“Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance” (Isa 45:21-23).
This passage is one of the clearest declarations of ADONAI’s exclusive identity, power, authority, and sovereignty in the Hebrew Bible. ADONAI is not just Israel’s God. Since ADONAI is the only God and Savior, he is the God of the universe. For this reason, idolatry is not just a sin for Israel, it is a sin for every tribe, tongue, and nation of the world. To ADONAI alone belongs our allegiance, worship, and praise.
No doubt the Apostle Paul was well aware of the meaning of this passage when he cited Isaiah 45:23 in his letter to the Philippians and boldly applied it to Yeshua! “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS that Messiah Yeshua is LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11).
Given the meaning, purpose, and function of Isaiah 45:23 in its original context, it is clear that Paul does not mean “mister” when he says that Yeshua is “kurios.” Rather, he is making a claim that no first century Jew would ever dare to confess, unless that is, it is true. By citing Isaiah 45 and applying it to Yeshua, “Messiah Yeshua is kurios” can only mean, our blessed and glorious Messiah is ADONAI, the LORD.
Any formulation of Christology, therefore, which does not ascribe full deity to Yeshua, and any form of faith and practice which does not give Yeshua all honor, glory, and praise, is not only unbiblical. From the perspectives of the Prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul, such a deviant expression of Christology would also be an act of idolatry, because it would be looking to someone other than ADONAI, the LORD, to be saved.
“[I]f you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…. for ‘WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED'” (Rom 10:9, 13).
