Filter by Categories
The Sacred Name Movement
CGG Weekly by John ReissThe name of God plays an important role in our beliefs, but some people associated with the church of God have made it the central focus of their religion.
'Arguments Over Words'
CGG Weekly by Richard T. RitenbaughArguments over words can get a teacher into great trouble and actually lead him away from the doctrine of Jesus Christ.
The Plain Truth About the "Sacred Name"
Herbert W. Armstrong BookletYahshua is the Hebrew form of the Saviour's name, and the Hebrew Names movement that began in the 1930s insists that this form alone is sacred and that using "Jesus" is sin. That claim is false. The Greek Iesous is the equivalent of Yahshua, and the Holy Spirit inspired the New Testament in Greek, not Hebrew. No New Testament manuscript uses YHWH or Yahshua. The angel commanded Joseph to call the child Jesus (Matthew 1:21-25), and Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, declared that there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12). That name was inspired in the same language as the rest of the writing, so English readers rightly use the English form, Jesus Christ. To insist on Yahshua is to say the Holy Spirit erred. Advocates also disagree among themselves, using Yahshua, Yahvahshua, and other forms. The Hebrew Names people stress sound, but in Scripture "name" means character, rank, and authority. Praying "in Jesus' name" means by His authority. Jesus' warning that many would come in His name and deceive many refers to those who claim His authority as Christians, not to a few who use Yahshua. Speaking an unfamiliar Hebrew sound conveys no meaning to hearers and is an uncertain sound (I Corinthians 14). The Holy Spirit on Pentecost spoke of God in each hearer's own language. Names must convey meaning in the listener's language.
The Names of God
'Ready Answer' by Martin G. CollinsThe name of God is important—so important that He included its proper use in His Ten Commandments. However, His emphasis is on His character, not a pronunciation.