Jesus is Jehovah in 1 Corinthians

Jesus is Jehovah in the New Testament: Index

1. INTRODUCTION
Here is my "Jesus is Jehovah in 1 Corinthians," which is the fourth

[Above: Temple of Apollo of Ancient Corinth: Wikipedia.]

part of my series, "Jesus is Jehovah in the New Testament." which is based on my morning `quiet time' study. As previously explained, unless otherwise indicated, the Bible verse links are to the American Standard Version, since it translated the Hebrew YHWH as "Jehovah." ]

2. JESUS HAS NAMES & TITLES OF JEHOVAH
Name. Christians "call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place" (1Cor 1:2) and were "gathered together" "in the name of " and "with the power of our Lord Jesus" (1Cor 5:4). Paul appeals to the Corinthians "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:10). The Corinthians were and all Christians are "justified" made righteous "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 6:11). So Jesus is "Jehovah our righteousness" (Jer 23:6; 33:16).

"[1Cor 1:2] ... Christians [are] described as those who call on the name of Christ ... In the Old Testament people call on the name of Yahweh (Joel 2:32, etc.), so that in using the expression Paul is assigning the highest possible place to Christ." (Morris, 1985, "The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians," p.36).

"... Christians confess that they are `justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ' ([1Cor ]6:11), even though the Old Testament summons all people to be justified `in the Lord' YHWH (Isa. 45:25 NASB)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, "Putting Jesus In His Place," p.164c).

Lord. "Jesus is Lord" (1Cor 12:3; Rom 10:9; 2Cor 4:5; Php 2:11). i.e. Jesus is Yahweh. Jesus is "our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:2,7-8,10; 15:57); "the Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:3; 6:11, 16:23); "the Lord Jesus" (1Cor 5:5; 11:23); "the Lord" (1Cor 1:31; 2:16; 3:5,20; 4:4-5,17,19; 6:13-14,17; 7:10,12,17,22,25,32,34-35,39; 9:1,2,5,14; 10:9,21-22,26; 11:11,20,23,26-27,32; 14:21,37; 15:58; 16:7,10,19,22); "the same Lord" (1Cor 12:5); "our Lord" (1Cor 1:9; 5:4; 9:1;15:31); "Lord" (1Cor 1:2; 8:6; 12:3). There is only "one Lord, Jesus Christ (1Cor 8:6). Jesus is "the Lord of Glory" (1Cor 2:8), which is equivalent to "the King of glory," a title of "Jehovah of hosts" (Ps 24:7-10).

".. Paul frequently refers to Jesus as `Lord' in 1 Corinthians in such a way as to identify him as, or equate him with, the Lord Jehovah of the Old Testament. Three instances appear in the opening ten verses alone. Christians, according to Paul, are `all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Cor. 1:2). The Old Testament, of course, taught that one should call on the name of the Lord YHWH (e.g., Joel 2:32 ... A few verses later, Paul says that Christians hope to be found `blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:8; see also 5:5), whereas the Old Testament spoke of that judgment day as `the day of YHWH' (e.g., Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31) ... Paul then exhorts his readers `by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:10), again placing the focus on the name of the Lord Jesus that Judaism placed on the name of the Lord YHWH ..." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.163a)

"In addition to these references to Jesus as Lord in contexts that treat him as the divine Lord of the Old Testament, Paul repeatedly speaks of God (the Father) and the Lord Jesus in ways that imply the closest possible unity (see 1 Cor. 1:1-4, 24, 30-31; 3:5-6, 19-20; 4:1, 19-20; 6:13; 7:21-24, 39-40; 9:21; 10:4-5; 12:5-6, 27-28; 15:57-58)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165c)

"... what may be the most striking reference to Jesus as Lord in 1 Corinthians. Paul states that Christians know that `there is no God but one' (1 Cor. 8:4 NIV). `... and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live' (vv. 5-6 NIV). Verse 6 may well be a creed or confession of faith that Paul is quoting or that he composed himself ... If Judaism has a creed, it is the words of Deuteronomy 6:4-5, known as the Shema ... `Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might' (ESV). ... In first-century Judaism, the affirmations of `one God' and `one Lord' were synonymous and referred to the same divine being, YHWH ... Jews, however, would just as surely have understood Paul's affirmation of `one Lord' ... as an echo of the Shema-yet with one potentially shocking twist: he identifies this `one Lord' as Jesus Christ." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, pp.165-166).

"[1Cor 2:8] ... The Lord of glory ... is an outstanding and unusual title, applied to Christ only here (though Jas. 2:1 is similar). The epithet of glory is applied to the Father (Acts 7:2; Eph. 1:17), and in the apocryphal Book of Enoch the expression the Lord of glory is used of God several times (22:14; 25:3; 27:3-4; 63:2; 75:3). More than one scholar has thought that this is the loftiest title Paul ever applied to Christ. It stands fitly alongside the application to him of words originally referring to Yahweh (1:31). Both show that Paul habitually assigned to Christ the highest place of all." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., p.55).

