Do you believe in using the Heavenly Father's true name "Yahweh" and the Savior's true name "Yahshua the Messiah"?

We do not believe God requires us to use only the terms Yahweh and Yahshua in reference to the Father and Jesus Christ, as if only these two terms spelled and pronounced exactly correctly constitute the only "true" names of God and Jesus Christ.The original text of the Bible contains not only Hebrew but also Greek, Aramaic and Chaldean. The references to God that are included are from those languages.

Even in the Hebrew it isn't possible to be precisely accurate, because the consonantal pronunciation (YHVH or YHWH) has been lost. Also, since the original Hebrew writings included no vowels, we don't really know the vowels that should go between the consonants or even whether the name has two or three syllables (for example, whether Yahweh, Yahuweh or Yehowah).

Furthermore, there are no ancient manuscripts of the New Testament that have Hebrew names for God in place of the Greek names.

Christ used the name for God that was commonly understood by His audience. It is reasonable to assume that the apostles in Acts 2 used commonly accepted terms as they spoke in different languages to those from various regions who were hearing the truth of Jesus Christ's role for the first time.

As to His own name, the Oxford Dictionary records that "Jesus" comes from the Latin Iesus, which comes from the Greek Iesous, which is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yehoshua or Yeshua (Joshua).

An important question to ask people who have expressed concern that Yahweh is the only name that we may use when addressing God is, "Why is He called by several names in the Bible?" Elohim, El, Yah, Eloah, Elyon, Shaddai, Adon, Adonai and Adonim are various Hebrew expressions for our Father.

Moreover, the question above presumes that the name Yahweh refers exclusively to God the Father. While this name in the Hebrew Old Testament could refer to the Father, it often referred not to the Father but to the One who would later be born as Jesus Christ (see John 1:1-3, 14; 1 Corinthians 10:4).

Studying about and meditating on all the names and descriptions of God that we have been given in the Bible helps us better grasp the awesome greatness, power and holiness of God—both Father and Son.

This study requires translating into our own languages. Following the logic that it is appropriate to use only Yahweh and Yahshua, it would be inappropriate to address our Maker as "Father" and our Messiah as "Savior." It is not sound reasoning to believe that God expects us to speak in our own languages (which He divided at Babel), yet when it comes to saying His name, we are supposed to say only Yahweh and Yahshua, even though we may be from America, French Guiana, Borneo or Togo.

If you would like to learn more about God, read our booklet Who Is God? You can read it online or request a personal copy by mail.