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Yahshua: A New Creation

by Phil Maxwell May 1998

I stand at odds with practically every doctrine there is pertaining to who and of what essence the Son of God was and is. Why? When I was 11 years old, having no training in the Scriptures, I picked up a Bible one day and read the Gospel according to Matthew.

In amazement, I read of a man named Jesus, the Son of God, who was born of the virgin, Mary. I read of a man who spoke the words of God and did the works of God, performing many profound miracles in the sight of men. I read of a man who was without sin, who loved His even His enemies, and who was hated and killed by the very people He sought to save. I learned that He died to pay the debts of all sinners, and that God, His Father, raised Him from the grave. I discovered that He was exalted above all others, given all power and authority in heaven and earth, and that there was salvation in no one else but Him.

All this I learned at 11 years old by simply reading the Holy Scriptures, though I didn't realize that a seed of Truth was planted in me that would ultimately change my life.

Shortly thereafter, and for the better part of the next 12 years, I was carried off in the depths of sin, but the seed of Truth went with me. Many times I cried out to God in the name of Jesus for salvation and deliverance, but each was followed by even more failure in my quest to honor God the Father, and His Son Jesus, who died for my sins. Finally, the Lord reached out to me when I didn't even call on Him, after I had more or less given up on ever finding Him, in fact, and delivered my weary soul from the chains that had kept me from knowing His grace.

After that, though I had come to some awareness of it before, it started becoming apparent to me that the Jesus I knew from the Bible wasn't the same as the one taught in the churches. My inquiries on the matter tended to bring everything from condescension to open hostility. Why? Because I believed the there was one God who was the Father of the Lord Jesus the Christ. Everyone else believed that they were one and the same, though there seemed to be many different and opposing doctrines that endeavored to explain how this paradox could be.

Over the years, I have come to know that the name of the Son of God was actually Yahshua, not Jesus, and have incorporated that into my speech and writing, not considering it appropriate to use any name other than that which was given to Him by God the Father. Names do not change between languages as do other words, so out of respect for Him, I strive to properly enunciate His name, as most people I know would expect.

I have also come to know that the name of the one, true God Almighty, the Father of the Lord Yahshua, is Yahweh, and that He said His name would never change. This point is made rather emphatically in the Holy Scriptures, and is written more than 6,800 times in the Old Testament.

Thus, I beg your pardon if this poses any discomfort to you, as it is neither the main point of this letter, nor is it an issue I would care to be divisive or judgmental over. It is simply a matter of the convictions of my heart, which is wholly directed to the honor of my God and Creator, Yahweh, and my Lord and Savior, Yahshua.

It would seem that the confusion all stems from the fact that while virtually all who consider themselves followers of Christ agree that there is only one God and Father of all, and that Yahshua was and is His only begotten Son, there is much division over the humanity of Yahshua, which is clearly presented in the Scriptures, in the light of the many seemingly divine attributes He represented. This apparent paradox has spawned countless doctrines of who and of what essence the Messiah was, but virtually all represent a balancing act between the human and divine attributes of this man who turned the world upside down 2,000 years ago.

Chances are you already are resolved on this issue, having found an understanding that answers to your satisfaction the question Yahshua posed to His disciples, "Whom say ye that I (the Son of man) am?" (Mt.16:13,15) It is not my desire to disrupt your peace, but I must present to you that the entirety of the true answer is found in Peter's response to this question, though few truly understand the profundity of these few words, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Mt.16:16)

Now, there are two separate points made here, actually three, which afford a complete picture of who Yahshua was and is. The first was His own declaration of being the "Son of man" in the opening question of this brief dialogue (Mt.16:13), which means that He was a man, a human being. The second is that He was the Christ, which means the Anointed One, and indicates that He was the fulfillment of the primary focus of all that had been written between Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets before Him; He was the Messiah. The third point is that He was the Son of God, Yahweh, the Almighty Creator of all things.

The fact that this answer represents a perfect and complete answer is attested to many times in the Scriptures, but no more clearly than the response offered to Peter by Yahshua himself, "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mt.16:17-18)

It is truly unthinkable that Yahshua would declare that the Father in heaven would give an answer to who He was that wasn't accurate and complete, much less that the enduring Church would be built upon anything less than the absolute truth. The absolute truth is that Yahshua was the Son of man, the Son of God, and the Messiah: between these three points is everything that needs to be known about who and of what essence He was.

If I haven't already disrupted your peace, I probably will now, though this is still not my desire. I don't require an answer, of course, but I will ask if you and your church consider Peter's answer sufficient for full fellowship in your congregation? Please be honest, knowing that you don't answer to me, but to God Almighty, and consider this.

I'm really not trying to indict the doctrines held by sincere and dedicated believers, but the truth is that Peter said nothing about Yahshua being God, and I have found that almost all churches list this in one form or another amongst the top three planks in their doctrinal statements. Most will not receive at all or at least not fully into fellowship without an affirmation of this doctrine. Yet it isn't what Peter said, it isn't what Yahweh, the Father, gave Him by way of knowledge, and it isn't what Yahshua said His Church would be built upon.