Son of God. Jesus is God's Son (1Cor 1:9), "the Son" (1Cor 15:28).

Trinity. "God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" mentioned in the one verse (1Cor 1:3). All three Persons of the Trinity are mentioned together (in reverse order): "... the same Spirit. ... the same Lord. ... the same God." (1Cor 12:4-6).

Rock. Christ is "the Rock" (1Cor 10:4) but Jehovah is the Rock (Dt 32:30; 1Sam 2:2,32; Ps 18:2,31,46; 19:14; 28:1; 92:15; 94:22; 144:1; Isa 26:4; 30:29; 51:1; Hab 1:12). See also below.

3. OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES ABOUT JEHOVAH ARE APPLIED TO JESUS
1Cor 1:2 = Gn 4:26; Ps 116:13,17; Zep 3:9. New Testament Christians "call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place" (1Cor 1:2) in the same sense as Old Testament believers did "call upon the name of Jehovah" (Gn 4:26; Ps 116:13, 17; Zep 3:9). See Ac 2:21 & Rom 10:13 which directly apply Joel 2:32 "call on the name of Jehovah" to Jesus!

1Cor 1:8; 5:5 = Am 5:18; Zep 1:14-19. The "day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:8), "day of the Lord Jesus" (1Cor 5:5; 1Th 5:2; 2Th 2:2; 2Pet 3:10) or simply "the Day" (1Cor 3:13 NIV), is the Old Testament "Day of Jehovah" (Isa 2:12; 13:6,9; Eze 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Am 5:18,20; Ob 1:15; Zep 1:7,1:14; Zec 14:1; Mal 4:5). See Ac 2:20 & 2Pet 3:10 where the prophecy in Joel 2:28-32 about the Day of Jehovah is applied to the second coming of Jesus (see also "the day of the/our Lord Jesus" (1Cor 1:8; 5:5; 2Cor 1:14; 1Th 5:2; 2Th 2:2; 2Pet 3:10); "the day of Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:8; Php 1:6); "the day of Christ" (Php 1:10; 2:16). It will be "the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; (1Cor 1:7); when he comes again (1Cor 4:5; 11:26; 15:23).

"[1Cor 1:8] ... Just as the end of time may be referred to as the 'revelation' of Christ (v. 7), so it may be spoken of as the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament looks for the coming of 'the day of the LORD' (Am. 5:18); the New sees this as the day of Christ." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., p.38).

1Cor 1:31 = Jer 9:23-24 Paul applies Jer 9:23-24 about glorying in Jehovah to glorying in "the Lord" who in the immediate context is "Christ Jesus":

"Paul continues to refer to Jesus as Lord ... After quoting the words of Jeremiah about boasting only in the Lord (Jer. 9:23-24), Paul says that his whole message to the Corinthians could be summed up as `Jesus Christ, and him crucified' ([1Cor ]1:31; 2:2). This Jesus who was crucified, Paul says, was `the Lord of glory' (2:8). ... Paul is applying the words of Jeremiah about boasting in the Lord to the Lord Jesus ..." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.163b)

"[1Cor 1:31] There is nothing to justify boasting before God (v. 29), but we may boast in what Christ has done (cf. Gal. 6:14). Characteristically Paul proves his point from Scripture (Je. 9:23-24). In the Old Testament the words refer to Yahweh; no higher view could be taken of the Person of Christ." (Morris, 1985, p.50).

1Cor 2:16 = Isa 40:13. An OT passage about no one knowing "the mind of Jehovah" (Isa 40:13 LXX) is applied to Christians knowing "the mind of Christ" (1Cor 2:16).

"Paul quotes the words of Isaiah 40:13, `For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' and then comments, `But we have the mind of Christ' ([1Cor ]2:16). In other words, we can know the mind of the Lord only if he reveals it to us, and that is what we have in the mind of Christ. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.163c).

"[1Cor 2:16] This impossibility is shown by a question quoted from Isaiah 40:13 ... Notice that the question in Isaiah 40:13 refers to the mind of Yahweh. But Paul moves easily to the mind of Christ, so closely does he associate the two." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., pp.60-61)

"[1Cor 2:16] The quotation is from Is. 40:13. ... We have the mind of Christ, and consequently also the mind of the Lord, for Christ is the Lord and much of what the Old Testament says of the Lord Jehovah must be applied to Christ (cf. 3:23; 11:3; Rom. 8:5f., 14f.)." (Grosheide, 1954, "Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians," pp.74-75).

1Cor 3:20 = Ps 94:11 Paul quotes Ps 94:11, which refers to Jehovah, and applies it to Jesus (1Cor 3:20).

1Cor 9:9 = Dt 25:4. Paul quotes Dt 25:4 as being a command of "the Lord" who in the context is Jesus (1Cor 9:1-2,5).

