Jesus Christ himself spoke of this type of oneness and
the unity between the Father and He, and ourselves
(his disciples) and He. John
17:11
says, “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world,
and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom
thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” John
17:21 says, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me.” Verse 22 reads, “And the
glory thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are
one:”
Verse 23 says, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may
be made perfect in one.” From these verses we can see that Christ is
referring to a unified oneness rather than a numerical oneness.
It is obvious that the body of Christ has many members
but one body as Paul said in
1 Corinthians 12:12, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and
all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is
Christ.” Jesus prayed that we may be one even as He and the
Father are one.
If He
and the Father are numerically one in the same person, then we can conclude
that God wishes to make us numerically one.
Jesus
referred to David’s statement, in Psalms 110:1, “The Lord
said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool,” a direct reference to the Father and the Son as being
separate entities in the Godhead. And Jesus, himself, gives credence to
this statement spoken by the Holy Ghost through King David.
We are
told in some denominational sects that we will only see Jesus Christ when we
go to Heaven or that there will only be Jesus Christ; that God is numerically
one. This teaching fails the test of being in harmony with all of the
scriptures. You decide, for yourself, in Christ, what is correct.
Now
that we have established the oneness of God through the scriptures, let us
prove out their separate identities.
In this
section, we will examine some verses of scripture that prove out the person of
God in the so-called "Trinity."
Let us
begin with Mark
1:10,
“And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the Heavens opened, and
the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him.”
Verse 11 says, “And there came a voice from Heaven, saying
Thou art my beloved, Son in whom I am well pleased,” a statement used
by the Father in several scriptures where He was heard speaking.
We see
in these two verses a distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In verse 10 we see the Spirit descending upon Christ. In
verse 11, we see the Father speaking out of Heaven that He is well
pleased with his Son. And we see Jesus Christ, himself, being baptized.
It is very obvious that, in this particular set of scriptures, clearly there
is a distinction that there is not a numerical oneness here. If there
is, and Jesus is that numerical one, then He is speaking to Himself from
Heaven and descending upon Himself.
Let's
look at another portion of scripture, Acts 7:55, “But He,
being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into Heaven, and saw the
Glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.” In
this verse, there is a clear distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. Stephen was full of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost being on
earth and absent from Heaven. John 16:7, “Nevertheless I tell you the
truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the
Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
He looked into Heaven and saw Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God
the Father.
The
noun "God" in scriptures is most usually a reference to the Father, and
"Lord" is usually a reference to Christ. As Stephen is being
stoned, he clearly sees God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, in Heaven as
separate and distinct.
Now
that we have briefly established the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let us go
on to defining their relationship to us and their separate operations or
administrations.
It is
wonderful to know that we have a Heavenly Father. It is also
essential to know the Heavenly Father and to understand Him as best we can
through His written Word.
Let us
now begin to define the person of the Father. In 1 Corinthians
12:4-6, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And
there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there
are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in
all,” we can see a distinction of administrations and operations that
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have in the body. Verse 4 says,
“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.”
This a reference to the Holy Spirit, of course. Verse 5,
“And there are different administrations, but the same Lord.”
This is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 6,
“And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh
all in all.” This is a reference to the Father.
Here we
can see the different administrations of the Godhead. Spiritual gifts by
the Holy Spirit, administrations by Jesus Christ, and operations by God the
Father. Some have asserted that the name of the Father, Son, and the
Holy Spirit is Jesus Christ. Let me point out here, without desiring to
be contentious, that the word Father is a name, Holy Spirit is a name, and
actually Son can be considered a name, although the Son’s name is Jesus
Christ.
It
should be noted that in the Old Testament there are many names that God
refers to Himself – Jah (the sacred name, most reverent); Anonay
(the Lord most sovereign); Jehovah (the self existent or eternal, the
Lord); Jehovah Jireh (Jehovah will provide); Jehovah Nissi (my
banner); Jehovah Tsidkenu (our righteousness); Jehovah Shalom
(Jehovah is peace); Jehovah Shammah (the Lord is there), are just a
few.
But
Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven by which men can be saved.
Acts 4:10-12, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that
by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the
head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there
is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
The
Father carries out all chief operations in the universe. His commands
are administered by Jesus Christ, John 1:3, “All things
were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made,”
and the Holy Spirit edifies and builds up the body of Christ through the gifts
and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The
Father is called the Father of Lights by the Apostle James.
James
1:17
says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.” James says that every good gift
and every perfect gift comes from Him. He is the giver of all things.
