This Lesson Is Understanding The Godhead And Its Relationship To The Trinity. I have had various people say to me we would like to know what do you think about the Godhead and the Trinity and how are they interrelated. Well, I thought that was a fair request. So I decided to put together this lesson called understanding the Godhead. Who do we serve? Who is God? What is his name? We are going to look at this from a vantage point of God from eternity to eternity. There are a lot of people who believe that maybe all gods are the same. Some call him Allah. Some call him Brahma. Some call him Jehovah, and some call him Jesus. There is a lot of speculation out there. If we are going to really know who we serve, so that we can know him, it's really good to know who he is and what his name is. The first thing that we need to know is that the Godhead is by design a mystery. Let me take you to the Scripture. It is first Timothy chapter 3 verse 15. It reads, and without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and then received up into glory. Who was? God was! But notice that Paul when writing this book unto Timothy he said, great is the mysteries of godliness. So the Godhead is a mystery by design. It says it right here in this passage of Scripture. So thus the question then becomes why? Why did God decide to make the Godhead a mystery? Matthew chapter 13 says that Jesus always taught in parables, and his disciples were frustrated by this. They said unto him why speak if thou in parables? He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. So, a parable is a story that reveals truth to one person while hiding truth from another person. The disciples were so frustrated, and they said why do you do this? Why don't you just speak plainly? Well, God's teaching is designed in such a way, so that the occasional observer will have an excuse to reject it. While the true seeker, will grasp it. We find that the Bible says seek and yee shall find. In this explanation here in Matthew 13, Jesus said for the prophecy of Isaiah is filled in them, having eyes to see the sea not. Having ears to hear they cannot. Unless at any time they should hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, should be converted and I should heal them. Now, Jesus said that these people's hearts is waxed gross, and their eyes were closed. Okay now, understand with me real carefully right now, because this is the way that God deals with you and me. It is given to you to understand. To them it is not given. What is going on here? Jesus said when truth comes, some people open their eyes and say I want it. Yet other people, when truth comes they close their eyes. Now why does this happen? Because we human beings are pretty ingenious. When we hear truth we start calculating. Okay, if I embrace this truth, if I believe it then it is going to control my life. It is going to determine what I do. So we will calculate ahead and we will understand that in the ramifications of this truth that we have gained, a lot of times we make a decision. We say, okay I believe this and I am going to embrace and obey it. Or we decide to close our eyes. For a lot of people, as soon as they say well I do not believe it that way, they think that this gives them an out to reject that truth. The truth of the matter is, although we do not believe the truth, that does not change the truth. The truth is still the truth, and the Bible tells us that when we choose not to believe the truth, that we are making a conscious free willed decision. The Scriptures teach us that all unbelievers shall have their part in the lake of fire. Just because you say I do not believe that, that does not give us an out, because the truth is still the truth. Remember, the Scripture tells us that unbelievers will have their part in the lake of fire. So when the truth comes to us it is important that we embrace it and obey it. This is the reason that Jesus taught in parables, so that people who didn't want it would have an out but the people that did want it could get it. Because he is looking for people that love him on their own free will, not because they are compelled. The church is his bride, and he wants a willing bride. Here is a note about parables or proverbs. The writer of Proverbs had to develop two skills. The first was an astute observation of life. These were wise sages. They looked at life and they saw how life worked and they wanted to capture the lessons that they saw in life. But then the second skill was an ability to cleverly craft that observation into a proverb, that forced the reader to ask what is the truth that comes out of the process of working the mental muscles? Proverbs, many times don't give up their meaning easily. They say to the reader: you're going to have to work at this, because the mind is a muscle. And just like a bodybuilder will go into the gym and lift those weights to build those muscles, the wise person goes into the gymnasium of Proverbs and works that mental muscle to strengthen it. So if you read a proverb, and it doesn't make sense to you right away, that's by design. So if you're a lazy reader, if you're not serious about learning, many of these proverbs will never yield up their meaning to you. So my invitation to you is the same as my invitation to me, if you want to live a wise life, you've got to cultivate wisdom. And if you're going to cultivate wisdom, you're going to have to work at it. Okay, notice Jesus taught in parablesor proverbs. The Godhead is a parable. John 16 25 tells us these things have I spoken unto you in a proverb, but the time come-eth when I shall no more speak in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the father. So he said I give you the mystery of the Godhead, but as a proverb or a parable. The original Greek word that was translated proverb also was translated parable in John 10 verse six. So it is the same thing. The Lord said I teach you about the body in a parable. Then he went on to say but I shall now speak unto you plainly of the father. There is one more thing that we need to really understand, and that is that the Godhead can be understood. Some people will say that nobody understands the Godhead because it is a mystery. It is a mystery, but a mystery is something that some understand, and others do not understand. Now can the Godhead be understood? Many people say that it cannot be understood. However Romans chapter 1 verse 19 tells us this. Because that which may be known of God is manifested, for God has shown it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. So these are things which may be known of God, his eternal power and his Godhead, so that they are without excuse. So here it plainly says in Romans 1 19 through 20 that the Godhead can be understood. Let's get right to it. Our first question is how many gods are there? Can we know that? Deuteronomy 6 is the cornerstone of all truth. The first commandment is, hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord. So there is one God and that is the cornerstone of all truth. If you ever vary from that you are off track, because that is the first commandment. When Jesus was asked what is the first commandment, this is the one that he quoted. Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord. So we know from the outset there is one God. Now Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 35 enlarges upon this and comments more about it. It states here that there is none else beside this one God. Unto the it was shown that thou mightest know, that the Lord he is God. There is none else beside him. So, there is one God and there is no one else beside him. There is one and only one God. Furthermore, Deuteronomy 32 39 tells us that there is no God with him. We see now that I even I am he and there is no God with me. I kill and I make a live. I wound and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. So, now we know that there is no God beside him. There is no God with him. Then Isaiah chapter 43 verse 10 says you are my witnesses saith the Lord and my servent whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. So there is no God beside me. There is no God with me. There was no God formed before me. There will not be any God formed after me. So the Scriptures are being very emphatic about this. There is one and only one God. In second Samuel chapter 7 verse 22 we read these words. Therefore, thou art great old God for there is none like thee. Neither is there any God beside thee according to all that we have heard with our ears. So there is none like thee, beside thee, with thee, none before thee, nor any form after thee. We go to the New Testament, in the book of James chapter 2 verse 19, it says there, now believe-est that there is one God. Thou due-est well. You should never believe in anything else but one God. If you believe in one God you do well. Then it says the devil also believes and trembles. The truth of one God scares the devil, because they had aspirations to be God or to be like God. The truth is that they can never be like God. So, the devils also believe in one God and they tremble. Then in first Corinthians chapter 8 verse four, this is the New Testament again. As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that in idol is nothing in the world and that there is none other God but one. So, the Old Testament says there is but one God. There were none before me. There will be none after me. There are none beside me. There are none with me. The New Testament says, that there is none other God but one. So God is emphatically claiming to us now. Okay, there is one God and only one God. That is the first cardinal truth that must be embraced. Now, the next question is very important. Is Jesus God? So if there is one God, then is Jesus God. Let us see what the Bible tells us about that. In Isaiah chapter 9 verse six, one of the most famous messianic prophecies in the entire Bible we read these words. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the Prince of peace. Now notice here, a child is going to be born. That is the prophecy of Jesus Christ coming to this earth. A child is going to be born. It says that this child is going to be the mighty God. It says, a son is given, and it says the sun is going to be the everlasting father. Wow! No wonder God says that this is a mystery. How can the Messiah be a child and yet a mighty God? How can he be the son of God and yet still be the everlasting father. Yet, this is what the Bible tells us is true. We are going to understand it more as we go on. In Matthew 1 23, when it was time for Jesus Christ to be born, Scripture tells us behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son. They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. So, the child that is going to be born of the virgin Mary, is going to be God with us. Now how many gods are there? There is one God. We have already covered that territory. So, Jesus was to be God with us. In Revelation chapter 1 verses 7 and 8, John heard a voice, and the voice said to him, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. Verse 7 says that the voice was from he that come-eth with clouds. Furthermore, the voice was from he who was pierced. So, the voice is claiming to be the Alpha and the Omega and the Almighty. Later on in the passage in verse 10 and 11, John says I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice as a trumpet saying, I am Alpha and Omega. Obviously, the same voice is in verse number eight. The voice said I am Alpha and Omega the first and the last. In verse 18 the voice said, he that live-eth, and was dead. Okay! Who live-eth and was dead? Who was pierced? Who is going to come in the clouds? Jesus Christ obviously. And behold I am alive forevermore, Amen. So he said, I am Alpha and Omega. I am the Almighty. So Jesus said I am not just a god, I am the Almighty God. That is something else really interesting. He said and I have the keys of hell and death. Now we need to understand something about the keys of hell and death. Before Jesus died on the cross, Satan had the power of death. Hebrews 2 verse 14 tells us this. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. So it says plainly here that the devil had the power of death. Yet Jesus came through death to destroy him that had the power of death. Jesus came forth from the grave and he said, talking to John, and he said, look, I have the key of death and of hell. Let's see if we can explain this better. In Ezekiel 18 4, the law of sin and death was defined. It states here; Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Now, there was a law that controlled the human race from the beginning up until the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary. This law was called the law of sin and death. There was not one person who did not sin from Adam until Jesus Christ. The soul that sinneth it shall die. So, sin occupied every person. Therefore, everyone was destined to die. So, from Adam until Jesus Christ death rained. Satan had power over the human race because every person sinned. Consequently the sentence of death was on the entire human race. However, Jesus Christ did not want you and me to have to die. We were his prize creation. We were originally created to become ultimately his bride. He did not want us to die. Therefore, Jesus came to provide an out for us, a plan of salvation. So Jesus decided that he would come down and live a sinless life, which he did. He was tempted at all points like we are, yet without sin. So he lived the sinless life and Satan tried to get him to sin. You know the story of the temptations. How he fasted 40 days and Satan met him and said if you are the son of God, then turned the stones into bread. Jesus did not yield to him. He said, man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceed-eth out of the mouth of God. Finally, Satan said to Jesus, look all the kingdoms of this world are mine. I give them to whomsoever I will. He had taken Jesus to a high place so that he could see the landscape of all the kingdoms of this world. He said all this is mine. I am the God of this age. I give these kingdoms to whomsoever I will. If you would just bow down here and worship me, I will give them to you. I will make you the god of the earth. What actually happened was Satan was offering to make Jesus the anti-christ, the one world dictator. Fortunately, Jesus said why what I want to be the antichrist when I can be the real Christ. So he turned down that temptation and he said thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and him only shall thy serve. So, Satan could not get Jesus to sin, and he did not know what to do with him. The crowds were getting bigger and many people were afraid that the whole world was going to follow Jesus Christ. He was raising the dead. Then he fed 5000 with five fish, and the whole world was wandering after him. So finally, in frustration Satan said look I am going to kill him anyway. I have the power to do it. I will do it and worry about the consequences later. So, he went ahead and put Jesus Christ to death. When he did, that was his worst mistake. He broke the law that gave him control. The law that was the battle of the souls for men from the beginning till that particular time. When you break a contract, that contract becomes null and void. So the Bible tells us when Jesus tricked Satan into killing him, having never sinned, he broke the contract that had held the human race captive for 4,000 years. It is actually described in Romans eight chapter 2. It says, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had made me free from the law of sin and death. We are sort of seeing why the mystery. Why did God put the Godhead in a mystery. He had to trick Satan into killing him. If Satan had realized that this was God himself, then the human race would have been informed. Then he would have known that he could not have killed God. But he did not know that yet. So Romans 8 2 says, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had made me free from the law of sin and death. Through Jesus Christ we are no longer subject to the law of sin and death. Once you are born again and partake of the salvation of