1Cor 10:4 = Ex 17:6; Num 20:11. Christ is "the Rock" (1Cor 10:4) out of which the Israelites drank in their Exodus wanderings (Ex 17:6; Num 20:11). That is, Jesus is Yahweh of the Exodus:

"Paul's ... refers to Christ as having been involved in its [Israel's] earliest history: `For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ' (1 Cor. 10:4). ... a reference to Christ's real preexistence ... `the rock was Christ.' ... Paul warns the Corinthian Christians, `We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents' (v. 9). Here, Paul states that some of the Israelites in the wilderness `put Christ to the test,' ... we should understand Paul to have been affirming that Christ existed during the time of the Israelites' wandering in the wilderness. Moreover, what Paul says here about Christ is what the Old Testament said about the Lord God: that the Israelites had put him to the test (Num. 14:22; 21:5-6; Pss. 78:18-20; 95:9). Once again, the New Testament affirms not only Christ's preexistence but also his divine preexistence." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.95)

"... the `real presence' of Christ in Old Testament history. ... Paul's statement that `the Rock was Christ' [1Cor 10:4] is one such occasion. Another is ... in the Epistle of Jude, `that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe' [Jude 5] ." (Bruce, 1968, "This is That," pp.35-36)

"... Old Testament passages in which the preincarnate Jesus was manifested ... Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the rock from which Israel drank in their wilderness trek `was Christ' ... asserting that in his preincarnate mode Jesus was the divine figure who engaged Israel in the Exodus .. .Also ... Jude 5 ... likewise portrays the preincarnate Jesus rescuing Israel from Egypt." (Hurtado, 2005, "Lord Jesus Christ," pp.576-577).

"[1Cor 10:4] ... Moses got water from a rock at the beginning and end of the wilderness wanderings (Ex. 17:1-7; Nu. 20:2-13) ... Paul ... refers to Christ and sees him as following the Israelites and continually giving them drink. He transfers to Christ the title, 'the Rock', used of Yahweh (Dt. 32:15; Ps. 18:2, etc.), a ... clear implication of Christ's pre-existence ..." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., pp.139-140).

1Cor 10:9 = Num 21:5-6. Jesus is "the Lord" who was tested by the Israelites in the wilderness wanderings (Num 21:5-6; 1Cor 10:9) , i.e. Jesus is Yahweh.

1Cor 10:21 = Mal 1:7,12. The New Testament "table of the Lord" Jesus (1Cor 10:21) is the equivalent of the Old Testament "table of Jehovah" (Mal 1:7,12):

"Paul warns, `You cannot ... partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons' (1 Cor. 10:21) ... The expression `table of the LORD' is an Old Testament expression for the altar, which the prophet Malachi warned against defiling (Mal. 1:7, 12). Paul contrasts the observance of the Lord's Supper with pagan observances that honor the false gods of demonically inspired pagan religion ... Such a contrast implicitly treats the Lord Jesus as the divine object of the religious observance. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, pp.164-165).

1Cor 10:22 = Dt 32:16,21. Jesus is "the Lord" who the Israelites provoked to jealousy in the wilderness wanderings (Dt 32:16,21; 1Cor 10:22), i.e. Jesus is Yahweh:

"Paul then asks, `Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy?' (10:22). This ... clearly alludes again to Deuteronomy 32:21, where Moses warned against provoking the Lord YHWH to jealousy ... the `Lord' whom we should avoid provoking to jealousy (10:22) is the same `Lord' to whom belong the cup and the table (10:21). ... the Lord Jesus is in fact the Lord YHWH." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165a).

1Cor 10:26 = Ps 24:1. ^"The earth is Jehovah's, and the fulness thereof" (Ps 24:1) is applied to "the Lord" (1Cor 10:26) who in the context is the Lord Jesus.

1Cor 11:25 = Jer 31:31.The prophet Jeremiah in the 6th century BC predicted that Jehovah would make a New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34). But it was Jesus who made the New Covenant (1Cor 11:25; Lk 22:20; 2Cor 3:6; Heb 8:8,13; 9:15; 12:24).

1Cor 14:21 = Isa 28:11-12. Paul quotes Isa 28:11-12, where in the context Jehovah will speak to the people of Israel by "men of strange lips and with another tongue," as being fulfilled in Gentile Christians (1Cor 14:21).

4. JESUS HAS ATTRIBUTES OF JEHOVAH
Power. Christ is the power of God (1Cor 1:24).

Wisdom. Christ is the wisdom of God. (1Cor 1:24).

Omnipresence. All Christians are "joined unto the Lord" Jesus as "one spirit" (1Cor 6:17).

Authority. The commands of "the Lord" Jesus are the ultimate authority (1Cor 7:10,12;25).

Lawgiver. Paul was "under law to Christ." (1Cor 9:21).

