The Oneness of God
1st Edition August 20, 2004
2nd Edition May 27, 2009
Any student of the bible will admit that the term ‘Trinity’ is not contained in the
Scriptures. Neither does it state that God eternally exists as three persons, Father,
Son and Holy Ghost. In fact the terms ‘three persons’ or even the English word ‘person’ is never
used in connection with the Almighty One. Since these terms are never found in the pages of the
bible it is correct for us to call it in to question. Some people will say ‘oh, you deny the deity of
Jesus Christ by denying the trinity!’ Don’t be ignorant the trinity is not the only way to teach the
deity of Jesus Christ. If that is what you think then you have been deceived by the traditions of
men. The Trinity is a post-biblical doctrine that was developed over centuries of time by Greek
theologians and is not in any way apostolic doctrine. It is not heresy to question post-biblical
doctrine, but it is dangerous to add to or take from the Scriptures. Rev. 22:18, 19.
Therefore in this article I put forth, in the tradition of the Reformation, I rely on Scripture
alone for my standing on who God and Jesus Christ are. As was stated before, the doctrine of the
Trinity was one that was developed over approximately four centuries. It was not taught by the
Hebrew prophets, apostles nor Jesus Christ himself. If this tract is called heresy I would say to the
person reading it ‘search the scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life.’ John 5:39. Was
not early Christianity called heresy by the existing sects of Judaism? My purpose here is in simple
terms to put forth a biblical doctrine of God and of Jesus Christ.
One True God
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” Deut. 6:4. The LORD stands for
Jehovah and it means the self-existing one who reveals himself. The term God is from elohim and
it is a plural term for God. However, in Middle-Eastern culture the plural meant plural of majesty
and power not multiple deities. Jehovah our Supreme God, Jehovah is one is the great creed or
confession of Israel. The term for one is echad. Many theologians say that this word means like
one cluster of grapes, but if they would only think about what they are saying they would
understand that even in English the context tells us whether it means one pair or one cluster of
grapes. The echad corresponds to the number one in the English language as in 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. One
means only one. Jehovah God is ONE. He is not three nor two. He is one period. This is strict
monotheism. There is not a calf god, lion god, moon god, sun god, fertility god, etc. Jehovah God
is the creator of the calf, lion, moon, sun, earth, stars and everything. He is above all things and
he is separate from his creation, but yet intimately involved with it. He is the source of life for
everything that lives. The gods of the nations that surrounded Israel were idols and devils.
Jehovah alone is God. “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I
girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and
from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the
light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” Isaiah
45:5-7. Read Isaiah 40:18-28. God is greater than mere idols, men, kings and princes. Kings and
their kingdoms are like grasshoppers to the one true and living God. He plants them and plucks
them up like we do weeds in our garden. There is no one like God neither is there anyone who is
his equal. He sees and knows all neither does he become tired. “Thus saith the LORD, thy
redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that
stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.” Isaiah 44:24.
Jehovah God created alone. There was not one or two other persons with him. One single and
solitary being created alone, unaccompanied and by himself. He alone has the ability to create.
The thousands and thousands of singular pronouns in conjunction with LORD and God should
tell us that God is only one being. The singular personal pronouns I, me, myself, he, him, himself,
thou, thee, etc. are speaking of one person alone. It could never be said that ‘I’ means multiple
persons. That’s nonsensical.
The Trinitarian may retort ‘what about Genesis 1:26, 3:26, 11:7 where God says ‘us’?’
Yes, that is a very good question. Let’s simply look at English before we explain what that
means. When I say ‘we went and ate breakfast’ what do I mean by we? I mean ‘me’ and someone
else who is NOT ‘me.’ The word ‘us’ when used by God speaks of the ‘I’ who is God and others
who are NOT God. In Genesis 1:27 it says ‘in the image of God created ‘HE’ him male and
female create HE them.’ So as soon as US is used the next verse HE is used. Why the difference?
Because when God was speaking he was speaking to someone or a large amount of people who
are NOT God and are separate from God. He was letting them in on his plans and then HE
brought that plan to fruition. Who was God speaking to? He was talking to his tried and true
angels. They were his helpers. In Isaiah 6:1-8 it tells of how Isaiah saw a vision of heaven and the
Lord sat upon a throne and he was surrounded by seraphims around his throne. Then he asks the
question, ‘who shall I send and who shall go for US?’ Who is the US here? Obviously the context
tells us that he was speaking of himself and seraphim who are OTHER than him. There are other
cases where God is sitting upon his throne and angels come forth and he lets them know his
plans. Read Genesis 18:1-3, 9-10; I Kings 22:19-22. So in simple terms when God says US he is
speaking of himself (singular personal pronoun) speaking as one being and the rest of the US is
someone that is categorically and unequivocally not God in any way. God is speaking in
conjunction with angels his spiritual helpers.
Another point I want to make is that simple language skills are needed to understand who
God is NOT a degree in philosophy . God is ONE not THREE. THREE PERSONS EQUALS
THREE GODS NO MATTER HOW YOU WANT TO MINCE WORDS!! God is ONE period.
If both the Father and Son are fully God then there are two Gods, but the bible tells us there is
only one God. I, me, thee, thou, he and him are used for God thousands upon thousands of times
so this tells us he is but one Spirit Being not three persons. The Father is the only true God
according to Jesus (John 17:3) and the Son is not God, but is Lord and Messiah the HEAD of
ALL creation. Some say he is not divine, but I have to refute that because his life was perfect and
came down from God. He possessed a perfectly divine life. He was not God, but rather the only
begotten Son of God and was fully human having a will and spirit distinct from his God and
Father. He lived and walked on earth as a human being that grew in wisdom and knowledge. He
was not omniscient and he did not pre-exist. He was the direct offspring of the One True
Almighty God by a supernatural conception in the womb of the virgin.
Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and the term begotten means to bring into
existence, to cause to come into being, to be born. Jesus birth was when he came into existence.
Begotten does not mean that he changed forms. Also, God was and has never been begotten. If he
did he would cease to be God because that would mean he could come into existence. In order to
be God he would have to be eternal and anything ETERNAL cannot come into existence. So the
idea of the eternal Son, or God, the Son or eternal generation is a crazy mixed up idea that has no
source in Scripture. In fact it doesn’t even make sense. There is only one true God and he is the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is un-begotten and uncreated. He is the CREATOR and is
ETERNAL.
Other verses that teach us that Jesus did not pre-exist are I Corinthians 15:45-47. “And so
it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that
which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”
Was Jesus before Adam? If he was pre-existent then he was, but this verse says that Jesus is the
SECOND OR LAST man and that he sequentially AFTER Adam. Adam was the first man and
Jesus is the second man. Here again the apostle Paul knows nothing of a pre-existent Son. You
might say that it says Jesus is the second man from heaven. You are correct, but you are
mistakenly applying this verse to the 1st Advent rather than the 2nd Advent. Jesus is in sequence
the second man and he will return from heaven to earth one day.
Do You Know What You Worship? John 4:22
According to Isa. 57:15 he is the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity. He is above,
beyond and outside of time. Also he is omnipresent meaning he can dwell in as many places at
once as he desires to and that he is not limited to one body like humans are. He does not dwell in
a body, he is not a man. Jesus said, ‘God is a Spirit.’ John 4:24. A spirit hath not flesh and bones.
He is eternal Spirit. “ No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the
bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” John 1:18. I Timothy 6:16 tells us t hat no man has
seen nor can see God. He is an invisible Spirit. The same scripture also tells us that God alone has
immortality. To be immortal means that you cannot die nor can you be killed. God is a Spirit and
cannot be caught and killed. “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of
the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and [there was] under his feet as it were a
paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in [his] clearness. And upon
the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and
drink.” Exodus 24:9 -11. In one scripture it says ‘they saw the God of Israel’ and in another verse
it says ‘no man has seen God at any time.’ This seems like a direct contrad iction, but in reality it
is not. In God’s essential being he is an eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, invisible
Spirit and he is ONE. No man has ever seen him in his essential being neither can you see him,
but you are able to see the temporary ways he has made himself visible. Men have seen God in
his self-revelation. He came to Abraham in the form of Melchisidec, the priest without a father,
mother, beginning of days or end of life. Genesis 14:17-20, Hebrews 7:1-11. He also came to
Abraham in the form of a prophet in the plains of Mamre. Genesis 18. Jehovah appeared to
Moses in the form of an angel in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush that was not consumed
by the fire. Exodus 3:2. He led the children of Israel to the promised land by a pillar of fire during
the night and a pillar of cloud during the day. Exodus 13:21-22. He also came down and entered
into Solomon’s temple of God in the form of fire and it was said that ‘the glory of Jehovah filled
the temple.’ 2 Chronicles 7:1 -3. Many other ways did God appear unto men. They were all
temporary manifestations. God did not have a closet up in heaven where he kept different
costumes. The purpose of the manifestations were in order reveal himself to his elect. The
different attributes or (thoughts concerning himself) he expressed were a part of his being.
From Thought to Logos
So before the beginning it was a thought then ‘in the beginning’ he expressed it and it
became word. “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and th e word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1 -2. The word here is from the Greek logos
and it means a thought expressed. First it was a thought then it is expressed and becomes a word.
It’s the thought plus the expression of that though t. In the beginning was the logos but before the
beginning it was just a thought. The word in the beginning does not mean eternity. First, the
Almighty Spirit dwelt alone in eternity, before the beginning, with his thoughts in his mind.
After he finished counseling with himself he began to express the thoughts. This was the
beginning of the logos of God. You cannot separate the mind of a man from the man himself,
neither can you separate the thoughts of God from God.
We can certainly see that John 1:1 is not speaking of a second person of God, but rather
of God revealing his own thoughts. The logos is the self-revelation of the Almighty Invisible
Spirit. Many interpret these verses to say ‘in the beginning was Jesus and Jesus was with God and
Jesus was God.’ However, take this to 1 John 1:1 -2 in the light of the truth of the oneness of God.
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was
manifested, and we have seen [it], and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which
was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;).” The word God in John 1:1 can be replaced
with the Father. We see it as saying this, ‘In the beginning was the word and the word was with
the Father and the word was the Father.’ If we replace the word with Jesus or Son we then get a
Jesus only doctrine of God. However, the truth of the matter is that the word or logos is God’s
self-revelation and not a second person of the Trinity. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out
of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it
shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11. The word of Go d is his revelation of
himself and not a second person of the Godhead. The Old and New Testaments do not speak of
several persons of God, but they speak of the one true God who moves and works in different
ways to reveal himself.
He worked through angels, temporary theophanies, spiritual manifestations like a fire and
a cloud, a whirlwind, prophets, kings, priests, even a hand that wrote on a wall in Babylon. He
also by supernatural intervention created a little embryo in the womb of virgin of Israel, of the
tribe of Judah and the seed of David. This child was born and named Jesus, he was the Son of
God. He was anointed of God and was the perfect man whom God used to express himself. Now,
he works through his Church, the body of Christ to manifest himself. All these manifestations are
the word/revelation of God being made known. It’s not thousands of words of God, but it’s the
word of God. It’s God’s plan, purpose, mind, thoughts and counsel revealed or expressed to
mankind. The word was God the Father’s rev elation not Jesus Christ, but the same word became
flesh and tabernacled among us in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the word made manifest in
flesh. The word was expressed temporarily through the different theophanies God used during in
the Old Testament Scriptures, but the word became a man in Jesus of Nazareth. He became the
permanent tabernacle and manifestation of the word of God. Whatever means God uses to
express himself is the word or logos of God.