Calvary then this law does not apply to you anymore. This explains exactly how all of this happened. Remember, the biggest mistake that Satan ever made was when he broke the law of sin and death, and allowed justice to deliver us from the law of sin and death, and to bring us into the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. In Romans chapter 6 verse three, it tells us that know yee not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized onto his death. you and me owed the penalty of sin which is death. Jesus did not want us to pay. He said I will pay it in your place. I can pay your penalty because I do not owe it. I can volunteer to die in your place. Well, when Jesus died on that cross, the sins of the world were imputed to him. All who are born again are able to take advantage of this wonderful thing. Now, notice what Romans 6 3 says. Those who were baptized in Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. That is the reason that the Bible says, when you are baptized your sins are remitted. To remit means to pay. I am sure that all of you get these bills every month that say please remit by the 10th of the month. That means that they want payment. So, baptism is payment for your sins. You are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ. His death pays your bill, the bill that you owed. But when you are baptized your sins are paid for, remitted, placed on Jesus Christ. '----- 2 It makes me feel bad, and I hated that Jesus had to die in my place. But, since he has done it I am going to certainly take advantage of it. Because when I was baptized into his name that's when his death paid my send bill, and I do not owe it any more. I do not have a sentence of death hanging over me, but I now have eternal life through Jesus Christ. So, when you are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ you go into that water paying the bill of sin which is death, but you come out having eternal life. There is this one more wonderful thing that happens at that time. Not only are your sins imputed to Jesus Christ, but his righteousness is imputed to you. The Bible says that he was made sin for us. He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So when you are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, after you have repented you are made as righteous as Jesus Christ. Okay! Let us go back to the mystery. First Corinthians chapter 2 verses 7 to 8. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained for the world, unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew. For had they known it, had they known the mystery, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. You see Satan, before he fell, was privy to the Council of heaven. Almighty God perceiving that there was iniquity in the heart of Satan, the side it to tell him part of the truth but not all of the truth. He said that I am going to create a new order of being. And I am going to have a son. This son will only be second unto me. Now for Satan this was not good news for him because he was second in heaven. He saw this as a demotion, but he should not have, because he should wanted God to get all the glory anyhow. He should not have been seeking glory for himself. Nevertheless, iniquity was in him. So, Satan gossiped among the Angels in heaven and convinced one third of them to rebell. So he knew that there was a son coming, but he did not know that the son was coming twice. Remember when Jesus came the first time. Satan was so confused. There was one place that Jesus was ready to cast a demon out of a man, and the demon cried out in fear and said, I know who thou art, thou holy one of God. Why have you come to destroy us before the time. You were supposed to give Satan 2000 years to tempt the human race. Here you are showing up 2000 years early. You see, Satan did not know the mystery that Jesus was coming twice. He was coming the first time as the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world. He was coming the second time as the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, the lion of the tribe of Judah to rule the world. Listen to what he says. If the princes of this world would have known the mystery? Now what is the mystery? Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, believed on the world, preached to the Gentiles, seen of angels and received up into glory. Did you say God? Yes! The son who is going to be born is going to be the everlasting father. A child is going to be born who is going to be the mighty God. Satan could not understand how this could happen. Because he did not know the mystery, he tried to kill, he did kill Jesus Christ. Yet, it could not last. Jesus did not owe that penalty. Three days later he came out of the grave saying I am the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega, and I have the keys of death and hell. I am so glad to show you that Satan no longer has power over you. There is an escape route from the penalty of sin which is death through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came here and he died in our place. When you are baptized in Jesus Christ you are baptized into his death and you no longer hold that penalty. Let us watch what happened here. Jesus died. He rose again three days later. Now Satan's world is in turmoil. He said, what am I going to do? How am I going to deal with all of this? So, he is contemplating, he was so confused, and he probably thought that he was on the break of being thrown into eternal hell. However, Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection. The first time he appeared to his disciples was behind closed doors, and Thomas was not there. When Thomas came later after Jesus had left, the other disciples told Thomas that they had seen Jesus. They told him that he had come right in the room where they were. Finally he faded from us. Thomas said I will not believe until I am able to reach my fingers into his nail prints. Until I am able to put my hand and finger into his side, I will not believe. Well, a few days later Jesus appears again. He did not say hello or anything. When he appeared Thomas was there this time. He looked straight at Thomas and he said, this is John chapter 20 verse 27, reach heather thy finger and behold my hand. Reach heather thy hand and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless but believing. Now, Satan I believe was hovering in the corner right now, and he was watching all of this, trying to figure everything out. Thomas answered and said unto Jesus, my Lord and my God. All of the sudden you could hear Satan saying I have been deceived. He was not just the son of God, but he was the Almighty God. God simply put himself in a human body. That is the reason why they said Emmanuel, God with us. Satan realized that he had been duped into breaking the law of sin and death. Thus he had opened the floodgates for eternal life for all those that would believe in Jesus Christ. Satan said to his imps and demons, no wonder he came out of the great. We could not kill God. All right, that is not the end of the story. This goes on. It comes right up to where you and I are living today. What happens next, between the time with Jesus roles from the dead and the time that he left the earth he said to the apostle Peter, Matthew 16, verse 19. He said and I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom. Here are those keys again. I am going to give to you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What so ever thou will bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. He actually imparted to the apostles the power of baptism. Another passage he says, whosoever sins you shall remit shall be remitted unto them, and whosoever sins you shall retain shall be retained on to them. When a preacher baptizes you in the name of Christ, that remits your sins. So Jesus said to Peter I am giving unto you the keys of death and of hell, the keys unto the kingdom. We know the rest of the story. We know that Jesus was then taken into the sky. The apostles watched him go. Then they were instructed to return to Jerusalem and