The Angel of Jehovah mentioned in Exodus and Judges is the Son (Exo. 3:2-15; 14:19; 23:20-21; Judg. 13:15-21). We say this because in Revelation the Lord Jesus is referred to as “another Angel” (7:2; 8:3; 10:1; 18:1). If we carefully study Exodus 3, we will discover that the Angel of Jehovah who appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the thornbush is Jehovah, the self-existing and ever-existing One (v. 14). Self-existing and ever-existing means “I AM WHO I AM .” As such, He is the One “who is and who was and who is coming” (Rev. 1:4), the One who is self-existing, ever-existing, immeasurable, and without beginning or ending. In Matthew 1, this Jehovah became Jesus. Jesus means “Jehovah the Savior,” or “the salvation of Jehovah.” This is why we say that the Son is Jehovah, the self-existing and ever-existing One. Exodus 3:6 goes on to say that Jehovah God is “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” The Hebrew word for God here is Elohim, the Triune God. Therefore, this proves that the Son is also Elohim, the Triune God. This matter is not mentioned in the creeds.
In Zechariah 2:8-11 we see that the Lord Jesus is the One who was sent by Jehovah, and He is also Jehovah who sent Him. This portion of the Word was spoken by “Jehovah of hosts” (v. 8). Yet in this portion Jehovah of hosts said, “Jehovah of hosts has sent Me” (vv. 9, 11). This is to say that it is Jehovah of hosts who sent Jehovah of hosts. Furthermore, according to the original text, the pronoun My in verse 11 may also be rendered His, and the pronoun I may also be rendered He. This means that I am He and He is I. He is the sent One and the Sender. Hence, the sent One and the Sender are one. The tritheists believe that there are three Gods because they have not seen this point.
It is recorded in Matthew 3:16 that when the Lord Jesus came out of the water after His baptism, the Spirit of God descended like a dove and came upon Him. Essentially, the Lord Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit and therefore already had the Spirit within Him. Yet it says here that the Spirit of God descended upon Him; this refers to the economical aspect. Furthermore, it is recorded in Matthew 27:46 that when the Lord Jesus was being crucified, He cried out with a loud voice, saying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Essentially, the Father was always with the Lord, not only while He was moving on the earth but even while He was being crucified. Therefore, the Bible says that the blood shed by the Lord Jesus on the cross is the blood of God’s Son (1 John 1:7), and it is also God’s own blood (Acts 20:28). As to the record in Matthew 27 concerning God’s forsaking the Lord Jesus, it refers to the economical aspect. The creeds are also short in this matter.
The Son is the only begotten Son of the Father and the firstborn Son of God. Since the Son is the only begotten Son, He should not have any brothers; how then can He be also the firstborn Son? The Lord Jesus was the only begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 3:18; 1 John 4:9), but in His incarnation He partook of man’s blood and flesh. The human nature and human flesh which He put on to become the Son of Man did not have divinity. Hence, in His incarnation, according to His divinity He was the only begotten Son of God, but according to His humanity He was the Son of Man and not the Son of God. Then He passed through death. When He died on the cross, His flesh died, but His Spirit as His divinity was made alive, enlivened, with new power of life (1 Pet. 3:18), and even His flesh which had been put to death was also made alive and resurrected, thereby bringing His humanity into divinity. Hence, His resurrection was a birth to Him in His humanity. On the day of resurrection, God said to Him, “This day have I begotten You” (Acts 13:33).
His incarnation was a birth; that was divinity putting on humanity. His resurrection was another birth; that was humanity putting on divinity. When He was crucified, not only He died, but all those who were chosen by God and who believe in Him died with Him in His death. Likewise, when He was resurrected, not only He was resurrected, but all those who have been chosen by God and who believe in Him were resurrected with Him in His resurrection, that is, were begotten with Him as sons of God (cf. 1 Pet. 1:3). In this way He obtained many brothers and became the firstborn Son.
Therefore, on the morning of His resurrection the Lord Jesus could say to Mary, “Go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (John 20:17). Previously, as the only begotten Son He did not have brothers; in the morning of His resurrection, He had brothers because He had become the firstborn Son. One of the results of His resurrection is that His Father became the Father of the believers. Thus, the Son became the Firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:29).
We must see clearly that as the only begotten Son the Son has divinity but does not have humanity, and that as the firstborn Son of God the Son has not only divinity but also humanity. The creeds are also short of this item.
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