[Note: The LOGOS is not one for one with Jesus, the Son of God. ‘The word was God’ not the
Son of God, but Jesus was the flesh and tabernacle of the LOGOS. I John 1:1 tells us that the
LOGOS is ETERNAL LIFE. Jesus tells us that the Father has life IN himself and has GIVEN to
the Son to have life in himself. He has given the same eternal life to all children of God. The
LOGOS is the very anointing that emanated from Yahweh in the beginning. It could take the
form of the Spiritual or Word Body of the Almighty Spirit who covered all space and time. The
LOGOS also took other forms like the pillar of fire and cloud or the shekinah glory of Yahweh.
That same LOGOS came in Spirit form, like a dove, upon and took up Its Tabernacle in Jesus
when he was anointed at 30 years of age for his ministry.
Though the LOGOS is not the Son of God himself, the life/spirit of Sonship is in the
LOGOS. Like a SEED, all other seeds that come forth will come from that one ORIGINAL
SEED. The Son of God was typed/revealed in the OT times in the LOGOS; Melchisidec, the
Angel of the Covenant, The PROPHET coming to Abraham in the days of Lot, etc. That spirit of
Sonship was expressed in the LOGOS during the OT, but it was simply the manifestation of God
and it ‘was God’, there was no distinct individual called the Son of God during t hose times. The
Father-Son relationship was not yet in existence. The relationship was still a plan in the mind of
the Father, but when Jesus was born the spirit of Sonship came forth from the LOGOS and was
breathed into Jesus just as the breath or spirit of life was breathed into Adam. Then that Father-
Son relationship began to be fulfilled. If the ORIGINAL SEED is the LOGOS and all seeds come
from the ORIGINAL. Therefore all of the Bride of Christ are predestinated seeds and come forth
from that one ORIGINAL SEED, the LOGOS. We were all glorified with Christ Jesus in the
LOGOS before the foundation of the world. All seeds come from the ORIGINAL SEED. Jesus is
the ‘firstborn’ Son and the elected Bride -Church are his ‘many brethren.’]
The Obedient Son
“Hav e we not all one father? hath not one God created us?” Malachi 2:10. The one true
God is also known as the Father. He is also “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
glory.” Eph. 1:17. Jesus in his prayer to the Father said, “And this is life eter nal, that they might
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3. Jesus says that
the Father is the only true God and that he sent him. John 13:16b says, “neither he that is sent
greater than he that sent him.” In John 14:28 Jesus said, “my Father is greater than I.” In John
10:29 he said, “my Father… is greater than all.” The apostle Paul wrote, “But I would have you
know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head
of Christ is God.” I Corinthians 11:3. The head of Christ is God or another way to put it is the
head of Christ the Son is God the Father. The bible teaches that the Son of God is subordinate to
and under the headship of God the Father.
After Jesus performed a miracle Matthew writes, “But when the multitudes saw [it], they
marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.” Matthew 9:8. Jesus is a
man therefore God the Father is greater than him. We see here God gave power of attorney to his
Son. God Almighty GAVE power to a chosen man, his only begotten Son. [As a side note; there
is no scripture that calls Jesus God, the Son. He is the Son of God, the Lord and Christ.]. God is
the source of all authority and power. He delegated the power and authority to his Son. “The
Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.” John 3:35. “For as the Father hath
life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to
execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.” John 5:26 -27. “But I have greater witness
than [that] of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I
do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.” John 5:36. “Jesus knowing that the Father
had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God.” John 13:3.
“Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.” John 17:7. All
authority is given to the Son; eternal life in himself is given to the Son by the Father; authority to
execute judgment is given to the Son; works were given to the Son to accomplish; all things are
given into the hands of the Son.
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”
Hebrews 5:8. The Son of God did not operate under his own authority and power. He was given
all authority and power, but not to operate at his own will and discretion. He obeyed his God and
Father in giving life, judging and executing his authority. “And bein g found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:8.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father
do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” John 5:19. Jesus tells us
that the Son could not heal the sick, raise the dead and cause the lame to walk again, but that the
Father showed him what to do then he did the Father’s will. All the miracles that were done in
Jesus were performed, by the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost. Acts 10:38. “Believest thou
not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of
myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” John 14:10. The secret of Jesus’
mighty power is that the Father dwells within him. The Almighty Spirit dwells within him and
does the works.
Who Dwells in Jesus?
The Incarnation
I would ask this of Trinitarians; did all three persons of the Trinity dwell within Jesus’? If
the second person of the Trinity was born as a man why would Jesus need to be anointed with the
third person of the Trinity to begin his ministry? Then why would Jesus claim that he did not
speak of his own authority, but the first person of the Trinity dwelt within him? Of course the
Trinitarians come up with a reasoned explanation, but always failing to truly expound upon the
Scriptures. In the book of John we understand very clearly that Jesus did not make the plans of
what he was to do neither was he the originator of the works that were done. Jesus teaches us in
his own words the great truth ‘to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.’
