Sacred Name Principles: Eight Essential Foundational Beliefs
This is an overview of eight principles we hold concerning the Sacred Name and its related issues. The following should be read in conjunction with the other studies on our website, especially the Articles pages and the Biblical, Historical, and Scholarly Research pages.
Principle 1: The Salvation Issue:
The foundation of our belief-system is that salvation is obtained only through the shed blood of the Messiah, not through use of the Sacred Name. The Name of God is not a magic talisman that earns one an entry into the world to come. There are those few who teach damnation to all "Jesus" worshippers, and of course the Sacred Name critics would like to imply that we all teach such nonsense, but that is not the case.
And having led them outside he said, "Masters, what do I have to do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe on the Master יהושע Messiah, and you shall be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:30-31)
Principle 2: The Importance of The Whole Word of YHVH:
The entire Scriptures of both Testaments, Old and New, known in Hebrew as the Tenakh and the B'rit Hadesha, are of importance to believers, including all that is found therein. There are some Sacred Name ministries that seem to think there is only one doctrinal issue in the Bible worth discussing! Although this website is focused on the issue of the Sacred Name, our ministry has a "whole Bible" perspective and treats all of Scripture as of importance to believers.
Act 16:32 And they spoke the Word of יהוה to him and to all who were in his house.
Principle 3: The Messiah's Hebrew Name:
Without question, the main argument we have seen against the use of the Sacred Name is that supposedly no one knows what it is! Part of this problem is due to the fact that the Hebrew language did not use written vowels until centuries after the time of the Messiah. Therefore, some Sacred Name advocates use the form "Yahshua," some write "Yeshua," and some write "Y'shua." The difference in meaning is that "Yahshua" means "Yah Saves," while "Yeshua" means "Salvation." A separate study on our articles page gives the scholarly consensus on which form is most correct.
"And she shall give birth to a Son, and you shall call His Name יהושע for He shall save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)
Principle 4: Our Heavenly Father's Hebrew Name:
Most Sacred Name groups use the form "Yahweh" as the Divine Name, and there is no question that this was the form used at least from the Persian era forward. However, Hebrew scholars point out that the names of Hebrew kings and prophets in the pre-exilic era formed a composite of the Sacred Name, and it was not "Yahweh!" For example, the Hebrew form of the names of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and Zephaniah had "Yahu" or "Yahua" appended to them. King Hezekiah's name in Hebrew was "Hizquiyahu." Read more on this interesting subject on our Articles pages.
And it came to be, when Sovereign Hizqiyahu heard it, that he tore his garments, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the House of יהוה, and sent Elyaqim, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covering themselves with sackcloth, to Yeshayahu the prophet, son of Amots. (2 Kings 19:1-2)
Principle 5: We Can Determine the True Original Pronunciation:
The critics point out the wide range of spellings that various Sacred Name groups use for the Divine Name, and give this as proof that the true pronunciation cannot be actually determined. This is incorrect. Although the Hebrew language did not use written vowels to guide us to the correct pronunciation, other evidence does exist. For example, Judean king "Jehu" was named after his God, and Assyrian King Shalmaneser's "Black Obelisk (now on display in the British Museum in London, England) records this Hebrew king's name as "Iaua" or "Yahuah." See the "British Museum Proof" research page on this website for pictures and documentation.
"And anoint Yĕhu son of Nimshi as sovereign over Yisra'ĕl. And anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Aḇĕl Meḥolah as prophet in your place." (1 Kings 19:16)
Principle 6: It is not a sin to use the Hebrew original of the Sacred Name!
Although Sacred Name believers are frequently accused of calling down damnation on all those who use the terms "Lord" and "God," it more often seems to be the opposite situation: Our critics talk as if it is a sin to use the actual Hebrew Names! We note language such as the following among our critics: "confusion! error!" and other strong language. At a minimum, Christian believers should be allowed to use the actual Hebrew names, or a close approximation, along with English titles such as "Lord," "God," "Heavenly Father," etc. Yet our critics squeal at the very thought of using a Hebrew Name for a Hebrew Messiah! No, it is not a sin, brother!
Principle 7: The Semitic Origin of the New Testament
For some unfathomable reason, our critics insist that ALL of the New Testament was written in Greek, and has no Hebrew basis. To the contrary, numerous reputable scholars believe that at a minimum, extensive portions of the New Testament were originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic, and later translated into Greek. However, none of the New Testament texts we possess were original documents from the pen of the Apostles; all we have are copies, and most of them are in Greek. However, an early Hebrew Gospel of Matthew exists, and an English translation by George Howard was published in 1995 by the Mercer University Press. Second century, A.D., Christian scholar, Irenaeus wrote: "Matthew indeed [preached] among the Hebrews and in their own tongue." (Contra Haer., III.i.1)
In addition, numerous other scholars believe in a Semitic original for much of the New Testament. These include: Professor Charles Cutler Torrey of Yale, Charles Fox Burney of Oxford, E.W. Bullinger (Anglican author of the "Companion Bible"), William Curetin of Oxford, Heinrich Julius Holzmann ("Synoptic Gospels Origin"), Claude Montefiore, Paul Wernell, Hugh J. Schonfeld (a Nazarene Jew), Robert Wye Scott, George M. Lamsa (translator of "The Holy Bible From Ancient Eastern Manuscripts"), Joseph Fitzmeyer (Roman Catholic scholar), Robert Lindsey ("Hebrew Translation of the Gospel of Mark"), David Biven ("New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus"), Brad Young ("Jesus, the Jewish Theologian"), Marvin Wilson ("Our Father Abraham" and "Jewish Origin of the Christian Faith"), and many more.
The New Testament is filled with "Semitisms," or Hebrew expressions, Semitic grammar, and pleonasims (extra filler verbs used in Hebrew, but not found in Greek). The argument of the critics is therefore unfounded.
Principle 8: We speak English, not Hebrew!
Can we not use an English equivalent of the Sacred Name?
Interestingly enough, Hebrew scholars (see our research pages) have commented on the fact the word, "Jehovah" used in the King James Bible for centuries is somewhat close to the true Hebrew pronunciation of the Sacred Name. The famous Biblical scholar, William Tyndale, spelled the Divine Name, "IEHOUAH," which could be pronounced, "Yehuah." The Hebrew language did not have the letter "J" and its sound, but early German scholars wrote the Sacred Name as Jehovah because in German the letter "J" is pronounced as a "Y." (This is similar to some other European languages as well, although not true of English.) Therefore, German Hebraic scholars of the past were pronouncing the Sacred Name as "Yehovah" or "Yehuah," since the letters "V" and "U" were used interchangeably. If you absolutely must use an English equivalent, therefore, Jehovah, is at least somewhat close to the original Hebrew pronunciation. See the comments on this by Biblical scholars on our Research pages. However, we prefer the Hebrew pronunciation as more correct than using a less-accurate English transliteration, but even "Jehovah" is more correct than "Yahweh." See our "Critics" page for more on why we do not recommend use of "Yahweh."
As a Sacred Name Fellowship of believers, we hold dear the worship of our Father in Heaven, the Almighty YHVH Elohim, Yahuah. In worship, believers grow closer to our Divine Heavenly Father, and become united in love for one another as well. We invite you to learn more about the Divine Name on this website.