First and the Last
Member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2024
- Messages
- 412
Isaiah 43:11 declares with divine exclusivity, “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no saviour.” The prophet speaks for Jehovah, affirming that redemption is not shared, delegated, or divided—it proceeds from the One eternal God alone. Yet in the New Testament, we find salvation inseparably tied to Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 echoes Isaiah’s claim, saying of Christ: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Herein lies the tension—and the beauty—of Christian revelation. Trinitarians affirm that the Son is not the Father, and the Father is not the Son, yet both affirm that Jesus saves. Oneness believers contend that the Saviour in Isaiah and the Saviour in Acts are not two but one—the same God revealed in flesh. So the question before us is not merely linguistic or theological, but salvific:
If Jehovah alone is Saviour, and Jesus is Saviour, then who is Jesus in relation to Jehovah?
Does Isaiah’s absolute monotheism conflict with New Testament Christology, or does it find its fulfillment in the Incarnation—where God Himself took on flesh to redeem His people?
This debate invites us to trace the continuity between Old Testament revelation and New Testament manifestation. Was the salvation revealed in Christ an act of divine cooperation among persons, or divine condescension in one manifested being? Isaiah said, “Beside Me there is no Saviour.” The apostles said, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.”
The harmony—or the perceived dissonance—between these two declarations will determine how we understand the identity of Jesus and the nature of the One who saves.
Herein lies the tension—and the beauty—of Christian revelation. Trinitarians affirm that the Son is not the Father, and the Father is not the Son, yet both affirm that Jesus saves. Oneness believers contend that the Saviour in Isaiah and the Saviour in Acts are not two but one—the same God revealed in flesh. So the question before us is not merely linguistic or theological, but salvific:
If Jehovah alone is Saviour, and Jesus is Saviour, then who is Jesus in relation to Jehovah?
Does Isaiah’s absolute monotheism conflict with New Testament Christology, or does it find its fulfillment in the Incarnation—where God Himself took on flesh to redeem His people?
This debate invites us to trace the continuity between Old Testament revelation and New Testament manifestation. Was the salvation revealed in Christ an act of divine cooperation among persons, or divine condescension in one manifested being? Isaiah said, “Beside Me there is no Saviour.” The apostles said, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.”
The harmony—or the perceived dissonance—between these two declarations will determine how we understand the identity of Jesus and the nature of the One who saves.