2 Cor. 5:19. The invisible God who is a Spirit who was reflecting himself in his image, Jesus
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. God made the plan of redemption and he performed it
through his perfect Son. The Son was the mask of the Deity. “ For in him (Jesus Christ) dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Col. 2:9. Jesus Christ is the body that the fullness of the
Godhead dwells. Not just a portion of the Godhead, but the fullness of the Godhead. The
Godhead is the Father that dwells in the body of the Son. The Son is the tabernacle of the
Godhead. The Son is not the Godhead, but the Godhead dwells within the Son. As the LORD
God of Israel dwelt within the Tabernacle of Moses he came down and lived in the man, the
body, the Tabernacle that is his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s answer the question of who dwells in Jesus Christ after his baptism. “And Jesus,
when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened
unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a
voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. “ Matthew 3:16 -
17. Let’s unpack these wonderful verses. Jesus is thirty years of age and he knows that it is about
time to start his prophetic ministry. How did he know? We do not know that for sure, but we can
probably assume that the anointing that he had in measure previous to his miraculous ministry
had been teaching him and guiding him along his way. We know that he grew in wisdom and
stature and in favor with God and men according to Luke. God did not grew in stature and in
favor with God, but Jesus did because he was a man. When he came to full age the time for his
ministry was approaching. Then he went to be baptized not for the remission of his sins for he
never commited any. He went because when a priest’s ministry begins he was consecrated by
being immersed with water. Also the lamb also must be washed before it is killed as a sacrifice
for sin. Jesus was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. After Jesus was baptized
the heavens were opened up to him and the Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove and
lighted upon him. Then the Father spoke from heaven saying, ‘this is my beloved Son in whom I
am well pleased.’ Who dwelt in the Son at this time? Did the Father remain in heaven and the
Spirit of God dwelt in Jesus? It is clear that Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost. Jesus also tells us
that the Father dwells within him. John 14:10. However, the Bible also says that the Father was in
heaven. How can the Father be in heaven and in Jesus at the same time? The answer is simple.
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit
and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit.” John 4:23 -24a. God is
omnipresent and he is a Spirit. The Spirit of God is what God is as well as God himself working
among his people. It’s not another person separate from God. God can be in heaven and in Jesus
at the same time. He can send his Spirit to anoint the twelve apostles, be in fullness in Jesus and
still be in heaven. He can be in many places, speak to as many people as he wants to and still be
the one true and living God.
The Holy Spirit is NOT a Person
Distinct From the Almighty
The word for spirit in the Hebrew is ruach and in the Greek is pneuma and both mean
‘wind.’ Both of these words are neither masculine nor feminine. They are what we call neuter
terms. That means that the Spirit is an it or what not a who. Read Numbers 11:17. However, the
Spirit is NOT an impersonal force.
I would like to define what wind is first off. Wind is the movement of air. Let’s break
down just how the air moves. Wind is caused by energy from the sun heating parts of the earth
unevenly. The warmer air is lighter because when something is warm it’s particles spread out.
The cool air is denser which makes the warm air rise and the cool air replaces it. This is called the
process of convection and it is what causes wind on the earth. To break it down again, wind is the
movement of air caused by an energy called heat. Wind is a force that we can feel and are certain
that it is blowing. However, it is invisible to our eyes.
How can we apply this to the Spirit of God? The Spirit is a force or energy that we cannot
see, but when the Spirit works we can certainly know that it is working. John 3:8 “The wind (Grk.
Pneuma for Spirit) bloweth where it listeth (desires or pleases), and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of
the Spirit.”
The Spirit of God also imparts eternal life to those who receive it. So the Spirit is life.
John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The word quickeneth means to make alive or to vitalize. So
the Spirit is LIFE and FORCE. It is the LIFE FORCE of God himself.
Let’s further bolster the argument that the Holy Spirit is the power of God. Luke 1:35
uses Spirit and Power interchangeably. Luk 1:35 “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.”
Some might say, ‘you make the Spirit a mere creature or agent and less than God.’ This
statement is made in complete ignorance. Trinitarians resort to this kind of argument when they
are brought into a corner and have nowhere to go. To answer this charge I say this; God is a
Spirit, that is what he is made up of. He is intangible, invisible and is life and power itself. The
Spirit is the LIFE FORCE of God and is God himself. In John 3:8 the Spirit is likened unto wind
and wind is the movement of air (invisible to the eye) caused by energy. The Holy Spirit is God
himself among and in his people.
What about the areas where the Spirit is said to proceed from the Father? The Spirit of
God is not a different person any more than your own human spirit is a different person than
yourself. God is not limited to a personal body and can dwell in all places at once if he so desires.
So if you had an omnipresent Spirit you can cause it to proceed from yourself to work, guide and
direct people.
Jesus said to his disciples “I will not le ave you alone I will come to you” and in John
16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall
not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you
things to come.” The word he and himself (though they are good translations) is not in the
original text as a separate word. Many use this to say ‘aha see the Spirit of God is a separate
person from the Father and the Son.’ However he and him are used based upon the objec t we are
speaking about and the pneuma of God is not a he as though the Spirit is distinct from God our
Father, rather the Spirit is an it (it’s what God is). God is a Spirit and he will send his Spirit to
lead us into all truth and it will not speak of itself. The Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ and Jesus
Christ testifies of the Father. If you study John 14 through 16 you will see that Jesus and the
Father send the Spirit, the Spirit proceeds from the Father, the Spirit is Jesus coming to his
disciples and the Spirit takes of the things (his words, works and name) of Jesus (all he has is of
the Father) and gives it unto us. In Ephesians 4:6 we learn that our God and Father is in us and in
Col. 1:27 we find out that it is Christ in us. So, how do we reconcile all these different thoughts?
God is in us, Christ is in us, the Father sends the Spirit, the Son sends the Spirit, the Spirit speaks
not of itself and God is Spirit.
