Does Hebrews 1:8 call Jesus “God”?
Brother Bob Pellien: Does Hebrews 1:8 say that Jesus is God? Who was the Apostle talking to, and about, there?
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Brother Bob: The Bible. The basis of our faith in the Church Of Christ, which answers questions about proper worship, the right relationship with God, and most importantly, salvation. That’s in the Bible!
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Brother Bob: I’m Bob Pellien, and welcome to the program, That’s in the Bible.
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Brother Bob Pellien
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Bob: Although we have proven many times on this program and on other programs of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ, that Jesus is different from God, there remain some who continue to believe that Jesus is the true God, or equal to God, or a part of a triune God, often called the trinity.
And one of the reasons is what we will look at today. This question has been received from Ken in Japan. Ken wrote this:
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The most compelling reason to believe that Christ is God is, if it’s true, that He is called God by the Bible. So I want to hear from the Church Of Christ, Iglesia Ni Cristo, did the Father really call the Son “God” in Hebrews 1:8?
Brother Bob: Thank you, Ken, for your question. The immediate answer to your question is: No! Absolutely not! God did not call Jesus God in Hebrews 1:8, although some Bible scholars think so and therefore translate the verse, for example, like this in the New King James Version. Hebrews 1:8 reads this way:
But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
[Hebrews 1:8 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: So that’s what the Bible verse in the New King James Version of the Bible actually says. So let’s formulate then our discussion around these important questions.
- What is the writer of Hebrews 1:8 quoting? And does the verse really show God the Father calling Jesus the son, God?
- What does it mean that God is the Son’s throne?
- Are there any other Bible translations that bring further clarity to the “God calls Jesus God” argument surrounding Hebrews 1:8?
Brother Bob: Alright, dear friends, let’s begin. What is the writer of Hebrews 1:8 quoting? And does the writer really tell us that God the Father is calling Jesus the son, God? No.
Why are we sure that the answer is no? Because the writer, as I said, is simply quoting a prophecy. Yes, it is a prophecy of God, and yes, the prophecy is about Jesus the son, but God the Father is not calling Jesus, God.
And again, why are we so sure? Hebrews 1:8 is a quote of a Bible prophecy recorded all the way back in the Book of Psalms chapter 45. And let’s take a look at Psalm 45:6-7. What can be seen clearly in this prophecy? It reads:
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
[Psalm 45:6-7 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: So dear friends, who is this prophecy all about? In Hebrews 1:8, Apostle Paul was simply quoting this: Psalm 45:6-7, “to the Son He says ‘Your throne, O God,” and you know, it’s in this portion of the verse is why people draw the conclusion and think that God is calling Jesus God. But, let’s go back again to Hebrews 1:8 and include verse 9 with it this time, because that is so very important to do, it reads this way, including verse 9:
But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
[Hebrews 1:8-9 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: So dear friends, it is made clear here in verse 9, that to the son, whom God is referring to, is one who has a God. The true God does not have another God, or else there would be two Gods. Hebrews 1:8-9 is simply, then, an important prophecy about the Son who was anointed with the oil of gladness, and who hates lawlessness and loves righteousness.
It is for this reason that the Church Of Christ believes that any translation of Hebrews 1:8 that renders it in such a way that Christ is seemingly being acknowledged as God by the Father is unquestionably erroneous. Why? Because such rendition would categorically contradict the following statements of the God the Father Himself, such as the prophet Isaiah quotes:
…acknowledge that I alone am God and that there is no one else like me. [Isaiah 46:9 Today’s English Version]
Brother Bob: God also said in verse 10:
…I am the only God. Besides me there is no other god; there never was and never will be.