5. JESUS DOES WORKS OF JEHOVAH
Creation. "one Lord, Jesus Christ , through whom are all things, and we through him. (1Cor 8:6). The human body is "for the Lord" Jesus (1Cor 6:13).

Providence. Jesus' will determines what happens and when (1Cor 4:19; Jas 4:15).

Reign. Jesus must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet (1Cor 15:25) and have abolished all rule and all authority and power (1Cor 15:24), having put all things in subjection under his feet (1Cor 15:27).

Commandment. Jesus gave commandments, which were called "commandment of the Lord" (1Cor 7:6,25; 14:37; 2Pet 3:2):

"For Paul, the directions received from the Lord are indistinguishable from those received from God: .. ([1Cor ]7:17 NASB)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.164a).

Covenant. Jesus instituted the New Covenant (1Cor 11:25; Lk 22:20; 2Cor 3:6; Heb 8:8,13; 9:15; 12:24) that Jeremiah prophesied Jehovah would do (Jer 31:31). The Old Covenant was instituted by Jehovah, so for Jesus to set it aside would be blasphemy, unless Jesus is Jehovah who instituted the Old Covenant (Ex 24:7-8; 34:10,27, etc).

Grace. "God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" are co-authors of grace (1Cor 1:3; 2Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Php 1:2; 2Th 1:2; 1Tim 1:2; 2Tim 1:2; Tit 1:4; Phm 1:3; 2Pet 1:2; 2Jn 1:3). Indeed, "the Lord Jesus Christ" is Himself the author of grace (1Cor 16:23; Gal 6:16; Eph 6:24; Php 4:23):

"... Paul writes, `If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha [Come, O Lord NIV]. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you' (1 Cor. 16:22-23 NASB). ... Paul calls for those who do not love the Lord to be cursed ... and attributes divine grace or favor to the Lord Jesus." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165b).

Church. The Christian church is "the church of God" (1Cor 1:2; 10:32; 11:22; 15:9; 2Cor 1:1; Gal 1:13; 1Tim 3:5), or just "the church" (1Cor 6:4; 11:18; 12:28; 14:4,5,12,19,28,35; 16:19). The word for "church" . (Gk. ekklesia) is the same word used in the LXX for the congregation of Israel (Ex 12:6; Lev 4:13; 14:5), the "assembly of God" (Neh 13:1), called out and led by Jehovah:

"Paul says that the members of the Christian church assemble `in the name of our Lord Jesus' ([1Cor ]5:4 NASB). The `assembly' or `congregation' in the Old Testament was the congregation of YHWH; it gathered in his name ... " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.164b).

Judgment. Jesus "the Lord" will judge Paul (1Cor 4:4); Christians (1Cor 11:32) and all humans (Rom 2:16; 2Cor 5:10) when He comes again (1Cor 4:5; 2Tim 4:1,8). But it is Jehovah who will be the Judge of all ( 1Chr 16:33; Ps 9:7; 96:10,13; 98:9; Pr 29:26; Heb 10:30 = Dt 32:36 = Ps 135:14 ; Rev 6:10; 18: 8):

".. Paul states, `The one who examines me is the Lord' ([1Cor ]4:4 NASB). This `Lord' must be Jesus because ... the Lord Jesus as the one who will sit in judgment (recall 1:8; see also 11:32; 2 Cor. 5:10). It is Jesus who is the `Lord' who will `come' and `bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts' (4:5 NASB). Again, this is what the Old Testament taught that the Lord (YHWH) would do (1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 96:13; 139:23-24; Prov. 16:2; 17:3; Jer. 17:10)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.164a).

6. JESUS RECEIVES HONOUR & WORSHIP DUE TO JEHOVAH
Prayer to. To "call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place" means that Christians prayed to Jesus (1Cor 1:2), since "called upon" in the Old Testament is a synonym for "prayed" ("call[ed] upon" with "pray[ed]" and "answer[ed]" ( 1Ch 21:26; Job 12:4; Ps 4:1; 17:6; 18:6; 86:7; 91:15; 99:6; 118:5; Pr 1:28); "hear[ken]" (2Sam 22:7; Ps 4:1; 17:6; Jer 29:12). "Maranatha" (1Cor 16:22) is an early Aramaic prayer, "Come, O Lord" (1Cor 16:22 NIV) directed to Jesus:

"... Paul writes, `If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha [Come, O Lord NIV]. .. Paul ... prays to the Lord to come ... the Lord Jesus." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165b).

Service of. A Christian's highest goal is "please the Lord" Jesus (1Cor 7:32); to "attend upon the Lord" Jesus "without distraction" (1Cor 7:35). But the Christian's his highest goal is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mk 12:30; Mt 22:37; Lk 10:27 = Dt 6:5). This is only possible if Jesus is Jehovah:

"Paul wants a Christian to be `anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord,' with the ideal being `unhindered devotion to the Lord' ([1Cor ]7:32-35). The purpose of life according to the Old Testament is, of course, to please the Lord YHWH (Exod. 15:26; Deut. 6:18; etc.). .. Thus, Paul makes religious devotion or service to the Lord Jesus the ideal and purpose of the Christian life. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.164e).