We have to start with the point that God is a Spirit that inhabits eternity and he is not limited by
time and space. He can be in all places at once. The one mediator between God and men is the
perfect MAN Christ Jesus. He IS limited by space because he is a man. He dwells in heaven and
is our High Priest and Mediator who sits upon the Father’s throne. Redemption and salvation can
only take place IN and THROUGH Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Kinsman-Redeemer. He
willingly gave himself up as a sacrifice for our sins, he offered himself up through the eternal
Spirit unto God. Now, he is our mediator, high priest and advocate. We come unto God through
his Son. So when the Holy Spirit (it’s God’s life and power (life force)) does work among us it is
always done through the work of Jesus Christ. The Spirit will testify of the Lord Jesus Christ and
his work on the cross because that is God’s means of saving a man or woman. Rom 8:9 “But ye
are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Here i s the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ
are used interchangeably. This tells us that God and Christ are one in the work of redemption that
is going on now. God’s Spirit comes to us and is available to us through the work of Christ. So
the eternal Spirit that is God is also the Spirit of his Son for there is but ONE Spirit not two and
not three. This is why Jesus said, Joh 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me,
he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him.” So the omnipresent Spirit (God who is our Heavenly Father) comes to us in the
work and through the person of the man Christ Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. The oneness of
God and his Son is not some esoteric, mystical or philosophical unity (one God in three persons),
but rather God working out his plan for redeeming mankind from sin and degradation. And he
fulfills that plan in and through the person of his Son.
Fullness
To say that the fullness of the Spirit is in Jesus does not mean that the heavens are
emptied of the presence of God. Nor does it mean that God cannot dwell in other people at the
same time. All of God was not in his Son, but all that God is was in his Son. What does that
mean? The fullness of God does not mean all of God is in this person. Remember the Church is
said to be filled with the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:19. So Jesus is endowed with the fullness
of God in heaven on the throne of the Father and the Church is also filled with the fullness of
God. How can this be so? When we speak of the fullness of the Spirit we are not talking amount
because one modicum of the Spirit is omnipotent. We are talking of quality. Jesus was given the
Spirit without measure. All the divine qualities and attributes of God were expressed in and
through him. Individually those who make up the Church only receive the Spirit by measure. I do
not have the Spirit without measure as Jesus did, but the Church, the body of Christ as a whole
does. The Church expressed the full attributes of God just as Jesus did. Jesus was one individual
who was endowed with the fullness of the Spirit and the body of Christ is made up of many
members who as a body are endowed with the fullness of the Spirit, the divine nature and
attributes of God.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shalt thou
set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the
testimony, and cover the ark with the vail…And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle
and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the
tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud
abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:1 -3, 33-35. The
tabernacle was prepared over a period of time and when the tabernacle was completed the
shekinah glory of God descended went into the tabernacle. What was that cloud of the glory of
Jehovah? It was the Logos or the Word of God; it’s actually the self -revelation of God. The
invisible God made visible by the Logos. In Proverbs the Logos or wisdom of God is portrayed as
a female, but in reality the Logos is not a female member of the Godhead. It is simply God
personifying his own wisdom. Read Proverbs 8:22-31. Jehovah caused his wisdom to issue forth
or to be brought forth before the creation. Scripture does not say that Jehovah brought forth
another person from himself called the woman wisdom. He brought forth his own wisdom before
creation and it is vindicated by the perfection of his creation. This wisdom was with God in the
beginning and all things were made by her, lady wisdom (see Proverbs 8:1-2). Obviously in the
light of the rest of scripture we are not talking about a pre-existent woman. The wisdom of God is
not a person neither is my mind a person, but my mind is with me. Since God is an omniscient
and omnipotent being his wisdom comes forth from him to express who he is. In that sense
wisdom is a being; wisdom is God himself. Under the Old Covenant the word of God came into a
tabernacle that was made of badger skins and wood. At the end of the Old Covenant the word of
God came to tabernacle in a man, the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. When Jesus was born and
prepared for his ministry then the shekinah glory of God descended to tabernacle in him. “And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt [tabernacled] among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. The tabernacle of God
went from being the temple in Jerusalem to being the physical body of the Messiah Jesus. When
was the glory seen in Jesus? Was it when he was a little baby in Bethlehem? The glory of God in
Jesus Christ was not seen until his ministry began. Thus we see that the word became flesh and
tabernacled among us when the Spirit of God descended to dwell in Jesus. The shekinah glory of
God (the Logos) came down and made its abode in Jesus Christ.
Who is Jesus Christ?
“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And,
behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know
not a man? 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.” Luke 1:30 -35.
Here it should be plain that Jesus was to be the long awaited Messiah of Israel. Mary was
to have a child by divine intervention, but not just by divine intervention. The baby would be
conceived supernaturally. That means that God created the sperm and the egg, fused them
together and made this little embryo in the womb of Mary. Then as the baby grew in the womb he
grew just like any other baby would grow. He received nourishment, oxygen, etc. from Mary.
Whatever she ate and breathed in the baby did the same receiving it through the umbilical chord.
But this baby was not the blood of Mary. Every baby receives their own circulatory systems in
their own genetics and it grows and forms as the nutrients are received from the mother. Jesus
was not the blood of Mary. She was truly Jesus’ mother in the sense that she experienced all the
same things normal mothers do, except that she had never known a man before. The power of the
Highest overshadowed her. Just as God overshadowed the dust of the earth and created Adam he
overshadowed Mary and she conceived the only begotten Son of God. Adam was created as a full
grown man and Jesus was created as an embryo.
Jesus came directly from God and had no tainted genetics from the original sin that flows
through the blood stream of mankind. The bible tells us that Jesus shed his blood for the
forgiveness of our sins. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood.” Acts 20:28. No other blood could redeem us. Only the holy, perfect blood of
God could purchase our redemption. First, physically Jesus did not receive genetics from Mary.
He received them all from God by a direct creation and begetting and was born through Mary.
