God: A title or race?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

• What does the word “God” actually mean?

• Is “God” the name of a race of being, or is a title of power/authority?

• Who is called “God” in scripture, and why?

• How many times are they each called “God”?

• Can titles be shared amongst separate beings?

• Can titles have different meanings within different contexts?

VIEWS TO CONSIDER:

• EVANGELICAL VIEW: The term “God” is the name of a divine race of being (ex. it is often said that Jesus is both “fully God and fully man”).

• LATTER DAY SAINT VIEW: The term “God” is a title of power and authority, a title is shared by many different beings of great power and authority (both on earth and in heaven).

CONTENTS:

• Meaning of term “God”

• No capitalization (“God” vs. “god”)

• How the term is used

• Who is the term given to

• No. of times each is called “God”

• The Father is Jesus’ God

MEANING OF TERM: According to hebrew4christians.com, the definition of “el” (God, singular) is as follows: “The word El comes from a root word meaning ‘might, strength or power’… [even] the pictogram for the word El appears as a ‘strong Controller or Sovereign”. This definition supports that the term "God" is a title of power and authority (ex. Lord, King etc.), not the name of a race or species or nature of being.

NO CAPILATIZATION: It is important to know that in both Hebrew and Greek there is no upper or lower case letters, no capitalization. For example, in the original manuscripts there is no “Gods” (big G) vs. “gods” (littel g), it simply says “el”, (Hebrew singular) “elohim” (Hebrew plural) or “theos” (Greek), regardless of whether it is referring to the God of Israel, human judges in power, an idol etc. Any upper or lower cased words in our English Bibles today (God vs. gods, Son vs. son etc.) are added interpretations of men.

HOW THE TERM IS USED: The term “God” is used just as a title of power and authority would be used, that is, it is used both as a possessive title (“My God…“, Lev. 18:30, John 20:38, Eph. 1:3 etc.) as well as a name replacement (“For God so loved the world…“, 1 Cor. 15:28, John 3:16, Job 11:5 etc.); Compare this to how the title “King” might be used: “My King…” (possessive title) and “O great King…” (name replacement).

WHO IS THE TERM APPLIED TO: In the Bible, the Hebrew and Greek words behind the English word "God "(el, elohim, theos etc.) are given or applied to many different beings (both beings in heaven and beings on earth), all of which are beings that have great power and authority including prophets, judges/children of the Most High, rulers, the mighty, angels, Satan, the Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit (see below for those passages).

• MOSES: I have made thee a God to Pharaoh“, Exo. 7:1

• THE MIGHTY: God… he judgeth among the Gods, Ps. 82:1

• JUDGES: Ye are Gods, children of the Most High“, Ps. 82:6

• GOD’S CHILDREN: Ye are Gods, children of the Most High“, Ps. 82:6

• RULERS: Thou shalt not revile the Gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people“, Exo. 22:28

• ANGELS: Thou hast made them a little lower than the angels (elohim), Ps. 8:5

• SATAN: The God of this world hath blinded the minds, 2 Cor. 4:4

• THE FATHER: Father… thee, the only true God“, John 17:3

• JESUS: My Lord and my God”, John 20:28

• HOLY SPIRIT: Thou hou hast lied unto God, Acts 5:3-4

NO. OF TIMES EACH IS CALLED “GOD”: Here below, we see how many times each being or group of beings is called "God". It is interesting to note that the term "God" is used for mortal men and angels even more than it is used for the Holy Spirit.

• Holy Spirit: 1 time in NT KJV (see above)

• Angels: 2 times in NT KJV (see above)

• Mortal Men: 4 times in NT KJV (see above)

• Jesus: 6 times in NT, KJV (see “Godhead: Equal? No” page for references))

• Father: 160+ times in NT KJV (see “Godhead: Equal? No” page for references)

THE FATHER IS JESUS’ GOD: In the Bible (both OT and NT, before, during and after Christ’s like), we read that the Father is Jesus’ God. This clearly supports the idea that the word “God” is a title of power and authority since the NT is clear that the Father is the authority over Jesus, even that the Father is the source of Jesus’ power and authority. Jesus said, “To him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down” (Rev. 3:12). See the page “Godhead: Father is Superior?” for a list of all passages that teach that the Father is Jesus’ God as well as many others that speak of the Father’s position over Jesus.