Please provide information on the Godhead?

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THE GODHEAD Eph.3:14 “For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ex.3:2 ” And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.” When discussing the subject of the Godhead, we must realise that not unlike Moses, we are treading upon holy ground and that the creature cannot define the Creator. That is why we must agree with Paul as hê writes. 1 Cor. 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” The only source of information regarding our origin, the reason for our existence, and the purpose of our lives are expressed in the Bible. For believers, there is no doubt about the existence of God – to them, God is a reality. John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” We, therefore, have the Bible as a compass that leads us to the Godhead. John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” We do not have the privilege of seeing Jesus face to face, but by using the Word, we obtain incontestable information that helps us to get to know God better. John 14:8 “ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” It is probably not surprising that Lucifer, in the light of his aspiration to be God yet without the moral control, wanted to destroy the image of the Godhead in man. He relayed certain elements of the characteristics of the Godhead in a confusing fashion. The attacks revolve around the identity of Jesus and the existence of the third Person of the Trinity. In Judaism monotheism or a single God was the norm. Some people maintain that it is difficult to end up with three Persons in the Old Testament and that the Old Testament identifies only two Persons. There are however strong indications that the Godhead comprises more than just one person, with components that enlarge the number to three. The text used in Judaism in support of their point of view in this regard is: Deut. 6:4 (KJV) “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD!” WHO IS THIS “ONE LORD” TO WHOM THE BIBLE REFERS? • Strong’s “H259 אחד 'echâd ekh-awd' A numeral from H258; properly united, that is, one; or (as an ordinal) first: - a, alike, alone, altogether, and, any (-thing), apiece, a certain [dai-]ly, each (one), + eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only, other, some, together.” 33 This “'echâd ” is also used in Genesis 2: Gen. 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Here, Scripture gives us an additional clarification of the concept one Lord, and we see that the same concept is attributed to two individuals that together form a union in marriage. There are different names in the Bible that are used for God, each with the purpose of portraying Him and His character: • Strong’s H136 אדני 'ădônây ad-o-noy' An emphatic form of H113; the Lord (used as a proper name of God only): - (my) Lord.” 34 “H3068 יהוה yehôvâh yeh-ho-vaw' From H1961; (the) self-Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: - Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050, H3069.” 35 “H430 אלהים 'ĕlôhıŷ m el-o-heem' Plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: - angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, - ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.” 36 In Genesis 1:1 we find the name Elohim. This name is a quantitative plural. It does not determine the number, but it does confirm that God refers to Himself in the plural, for example: Gen.1:26 “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Is. 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us? Then I said, Here am I! Send me.” There are therefore more than enough images in the Word that provide every indication that the Godhead comprises more than one Person. The name and its application undeniably support the plural. Note again the creation of man in the image of God: Gen. 1:27 “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” The plurality is therefore part of His image. Gen. 1:1-2 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Ps. 45:7 “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” Prov. 30:4 “Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know?” We, therefore, have God, and the Son of God, and the Spirit of God as three Persons that form part of the “We” with respect to Elohim, as can also be seen here: Is. 48:16 “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me.” In the King James Version, the term “Godhead” appears three times, which immediately provides support for the concept of more than one Person. The relevant texts follow: Acts 17:29 “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.” Rom. 1:20 “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.” Col. 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” We also see that the Godhead came down to evaluate the sin problem first-hand, and Sodom and Gomorrah received fire and brimstone from the LORD, having invoked God’s punishment. Gen. 18:1-2 “ Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. Gen. 19:24 “Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.”. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah indicates the involvement of more than one God. Genesis 18:1-2 shows three visitors. However, they were two angels and the Angel of the LORD, which is how Jesus on occasion appears in the Old Testament, for example as He did in the burning bush before Moses in the earlier verses from Ex. 3:2-6 There are more texts in the Old Testament that point to three Persons. Num. 6:23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: 24“The LORD bless you and keep you; 25The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ 27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Read the following verse and ask yourself, why three times? Is. 6:3 “And one cried to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” NEW TESTAMENT PERSPECTIVES Rev. 4:8 “The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” The implication in the Old Testament is that of a Trinity, but the New Testament gives more information to support this fact. Matt. 3:16-17 “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. 