Now, where did Jesus inner man come from, that is his spirit and soul? It came directly from
God. Now, some people teach that God created a little embryo and entered into that embryo. So
that the embryo was the eternal God himself. Remember, Jesus was twice called the Son of God
in the Scripture we read. Think of Adam in comparison to Jesus. They were both direct
descendents of Almighty God and were created without the ‘will of the flesh.’ Adam received his
spirit of life along with his soul directly from God. Man’s spirit corresponds to the mind and his
soul corresponds to his nature and attributes as a man. “And the LORD God formed man [of] the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath (ruach-spirit) of life; and man became
a living soul.” Genesis 2:7. Jesus Christ is the last Adam and therefore God breathed into his
nostrils the spirit of life and he became a living soul. Jesus had a spirit and soul like you and I
have, but it is not tainted by the original sin. It was a perfect spirit of life that animated him. The
soul gave him a perfect, divine nature that caused him to naturally obey and serve God. Whereas
we are born with a nature in our soul that causes us to naturally be servant of sin and Satan.
When we are born again by receiving the promises of God we are made partakers of the
divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:4. Jesus
had no need to be born again. From the time he was born he naturally had the divine nature within
him. So his first nature and inclination was to obey the Law of God. He always was about his
Father’s business. Jesus did not have two natures dwelling within him and neither did his
Godhead override his manhood or vice versa. He had one nature and that was the human divine
nature that was originally intended for man to have.
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” Revelation 3:14. In
relationship to the Church Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God. “Therefore if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. Jesus Christ is the beginning of the new creation of God and
each born again child of God is a part of the new creation of God. “For whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren.” Romans 8:29. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Col.
1:18. Jesus is the head and beginning of God’s new creation; he was born of God from his
mother’s womb and the rest of the new creation is born of God sometime during their life span
here on earth. When did Jesus begin? He began in the womb of Mary.
“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.” Luke 1:35. Based upon the supernatural conception of the
power of the Highest Jesus is the Son of God. ‘Therefore’ means because of or on account of the
supernatural conception the holy thing born of Mary is the Son of God. It does not say he existed
eternally as a co-equal God with the Father therefore he shall be called the Son of God. Scripture
tells us that he is the Son of God based upon his being generated by the Holy Ghost. This verse
tells us that Jesus did not pre-exist any time as a Son of God prior to his birth. Jesus’ being the
Son of God is based his being supernaturally conceived by a creative act of the Spirit of God and
nothing more. He was not a Son of God in Genesis or at all during the Old Testament for the
Scripture tells us he was ‘foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in
these last times for us.’ He existed as a pre -destined thought of God and was therefore a part of
the life of God.
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law.” Gal. 4:4. Notice that the Son was sent in the fullnes s of time not in eternity
or before time. Then Paul says he was made of a woman not begotten in eternity past or before
creation. Also, he was made under the Law not in eternity or before creation. So put it all
together, the Son was sent in the fullness of time not eternity past, was made of a woman not
begotten eternally and he was made under the Law not in eternity or even before the creation.
This Scripture blows the idea of eternal Sonship and his pre-existence to pieces. Also, Luke 1:35
tells us that the child born of Mary shall be, future tense, called the Son of God. That is, when he
was born he was called the Son of God. He was not yet the Son of God until his birth. This too
blows to pieces the idea that the Son of God existed before the virgin birth. “For unto which of
the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will
be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten
into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” Hebrews 1:5-6. Here is what
we glean from these verses; the Son was begotten on a specific day in time (ie-‘this day have I
begotten thee’), therefore there was a time when the Son did not exist, God prophesied about the
Son’s FUTURE EXISTENCE and God brought his Son into the world (he was born) sometime
AFTER the creation of the angels.
“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.” Mat 1:18. The
word for birth is genesis and it means origin or beginning. So here the bible tells us that the origin
or beginning of Jesus Christ was like this….Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost. So
where is the origin or beginning of the Son of God? The Holy Ghost overshadowing Mary is
when Jesus Christ had his origin.
Jesus’ Came Down From Heaven
What about the scriptures that tell us that Jesus came down from heaven? “Then Jesus
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but
my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down
from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” John 6:32 -33. Jesus is typing himself with the
manna that God gave to the Israelites in the wilderness. He calls the manna ‘bread from heaven’
and likens himself to the bread of God that cometh down from heaven. Jesus Christ is the true
bread that came down from heaven that gives life unto the world. Did the manna that came from
heaven descend through the heavenlies having previously existed already in heaven? No, the
source of the manna is heaven just as ‘every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
cometh down from the Father of lights.’ James 1 :17. The gifts we receive from God do not
descend down from heaven to appear on earth having previously existed other than in the mind of
God. Rather the source is heaven, the Father of lights, and his gifts appear on the earth. The
manna was created by God on the earth and Jesus Christ is the same. He was begotten of God on
earth and the source of his birth was heaven. To a Jew in Jesus’ time every significant part of
God’s eternal plan already existed in heaven before it came into being on earth. The tabe rnacle,
Moses, the prophets, the Ark of the Covenant, the Torah (or Law), the Messiah and the apostle
Paul tells us that the Church was ‘hid in God’ from the beginning of the world. Eph. 3:9. So for
Jesus to tell us that he came down from heaven having already been given glory by God before
the world began is not strange. John 17:5. “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given
them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” John 17:22. The same glory that was given
Jesus before the world began is given to the Church by Jesus. Both Jesus and the saints were
glorified in the Logos (thought or mind) of God before the foundation of the world. Read Romans
8:30.
