Author: imikemedia

#2 in a series

QUESTION:  “Are all three members of the Godhead equal to one another?  Please explain.”

ANSWER:  This is a vitally important question.  Consider:

1. Each member of the Godhead IS EMPHASIZED AS EQUAL in Scripture. Study the following passages:

• “When He had been baptized, JESUS came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw THE SPIRIT OF GOD descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, ‘This is MY beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:16-17; cf. Luke 3:22).
• “But if I cast out demons by THE SPIRIT OF GOD, surely the kingdom of GOD has come upon you” (12:28).
• “The grace of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and the love of GOD, and the communion of THE HOLY SPIRIT be with you all. ”  2 Cor. 13:14
• “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of (i.e., by the authority—cf. Mat. 7:29; 8:9; 21:23-24, 27; Col. 3:17) the FATHER and of the SON and of the HOLY SPIRIT.” 28:19
• “But the Helper, THE HOLY SPIRIT, whom the Father will send in MY name, HE will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26
• “And being assembled together with them, HE commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the FATHER, ‘which,’ HE said, ‘you have heard from ME.’” Acts 1:4
• “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of GOD, and having received from the FATHER the promise of THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE (Jesus—mb) poured out this which you now see and hear.” Acts 2:33
• “How GOD anointed JESUS of Nazareth with THE HOLY SPIRIT and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38
• “And declared to be the SON of GOD with power according to THE SPIRIT of HOLINESS, by the resurrection from the dead.” 1:4
• “How much more shall the blood of CHRIST, who through THE ETERNAL SPIRIT offered HIMSELF without spot to GOD, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” 9:14
• “Elect according to the foreknowledge of GOD THE FATHER, in sanctification of THE SPIRIT, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of JESUS CHRIST.” 1 Pet. 1:2

2. However, while God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are, in fact, equal—because they share the same divine essence—EACH IS OF DIFFERENT RANK in accordance with divine order.  Note: 

The inspired apostle Paul said the Son is equal to the Father (Phil. 2:6), and yet the Son willingly obeyed the Father throughout His earthly sojourn (cf. John 4:24; 50:30; 8:29; 12:49; 14:31; Heb. 10:7).  Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).

A believing husband and wife are equal in terms of their spiritual status before God (Gal. 3:28); they are “heirs together” of the grace of life (1 Pet. 3:7b).  Even though the husband is head of the wife (Eph. 5:23), a wife’s different station and function in the home certainly doesn’t make her any less of a Christian.  In a similar fashion, the Son’s submission to His Father in no way depreciates His status as Deity.  It simply means that He had (and has) a different role and function in heaven’s hierarchy.

ALL CAPS emphasis in Scripture is mine—mb.

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18; cf. Col. 3:16a).

“To be filled with the Spirit,”…means to allow the Holy Spirit to have an influence in our lives.

This is not some direct operation as some are suggesting, since it is clearly the obligation of the individual here to allow something to occur.

“[YOU] be filled with…”

In addition, it is something that, once done, results in certain obligations and responsibilities being evident in our lives.

We thus “sing,” “give thanks,” and “subject” ourselves to one another.

All are clearly personal responsibilities that occur as a result of being “filled with the Spirit.”

…If we are to be controlled by the Spirit, we are subject to the Spirit’s leadings, all of which appear in the word.”  Tom Wacaster, Studies in Galatians & Ephesians, 459

#1 in a series

QUESTION:  “Is God absolutely alone?  Is He only one person?”

ANSWER:  Let’s  go to the Word of God for an answer:

God is ONE. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut. 6:4; cf. Isa. 44:6; Mark 21:29; 1 Cor. 8:4; Eph. 4:6; Jas. 2:19).  “The intent of these words was to give a clear statement of the truth of monotheism, that there is only one God.  Thus, it has also be translated ‘the LORD is our God, the LORD alone.’  …The same word is used in Genesis 2:24, where the husband and wife were said to be ‘one flesh.’1  Deuteronomy 4:35 serves as a good commentary on 6:4: “To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; THERE IS NONE OTHER BESIDES HIM”.

There is ONE Infinite Spirit Being—God, and yet within that one being there are THREE distinct persons. Note:

• The Father is God—“Blessed by the GOD AND FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3), but He is not the Son (1 John 4:14), nor is He the Holy Spirit (John 14:6).
• The Son is God—“But to the SON He says: ‘YOUR THRONE, O GOD, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom’” (Heb. 1:8), but He is not the Father (2 John 3), nor is He the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38).
• The Spirit is God—“But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to THE HOLY SPIRIT and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own?  And after it was sold, was it not in your own control?  Why have you conceived this thing in your heart?  You have not lied to men but to GOD’” (Acts 5:3-4), but He is neither the Father (John 15:26), nor is He the Son (John 16:13-14).

These three distinct persons each share in, and partake of, THE SAME DIVINE ESSENCE (cf. 2 Cor. 13:14). When the Bible tells us that “the LORD is one”, it’s referring to a numerical one, i.e., there is one God as opposed to many gods.  When the Bible tells us that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are/is God, it’s referring to a united one, i.e., they each share the attributes which deity alone possesses2 and are therefore referred to collectively as the Godhead (Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:20; Col. 2:9 (KJV).  Study the following verses carefully:

• “Then God (Hebrew—Elōhīm, is a plural pronoun) said, ‘Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness… So God created man in His own image; in the image of God HE created him; male and female HE created them’” (Gen. 1:27a-28).  Note the plural pronouns “Us” and “Our” (x2) in verse 27, but then that observe the singular pronoun “He” (x2) is employed in the very next verse.
• “Then the LORD GOD said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of US…’” (Gen. 3:22a).
• “Also I heard the voice of THE LORD, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for US?’” (Isa. 6:8).

We need to caution against a) blending the three divine personalities so strongly that we make absolutely no distinction between them, and/or b) over-emphasizing the individuality of the three and inadvertently creating a doctrine of Tritheism—or three Gods.

Other verses to consider and study include: Mat. 3:16-17, Mark 13:32; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Cor. 15:24.

1 John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 207.

2 Examples:  eternality (Deut. 33:27), immutability (Mal. 3:6), holiness (Exo. 15:11), righteousness (32:4), omnipotence (Jer. 32:17), omnipresence (Psa. 139:7-10), omniscience (Psa. 147:5).

3 ALL CAPS emphasis in some text as well as verses of Scripture is mine—mb.