Loved. Jesus is to be loved (1Cor 16:22; Eph 6:24; Phm 1:5; Jas 1:12). Yet Jehovah is to be loved with all our heart ( Dt 6:5; 10:12; 11:13; 13:3; 30:6; Josh 22:5; Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27):

"... Paul writes, `If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha. [Come, O Lord NIV]. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you' (1 Cor. 16:22-23 NASB). ... Paul calls for those who do not love the Lord to be cursed, prays to the Lord to come ... and attributes divine grace or favor to the Lord Jesus. The importance attached to loving the Lord (Jesus) here is especially striking in view of the Old Testament commandment to `love the LORD your God' with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deut. 6:5 ...)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165b).

7. OBJECTIONS TO JESUS BEING JEHOVAH
One God. If a Jehovah's Witness claims that because 1Cor 8:6 says, "for us there is one God, the Father" so therefore Jesus cannot be God; then on that logic, the same verse says that "there is ... one Lord, Jesus Christ" so therefore Jehovah cannot be Lord!

Subordination. Verses that teach the subordination of the Son to the Father, e.g. "and Christ is God's" (1Cor 3:23) and "the head of Christ is God".(1Cor 11:3), and "then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him" (1Cor 15:28) are perfectly consistent with Jesus being Jehovah:

"[1Cor 15:27-28] The statement that the Son also himself shall be subject to God has been thought by some to ... cast a reflection on his deity. The subjection, however, is not that of the Son as Son, but as the incarnate Son. This, of course, does not involve inequality of essence. The son of a king may be officially subordinate and yet equal in nature to his father ... When he delivers up the administration of the earthly kingdom to the Father, then the triune God will reign as God and no longer through the incarnate Son..." (Johnson, 1962, "The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," p.1257).

8. CONCLUSION
As the above documents, Jesus is many times called "Lord" in 1 Corinthians in such a way that it is clear Paul regarded Jesus as Jehovah of the Old Testament, come in human flesh.

PS. The previous (third) post in this series was "Jesus is Jehovah in 1 Thessalonians " and the next (fifth) post is "Jesus is Jehovah in 2 Thessalonians ."

Stephen E. Jones.
My other blogs: CreationEvolutionDesign & The Shroud of Turin

---

"The Israelites and Christ in the Wilderness Paul's rather enigmatic statement about the Israelites in the wilderness probably refers to Christ as having been involved in its earliest history: `For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ' (1 Cor. 10:4). This statement appears to be a reference to Christ's real preexistence, although some interpreters think Paul meant that the `rock' is a type of Christ. The latter view, however, does not easily fit Paul's statement that `the rock was Christ.' A few sentences later, Paul warns the Corinthian Christians, `We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents' (v. 9). Here, Paul states that some of the Israelites in the wilderness `put Christ to the test,' and he warns the Corinthians not to make the same mistake. Although some ancient Greek manuscripts have the reading `Lord,' the NRSV is almost certainly correct here in following the reading `Christ.' Therefore, we should understand Paul to have been affirming that Christ existed during the time of the Israelites' wandering in the wilderness. Moreover, what Paul says here about Christ is what the Old Testament said about the Lord God: that the Israelites had put him to the test (Num. 14:22; 21:5-6; Pss. 78:18-20; 95:9). Once again, the New Testament affirms not only Christ's preexistence but also his divine preexistence." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., 2007, "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, p.95).

"Confessing One Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians) Paul frequently refers to Jesus as `Lord' in 1 Corinthians in such a way as to identify him as, or equate him with, the Lord Jehovah of the Old Testament. Three instances appear in the opening ten verses alone. Christians, according to Paul, are `all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Cor. 1:2). The Old Testament, of course, taught that one should call on the name of the Lord YHWH (e.g., Joel 2:32, which, as we have seen, Paul also applied to Jesus in Romans 10:13). A few verses later, Paul says that Christians hope to be found `blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:8; see also 5:5), whereas the Old Testament spoke of that judgment day as `the day of YHWH' (e.g., Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31). The allusion to `the day of the Lord' (cf. Joel 2:31) in the same context as `calling on the name of the Lord' (cf. Joel 2:32) makes it all the more likely that Paul's language alludes directly to Joel. He refers to this future day of the Lord Jesus in several other epistles (2 Cor. 1:14; Phil. 1:6, 10; 2:16; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:1-2; 2 Tim. 1:18). Paul then exhorts his readers `by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:10), again placing the focus on the name of the Lord Jesus that Judaism placed on the name of the Lord YHWH ..." (Bowman &Komoszewski, 2007, p.163a).