“I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world.” John 16:28. This means that
Jesus was sent by God just as John the Baptist was sent from God and he came into the world in
that he was made known publicly as the Messiah. “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all
things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God.” John 1 3:3. Jesus came
from God in two ways. He was born of God directly without any human intervention except the
faith of Mary in the word Gabriel brought to her. Secondly he was sent by God to accomplish a
specific purpose; according to his prayer in John 17 he was to do three things; that is finish the
work which the Father gave him to do (17:4), to manifest his name (17:16) and to give unto his
disciples the words which the Father gave unto him (17:8). He was going away to God in that he
would die, be raised from the dead and ascend into heaven to become mankind’s Mediator, the
believers Advocate and High Priest.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon
him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a
man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Philippians 2:5-8. Jesus was the visible, personal manifestation of God and scripture says that he
‘being’ in the form of God or existing in the form of God. It is not a past tense word he continued
to exist in the form of God. Jesus is the form or mask of the invisible God. Why was it not
robbery for the Son of God, who confessed ‘the Father is greater than I,’ to be equal with God?
The reason for that is he is the form of God and the Son of God. The form of God means that he
is visible person of God or he is God manifest in flesh. He was the appearance of God and thus
equal with God. Being the Son of God he was heir of all the Father’s possessions. “Therefore the
Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that
God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” John 5:18. Being the Messiah and the Son
of God he had a greatly exalted position in God’s economy and therefore when he became
obedient unto death he was really humiliating himself. Though he was Lord of all he became the
servant of all. Jesus never laid aside equality with God nor did he lay aside the form of God. He
continued to exist as God ‘en morphe’ and was equal with God. However, he laid aside the
predestinated privileges of equality with God as the King of kings and Lord of lords and became
the servant of all in order to make atonement for their sins that the wrath of God would be
propitiated. He did not change forms from the pre-existent spiritual Son to the human Son. The
Scriptures do not teach that. In Hebrews it says he is not nor ever was an angel, that he is superior
to angels and that he is exalted above them. He emptied himself of his reputation and made
himself of no reputation and Paul exhorts us to do the same.
Colossians 1:14-15 speak of Jesus as the ‘image of the invisible God, the firstborn of
every creature.’ This does not mean that Jesus is the first created being out of all the creatures
God created ‘in the beginning.’ He is the firstborn of the new creation of God, of which race the
second or ‘last Adam’ is the Head. 1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 5:17. The title ‘only begotten Son of
God’ does not in anyway infer a pre -birth existence of Jesus. In all of Scripture it refers to the
virgin birth and that being the case the title ‘firstborn of every creature’ does not mean he existed
before his birth. Notice Psalm 2:7 where David prophesies saying, “Thou art my Son this day
have I begotten thee.” ‘This day’ cannot refer to eternity. Trinitarian theologians, how does this
relate to eternal generation? This day refers to a specific day that the Son is begotten therefore he
was begotten in time on a specific day. Compare this verse to the title that John gives Jesus ‘the
only begotten Son of God.’ It means he is the only Son of God that was begotten through
supernatural conception in the virgin. The rest of the many brethren are “born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1
Peter 1:23. So the firstborn of every creature and the creating that is done by, through and for the
Son is in the context of redemption. Jesus upholds all things by the word of his power. Hebrews
1:3. All power in heaven and earth is given to Jesus by his Father. This understanding of Col.
1:16 also brings in line the scripture that tells us that God created all alone, unaccompanied and
by himself. Isa. 44:24. If God created alone and the scripture tells us that God created all things
by Jesus Christ then how do we reconcile these two thoughts? Eph. 3:9. God created everything
by Jesus Christ meaning that he was the reason for and pinnacle of creation not that Jesus was the
creator or that he was there creating with God. Along with being the reason for creation he was
the fulfillment, culmination and Head of God’s new creation in the plan of r edemption. He was
the plan (word) made flesh.
Do you deny the divinity of Jesus Christ? Is he a mere man? No, I do not deny the
divinity of Jesus Christ. I do deny that the scriptures teach that he is the second person of a
Trinity and in that sense is deity. The Scriptures do not teach that, but
nevertheless he is divine. Any son is the same life of his father. Since Jesus came directly from
God in a unique way he possessed divine life within him. He is the divine Son of God. Was Jesus
a mere man? He was not a mere man. He was a perfect man. He was the only man that never
sinned because he had a perfect divine life within him that came from God. To say that he was a
mere man is simply a case of ignorance and unbelief. How could the perfect man that is the Head
of the new creation and the Lord Messiah be a mere man like you and I? Without Jesus Christ
there would be no redemption for us. So how could he be anything but the perfect, divine Son of
God? But he is not divine in the sense he is the Almighty and Eternal One. That would make two
gods and that’s not biblical either. He is the divinely begotten Son of God in whom the fullness of
Deity (the Father).
Remember, Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren. Rom. 8:29. Jesus was born
differently and came from God differently then you and I. We were chosen in Christ before the
foundation of the world. Where? In the mind of God. So we were a thought of God. We came
directly from his thoughts to be born through the stream of genetics among mankind. We had a
fallen nature, but we were those whom God knew before the foundation of the world and were a
part of his mind. We bypassed the perfect nature and body that we are predestinated to possess.
What does that mean? God predestinated us to be conformed to the image of his Son according to
the Bible, both spiritually in our nature and physically in our body.
In Romans 8:15 we learn that we receive the Spirit of adoption and that the Spirit itself
bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. However, we also are waiting for the
adoption, that is, the redemption of our bodies, Romans 8:23. We bypass that perfect condition,
which belongs to us and would have been ours if there had been no fall, because of the fall of
mankind through Adam.