When
Jesus prayed, He did not pray to Himself, He prayed to the Father. When the
disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, He prayed, “Our Father, which
art in Heaven,” giving us the example that good things
come from the Father. Matthew 6:9-13, “After this
manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever. Amen.” When Jesus prayed, as He often times did, He prayed
to the Father. He said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own
will, but the will of him that sent me,” John
6:38.
It is the Father's will that we will carry out when we are obedient to God. It
is through the power of the Holy Spirit and the administration of Christ, but
it is the operation of the Father.
The
Father is good. That is why James said not to err, after saying the Father
gives good gifts; not to attribute evil to God. The Father is not evil,
the Father is good. Jesus came to show us the express person or image of
the Father. Jesus said to Philip in John 14:9, “Have
I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that
hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the
Father?”
Some
things to learn and remember about the Father are that He is good, the Father
is love, “God is love,” 1 John 4:8, the Father
cares and sends good and perfect gifts to us, and we are His children.
The
mentality of the world has been that God sends evil upon mankind. Jesus
refuted this thought when He said, “If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask?” Luke 11:13
and “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good
things to them that ask him?” Matthew 7:11.
Jesus
was saying, in essence, how could we look at earthly man, being as evil as he
is, and believe he could give good gifts, but then think God does not give
good gifts?
Jesus
Christ is the second person of the Godhead. He is Deity. The scriptures
say, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God,” Philippians 2:6. Thomas, upon discovering
that Jesus indeed was resurrected, said, “My Lord and my God,”
John 20:28. In
Matthew
1:23,
Jesus
is called Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.” Jesus Christ is
the Word made flesh and the Word is God. John 1:1, “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
He is God come to earth. He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM,”
John 8:58. There are innumerable scriptural confirmations that
Jesus Christ is God, God the Son.
He is
the administrator and He is in submission to the Father. In 1
Corinthians 11:3, “But I would have you know, that the head of
every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of
Christ is God,” we see Paul talking about man being the head of the
woman. The Father is the head of Christ, even so Christ is the head of man and
man is the head of the woman. We again see a distinction between the
Father and the Son.
Jesus
Christ is our friend. John 15:14, “Ye are my friends, if ye do
whatsoever I command you.” He is close to us and understands
our infirmities and is touched by them. Hebrews 4:15, “For
we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
God came in the form of man to understand the plight of man and redeem him.
Jesus Christ is God taking on the form of human flesh. The Word of God says
that He was in all points tempted like as we are. In other words, He
knows what you and I are going through. He is someone we can talk to.
When we
have a need and we're asking for something we go to the Father, but when we
want a friend we can talk to Jesus. We can share our burdens with Him.
He carried our burdens, sorrows, sicknesses and infirmities.
Isaiah 53:4-5, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed.” He knows what it's like to be in this earthly
tabernacle we are in and we can talk with Him about what we're going through
and through the person of the Holy Spirit, He comforts us.
The
Holy Spirit is in submission to Jesus Christ and proceeds both from the Father
and the Son. John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come,
whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which
proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.”
Jesus
Christ came with the ministry of reconciliation. Colossians 1:20, “And,
having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all
things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things
in heaven.” He came to set us free from the power of the devil.
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, the he might destroy the
works of the devil,” 1 John 3:8. He is the only one who can
break the seal in Chapter 5 of the book of Revelation.
It is
through Him that we gain access to the Father. John 14:6,
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.”
Even
though He is God, only the Father knows the times and the seasons, not the
Son. Matthew 24:36, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no,
not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
It is
His book in Heaven in which our names are written (when we receive Him) which
will determine whether we have eternal life. Revelation 13:8, “And
all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written
in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
He is the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God. Blessed be His
name forever and ever!
The
Holy Spirit is called the Comforter in John 14:16,
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he
may abide with you for ever.” The Greek word for Comforter
is
Parakletos, which means our teacher, our guide or our comforter and our
helper. He comforts us on Christ's behalf when we are going through
sorrowful times, trials and tribulations. When we are not understood by
people, He understands us. He sees our hurts and comes to us in a
supernatural way.
The
Holy Spirit is also our teacher who leads us into all truth. John
16:13, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into
all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." He provides
the anointing that teaches us, 1 John 2:27, "But the anointing
which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man
teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth,
and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
He illuminates and enlightens, Ephesians 1:18, "The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his
calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,"
and He reveals all truth to believers who trust in the work of Jesus
Christ as opposed to their own works.
He
guides us by revealing God's will to us, giving us the plan and revealing to
us the timing in which we are to initiate His plan. He guides us into
God's blessings for not only ourselves but also those to whom we are called to
minister.