17And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Once again, one section of Scripture mentions three Persons and there is no indication that we cannot take this at face value. Our universal commission, as given by Jesus Himself, clearly states that the Godhead is a single Godhead with three Members. Matt. 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Paul shares this perspective – note the universal blessing. 2 Cor. 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” Paul’s epistles also lend support to the doctrine of God in three Persons. Study Rom. 1:18-3:20, the universal judgment of God the Father Rom. 3:21-8:1 – righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ • Rom. 8:2-30 – life in the Spirit Note that there are many such expositions, also in Galatians. Jesus’ half-brother ought to be a good witness, what do you think? Let’s ask Jude for his input: Jude 1:20-21 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Particularly in the gospel of John, Jesus Himself provides testimony of a dynamic that exists in the Godhead. Note the following: • The Son is sent by the Father (14:24) • He comes forth from the Father (16:28) • The Spirit is given by the Father (14:16) • And He is sent by the Father (14:26) • And He proceeds from the Father (15:26) • The Son prays for the coming of the Spirit (14:16) • The Father sends the Spirit in the name of the Son (14:26) • The Son sends the Spirit from the Father (15:26) • The Son must go so that He can send the other Comforter, the Spirit (16:7) • The Spirit reminds us of those things Jesus said (14:26) • The Spirit testifies of Jesus (15:26) The Spirit explains what He hears from the Son and glorifies the Son (16:13-14) Christ’s entire prayer in chapter 17 and particularly verses 11, 21, and 23 also speaks volumes about the relationship between God and His Son. Nowhere in the New Testament is there any indication of an enforced hierarchy, subordination, or inequality. Names appear in different orders without any pattern of preference. If the Godhead were a single Person, it would not have been possible for Jesus to send and be sent, to make atonement, and make a sacrifice for sin. It would also make no sense for Jesus to continually pray to the Father and remain in a relationship with Him. James supports the idea of one God which again brings us to the “echad” concept, but this time in the original Greek, yet with the testimony in the rest of the Bible that the One forms a Trinity or single Godhead with three Members. James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble!” To me, it was very important to understand that the Godhead, somewhere in the cosmos many millennia ago, were confronted by a free-thinking creature, Lucifer, that decided to rebel against his Creator – a rebellion that would later spread to the earth. This development was not a surprise to the omniscient Divine Trio; no, the decision had been taken in the inner chambers of heaven to tackle the problem of sin directly and the important factor was that each member of the Godhead would have a specific role to play in order to provide the best possible support to fallen man. Jesus Christ retains His divinity but permanently becomes the “Son of man,” trapped in a body to become the second Adam with the purpose of reconciling the world with God. This latter fact is then also a further reason why the Comforter is necessary because Jesus is physically restricted to a single area and can no longer fulfill an omnipresent role. So the Holy Spirit steps in here and provides the need in the heart of the sinner, the power to surrender and be declared righteous, and also the power in the life of the sinner to make the right choices, and so to grow and be more and more like his/her Creator. Is there another likeness in the Bible that gives us a glimpse of the majesty of God? Read Genesis 24:1-2. Here we see the following fascinating typology: Gen. 24:1-22 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. 7The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants, I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter. 10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. 11And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. 12Then he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” 15And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. 16Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. 17And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.” 18So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. 21And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 22So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, • Abraham, a type of God the Father. • Isaac, a type of Jesus Christ. • The servant, a type of the Holy Spirit. • Rebecca, the undefiled virgin that is prepared by the servant, a type of the Remnant church. The ten camels bring Rebecca to Isaac and the Ten Commandments send the sinner to Jesus. There is no doubt that Jesus and His work for lost humanity is translated out of the Bible in some of the newer translations because the alternative religions prefer a cosmic Christ. It must be true that Lucifer, as one of the covering cherubs, must have known what was going on in the heavenly throne room. Also, Satan’s modus operandi in his counterfeiting on earth continually followed the model of imitation, and this gives rise to the question of why Satan in this regard finds it necessary to base his imitation on three. Rev. 16:13-14 “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” The abovementioned is mostly regarded as the false trinity, namely Satan, the system of the dragon that was dealt with in chapters 19-21, and apostate Protestantism that did not walk the whole way out of the Roman Catholic system. One must ask yourself the question: Why is the role of the Holy Spirit as a Member of the Godhead reduced to that of an influence of God the Father or of Jesus Christ? There is no doubt that the reality of the Holy Spirit at the end of the earth’s history will be experienced in all His glory, and His working will be seen as never before in the history of mankind. The Holy Spirit is there to glorify God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son. “Christ determined that when He ascended from this earth He would bestow a gift on those who had believed on Him and those who should believe in Him. (This was on the occasion of His ascension and inauguration and it was a jubilee in heaven!) What gift could He bestow rich enough to signalize and grace His ascension to the mediatorial throne? It must be worthy of His greatness and His royalty. He determined to give His representative, the third person of the Godhead. This gift could not be excelled.” 