THE BOOK OF LOVE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

For four days, I have attempted to present extra-biblical evidence to support the Bible's divine authorship. I have previously posted a short series entitled, "I Am: An Autobiography," dated May 4-10, 2010. My goal in writing that seven part series was to present my view of how the Bible is a personal history of God's relationship with His creation. Today, I would like to repeat some of one of those posts as a transition from the extra-biblical evidence, to the Bible's claim that God has revealed Himself in its pages. It might take me more than one post to do that. If so, I will try to continue the "introduction" tomorrow.

"In the beginning, God (Elohim)." What a strange way to begin what might best be called an autobiography. God has revealed to us everything He wishes us to know about Himself in the Bible. "Elohim" is translated "God" in Genesis 1:1 and in hundreds of other places. To make things more confusing, the word is obviously not His name because it is a plural. Jews and Christians know very well that there is only one God. The verse Israel holds dearest is Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, O Israel: The YHVH (always written in all caps as LORD) our Elohim (God) is one YHVH (LORD)." Christians recognize God as being "three persons in one," or as the Trinity (Matt. 28:19; Jn. 20:28; Acts 5:1-4; etc.).

God identifies Himself by the name, "YHVH," translated "I AM" in Exodus 3:14 and "LORD" elsewhere. It is the actual name God has chosen to use, but to us, "LORD" is viewed as His title. Unless we are addressing Him directly, we almost always use the adjective "the" with the word. An example is found in Psalm 110:1, "The LORD said unto my Lord, 'Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.'" To add to the confusion, biblical Hebrew had no vowels, so the Jews did not know how to pronounce God's name. They were, and are still, afraid to mispronounce His name.

Today, it is rare that we use the words "I am" without "completing the sentence." With one exception, neither did Jesus (John 8:58). He often referred to Himself as "I am" but in the form of a metaphor: the Door, the Light, etc. And speaking of Jesus, His name comes from the Hebrew name, "YHSH," which is often translated "Joshua." In the Greek, it is "Iesous."

I will not take the time to explain how God has become known as "Jehovah," or how Christ has become known as "Jesus." That information is readily available. For the purpose of simplifying it all, I either refer to the first Person of the Trinity as "God," or as "the Father"; the second Person of the Trinity as "Jesus," "the Christ," or "Lord"; and the third Person as "the Holy Ghost," "the Spirit," or the "Holy Spirit." In spite of all of these "variables," on January 31, 1971, I became a child of God by placing my total faith and trust in Jesus. Life has not been the same since. "A Rose by any other name...."