The
Holy Spirit also helps us in the endeavors, plans and responsibilities that He
leads us to. He helps us with His power, He helps us with one of the
seven anointings that He carries. The seven anointings of the Holy
Spirit are the seven eyes of the Lamb which are listed in Isaiah 11:1-3
and they are as follows: the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might,
knowledge, fear of the Lord, and quick understanding in the fear of the Lord
(meaning quick understanding as a result of, or the awareness of and respect
for, the Lord). In other words, a healthy fear and respect for God will
help one to abide with humility in the Lord, helping to unlock the virtue of
the Holy Spirit through their life.
The
supernatural comfort of the Holy Spirit is incomparable and cannot be
duplicated by any natural source such as drugs or other substitute
counterfeits that Satan would try to give to mankind in place of the genuine
comfort and peace of God.
Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
He is
there beside us and in us at all times. He is abiding with us.
John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.” When we accept
Christ's forgiveness and are washed by the blood of Christ, the Holy Spirit
performs an operation on us. Colossians 2:11, “In whom
also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”
He is
the Living Waters, John 7:38-39, "He that believeth on me, as the
scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet
glorified,” and the well springing up. John 4:14, “But whosoever
*
drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water
that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into
everlasting life.”
He is
the one that gives us the living waters and gives the fulfillment to the
hunger and desire that we have and the life that we long for within our being.
To the
woman at the well, Jesus said that if she knew who it was who talked with her,
she would ask Him to give her a drink of water so that she would never thirst
again. John 4:10, “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink;
thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit. Inside of every man and woman
there is a hunger for an infilling of love that can only be given by the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us and guides us through God's word John
14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send
in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you,” 1 John 2:27, “But the
anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that
any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and
is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in
him,” and Luke 12:12, “For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the
same hour what ye ought to say.” We can talk to the Holy Spirit about
guidance, where we should go and what we should do, asking for an inward
witness concerning different matters.
Once
one is filled with the Spirit of God, nothing else will do, everything else is
inferior. To those who are filled with God's Spirit, it is baffling to
the understanding when we see people carrying out their lives without Christ,
missing out on the beauty of knowing God and being filled with the Holy
Spirit. Thank you Jesus for the Holy Spirit, evermore, fill us Father in
Jesus' name. Luke 11:13, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good
gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
It is the Holy Spirit that gives us
dunamis (miraculous)
power, Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth,” and enables us to perform miracles, signs and wonders.
The nine gifts of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, “But
the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of
knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to
another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of
miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another
divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues,”
and nine fruits of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23, “But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,” operate from the
Holy Spirit.
“For
there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost: and these three are one,”
1 John 5:7. There is one God the Father and one Lord Jesus
Christ and one Holy Ghost. 1 Corinthians 8:6, “But to us
there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and
one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him,” and
Ephesians 4:3-6, “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as
ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
There
are three separate persons in divine individuality and divine plurality.
The Father is called God, 1 Corinthians 8:6, the Son is called
God, Isaiah 9:6-7, “For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his
name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there
shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it,
and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for
ever,”
and Hebrews 1:8, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God,
is for ever and ever,” and the Holy Spirit is called God in
Acts 5:3-4, “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan
filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the
price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was
sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in
thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God,”
and collectively they are all spoken of as one God because of their perfect
union.
In the Hebrew, the word
Elohiym is
the word for God in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth,” and in over 2,700 other places in
the Old Testament.
It is a
uni-plural noun meaning collective oneness. It is the same word used in the
Hebrew when referring to the two becoming one flesh in Genesis 2:24,
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto
his wife: and they shall be one flesh,” and if the Father and Son were
numerically one, how could the Father know things that Jesus Christ didn't
know? Mark 13:32, “But of that day and that hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but
the Father.”
Two and
three persons are mentioned in the introductions to New Testament books.
Romans
1:1-4, "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated
unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the
holy scriptures,) concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of
the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God
with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the
dead.”
Romans
1:7, “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to
you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
1
Corinthians 1:3,
“Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord
Jesus Christ.”
James
1:1, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve
tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”
1 Peter
1:1-3,
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to
the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit,
unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you,
and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ."
2 John
1:3,
“Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.”
Revelation 1:1-6,
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto
his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified
it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and
of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he
that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those
things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. John to the seven
churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is,
and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are
before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him
that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us
kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.” and many more.
Everything in this study shows in brief the tri-unity/oneness of God.
Far more elaborate studies can and should be made.