37 “In describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart. He rejoiced because of the abundant help He had provided for His church. The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this, the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead who would come with no modified energy but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit, the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.” 38 “It is not essential for us to be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ tells us that the Spirit is the Comforter, ‘the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father.’ It is plainly declared regarding the Holy Spirit that, in His work of guiding men into all truth, ‘He shall not speak of Himself.’ John 15:26; 16:13. “The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. Men cannot explain it, because the Lord has not revealed it to them. Men having fanciful views may bring together passages of Scripture and put a human construction on them, but the acceptance of these views will not strengthen the church. Regarding such mysteries, which are too deep for human understanding, silence is golden.” 39 “Having brought conviction of sin, and presented before the mind the standard of righteousness, the Holy Spirit withdraws the affections from the things of this earth and fills the soul with a desire for holiness. ‘He will guide you into all truth’ (John 16:13), the Saviour declared. If men are willing to be molded, there will be brought about a sanctification of the whole being. The Spirit will take the things of God and stamp them on the soul. By His power, the way of life will be made so plain that none need err therein.” 40 THE ETERNAL DIGNITARIES OF THE TRINITY “The Eternal heavenly Dignitaries – God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit – arming them (the disciples) with more than mortal energy ... would advance with them to the work and convince the world of sin. PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT “We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds. The Holy Spirit is a person, for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. When this witness is borne, it carries with it its own evidence. At such times we believe and are sure that we are the children of God....” 41 “The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. ‘For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.’” 42 “The Power of God in the Third Person. The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.” 43 So it is in Satan’s interest to be able to restrain the influence of this Helper, to neutralise it merely to a force that people believe can only make them speak in tongues and behave peculiarly. “In Co-operation with the Three Highest Powers. We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven, - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, - and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.” 44 May we have the privilege not only to “see in a mirror, dimly” but also one day “face to face!” “Three is the essential numeric value of love. Where there is only one person, love cannot occur. Where there are two, each is the sole recipient of the other’s attention, giving a place for self-absorption. But the moment there are three, each recipient of any one’s love must also humbly defer attention to the third party, and each one is the third party to the other two. Pure selflessness can now occur by virtue of the fact that each one must love and be loved with both an exclusive and a divided interest. “If God’s essential identity is traceable to solitary selfhood—which would be the case if Jesus in any sense had a point of beginning, and if the Holy Spirit does not eternally exist with distinct personhood—then love is not essential to God’s nature. Said more simply, if Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not eternally co-existent, it cannot be said with any coherence that ‘God is love.’ “The pure biblical genius of identifying God as a triune fellowship rather than as an absolute singularity or even as dualism is convincing evidence that the Bible is, in fact, the revelation of the one and only true God, whose essential nature is love.” 45 Apart from the eternal guide, the Bible, the following two books may also be of assistance to you: Is God a Committee? Gerald Wheeler 1975 ISBN 8127-0093-7 Southern Publishing Association Defending the Godhead. Vance Ferrell, Harvestime Books, Altamont, TN 37301 USA ©2005 33. Strong, James, S.T.D., LL.D., Strong Hebrew & Greek Dictionary, Referenced from “Deuteronomy 6:4,” e-Sword, 10.1.0, H259 34. Ibid., H136 35. Ibid., H3068 36. Ibid., H430 37. White, E.G., 38. White, E.G., 39. White, E.G., 40. Ibid., p.52 41. White, E.G., 42. Ibid., p. 617 43. White, E.G., 44. White, E.G., Christ Triumphant, Hagerstown, MD: Review & Herald Publishing Association, 1999, p. 301 The Desire of Ages, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Nampa, Idaho, 2005, p. 671 The Acts of the Apostles, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Nampa, Idaho, 1911, p. 51 Evangelism, Washington, D.C.: Review & Herald Publishing Association, 1946, p. 616 Special Testimonies, Series A, No. 10, 1897, p. 37 Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, 1905, p. 51 45. Gibson, Ty, Find, The Trinity & the character of God, http://findgod.com/blog/2013/9/22/the-trinity-the- character-of-god, 2013