[Isaiah 43:10 Today’s English Version]
Brother Bob: So, knowing then there’s only one God, what then is the throne that was being referred to? The answer is also found in the Book of Psalms. We turn back to the very verse being quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9, Psalm chapter 45, let’s take a look at verse 6:
Your throne is from God, for ever and ever, the scepter of your kingship a scepter of justice…
[Psalm 45:6 New Jerusalem Bible 1985]
Brother Bob: Here, dear friends, the “throne of the Son” –or, the seat of authority of the Son– who is being spoken about, is clearly stated to be an authority given to Him from—with emphasis there, dear friends—from God.
Did the Lord Jesus Christ teach that His authority, or throne, was inherently with Him because He is God? Or, because it was given to Him from God? Remember His statement, for example, in Matthew 28:
…”All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
[Matthew 28:18 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: Did He make clear Who gave to Him the authority? He did. He said:
All things have been delivered to Me by My Father,…
[Matthew 11:27 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: Therefore, Hebrews 1:8 and Psalm 45:6-7 are clear statements about the authority given to Jesus by God the Father, and not God the Father saying Jesus is God.
But is there any translation of the Bible that sheds further clarity on the meaning of the opening phrase of that prophecy where it says in the New King James translation, “Your throne, oh God…” Yes, there are many such translations. Here are just a couple. For example, if we were to quote the Bible translated by [Edgar J.] Goodspeed:
But of the Son he says, “God is your throne forever and ever!…
[Hebrews 1:8 The Bible: An American Translation]
Brother Bob: And the Moffatt Translation, it is rendered:
he says of the Son, ‘God is thy throne for ever and ever,…
[Hebrews 1:8 James Moffatt Translation]
Brother Bob: Here dear friends, we can clearly see and understand the meaning of Hebrews 1:8-9 when the Bible is given the chance to teach. False preachers, they will only read verse 8, leave out verse 9, and never explain how the writer is simply quoting a prophecy about Jesus. And then they will use, sometimes, a less than perfect translation and twist its meaning.
In the time allotted to us now in this program, we are not going to review all of the Hebrew and Greek grammar that has caused some translators to misunderstand the prophecy and then end up misquoting it. But, if you would like to delve deeper into those original language translation anomalies and their origins, please visit the nearest congregation of the Church Of Christ near you,
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Visit incmedia.org
Brother Bob: where a Minister of the Gospel here in the Iglesia Ni Cristo is ready to study these in great detail with you.
But for now, understand, what will be the danger of accepting false preachers’ misinterpretations and mistranslations of God’s teachings? There is a danger, and it was cited by Apostle Peter just like this, recorded in 2 Peter 3:16,
This is what he says in all his letters when he writes on the subject. There are some difficult things in his letters which ignorant and unstable people explain falsely, as they do with other passages of the Scriptures. So they bring on their own destruction.
[2 Peter 3:16 Good News Translation]
Brother Bob: So the Bible teaches they will bring on their own destruction and of course then, dear friends, the destruction of those who will just believe and follow their false teaching.
We started this important discussion with these main questions in mind, and let’s review what we’ve learned from the Scriptures. We began with Ken’s question broken down further like this:
- What is the writer of Hebrews 1:8 quoting? Does the verse really show God the Father calling Jesus the Son, God?
After our research, no, the writer is quoting Psalm 45:6-7, which is a prophecy.
- What does it mean that God is the Son’s throne?
Well, we also learned, the Bible shows that this refers to the authority, or throne, that God gave to Jesus.
- Are there any other Bible translations that bring further clarity to the “God calls Jesus God” argument surrounding Hebrews 1:8?
Yes, we read from a couple, two of those translations and there are others which further clarify how Jesus was prophesied in the verse as the Son who received His authority from God. This is how also we further know that Jesus is not God because Jesus received His authority from God. The true God does not receive authority from any other.
Brother Bob: So, we’d like you to continue learning about the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ. To do so, please visit online
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Visit incmedia.org
Brother Bob: and browse the different topics or set up an appointment to meet with a minister of the gospel. If you have any questions about the Bible or salvation, please email them to us.
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Brother Bob: I’m Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching. See you next time right here on That’s in the Bible!