"Paul continues to refer to Jesus as Lord in similar ways throughout the epistle: .. After quoting the words of Jeremiah about boasting only in the Lord (Jer. 9:23-24), Paul says that his whole message to the Corinthians could be summed up as `Jesus Christ, and him crucified' ([1Cor ]1:31; 2:2). This Jesus who was crucified, Paul says, was `the Lord of glory' (2:8). In context, then, Paul is applying the words of Jeremiah about boasting in the Lord to the Lord Jesus, as he probably does also in 2 Corinthians 10:17 (see also Gal. 6:14; Phil. 3:3)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.163b).

"Paul quotes the words of Isaiah 40:13, `For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' and then comments, `But we have the mind of Christ' (1Cor ]2:16). In other words, we can know the mind of the Lord only if he reveals it to us, and that is what we have in the mind of Christ. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.163c).

"In answer to his critics, Paul states, `The one who examines me is the Lord' ([1Cor ]4:4 NASB). This `Lord' must be Jesus because Paul, like the rest of the New Testament writers, regards the Lord Jesus as the one who will sit in judgment (recall 1:8; see also 11:32; 2 Cor. 5:10). It is Jesus who is the `Lord' who will `come' and `bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts' (4:5 NASB). Again, this is what the Old Testament taught that the Lord (YHWH) would do (1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 96:13; 139:23-24; Prov. 16:2; 17:3; Jer. 17:10)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164a).

"Paul says that the members of the Christian church assemble `in the name of our Lord Jesus' ([1Cor ]5:4 NASB). The `assembly' or `congregation' in the Old Testament was the congregation of YHWH; it gathered in his name. In Paul's thought, the congregations of believers are the congregations (or churches, ekklesiai) of Christ (see Rom. 16:16)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164b).

"According to Paul, Christians confess that they are `justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ' ([1Cor ]6:11), even though the Old Testament summons all people to be justified `in the Lord' YHWH (Isa. 45:25 NASB)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164c).

"For Paul, the directions received from the Lord are indistinguishable from those received from God: `Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk' ([1Cor ]7:17 NASB)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164d).

"Paul wants a Christian to be `anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord,' with the ideal being `unhindered devotion to the Lord' ([1Cor ]7:32-35). The purpose of life according to the Old Testament is, of course, to please the Lord YHWH (Exod. 15:26; Deut. 6:18; etc.). The only other use in the New Testament of any form of the verb translated in 1 Corinthians 7:35 as `devotion' (euparedron, also translated `service') is just a couple of chapters later in the same epistle, where Paul says that those who `serve' (paredreuontes) at the altar share in what is offered at the altar ([1Cor ]9:13). Thus, Paul makes religious devotion or service to the Lord Jesus the ideal and purpose of the Christian life. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164e).

"Paul warns, `You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons' (1 Cor. 10:21). Here the cup and table of the Lord refer to the rite of the `Lord's Supper' (cf. 10:16; 11:20) that the Lord Jesus established. The expression `table of the LORD' is an Old Testament expression for the altar, which the prophet Malachi warned against defiling (Mal. 1:7, 12). Paul contrasts the observance of the Lord's Supper with pagan observances that honor the false gods of demonically inspired pagan religion (10:20; echoing Deut. 32:21). Such a contrast implicitly treats the Lord Jesus as the divine object of the religious observance. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, pp.164-165).

"Paul then asks, `Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy?' (10:22). This rhetorical question clearly alludes again to Deuteronomy 32:21, where Moses warned against provoking the Lord YHWH to jealousy. Paul's train of thought here makes no sense unless the `Lord' whom we should avoid provoking to jealousy (10:22) is the same `Lord' to whom belong the cup and the table (10:21). In short, Paul here assumes that the Lord Jesus is in fact the Lord YHWH." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.165a).

"At the end of the epistle, Paul writes, `If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha. [Come, O Lord NIV]. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you' (1 Cor. 16:22-23 NASB). In this short space, Paul calls for those who do not love the Lord to be cursed, prays to the Lord to come ... and attributes divine grace or favor to the Lord Jesus. The importance attached to loving the Lord (Jesus) here is especially striking in view of the Old Testament commandment to `love the LORD your God' with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deut. 6:5 ...)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.165b).

"It is in this broader context that we should read what may be the most striking reference to Jesus as Lord in 1 Corinthians. Paul states that Christians know that `there is no God but one' (1 Cor. 8:4 NIV). `For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many `gods' and many `lords'), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live' (vv. 5-6 NIV). Verse 6 may well be a creed or confession of faith that Paul is quoting or that he composed himself (translation ours):

One God,                                    One Lord,
the Father,                                Jesus Christ,   
from whom are all things,   and through whom are all things,   
and we from him;                  and we through him.