The important issue here isn't so much the correct answer to the question of who Yahshua was, but who we receive or refuse as our brethren in Him. In the same dialogue I referred to above between Yahshua and His disciples, Yahshua began revealing the awesome authority and responsibility He would bestow upon the Church, the centerpiece of which focuses on who is received and rejected by the Church:

"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." (Mt.16:9-20)

This same theme continues two chapters later, where it is made quite clear that unrighteously rejecting those that Yahshua had received was tantamount to rejecting Him, and the consequences of even tolerating those who persist in such manners are quite dreadful. (Mt.18:5-10). As Acts 2:47 makes clear, it is Yahshua who truly adds to the Church, it is only up to men to exercise appropriate judgment in who we receive and cut-off from fellowship according to His instructions.

Obviously, there is no Scriptural authority for a doctrine of who Yahshua was beyond that He was the Messiah or Christ, the Son of the living God, involved in salvation. Yahshua adds to the Church Himself, and if we put up our own doctrines above His requirements regarding who we receive in fellowship, we make a grave error.

"And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matt 18:5-6)

Having said that, let me return to the three points of Yahshua's identity found in Matthew 16: He was the Son of man, the Messiah, and the Son of God. As I am not going to make a concerted effort to disprove the false doctrines that are common, I'll endeavor to be brief.

SON OF MAN

The term "Son of man" appears over 80 times in the four gospels, all but once used by the Messiah in regards to himself. It also appears once in Acts and twice in Revelations, all three occurrences in regards to Yahshua's post-resurrection glory, as were many of His own references to Himself as the Son of man.

The term "son of man" itself has its roots in the Old Testament, being first found in Nu.23:19 in Yahweh's declaration that He "is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:" It also appears in Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and most notably, in Ezekiel, where it is used over 90 times in direct reference to the prophet himself, as it is also used in regards to Daniel. In a number of the other mentions, it seems to simply be a parallel reference meaning "man." (Ps.8:4)

Though this phrase undoubtedly refers to His humanity, as do many other references in the Scriptures, it also seems to be a distinguishing designation used by Yahshua. In itself it is hard to pin down any particular meaning beyond the fact of His humanity, it is difficult to dismiss the strong implications of it referring to more. This question is resolved easily by the fact that He was the Son of God, also, which I'll discuss below.

THE MESSIAH

The fact that Yahshua was the Messiah refers to His perfect fulfillment of the numerous prophecies of the Old Testament regarding Him, and the anointment that was upon Him. It is important to note that much of what we read regarding Yahshua is the result of this anointment, not necessarily a matter of His inherent essence. He was born the Son of man and the Son of God, but He was MADE both Lord and Christ. (Ac.2:36)

"That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." (Acts 10:37-38)

"And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:" (Isa 11:2-3)

(Also, see Ps.2:2, Ps.45:7, Isa 42:1, Is.61:1, Lu.4:18, Jn.3:34, He.1:9)

THE SON OF GOD

The fact that Yahshua the Messiah, a man, was the Son of God has become such a commonly known phrase, that it has somewhat lost its significance in the minds of people. Many say that the term itself actually means "God," but this is absurd. It means just what it says, He was the Son of God, and not only that, but also the first and only truly begotten Son of God.

John 10:33-36 is often used to argue this point, where the Jews, seeking to find an excuse to kill Yahshua, accused Him of blasphemy for making Himself God by saying that He was the Son of God. The first error in this argument is that it assumes these Jews who were trying to find a way to kill Yahshua were a good source for doctrine. We must remember that these were the same ones that John the Baptist called vipers, and that Yahshua called liars who spoke the the lies of their father, the devil.

The second error is the failure to honestly read Yahshua's reproval of them in this accusation, for He made it quite clear that the claim to be the Son of God was NOT a claim to be God or equal to God.

Also, in John 5:18 the Jews levied the same charge, but Yahshua refuted it, as well:

"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John 5:18-19)

The entire suggestion that "Son of God" means God is completely undone by the numerous other Scriptures, as well: Yahshua declares that His Father is greater than Him (Jn.14:28), Yahshua is called the servant of God (Is.42:1, Mt.12:18), God is the head of Christ (1Co.11:3), God is Yahshua's God and Father (Jn.20:17).

So, if "Son of God" does not mean God, what does it mean?

SON OF GOD + SON OF MAN = NEW CREATION

I will attempt to be as brief as possible, but this is where this issue really comes to light. The first point that needs to be made is that Yahweh created all things, and that includes both the beginning and the end:

"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." (Eccl 3:11)

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding." (Isa 40:28)

With this in mind, let's take a look at Creation and humanity:

First, as we know, the Word of Yahweh declared that man was to made in His own image. (Gen.1:26) Notice that the accomplishment of this included both male and female:

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Gen 1:27)

Next, we find that Adam was formed out of the dust of the ground, and (separately) made a living soul:

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Gen 2:7)

Then, and apparently later, after all the animals had been named, Yahweh formed the woman out of Adam's rib.

