The Lord thy God
Talking Jesus
"The Lord thy God."
Matthew 22:35-37 KJVS
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36] Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
What can we learn from the answer Jesus gave to this lawyer?
The question was. "Which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus told him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
I want to examine the phrase, "the LORD thy God, but focus more on the title "Lord." The Greek word for Lord is kurios. It refers to a person exercising absolute ownership rights, such as a master, owner, or supreme authority, and is used over 700 times in the New Testament to refer to God or Jesus.
Here is the foundational Old Testament reference verse.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD." (Deuteronomy 6:4 KJVS)
The proper Greek word for "LORD" in Deuteronomy 6:4 is the same word Jesus used in Matthew 22:37 "kurios."
When ascribed to God or Jesus the word means, "my Master" or "LORD." The title LORD when used in all caps refer to יהוה (YHWH or Yah-weh) the sacred name God gave to Moses in Exodus 3:14. When the title Lord (with only the first letter in caps) is used it means, master or owner.
So, Kurios serves as the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew divine name YHWH (Yahweh/Jehovah) and the title Adonai, establishing Jesus’ divine nature, equality with God the Father.
Whenever we refer to Jesus as Lord its not just speaking of a master to slave relationship (that is the extent of Allah's relationship with his Muslim's subjects), it is a title of divinity. Kurios (LORD) in the New Testament is a substitute for the tetragrammaton, the name of YHWH.
Hear what Paul says about Jesus.
"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." (1 Corinthians 8:6 KJVS)
Paul shows the distinction in the Godhead, not division, or denial of Jesus's divinity.
Distinction, Not Division: Paul uses "God" for the Father and "Lord" for Jesus to describe their distinct roles and relationships, not to create two separate gods, but to clarify that "two persons [are] one God".
Who did Paul say is the "one Lord?" (Hice Kurios). Answer: Jesus.
Paul (a Jew) just tell his Jewish audience that their foundational declaration of faith in Judaism (Deuteronomy 6:4) points to Jesus.
Deuteronomy 6:4 KJVS
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.
Who is the "One Lord" of Scripture? He is God, that's the teaching in the Old Testament, that's the teaching in the New Testament.
Psalm 100:3 KJVS
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Who is the LORD? He is God!
Deuteronomy 4:39 KJVS
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
Who is the LORD? He is God!
The "one Lord" (1 Corinthians 8:6) Jesus Christ is LORD in Heaven above, and upon the earth beneath. That is why Thomas made the following declaration.
"And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." (John 20:28 KJVS)
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