If Judaism has a creed, it is the words of Deuteronomy 6:4-5, known as the Shema (meaning `hear,' the first word of the verse): `Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might' (ESV). The Septuagint translated the last part of verse 4, `The Lord our God is one Lord' (kurios heis). In first-century Judaism, the affirmations of `one God' and `one Lord' were synonymous and referred to the same divine being, YHWH, the God of the patriarchs, of Moses, and of the prophets. Jesus affirmed the Shema as the first and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:36-38; Mark 12:28-30; cf Luke 10:25-28), and in that regard his view was in the mainstream of Judaism. Paul and other New Testament writers echo the Shema when they affirm that God is one or that there is one God (Rom. 3:30; 1 Cor. 12:6; Gal. 3:20; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; James 2:19). Jews, however, would just as surely have understood Paul's affirmation of `one Lord' (particularly in the same breath as affirming `one God') as an echo of the Shema-yet with one potentially shocking twist: he identifies this `one Lord' as Jesus Christ." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, pp.165-166)

"This is an example of a further New Testament principle of Old Testament interpretation - what A. T. Hanson has called the `real presence' of Christ in Old Testament history. [Hanson, A.T., "Jesus Christ in the Old Testament," London, 1965, p.7 ff] This is a principle, I must admit, which I am not over- ready to recognize in the New Testament, and I am even less ready to condone its use by modern scholars as a means of christianizing certain areas of the Old Testament narrative. But its occasional presence in the New Testament is difficult to dispute. Paul's statement that `the Rock was Christ' [1Cor 10:4] is one such occasion. Another is the remarkable statement in the Epistle of Jude, `that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe' [Jude 5] True, the name `Jesus' is not read in all forms of the text: in its place some authorities read `the Lord', others `God' and yet others, giving us no name at all, read `he who saved...' (one papyrus exhibits the conflated reading, `God Christ who saved ...'). But the principle that the more difficult reading is to be preferred points to `Jesus' as the original, and indeed the variety of other readings can best be explained as substitutions for `Jesus'. `Jesus' in this context cannot be understood as the Greek form of Joshua (as in Acts 7:45; Heb 4:8), for Joshua neither led Israel out of Egypt nor destroyed the unbelievers in the wilderness." (Bruce, F.F., 1968, "This is That: The New Testament Development of Some Old Testament Themes," Paternoster: Exeter UK, pp.35-36).

"[1Cor 2:16] The quotation is from Is. 40:13. The word mind, which is not found in the context, is here used because it was in the Greek text of Is. 40. It introduces far the first time an anthropomorphic expression with reference to God and follows quite properly after the use of `to judge,' which implies an activity of the discriminating mind. Perhaps Paul chose this quotation precisely because of the use of the word `mind' in it. The spiritual man, who received the Spirit, is thereby enabled to judge or not to judge. For of the Spirit, who is God, it is true that nobody knows His mind to instruct Him. This Spirit works in the spiritual man. No natural man can understand, or even judge, the work of God in the spiritual man. The last words of the verse show how God works in those who are spiritual. The mind of the Lord is unsearchable; as members of Christ we participate through Him in the mind of God. We have the mind of Christ, and consequently also the mind of the Lord, for Christ is the Lord and much of what the Old Testament says of the Lord Jehovah must be applied to Christ (cf. 3:23; 11:3; Rom. 8:5f., 14f.)." (Grosheide, F.W., 1954, "Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians," [1953], The New London Commentary on the New Testament," Marshall, Morgan & Scott: London, Second edition, pp.74-75).

"In fact, the conviction that one could find Old Testament passages in which the preincarnate Jesus was manifested is reflected in first-century Christian texts. Most obviously, of course, the New Testament references to Jesus as the one through whom God created all things (1 Cor. 8:4-6; John 1:1-2; Col. 1:15-17) all reflect such a reading of Old Testament statements about the creation of the world. Furthermore, Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the rock from which Israel drank in their wilderness trek `was Christ' must surely be taken as asserting that in his preincarnate mode Jesus was the divine figure who engaged Israel in the Exodus narrative .Also, whether the original reading in Jude 5 referred to `Jesus' or `the Lord,' it is a good bet that this verse likewise portrays the preincarnate Jesus rescuing Israel from Egypt. Further, as we noted in an earlier chapter, John 12:41 asserts that the divine figure seen by the prophet in Isaiah 6:1 was `the Lord' Jesus. These references to passages in Exodus and Isaiah exhibit first-century Christological interpretations of Old Testament theophanic passages." (Hurtado, L.W., 2005, "Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, pp.576-577).

"[1Cor 15:27-28] The statement that the Son also himself shall be subject to God has been thought by some to lower the dignity of the Son of God, as well as, possibly, to cast a reflection on his deity. The subjection, however, is not that of the Son as Son, but as the incarnate Son. This, of course, does not involve inequality of essence. The son of a king may be officially subordinate and yet equal in nature to his father (cf. Charles Hodge, An Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, pp. 333-335). Paul's point is this: The Son as incarnate Son has all power now (cf. Mt 28:18). When he delivers up the administration of the earthly kingdom to the Father, then the triune God will reign as God and no longer through the incarnate Son. Messiahship is a phase of the Son's eternal Sonship (cf. Moffatt, MNT, p. 249)." (Johnson, S.L., 1962, "I Corinthians," in Pfeiffer, C.F. & Harrison, E.F., eds., "The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," Oliphants: London, Reprinted, 1963, p.1257).

