I made a mistake in responding to a comment made on a recent video titled “What Is Really Wrong About Praying to Jesus?” That commenter believes that Isaiah 9:6 is a proof text that Jesus is God.
That verse reads: “For a child has been born to us, A son has been given to us; And the rulership will rest on his shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
My claim was that it was a bad translation to render Isaiah’s words originally written in Hebrew which has no capital letters as a capitalized proper noun phrase, “Mighty God”. I thought that it should be written all in lower case, like this, “mighty god”, because capitalizing a noun in English turns it into a name, so that it refers to someone or something in particular.
One proper noun that we are all very familiar with is “Christ”. Christ in English comes from the Greek word christos (Χριστός) meaning anointed one. It therefore follows that all the children of God, those born from above, are anointed with holy spirit. So they are all anointed ones, christos, christs, lower case. This is not to say that they are little duplicate identities of Jesus Christ. No, they are anointed as he was, but his anointing is distinctive and so we refer to him as Christ, “the Messiah, the son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)
Here's how the root word in Greek for anointing is used both for Jesus and his disciples, the children of God.
“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ [Gk: christos]. He anointed us [Gk: chrisas], set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 ESV)
To illustrate how very important that distinction can be to our understanding of truth and our ability to avoid being misled by men, I refer you to this verse which all Jehovah’s Witnesses have been exposed to in countless Watch Tower publications.
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will perform great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.” (Matthew 24:24 NWT)
By capitalizing “false Christs” witnesses were led to believe they had to be on the lookout for people pretending to be Jesus Christ.
For example, we have this misdirection that the Watch Tower fed to us as Jehovah’s Witnesses concerning how to interpret Matthew 24:24.
The later verses are describing a longer time period—a time when such men as the Jewish Bar Kokhba led a revolt against the Roman oppressors in 131-135 C.E., or when the much later leader of the Bahai religion claimed to be Christ returned, and when the leader of the Doukhobors in Canada professed to be Christ the Savior. But, here in his prophecy, Jesus had warned his followers not to be misled by the claims of human pretenders. (w75 5/1 p. 275 par. 14 Why We Have Not Been Told “That Day and Hour”)
Some Bibles don’t make the mistake of making “christs” into a proper noun by capitalizing it. For instance, this rendering by New American Standard Bible:
“For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24 NASB)
But a better translation would be to render the meaning of christos into English as The 2001 Translation does. (https://2001translation.org)
“Because, false anointed [ones] and false prophets will arise. They’ll perform such great omens and signs that they could possibly mislead even the elected!” (Matthew 24:24 2001 Translation)
Maybe if I had not been looking out for religious leaders actually claiming to be Jesus Christ reincarnated, I might have realized that J. F. Rutherford, Nathan Knorr, Fred Franz, and all the members of the Governing Body were claiming to be “anointed ones”.
Those anointed ones in the JW religion all made prophetic predictions. So, I and my fellow Witnesses were misled for years by “false anointed ones and false prophets” at JW headquarters, and we didn’t even realize how they had twisted Jesus’ warning so that we wouldn’t see how it applied to them.
Anyway, returning to the subject at hand, should “Mighty God” be capitalized in Isaiah 9:6 and why?
The answer is Yes, it should be capitalized but not for the reason that those preaching that Jesus is God claim. It should be capitalized as “Mighty God”, as it is one of four designations given to Jesus Christ, and as such constitutes a name. But, and here’s the thing, that’s all a proper noun, a capitalized noun or noun phrase represents, a designation that identifies a particular thing or person as unique. Where people go wrong is when they claim that the proper noun “God” doesn’t refer to God as a person, but rather to the nature of God.
“The nature of God”, you ask? God has a nature? No, he doesn’t, but according to these promotors of Jesus-is-God, he does, and that nature is divinity. Okay, just for the fun of it, let’s temporarily accept that premise, that God refers to God’s nature, divinity. That still doesn’t mean that Jesus can claim to be God. Let’s try to explain that by using an illustration.
Isaiah 9:6 gives Jesus the title or name, “Prince of Peace”, also capitalized. If I say Prince of Peace you know I’m only referring to Jesus Christ. A prince is royalty. So is Yehovah royalty, but Yehovah is not the Prince of Peace, but the King of Eternity. (Psalm 10:16) Both are royalty, but both are distinct. Likewise, both are divine, but only one is God, proper noun, capitalized. One is called simply God, while the other, Jesus, can be called “a god”, not capitalized, not his name.
