spirit (Breath) within you as well.
Ian Vail
‘The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can these things happen?” Nicodemus said.
Yesus answered him, “You’re a teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things?
John 3:8-10