"And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (Gen 2:21-23)

Now, I would like to point out that both the man and the woman were originally called Adam, and the name Eve was not assigned until later, when they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. (Gen.5:2, 3:20) Following that, the procreation of their offspring began, as had been decreed in their initial Creation (Gen.1:28 "be fruitful, and multiply").

So, we can see that Adam's body was made out of the dust of the earth, and then Yahweh breathed life into him, making him a living soul. Eve was made a living soul from Adam's rib, and all their offspring, including us, have come forth from them. Only Adam represented newly created life, and all others were created within him, coming forth first through the creation of Eve, and then through the power of procreation given them.

Now, let us take a moment and consider this from another angle, which is that Yahweh created man in His own image. Remember that Yahweh has already created the ends of the earth, even though much is yet to be manifested. Was Adam, even before the fall to sin, created in the image of Yahweh, the Almighty Creator? Hardly. Adam and Eve didn't even have the knowledge of good and evil until they sinned, and the attainment of that knowledge was declared to be a step towards becoming like Yahweh. (Gen.3:22)

The whole point here is that the Word of God that brought forth the creation of man was not fulfilled with the creation of Adam; that was just the beginning, and the end is yet ahead. Man will not be fully conformed to the image of Yahweh as spoken in Gen.1:26 until later, when the redeemed are fully transformed into the image of Yahshua, the Son of God.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (I Jn 3:2)

Yahshua is already in the image of Yahweh, so when we are like Him, we, too, will be complete in the Creation spoken before even Adam's body was formed out of the dust:

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" (Col 1:15; also, 2Cor.4:4, Heb.1:3 )

As I hope you can see, all this has very direct bearing on our destiny, not just our church doctrine. If we don't rightly understand who and what Yahshua was, we will be hard pressed to understand what our Creator's intention for us is, for when we see him, we will be like Him, created in the image of the Almighty God, Yahweh.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor 3:18; also, Rom.8:29, Col.3:10)

Getting back to Yahshua the only begotten Son of God, the next passage should make it abundantly clear that He was an entirely new creation:

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

"The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." (1 Cor 15:45-49)

Let me summarize: Adam was formed out the dust of the earth by the power of Yahweh's Word, and made into a living soul. All human life that has and will come out of Adam was created in Adam by Yahweh. Eve was a new creation, formed by the power of the Word of Yahweh, but both her substance and life came forth from Adam. All descendants of Adam and Eve have come forth through the act of procreation given to them and their offspring, their substance and lives also coming forth from Adam.

The Word of God did all this through the act of forming Adam out of the dust and breathing life into him, and forming Eve out of his rib. Yahweh created the ends of the earth when He created the beginning, all of which came forth from His Word.

Yahshua, the Son of God, however, is an exception to this. He didn't come into existence through the means of procreation as given to Adam and Eve. He was conceived in the womb of Mary, a virgin, by the Holy Spirit. Though His flesh body was made of the woman, Mary, the life within Him didn't come from Adam. Adam was made a living soul, but Yahshua, the last Adam, was made a quickening Spirit. His life was the impartation of the essence of God into human flesh. He was a new creation, the Son of God.

I repeat, Yahshua represented an entirely new act of Creation, manifested at the appointed time (for it was determined from the foundations of the earth). As the first Adam was formed out of the dust, Yahshua was formed out of the flesh of His mother, Mary (Ga.4:4). As Adam was given life when Yahweh made him a living soul, so Yahshua was given life when Yahweh made Him a quickening Spirit. As the life that was given Adam was passed down to all who were formed in Him, later to come forth through procreation, so the life that Yahweh has invested in Yahshua is passed down to all who are His, coming forth through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. As we have borne the image of our earthly father, Adam, by birth, so shall we in the resurrection bear the image of the heavenly through our rebirth in the Holy Spirit of Yahweh, given through Yahshua.

As He was born and is the Son of God, so are we, though this is yet to be fully manifested.

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God." (Rom 8:14-19)

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (Jn.1:12-13)

The term Son of God not only represents the new creation that Yahshua was, it also represents the new creation that the redeemed are. The Son of Man term also points to this, as the redeemed are no longer in the death of sin passed on by Adam, but as the next generation, so to speak, we are quickened by the Spirit of Yahweh given through Yahshua, and have life in Yahshua, the last Adam.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2Co.5:17)

In closing, knowing that this passage is used of many to promote doctrines that declare Christ to be God, let me refer to John 1:14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Here we can see the first step in the ultimate fulfillment of the Word of God spoken in the creation of man in Genesis 1:26. Man was created to be in the image of God, born of the Spirit of God, not made from dirt. The progression of the creation of man is clear: Dust was made flesh (Adam, a living soul), flesh was made flesh (Eve), flesh was made flesh (all the descendants of Adam and Eve), and, finally, the Word was made flesh (Yahshua, a quickening Spirit). Through the resurrection, that same Word that made Yahshua flesh, will also raise those who are His up to partake in His glory.

May all glory be to Yahweh, the Almighty Creator of all things.

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