It is hard to mount a reasonable argument against all that evidence, so the commenter engages in tactics to persuade the reader away from the facts. Here’s how the commenter argued against the points I was making.
@BeroeanPickets Eric: I must also add that I went to Bible Gateway to verify your claim that Isaiah 9:6 is a bad translation and should have used small "g" as in "Mighty or mighty god" instead of capital "G" at Isaiah 9:6. I looked up all listed the translations and I found NO SINGLE TRANSLATION that used little "g" at Isaiah 9:6.....NONE.....ZERO Eric. ZERO....can you imagine what you are doing? Actually, even the NWT uses "G" capitalized:🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️ Do you really believe that the only bible scholar, who understands translation better than ALL the others is brother Eric? Really?
It is worthwhile for lovers of truth to breakdown the commenter’s tactics and see through them. In this case, he or she avoids reasoning on the evidence by introducing a number of logical fallacies. In fact, this person was able to squeeze no fewer than four different logical fallacies into this short paragraph. (Remember, comments are public and can be read by anyone.)
The first logical fallacy is an Appeal to Popularity: The commenter argues that because no translation uses a small "g" for "god" in Isaiah 9:6, the claim must be false. This fallacy assumes that the majority opinion is always correct.
But if you look at the history of the Bible, how many of the prophets that God sent to warn his people of wrongdoing were in the majority? The majority is usually wrong. Jesus tells us to avoid the majority because “wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” (Matthew 7:13) I’m not saying that this commenter is on the road leading to destruction. I’m only saying that the appeal to popularity is a logical fallacy that in itself proves nothing.
Next, we come across the fallacy of an Appeal to Authority: The commenter implies that because all translations and even the New World Translation use a capital "G," my claim must be incorrect. This fallacy relies on the authority of the translators rather than addressing the actual argument. Again, accepting an argument as true because scholarly people claim it is so, is a trap we must avoid, because our Lord said, “I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children. Yes, O Father, because this is the way you approved.” (Matthew 11:25, 26)
So again, it is the evidence that must be examined. We cannot rely on people to tell us what is so, no matter how extensive their learning. They may guide us, but in the end, the only authority we can accept is from God through his word.
The next fallacy is known as a Straw Man: The commenter misrepresents my argument by suggesting that I believe I’m the only Bible scholar who understands translation better than all the rest. This is not the case. In fact, I don’t consider myself to be a Bible scholar. I’d rather be that young child Jesus spoke of.
Finally, the commenter engages in an Ad Hominem attack: The speaker questions my credibility by implying that it is unreasonable to believe that Eric understands translation better than all other scholars. Again, if he/she can get you to dismiss what I say as of no value because it is I who say it, then the commenter gets you to ignore the actual argument being made.
So, what is the actual argument that demonstrates that Isaiah 9:6 actually proves Jesus isn’t God?
Since the commenter claims that “even the New World Translation uses capital "G":🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️” let’s again look at what that Bible translation says at Isaiah 9:6:
“For a child has been born to us, A son has been given to us; And the rulership will rest on his shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
As I mentioned above, a proper noun is a capitalized noun. What we are seeing in this verse are proper noun phrases. A noun with a modifier, a title that has become a name because that title has been associated with a particular thing or person. Four names are given here, all referring to Jesus Christ:
“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”
There are many counselors in the world, and some of them are wonderful, but there is only one whose counsel is so wonderful that he deserves the name “Wonderful Counselor”. If I say the Wonderful Counselor tells us to do such and such, you know I mean Jesus. Likewise, there are many gods. Paul tells us: “Truly even if indeed there are those called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there are many gods and many lords,” (1 Corinthians 8:5 from the Beroean Literal Bible)
The Bible calls Satan, the god of this system of things, and he is a mighty god because the whole world is under this power.
“We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19 BSB)
“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.” (2 Corinthians 4:4a NLT)
After Satan killed Jesus through his human servants, our Lord was resurrected by God and then God, his Father, granted to Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18) Hence, the name, “Mighty God”.
Again, a proper noun is not about one’s nature, but rather, like any name, identifies a thing or a person. If you ask someone even with a modicum of Bible knowledge, “Who is the Prince of Peace?” they will answer, Jesus. They know that God isn’t the Prince of Peace.