wait until they were endued with power from on high. So they went back to Jerusalem and they were waiting there until the Holy Ghost was poured out on them. It caused a big crowd to gather together, because of the powerful manifestations of the Holy Ghost was noised abroad, throughout the city of Jerusalem. The people gathered together and said what is this all about. Peter preached to them and said you took the Messiah, he came to you as your Savior, and you rejected him with cruel hands. You crucified him. Well, the men cried out and said men and brother what shall we do. We have made a horrible mistake. We have the blood of our Messiah on our hands. They were asking Peter, what must they do to be saved. And maybe a voice spoke to Peter and said, Peter do not forget the keys. Then Peter said in verse 32 of acts, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins. You shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now Satan is watching all of this happen. He hears Peter tell them that they have to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Satan also realizes that Peter is preaching. So, he realizes that he really did have 6000 years. He realizes that he still has another 2000 years left. So he says what I am going to have to do is take the power out of this plan of salvation. He says that I am going to pervert it so that it won't work. Apparently the key is that you need to realize that Jesus Christ is the Almighty God and be baptized in his name. That is the key. When they said what shall we do, Peter told them, he said be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. So Satan says God fooled us with the mystery of godliness for 4000 years. Remember what the mystery of godliness is. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, believed on of the world, preached to the Gentiles, seen of angels, and received up into glory. That was the mystery of godliness. That was the mystery of God himself. So Satan says, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I will have my own mystery. 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 7 refers to the mystery of iniquity. It says, For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now lett-eth will let, until he be taken out of the way. What is this mystery of iniquity. I asked myself that one day. I knew what the mystery of godliness was. I thought, well what is the mystery of iniquity. It just seemed to Don on me, if the mystery of godliness is that God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, believed on the world, and taken up into glory. If it is true that there is one God, then Satan said I am going to have my own mystery and I am going to teach people that there is more than one God. He said, God fooled us with the mystery of godliness for 4000 years. We will fool people with the mystery of iniquity for the next 2000 years. Well, a few years pass, actually it was more like 300 years passed. But a doctrine began to be formed, it was straight from Satan, that there was a plurality of deities. This plurality of deities said that there was actually three separate beings of the Godhead. God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Ghost. These are three separate co-eternal beings. The father is not the son. The son is not the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is not the father. That all happened at the Council of Nicaea. In order to validate this new doctrine, the people of Nicaea, the religious ecclesiastical authorities said we are going to have to change our baptism. So at the Council of Nicaea, in 325 A.D., they decided at that time to change the mode of baptism. Up until then history tells us that the church always baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They decided the time had come to baptized in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost. The word “Trinity," which is the theological word Christians use to refer to the Godhead, is not found in Scripture. However, The Bible, the Word of God, plainly states the plurality of God and that God is One God. The biblical doctrine of the Trinity was not invented by man or any church, although there was an attempt to alter the idea by Satan himself. Thank God for the Athanasian Creed's restoration of that which was altered by the Nicine Creed. The biblical doctrine of the Trinity's origin is in the plain and unmistaken statements made throughout the Bible. It is revealed truth and a part of salvation. When a person comes to God he must accept who He is and what is His revealed nature. The fact God did not inspire the writers of Scripture to use the modern word "Trinity" does imply that it is not a biblical truth. However, there are many words and phrases that Christians use to express biblical doctrines that are not found in the Bible. One is the word "rapture." This word also is not found in Scripture, but the phrase “shall be caught up” is used in 1 Thessalonians 4 17 and means to “catch away” or in Latin “rapiemur”meaning to be snatched away. In fact, the word "Bible" is also not found in the Scriptures. That is which 66 books constitute the holy bible is not found in scripture. Would we dismiss the existence of the Bible because the word is not found in Scripture? We will have a fuller explanation of the Trinity later in this article. For now it will be sufficient to say that, those that deny the Trinity are denying the Godhead. They argue that it is physically impossible for three distinct persons to be only one. They are both right and wrong. They are right if they define the Trinity as defined by the Nicine Creed. They are wrong if they define the trinity as defined by the Athanasian Creed. Okay. Now let's look at it one more time. If the mystery of godliness is the fact that God is one then what is the mystery of iniquity. The mystery of iniquity is the belief that God is three. At the cornerstone of all truth is here old Lord our God is one. Then the cornerstone of all deception is hear O Israel the Lord our God is three. Do you remember Saul of Tarsus. He was the one who persecuted the New Testament church. He held the coats of the people who stoned Peter the first martyr. Saul of Tarsus' grace was sincere. He was horribly wrong, but he was sincere. He was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus to arrest Christians. He was going to actually torture them, to force them to actually denounce Jesus Christ. Because of his sincerity, God decided to intervene. As he was on the Damascus road, a light showed from heaven. Brighter than the noon day sun. Paul tells the story. He said he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him. Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me. Saul was a religious Jew. He was way up in the ecclesiastical structure. The Paul of his day was of the strictest sect. When this voice said that he was God talking, Paul said I must not know who you are. Who art thou Lord. Now he knew who the Lord was. He was a Jew. He had been taught all his life, Hear O Israel the Lord thy God is one Lord. He said who are you Lord, and the Lord said back, I am Jesus whom thou persecuted. It is hard for thee to kick against the bricks. Now remember we are asking the question, was Jesus God. We talked about a lot of other things on the journey, but we are asking the question now, was Jesus God? Well here that question is asked by Saul. Who are you Lord? The Lord answered, I am Jesus. So Saul, whose name was changed to Paul, later said in 1st Corinthians 8 6 to 7, But to us there is but one God. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge. So Saul said what do I do. Well continuing on to Jude chapter 1 verse 25, talking about is Jesus God. It states there, to the only wise God our Savior, all of us know who the Savior is. We shall call his name Jesus and he shall save his people from their sins. To the only wise Lord our Savior shall be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever Amen. The only wise God. The only God because there is only one. Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one God. Okay! Conclusion to question number two. The question is, is Jesus God? The answer obviously is yes. So what do we know? There is only one God, and Jesus is that God. You might say you have me so confused. I do not know what I believe anymore. Well look, even though you may not understand it, you know that it is true because I have read to you from the Scripture. Nevertheless, I want you to understand it. I believe that God wants you to understand it. Before we go to our full explanation on Godhead we have one more question. That question is, is the Holy Ghost God? We have the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost. We know that there is only one God. So is the Holy Ghost also the one God. Well it is easy to know the answer to that. In Matthew 1 verse 18, it tells us. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. What? The Holy Ghost? She was found with child of the Holy Ghost? I thought the father was the father of Jesus. Yet it says right here that she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Now if the Holy Ghost and the father are the same God, and there is only one God, then this is not a problem. If there are three separate persons, then the father was not the father. We have a real mass confusion here. Let's look a little further. Luke chapter 1 verse 35 says, And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. So if the Holy Ghost overshadowed Mary and caused her to conceive, it says here that the holy thing, speaking of Jesus, that shall be born speaking of the son of God. So that means that the Holy Ghost was God. All right so now we know that the Holy Ghost was the father Jesus and the Holy Ghost was God. So we know that the father is God, the sun is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. But, we have not understood it yet. We only taught the facts as it is taught in the Bible. We should embrace this whether we understand it or not. However our lesson today is entitled understanding the Godhead. God from eternity to eternity. Now this is the best part of the lesson. This is the part that I love. In order for us to understand the Godhead let us look at the timeline of the human experience. You can see here that we have a timeline going 7000 years. We began with eternity. Then the beginning when Adam and Eve were created. Then there was approximately 4000 years from the birth of Adam to Jesus Christ. No man know-eth when the end will come, thus I am guessing here. Approximately 2000 years from the birth of Jesus Christ to his second coming. This is the end of my guess. At which time Satan will be bound for 1000 years. Then you see the 1000 year millennium reign of Jesus Christ when he will rule as King of Kings and Lord of lords. Then finally the end. That is when time stops. As human beings we are creatures of time. However, after time stops eternity will begin again. '----- 3. Now let us look at this a little further, so that we can begin to really understand it. And John chapter 1 verse number one we are told, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God. Notice first of all, it states in the beginning. Now the question is, what was before the beginning? Well before the beginning was God. Where did God come from? He did not come from anywhere. God is eternal. He has always been. Now that is really stretching our minds. The best way that I can describe that to you is the following. To help you understand God in eternity before the beginning, you know that after the end, eternity will continue and God will be forever.. Now, if God can be forever that way, then he can be forever in the other direction. That is the best that I can do, because all of us we have a beginning and we have an ending. We have a birthday, and everything about us has a beginning and an end, because we are finite creatures. Well, Almighty God knew that he was going to create us as a finite creature. That is in the beginning was the word. But, what do you mean was the word? It is not talking about the Bible. The Bible was not in the beginning. The term word comes from the original Greek word Lagos, which also can be translated expression. Almighty God knew that he was going to create a limited human being, which could not perceive of a God who is everywhere. Who had no beginning and no ending, occupying all space, and has all power. He knew that we as finite human beings could not conceive that. So he decided that the first thing that he was going to do even before he made Adam and Eve, he made himself a finite form. Now before he did this he was spirit. He was everywhere. He filled the universe. But he decided to make himself a Lagos or an expression. My words right now is my means of expressing myself to you. So in the beginning was the word or the expression. The expression was with God, and the expression was God. God made himself a body in the beginning. He used this body to communicate with his finite human beings. Now when he made this body, he did not make another God. In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the expression was God the father and God the son. Okay! Now let us go a little bit further. So, God at this particular time, the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 1 verse one through two, God has in these last days spoken unto us by his son, by whom he appointed the heir of all things. By whom he also made the world. So, he made for himself this body. He called it the son, and he was going to use this son to appeal to mankind. Remember, in the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the Word was God. So, God made himself a body and he made the world by his son. So the sun began in the beginning. The sun was not in eternity. The sun was in the beginning. That is when sun ship began. Now, beyond that God use this finite, limited form to appear to man. For example, he walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. We all know about that. The Bible says that the Lord appeared to Abraham and actually ate with him. He appeared and talked with Moses face-to-face. At one point he went by Moses standing in the cleft of the rock, putting his hand over his eyes. When he went by he pulled his hand away, allowing Moses to see his hind parts. He appeared with the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. God used this finite limited form, and sometimes we call this form a theophany because it was angelic. That was the problem with this form. It was angelic and it could not really bridge the gap because God had never been tempted. He had never been tired. He had never felt pain. He had never wept. He did not know those things. Here mankind, now fallen mankind, is struggling to exist and wrestling with all of these temptations, and these failures, and this tiredness. Sometimes he felt such horrible pain. Somehow that gap was too big to be bridged. God wanted to bridge the gap. Now in Isaiah chapter 59 verse 16, it states there that God looked for a man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. An intercessor is a bridge that someone bridges the gap. Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him. He decided. I have a plan. I am really going to bridge the gap. I am going to use my own arm to do it with. