Psalm 100 begins with the call, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.” Our versions translate Lord in all caps to indicate the underlying Hebrew is the name Yahweh or Jehovah. Paul equates Jehovah with Jesus when he declares of Jesus, “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil. 2:9–10).

The phrase “every knee will bow” is taken from the Prophet Isaiah where Jehovah speaks of Himself (Isa. 45:21). He declares that every knee will bow to Him and that every tongue will confess Him. Verse 23 in the Greek Old Testament reads, “Every tongue shall bow to Me and make confession to God.” Below is the complete quote:

Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. (Isa. 45:21–23)

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul applies to Jesus the words of Isaiah that speak of Jehovah. He teaches us that Jesus is Jehovah. Philippians 2:9–10 is not the only place where Paul takes this grand step.

Consider Romans 10. We commonly quote verse 9: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Who is this Lord we must confess? Romans 10:11–13 helps us answer. Paul continues to speak about Christ. “For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ”

First, Paul quotes from Isaiah 28:16, which speaks of Christ, the chief cornerstone (see 1 Pet. 2:5–6). Since the way of salvation is to call upon Christ, Paul urges us to call on the name of the Lord (Joel 2:32). Again, the Lord is Jehovah. And by way of this quotation, Paul teaches us that Jesus is Jehovah.

Going back to Romans 10:9, what does it mean to confess that Jesus is Lord? In Paul’s thinking, he is calling upon you and me to confess that Jesus Christ is Jehovah. Paul is calling upon you and me to confess that Jesus Christ is God incarnate. Paul is calling upon you and me to confess that, as Jehovah, Jesus is Lord of all of life. He is the living God.

Jesus is the One who lived an absolutely perfect life. Thus, He became a perfect sacrifice for the sins of His people. He died and was buried. He rose again on the third day. He ascended into heaven. He took His place on the throne of the Majesty on high. He is Lord.

Since 1995, it has been my privilege to write this column for the RP Witness. This column is the last. My final plea is simple. Bow your knee to this Jesus. Know and trust Him as your God. Trust His life and death for you. Confess Him as your Lord.

Dennis J. Prutow | reformedvoice.com/rptsprof

The Witness and her readers are indebted to Dr. Dennis Prutow, who has written this column for every issue of the magazine since 1995. We thank him for his faithful service to Christ in general, and particularly through this column as he communicated basic Christian teachings with every issue. May we continue to “learn and live.” You may find out more about his ongoing publishing ministry at DennyPrutow.com.