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Why do some people insist on using the word "deity" to describe Yahshua? We have removed so many of the foreign ways from our lives, including when we worship, how we pray, what we eat, what days we observe and what we call the Creator. Why must we continue to use a pagan word, used to describe demons worshipped by pagans, in order to explain Yahshua?
I don"t believe we should even call YHWH "deity." According to my Webster"s dictionary the word is akin to the Old English word Tiw, which is the NAME of a "god" of war. The Greek word dios from which deity, divine, divinity, and other related words derive means "heavenly." It originated in Sanskrit as the word deva, also meaning "heavenly." It later appeared in Latin as deus (rhymes with Zeus.) In Greek thought the heavens are full of all kinds of beings. When we call Yahshua deity, we are grouping Him with all of these, which is hardly the position of one so set-apart.
When someone asks me if I believe in the deity of Yahshua, I tell them to ask me in Hebrew. Of course they cannot, as there is no real Hebrew equivalent to the word "deity." When I looked up "deity" in a Hebrew/English-English/Hebrew dictionary it listed elohut, from the Hebrew word eloah, which is from the root uwl which means "strong." So ultimately if you were to ask me in Hebrew you would be asking me if Yahshua is one of the strong ones or mighty ones. I would then ask you, "To which mighty ones do you refer?"
You see the Hebrew word commonly translated as "god" and as "God" and as "gods" is elohim, another form of the word elohut. In fact, this is the only word actually used in the Hebrew Scriptures that comes close to "deity." Elohut is a Modern Hebrew word made up in order to give the modern speaker a way to say "deity" in Hebrew! So in the language of the Hebrew Scriptures you would have to ask me if Yahshua is "elohim." This would again prompt me to ask, "Do you mean "elohim" as used in this passage?
Or as it is used in this passage?
Or do you mean as it is used in this passage?
Are you asking me if He is a specific one among many (which is the closest to the concept of "deity")? Or are you asking me if He is a part of a group? Or are you asking me if He is the Creator?
The fact is, if you were to ask, "Yahshua hu elohim?" you would be asking ALL of the above questions. The Hebrew word elohim, like most Hebrew words, is not a word that can be defined by any single English word. Actually, it would be very difficult to define it at all in English or in any other language. Of course men will try. We always try to define everything and break it down to its basic element. This is the Greek mind. Put it in a box so that I can control it and we will get along just fine. And that seems to be where we want Yahshua too. DEFINE Him for us!
My response? Why do we need Him to be defined? And, even more importantly, why do we insist on His being defined according to a very non-Hebraic concept like "deity?" If "deity" can include Zeus and Buddha and other Torah-defying objects of worship, then why must we put Yahshua, or YHWH for that matter, in that box? Deities are figments of men's imaginations at best and praise-seeking demons at worst. Why can't Yahshua have a Hebrew title? Wait! He does! He is Mashiakh ("Messiah")!
This very Hebraic concept alone is probably more than we can ever deal with. Let's concentrate on that. What is the profit in trying to further define Him when we haven't adequately lined ourselves up with the fact that He is Mashiakh? We still do what serves our own desires, or our own "needs" as we like to call them. We do what serves our families and our spouses and our bosses and our security. If Yahshua is Mashiakh, we need to do what He said and follow Him, putting ALL of our fleshly desires and "needs" on the stake we are told to take up, and putting Yisrael first!
And so what is my answer to "do you believe in the deity of Yahshua?" I would say, "according to Devarim 4:35, "YHWH hu haElohim eyn od milbado"" (meaning "YHWH, He is THE Elohim, nothing exists apart from Him").
I know. Now you want to know if I think Yahshua is YHWH. Maybe we'll talk about that next time, but for now, please stop saying "deity"; YOU"RE GREEKING ME OUT!
Exod 22:20
20 "He who sacrifices to any elohim (god), except to YHWH only, he shall be utterly destroyed.Gen 35:2
2 And Yaaqov said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign elohim (gods) that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Gen 1:1
1 In the beginning Elohim (God) created the heavens and the earth.
Part 2: THE TEST
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