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God Now, that is when we read John 1 14. Remember John 1 1; in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Now that was in the beginning. Now, it says the Word was made flesh. It had been angelic up till now. It was made flesh and dwelt among us. The expression was made flesh. Dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. The glory as the only begotten, the father, full of grace and truth. Almighty God became a man. He did not create another God. That was simply the body of God. After all, you and I are a body and a spirit. Yet we are one person. Almighty God likewise is body and spirit. Yet he is one person. The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. Now, you never see that angelic form again. God forsook that theophany, that angelic form that he used in the old testament, that was an adequate. Now then, he comes down to this earth. He is tempted in all points like we are. He is wary. The Bible says, he experienced pain. He cried out, I thirst. So now the gap between man and God is bridged. The man Christ Jesus is the arm. He looked for an intercessor. He saw none. So his arm, his own arm brought salvation. But that is not the end of the story. The next thing that was going to happen was; Jesus was crucified. He rose a glorified, immortal human being. So we have seen God with no body. Then we have seen God with an angelic body in the Old Testament. Then we see him as a human being, tempted, suffering just like all of us. Then he died and was resurrected immortal. He goes back to heaven. In Colossians 1 1 it says, it please the father that in him should all fullness dwell. This is the fullness of the God body. He is not going to be angelic anymore. He is not going to be a human being anymore. He is going to be in an immortal human being. The body that you and I see when we meet Jesus Christ face-to-face, he will have that body he had after his resurrection. The Bible says that when we are resurrected we do not know how we shall appear. Yet we know that we shall be like him. We will have a body like him. Like his glorious body. Okay! Now, let's get to the end, when everything is wrapped up, over 1000 years from now. The Bible says in first Corinthians 15 24 through 28, then come-eth the end. When he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the father, that God may be all in all. Okay! When he delivers the kingdom up in the end, it is going to be revealed that there is only one God, and that he is all in all. It says that the Godhead dwells in Jesus Christ bodily. Now, watch this. In Matthew 28 19, the day before Jesus left the earth he gave his disciples instructions for salvation. Here is what he said to them. Go ye therefore and teach all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Ghost. Okay! So, how do we do this? We cannot do it unless we know what the name of the father is. Unless we know what the name of the son is. Finally, unless we know what the name of the Holy Ghost is. Can we figure this out?Really it is pretty simple. The Bible answers all of these questions. Let us take the easy road. At least that is the way that I did it when I took algebra in school. I would take what I knew first, and it was easier to figure out what I did not know. So, when he said baptized them in the name of the son what did he mean for us to do? Well obviously the name of the son is Jesus. We all know that. So he was telling you go and baptize, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the son Jesus. Okay, that was easy. Now, what did he mean when he said baptizing them in the name of the father? Now we know that the name of God in the Old Testament was kept secret. Remember when Jacob was wrestling with the Lord. When he appeared to him, the Lord said what is your name and the Lord said I am changing your name to Israel. Then Jacob said since we are having introductions, then what is your name. The Lord said in Genesis 32 29, wherefore is it that thou ask after my name? He would not tell him his name. When the angelic form left, Jacob said I have seen God face-to-face, and my life has been preserved. The Lord also appeared unto the parents of Samson. Samson's father's name was Manoah, Judges 13 17 through 18, and Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? God kept his name secret in the Old Testament. I know that we use the term Jehovah. Really in the original Hebrew it was YHWH with no vowels. It was the unpronounceable name. God was going to put all of his power in his name. Therefore he kept his name secret all during the Old Testament. Different people asked about his name, and he would never tell. Now other angels, Michael told his name. Gabriel told his name. Yet this theophany of God would never tell his name. Watch what happens next. Let us go back. Now, we are supposed to baptize in the name of the father, son, and the Holy Ghost. We know the name of the son is Jesus. Yet, what is the father's name? In John 5 43, Jesus said I come in my father's name and you receive may not. Now, if I come in my father's name and my name is Parks, could you guess what my father's name was? Of course you know Parks. So Jesus said I come in my father's name. Now Jesus said more than that. He also claimed to be the father. He said I am the everlasting father. So he came in his father's name, and said to baptize in the name of the father. It means baptize in the name of Jesus. Okay! What about, baptized in the name of the Holy Ghost? In John 14 8 through 9 Philip saith unto the Lord; you are all the time talking about the father. Show us the father and it suffice-eth me. You are driving me crazy. You are talking about father, son and Holy Ghost. I am so confused. I do not know whether I am pitching or catching. Jesus said to Philip, have I been so long with you and yet thou has not known me Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the father. How saith thou then, shew us the father. So now we know. Here it is. The name of the Holy Ghost is Jesus because John 14 17 through 18 says; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it see-eth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwell-eth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. The Holy Ghost is simply Jesus in spirit form. The Bible talks about the Spirit of Christ which dwells in us. So, if Jesus said I am now with you but I shall be in you, then he obviously was also the Holy Ghost. So, the Lord told us to baptize in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost. Yet, every time the disciples baptized they baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Let me show you. The disciples obeyed Matthew 29 8. They did not disobey. Yet every time they baptized, they baptized about 10,000 people in the book of acts in the New Testament church. Every time they baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They did obey. They baptized in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost. You know that the son is not a name. You know that the father is not a name. I will tell you what you do. Take your check down to the bank. Sign it father. See if they give you money. Negotiate a loan for a new home. Sign the loan son. See if they close the deal. No, they need your name. For instance, I am a son. I am a husband. Also, I am a father. Yet, my name is Herman Parks. Almighty God is father, son, and Holy Ghost. Yet, his name is Jesus Christ. We have 4 accounts of baptism in the book of Acts. Acts 2 38, Acts 8 15 through 16, Acts 10 48, Acts 19 5. I want you to hear each of these accounts. Hear what the apostles instructed people to do. The first one is Acts 2 38. We have already read it once, but we will do it again. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and yee shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. So Peter told them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Why? Because he knew that the name of the father was Jesus. The name of the son was Jesus. And the name of the Holy Ghost was Jesus. Let us go to Acts 8 15 through 16. We are down to the revival of Samaria now. Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.). So they had been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ but they had not yet received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Next verse, the apostles laid hands upon them and they did receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Let us look at another account and acts 10 48. This is when Peter went down to preach to the house of Cornelius, the first Gentiles to receive the gospel. The Holy Ghost fell on them before they got baptized. The apostle Peter said to them these have received the Holy Ghost as well as we. He commanded for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then in Acts 19 verse 5 the apostle Paul was preaching to the people at Ephesus. They did not know about Jesus Christ, as they only knew the baptism of John. The Bible tells us that Paul explained the gospel to them and informed them that John was only a forerunner. He was pointing them to Jesus Christ. Verse number 5 of Acts 19, and when they heard this they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. So we see that every account of baptism that we have in the New Testament church, where we had all these people that were baptized in these big revivals that I have read to you about, which was about 10,000 people, every single one was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Did they disobey the commandment of Jesus? No! They understood the commandment of Jesus. If I give you a recipe for a cake, and it tells you so much flower, or so much sugar, and everything to put in that cake, you do not take the recipe and put it in the oven. No! You put the ingredients in. Jesus gave us the recipe for baptism. Go baptized in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost. Yet, every single time the apostles baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 4 12 says it this way, neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none other name under heaven whereby we shall be saved. The name Jesus means salvation. God chose to put salvation in that name. Okay! Let us conclude with, the final question. If you can answer this question, then you know the answer, whether you know all the nuances or not. Here is the question. Is Jesus in the Godhead, is Jesus a member of the Godhead, or is the Godhead in Jesus? To believe in 3 separate persons in the Godhead, you must say that Jesus is a member of the Godhead. However, I showed you that the Bible teaches that the Godhead is in Jesus. Colossians 2 9 gives us the answer conclusively. For in him, in Jesus Christ, dwell-eth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. That is the reason that Jesus can say to Philip if you have seen me you have seen the father. That is the reason that Isaiah 9 6 says, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders. His name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, and the Prince of peace. That is the reason that Jesus could say, now I am with you but I shall be in you. It is because if you can answer this question. Is Jesus in the Godhead? No! Colossians 2 9 says that, in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus is the father. Jesus is the son. Jesus is the Holy Ghost. The name of God has always been Jesus. Yet it was kept secret until the power of his salvation was to be revealed. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. In understanding the Godhead, God from eternity to eternity, his name has always been Jesus. Yet it was kept secret. His name will always be Jesus. I am looking forward to meeting you around that throne when we will worship the King of Kings and the Lord of lords forever and forever. ----- 4. Now lets review the doctrine of the trinity. The mystery of iniquity was a response to the mystery of godliness or the doctrine of the trinity. It said that the lord our god is three. It was straight from Satan, it said that there was a plurality of deities. This plurality of deities said that there was actually three separate beings of the Godhead. God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Ghost. It said that these are three separate co-eternal beings. The father is not the son. The son is not the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is not the father. That all happened at the Council of Nicaea. In order to validate this new doctrine, the people of Nicaea, the religious ecclesiastical authorities said we are going to have to change our baptism. So at the Council of Nicaea, in 325 A.D., they decided at that time to change the mode of baptism. Up until then history tells us that the church always baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They decided the time had come to baptized in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost. The word “Trinity," which is the theological word Christians use to refer to the Godhead, is not found in Scripture. However, The Bible, the Word of God, plainly states the plurality of God and that God is One God. Furthermore, 1 John 5 7 states "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Those who deny the trinity are wrong in denying that God is a Triune God. The biblical doctrine of the Trinity was not invented by man or any church, although there was an attempt to alter the idea by Satan himself. Thank God for the Athanasian Creed's restoration of that which was altered by the Nicine Creed. The biblical doctrine of the Trinity's origin is in the plain and unmistaken statements made throughout the Bible. It is revealed truth and a part of salvation. When a person comes to God he must accept who He is and what is His revealed nature. Colossians 2 9 is one of the clearest statements of the deity of Christ anywhere in the Bible: “In him, Christ, dwell-eth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” According to this verse, Jesus Christ is God Incarnate. He embodies all, “the fulness" of God, translated “the Deity” in the N.I.V. . This truth aligns perfectly with Colossians 1 19, “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, that is in Christ.” Because the Godhead dwells bodily in Christ, Jesus could rightly claim that He and the Father are “one”. Because the fullness of God’s divine essence is present in the Son of God, Jesus could say to Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father”. The Godhead is the essence of the Divine Being; the Godhead is the one and only Deity. Jesus, the incarnate Godhead, entered our world and showed us exactly who God is: “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known”. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1 20). Overwhelmingly, the Bible teaches the Trinitarian concept of one God existed or existing as three persons. The word of God does not teach that Jesus was created. The Bible further plainly states that Jesus Christ, being God, is eternal, as is the Father. The Apostle John states clearly that Jesus, the Word, was with God in the beginning of the Universe. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1 1 to 4). The doctrine of the Trinity does not divide God into three parts. The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one-hundred-percent God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each fully God. For example, Colossians 2 9 says of Christ, “in him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form.” In regards to the Trinity, we use the term “Person” differently than we generally use it in everyday life. Therefore it is sometimes difficult to understand the definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. What we do not mean by Person is an “independent individual” in the sense that both I and another human are separate, independent individuals who can exist apart from one another. When God took on a body his essence remained the same. Nevertheless, his center of consciousness separated in Jesus. Being in the form of a man, Jesus emptied himself. When he was resurrected his center of consciousness was restored. Thus without controversy, when John turned to see the person that was speaking to him, Jesus could say, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Almighty. Now, the mystery is revealed for all who have an ear to hear. When God took on a body, because each of these “forms of existence” of God and Jesus were relational (and thus were Persons), they were each a distinct center of consciousness, with each center of consciousness regarding himself as “I” and the others as “you.” Nonetheless, these three Persons all “consisted of” the same “stuff” (that is, the same “what” or essence). As theologian and apologist Norman Geisler has explained it, while essence is what you are, person is who you are. So the Father, in some sense, when he was in the world, for example, was a different Person from the Son because he regarded the Son as a “You,” even though he regarded himself as “I.” Thus, in regards to the Trinity, we can say that “Person” means a distinct subject which regards himself as an “I” and the other two as a “You.” These distinct subjects were not a division within the being of God, but “a form of personal existence other than a difference in being” (Grudem, page 255; I believe that this is a helpful definition, but it should be recognized that Grudem himself is offering this as more of an explanation than definition of a Person). According to the American Heritage dictionary, one valid definition of a person is: a human being, a natural person, or, a group of human beings, a corporation, a partnership, an estate, or other legal entity, recognized by law as having rights and duties. Thus, without controversy, we can say that according to the American Heritage dictionary the person of God is one God in three persons. Nevertheless, the bible is saying that God is one physical and, or spiritual essence. Particularly, after the death of Jesus. Here we can see that God is and always was, by definition, a singular or plural noun. Jesus was, even as a man, the fullness of the Godhead. There are many illustrations which have been offered to help us understand the Trinity. While there are some illustrations which are helpful, we should recognize that no illustration is perfect. Unfortunately, there are many illustrations which are not simply imperfect, but in error. One illustration to beware of is the one which says, “I am one person, but I am a student, son, and brother. This explains how God can be both one and three.” The problem with this is that it reflects a heresy called Modalism. God is not one person who plays three different roles, as this illustration suggests. That is the heresy of Modalism. He was one Being in three Persons, centers of consciousness, not merely three roles. This analogy ignores the personal distinctions within God and mitigates them to mere roles. ONENESS. The bible says in Deuteronomy 6 4, Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: The bible goes on to say in John 17 21, 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. According to the Strong's Concordance the word for One in the Old Testement, in Deuteronomy 6 4, is H259; (ehad). The word means, alike, alone, altogether, and, any, apiece, a certain, each one, every, few, only, some, or together. The word is defined as a relationship. In contrast, when the Old Testament refers to the singular concept of One, it uses the word H3173 Yachead. Genesis 22:2,12 Abraham offered up his only, Yachead, son, Isaac. Or then God said, “Take your son, your only, yachead, son, Isaac, who you love,… Yachead means: universally, in opposed to many; so that others are excluded, is the same as. The Old Testament never uses ‘yachead’ to explain God. In Genesis 1 26. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . . " God is spoken of as plural in perfect agreement with the English definition of person, and in perfect agreement with the Hebrew definition of "one or ehad". The word “man” is the word “Adam” and refers to a human being both male and female. The same word for “one” (Echad) is used in Genesis 2:24, speaking of the oneness of a husband and wife. God sees a husband and wife spiritually as being one. This is another verse that helps to establish that two or more can spiritually be one. Genesis 11 7 to 8 says, "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city." Genesis 11 7 to 8 says the LORD scattered the antediluvians abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. God is spoken of in the plural (let "us" go down) and in the singular (Jehovah is “the existing One") at the same time. This passage summarizes the Bible's teaching that God is one, but exists in a plurality of three Persons. John 10 30 says, "I and my Father are one." The word “One” is in the neuter gender, that is sexless, neither masculine nor feminine gender. This statement rules out the meaning that they are only one in purpose as some misinterpret this verse to say. It affirms that Jesus and God are separate persons, but one God, with the Holy Spirit. The verse says they are in perfect unity in their natures and actions. Jesus emphatically stated on this occasion that He was God. The Jews who heard Him saw a man standing before them and they fully understood what He had just stated. They were so offended at His statement that they took up stones to put Him to death, "because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God". These Jews fully understood that God presents Himself in the Old Testament as monotheistic, which in their minds precluded that Jesus could be God also. Here again the Bible unmistakably tells us from Christ's own words that God the Father and Jesus Christ are One. 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. 1 John 4, 1 to 3 says, -"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: -Every spirit that confess-eth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: -And every spirit that confess-eth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." It must be noted that the phrase "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh" is a direct reference to His deity and that GOD came to the earth in flesh. All men are "born in the flesh," therefore this verse has no significance unless it is referring to God coming in the flesh. John says those that deny this revealed truth of the Trinity are not of God and the denial of this doctrine comes from the spirit of the antichrist who is directed by Satan. 1 Corinthians 12:3. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. John 20:28. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. No man can personalize Jesus as his Lord and his God, except that he be led by the Holy Spirit. The bible says do not worship any man as your God. To do so is an abomination. Hear Oh Isreal the Lord our God is one. Hebrews 11 6. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that come-eth to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. “ John 3 19 says, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." The verse says that "light," referring to God's revealed truth of Jesus Christ the Savior, has been given to us by God, but because of his sin man refuses to accept it. Sometimes the Personhood of the Father and Son is appreciated, but the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is neglected. Sometimes the Spirit is treated more like a “force” than a Person. But the Holy Spirit is not an “it,” but a “he”. The fact that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an impersonal force (like gravity), is also shown by the fact that he speaks, reasons, thinks and understands, wills, feels, and gives personal fellowship. These are all qualities of personhood. To understand more fully what God is like is a way of honoring God. Further, we should allow the fact that God was triune to deepen our worship. We exist to worship God. And God seeks people to worship him “in spirit and truth”. Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God — in truth as well as in our hearts. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. The general pattern of prayer in the Bible is to pray to the Father through the Son and in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2 18). Our fellowship with God should be enhanced by consciously knowing that we are relating to a tri-personal God! Awareness of the distinct role that each Person of the Trinity has in our salvation can especially serve to give us greater comfort and appreciation for God in our prayers, as well as helping us to be specific in directing our prayers. Nonetheless, while recognizing the distinct roles that each Person had, we should never think of their roles as so separate that the other Persons were not involved. Rather, everything that one Person was involved in, the other two were also involved in, one way or another. Grace and peace be unto you from God our father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you for listening to this message. I know that there are any number of things that you could have been doing with your time. Be assured that if you listened to this message in its entireity, God will bless you. Amen!