LORD
Completely

With the background set in our last Encounters, “I AM” Hebrews, we established the most basic understanding of the Name of Yahweh from the Hebrew language which you may likely know from the Latin transliteration as Jehovah. In this Encounter, we want to expand upon that Name and stop to recognize the fullness of who the LORD says He is and the implications of His being.

YHWH, the ‘I AM’ presents Himself as a singular being yet as three persons. Immediately, we have a problem comprehending what that means. No, I am not going to satisfy your ‘need to know’ for we who are finite, do not have the capacity to understand the infinite. Let us consider the implications of ‘I AM.’

Starting with either Genesis 1:1-2 or John 1:1-4, we have Yahweh present when what we know as the beginning begins:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. ¹

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ²

Note that God does not begin with the Creation but is Present, that all that we know is Created by Him. Yahweh exists outside of how we measure time and YHWH has no beginning. Theologians have a group of ‘omni-’ words to classify the LORD and the first is omnipresent, the belief the LORD transcends limits of what we know as time and space. The LORD is everywhere at the same time. Yes, Infinite is vastly different from what we know for we live and comprehend a finite creation—in fact, we are finite.

These verses also indicate the LORD reveals He brought everything that exists into being. Science continues to debate whether energy or mass came first but YHWH says He spoke it all into being. Add omnipotent, the ability to accomplish all suited to His purpose to the list of omni’s.

As Creator, the LORD knows all He has done but also is cognizant of all that He will do and the purpose and outcome of each action. Omniscient is the term for knowing all knowable. No, the LORD does not do nonsense, that ‘can God make a rock too big to move’ thing. The LORD’s cognizance includes knowing the End from the Beginning. He is not surprised by what appears random to mankind but moves with purpose to accomplish His intents within the framework He determines. He is pre-emptive rather than reactive. No, it does not have to appear sensible to the created to be within the wisdom of the Creator.

A major stumbling block for mankind is the creation of beings with the ability to sin. There is a presumption the LORD created a flawed creation on two levels. At some point after the LORD began creating, He created angelic beings. One of the attributes of the beings the LORD created was to give them attributes from His nature which includes the ability to choose, to make decisions. All sentient beings are meant to have relationship with the Creator but for relationship to be meaningful, it must be a choice, something willfully committed to in light of the nature of the other being. The LORD makes all things good, complete, perfect and this is true of angels but choice does have the possibility of choosing against what is wise. Otherwise, choice has no meaning and relationship would be bondage.

Isaiah 14 records the rebellion of one of the highest angels against the Creator:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. ³

Revelation 12:3-4, 7-9 seem to parallel this event with a view back in time to the first rebellion against Yahweh:

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth… Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ⁴

Was Yahweh surprised, taken unaware, caught off guard by a ‘random’ or unanticipated circumstance? Before you go affirming this was unexpected, consider both the wisdom of the LORD and the outcome. Free will was effective for two-thirds of the angels who believed the LORD was worthy of faithful relationship and chose to remain allegiant to YHWH. Those who chose a different path, who chose to be their own wisdom also were given just what they chose—they were not forced to stay in relationship with the LORD. They were given the freedom to receive the consequences of their own wisdom, to will their own path and not forced to endure the presence of the LORD. Was God prepared? Notice that Michael and the faithful two-thirds had no difficulty defeating the rebels. Remember—Yahweh is all-powerful in addition to being all-knowing.

As some point in the creative timeline, the LORD created mankind, also with free will, the ability to choose, to make decisions, to be in the image of God but in a created form. Mankind has a beginning, is finite, does not possess all wisdom but is created for relationship and begins knowing the Creator. But, just like the rebellious angels, also is made complete but chooses to use their will to go beyond relationship with the LORD and choose to establish identity without the LORD’s involvement. This also is allowed within the constraints of being a created being and reaps the consequences of disallowing the LORD’s supremacy over the created’s understanding of what is valuable.

Was the LORD unprepared, surprised, caught napping? God is not caught unaware, has foreseen the need for redemption of those who would rebel and then desire to come back into relationship with Him. YHWH had prepared the Way before the Rebellion was committed in time.

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. ⁵

Preparation preceded the need, was foreseen and ordained before the LORD began creating the world. Could Rebellion have been prevented by the LORD. Likely if He had been willing to have relationship with the created on a basis other than by the willing choice of the created. We could have been created without will so that we had no other possibility but to do what the LORD said, to not choose His wisdom, His truth but be forced to be good. But that is not the LORD’s Way.

Yahweh the Son, Jesus, set the pattern for mankind in relationship with the LORD by demonstrating a sinless life lived in relationship with the LORD. Jesus who was the eternal Creator LORD also became flesh to both be the sacrifice for our sins and also to show us the image of one living in agreement with Yahweh.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. ⁶

The ‘predestined’ in this context is not a predetermined selection of saved versus unsaved but rather the divine recognition of the commitment contained in ‘being conformed to the image of his Son’—that living in the same lifestyle Jesus demonstrated by living fully, continually in agreement with the LORD.

At some point in the councils of being YAHWEH, the three persons of the LORD mutually agreed or affirmed the course they would take as One to bring about not only the creation of mankind but also the redemption of those beings. There is something valued highly enough in ‘being in the likeness of God’ and the potential for relationship as YHWH has as one being in three persons that the LORD wanted that for mankind. If man was willing. Relationship with the LORD is never forced upon a being but it is constrained to be agreeing with the terms of the new covenant given in Christ. It is not a casual relationship for it is built upon the mutual commitment of both the LORD and ourselves to continue in the relationship.

Just a few thoughts about the triune LORD—repeatedly in both Old and New Testaments we have scenes of One Being / Three Persons present. When Jesus was baptized at the beginning of His formal ministry, we have the participation of the triune LORD:

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” ⁷

We have the last quotation from Romans and the next from John has the YHWH imprint. There is a mutual participation of each Person in the creating and maintaining of relationship with the willing disciple.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” …
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” ⁸

‘I and the Father are one’ is not YHWH the Son saying He is YHWH the Father but that they are in full singularity of agreement, purpose, intent, design, will. And this oneness does not exclude the Spirit as a lesser person for He also is as dynamic a part of the One Being / Three Person as each of the others. In John 15 we begin with Jesus the True Vine and Father the Vinedresser and then the passage moves into the Way we are to communicate with the LORD and how the Spirit will be given into us to continue the LORD’s work:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁹
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. ¹⁰

The participation of YAHWEH Father in the life of YAHWEH Son is nowhere more dramatically announced than in John 3:16,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹¹

This giving of the Son is mutually agreed upon as the Way for redemption:

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep… For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” ¹²

When Jesus spoke in person to His disciples after the last 40 days physically in their presence, His commissioning of them for what was ahead was triune:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ¹³

For those interested in a more thorough theological presentation relative to the Trinity and the eternal nature of One Being, Three Person, I suggest The Forgotten Trinity ¹⁴ or The Cross of Christ. ¹⁵

In the next Encounter ‘LORD Relationships’ we will look closer at the nature of Yahweh relationships and desire for intimacy. Then in the final of this series we consider ‘LORD Roles.’