"[1Cor 1:2] It is possible that together with all those everywhere widens the salutation to include all Christians (Conzelmann sees a reference to 'the idea of the universal church'), and this is the most natural interpretation of the Greek. T. W. Manson takes 'every place' (topos) to mean 'every place of worship', as in some Jewish synagogue inscriptions.' But a strong objection to both is that the Epistle gives no sign of being a circular or a general manifesto. It sticks stubbornly to local issues. It is thus better to take the phrase closely with the preceding. The Corinthians are called to be holy, not as an isolated unit, but along with other people. It is unusual to have Christians described as those who call on the name of Christ (though it is readily intelligible). In the Old Testament people call on the name of Yahweh (Joel 2:32, etc.), so that in using the expression Paul is assigning the highest possible place to Christ." (Morris, L.L., 1985, "The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary," The Tyndale New Testament commentaries, [1958], Inter-Varsity Press: Leicester UK, Second edition, Reprinted, 1987, p.36).

"[1Cor 1:8] The verb keep you strong is that translated 'was confirmed' in v. 6. Christ, who has enriched the Corinthians and given them grace and every good gift, is their guarantee that right through until the last time nothing will be lacking to them. The enriching with the Spirit's gifts is itself an assurance, a foretaste of the good things to come. Just as the end of time may be referred to as the 'revelation' of Christ (v. 7), so it may be spoken of as the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament looks for the coming of 'the day of the LORD' (Am. 5:18); the New sees this as the day of Christ. Here the thought is that because it is his day and because it is he who will 'guarantee' the Corinthians, they may be assured that they will be blameless in that day. No charge can be laid against those whom Christ guarantees (cf. Rom. 8:33)." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., p.38).

"[1Cor 2:8] God's secret was not known by any way other than revelation. For all their eminence the rulers of this age did not know it, as is shown by the fact that they crucified Jesus (cf. Acts 3:17; 4:25-28, and Jesus' words, 'they do not know what they are doing', Lk. 23:34). Had they really understood who Jesus was and the consequent enormity of rejecting him, they would never have done what they did. The Lord of glory ('the Lord whose essential attribute is glory', Ellicott) is an outstanding and unusual title, applied to Christ only here (though Jas. 2:1 is similar). The epithet of glory is applied to the Father (Acts 7:2; Eph. 1:17), and in the apocryphal Book of Enoch the expression the Lord of glory is used of God several times (22:14; 25:3; 27:3-4; 63:2; 75:3). More than one scholar has thought that this is the loftiest title Paul ever applied to Christ. It stands fitly alongside the application to him of words originally referring to Yahweh (1:31). Both show that Paul habitually assigned to Christ the highest place of all." (Morris, 1985, p.55).

"[1Cor 2:16] This impossibility is shown by a question quoted from Isaiah 40:13. Paul has already spoken of the impossibility of knowing 'the things of God' (v. 11). Then his concern was to show that the Spirit does indeed have complete knowledge of 'the depths of God', and that is relevant here. As none but the Spirit knows these depths it is clearly impossible for the natural man to have knowledge of the person in whom is the Spirit, and who therefore, in a sense, shares in the divine (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4). It is because of this that Paul can make the bold assertion that we (the pronoun is emphatic) have the mind of Christ. He does not mean that every Christian can understand all Christ's thoughts. He means that the indwelling Spirit reveals Christ. The spiritual person accordingly does not see things from the viewpoint of the worldly. He sees them from the viewpoint of Christ. Notice that the question in Isaiah 40:13 refers to the mind of Yahweh. But Paul moves easily to the mind of Christ, so closely does he associate the two." (Morris, 1985, pp.60-61).

"[1Cor 10:4] When he refers to their spiritual drink Paul adds an explanation, as he did not do with his reference to food. Moses got water from a rock at the beginning and end of the wilderness wanderings (Ex. 17:1-7; Nu. 20:2-13), and this apparently was the origin of a Jewish legend that a rock travelled with the people. Paul may have had this legend at the back of his mind, hut he does not refer to it. He refers to Christ and sees him as following the Israelites and continually giving them drink. He transfers to Christ the title, 'the Rock', used of Yahweh (Dt. 32:15; Ps. 18:2, etc.), a transfer that is significant for Christology, as of course is the clear implication of Christ's pre-existence (cf. Conzelmann, 'The `was' ... means real preexistence'). The reference to spiritual food and drink is surely made (as Calvin and others have thought) in the light of the Holy Communion. Israel had her equivalents of both sacraments." (Morris, 1985, pp.139-140).