The last proper noun phrase is the one that most proves that the person Isaiah is referring to in verse 6 is not God, because one of his four names is “Eternal Father”. Some might ask, “But isn’t God eternal and isn’t God our Father?” Yes. But the disciples of Jesus call God their Father and refer to Jesus as their brother. How can Jesus be both my brother and my father? He can’t. Yet, the Bible does say that he will have children of his own.
Hebrews confirms this:
“Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God's children to be saved and to share in his glory. Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. This is why he isn't ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. He even said to God, “I will tell them your name and sing your praises when they come together to worship.” He also said, “I will trust God.” Then he said, “Here I am with the children God has given me.”” (Hebrews 2:10-13 Contemporary English Version)
So, if we are children of God and brothers of Christ—at least that is the reward we are reaching out for—then who are the children that God gives to Jesus so that he can be called “Eternal Father”?
To answer that, let’s start by looking at Luke 3:38. This is the end of the genealogy that goes from Jesus right back to God.
“son of Eʹnosh, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.” (Luke 3:38)
That’s from the New World Translation. If Adam had remained faithful, he would not have been disinherited from the family of God, and we would all be children of God through our forefather, Adam, who would still be with us.
Jesus spoke of two resurrections at John 5:29, the second of which is the resurrection of judgment. So, under the kingdom of God, Jesus will rule as king for a thousand years, and during that time there will be judgment of those who survive through Armageddon as well as those who are resurrected in the second resurrection.
Now let’s look at 1 Corinthians 15:45 to see how it is that Jesus comes to be the Eternal Father, and how it is that God gives him children.
“So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45)
That’s from the NIV. We saw in Luke 3:38 how Adam was God’s son and through Adam, had he remained faithful, we would all be called sons of God. But we were all orphaned due to Adam’s unfaithfulness to God. Now, our Father in heaven has provided the means for a replacement to Adam. Instead of inheriting death, we can inherit life. The last Adam, Jesus, has become a life-giving spirit.
Jesus speaks of this quality that he receives from his Father when he foretells the two resurrections.
“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. [Which again doesn’t make sense if Jesus has always been God.] And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man. Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.” (John 5:25-29 from the NLT)
Those who have died in Christ, doing the will of God, will rise in the first resurrection to life, to rule with Jesus in the Kingdom of God. They are Jesus’ brothers, the children of God. (You can look that up in 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 20:5)
Those who, for whatever reason, did not do God’s will, will rise to judgment in the second resurrection under the kingdom of God. (John 5:29) They will not rise to automatic condemnation as some religions teach through their Bible translations. Remember the evildoer hanging on the cross beside Jesus who repented in the final hours of his life? He was forgiven by our Lord and promised he would be with Christ in paradise. (You can look it up in Luke 23:39-43)
From this we can see that repentance is the key, no matter how grave our past since may be.
Because Jesus has been granted the power to give life, he can adopt these descendants of Adam so that they become his children and inherit everlasting life if they chose to accept Jesus as their savior during Christ’s rule over the earth.
All of this confirms the relationship between God the Father and his only-begotten Son as explained in 2 Corinthians 8:4-7.
“There is no God but one.” 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. But not everyone possesses this knowledge.
What Paul writes to the Corinthians makes sense, doesn’t it? A Father from whom all things came. That would include Jesus, his only-begotten son. Then Jesus becomes the one through whom—through whom—all things came and through whom we live. The father employs his son as a master worker to produce all things.
It is so easy to understand. We all know that a Father comes before a son, so why complicate this? Who benefits from complicating the relationship between Father, Son, and believer, you and me?
Paul concludes his statement to the Corinthians by telling them that “not everyone possesses this knowledge”. But it’s such simple, straightforward knowledge. How is it possible that not everyone gets it? Because this truth is gained not by intellectual prowess, but because it is revealed to us by God.
In conclusion, I want to share one very relevant thought that has to do with why some get the relationship between God and Son, and others do not.
Bear in mind that what I’m about to read to you was toward the end of Jesus’ ministry, after the disciples had been with him for a long time.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-17 NIV)
The evidence had been there throughout all the time they’d been with Jesus, but it was only at the end that they got who he really was, not because of the evidence alone, because everyone else saw the same evidence, but because our Father in heaven revealed it to them.
Why do people believe that Jesus is God despite the evidence that he is not, that for us, as Paul writes, there is but one God, the Father? Jesus answers that. We possess this knowledge because God reveals it to us, and if we don’t possess it, then he hasn’t revealed it to us.
Please, remember, this is not what I say. This is what the Bible says. Paul’s words, which we’ve just read, are so very clear.
Thank you for your time.