Jesus, the firstborn Son of God, came from the thoughts of God (I Peter 1:20) was prefigured
in different ways in the Old Testament, but was manifested in the last days of the Law for
us. According to I Peter 1:20 Jesus was not manifested in the Old Testament nor before the
foundation of the world. He was foreordained, or in other words elected and predestinated before
the foundation of the world and was therefore a thought of God, but not manifested until he was
born and later anointed of God for his ministry. In fact God’s attribute or thought of being a
Redeemer revolved around Jesus Christ his Son. “Who verily was foreordained before the
foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” Jesus did not bypass his
perfect nature and neither did he bypass his Word body. He was pre-figured by the word of God
appearing in temporary manifestation to pre-figure him during the Old Testament, but was not
manifested as a man distinct from God until ‘these last times’ according to t he apostle Peter. In
other words he was not born and living during the Old Testament times as a spiritual being. It
should be clear from Hebrews 1 and 2 that Jesus was not an angel. (Read Hebrews 2:5) Messiah
was pre-figured during Old Testament times, but was manifested when he was born on earth as
the Son of God and Lord Messiah.
The Name of Jesus Christ
“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.” John 17:6. When Jesus Christ came on the scene during his ministry he did not say, ‘thus saith Jehovah’ or ‘in the name of God rise up and wal k.’ He simply said ‘rise up and walk’ or ‘thy sins are forgiven thee.’ Why did he not declare God’s authority first? He did not do that because God had given him the very redemptive name of God himself, Jesus or Yeshua. It means Jehovah is our salvation. Jesus said, “ I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” John 5:43. Jesus came in the Father’s name. If he came in the Father’s name and the Father’s name was Jesus then the Father’s nam e is the Lord Jesus Christ. God had given his Son his own name and the Son then declared to us that he had been given all authority. Jesus did the works in his own name showing that he is invested with all the power of God. That does not mean he is the second person of the so-called Trinity nor does it mean that he is the Father. Simply put it means he is the Father’s perfect agent and representative and he stands before us as God. He is the Lord Messiah and the Son of God, therefore he is God.
After Pentecost when the apostles began their ministry what did they do? Did they operate in their own authority saying in the name of Peter rise up and walk? No they did not.
“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Acts 3:6. “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.” Acts 16:16 -18. The authority we have as Christians filled with the Spirit of God is in the name and very person of Jesus Christ. The reason for this is the very authority, power and reality of God is in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is also the name we are baptized in. All of the apostles baptized their converts in the name of Jesus Christ. On the day of Pentecost 3,000 were saved and baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This is ten days after Jesus gave them the commandment to baptize converts in his name.
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 28:19. The name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost is not three titles, but it is one name. Notice the other Gospels just before the ascension of Jesus. “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Luke 24:47. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.” Mark 16:17. Each disciple wrote of the same name. Jesus was not talking about several different names or titles of God. He was talking about one name and one name only. The different words and thoughts that are being conveyed just before the ascension were given to the same men, but each one recorded the things that they remembered or were told by the anointing of the Holy Ghost. It’s the same discourse simply different things were recorded. “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from th dead, [even] by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”Acts 4:10-12. Jesus Christ is the only name we can be saved by. This is why on the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter spoke these words, “Now when they heard [this], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we do? 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 ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:37 -38.
The only biblical way to be baptized is in the name of Jesus Christ. You cannot be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost for that is no name at all. The name of the Father, Son and Spirit is the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, Son nor Spirit are names, but they are
titles.
Summary
There are not two or three Gods. There is only one true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. John 17:3, Eph. 1:17, 1 Cor. 8:6, Deut. 6:4. Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and the Lord Messiah. God made Jesus both Lord and Christ by an act of his own predestinated will and plan. Acts 2:36. He was chosen and predestinated by God before the foundation of the world to be Lord and Christ. Jesus is the Son of God because he was conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of a virgin named Mary and not because of any pre-existence. Luke 1:35. God is a Spirit not a man and there is one Spirit therefore the Holy Ghost or the Spirit of God is simply what God is and God in action among his people. John 4:24, Eph. 4:4. Luke 1:35 clearly and succinctly teaches us that there is a direct causal connection between the conception of Jesus by the Holy Ghost and the fact he is the Son of God. He did not pre-exist as ‘Son of God.’ Also, Jesus is the beginning of the new creation of God. Therefore I conclude that scripture plainly teaches us that the Son of God began as a human in the virgin womb by the generation of the Holy Ghost and did not previously exist in heaven as a person. He did exist in heaven in the mind of God for all eternity as God’s supreme and perfect thought of how he would express himself.
The baptism of Jesus shows us that God is Spirit and that he can dwell in many places at once. He can speak from heaven and dwell in Jesus at the same time. The baptism of Jesus is when he received the fullness of the Spirit and God became manifest in the flesh.
The Son of God is individually distinct from his Father in that he was a man, but in a perfect union with him in that he was the tabernacle and form of God. The Son prayed to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane and was in agony over his decision concerning giving himself up as a sacrifice. However, he obeyed God perfectly by “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42. Just as any saint would be in agony as he is waiting to die a martyrs death, but he chose to do his Father’s will. Here we see there are two wills involved between God and his Son. The Son says not my will, but thine, the Father’s be done.
My sincere prayer as I write this is that your faith will be built up and that you would be edified by what you read. For those who are troubled by what I have wrote please search it out in the Scriptures to see if it is so. All teachings rise and fall as they are or are not in line with the written Word of God for it is our ABSOLUTE and FINAL AUTHORITY. Anytime there is a sermon and writing on the word of God we need to remember that semantics are not so important, but the THOUGHT behind the words is the goal. It’s the picture being painted, it’s not the strokes, but the end result that is the aim. It is the REVELATION contained in the words of Scripture we seek to unleash. Every word of scripture is perfectly God-breathed and set in itexact order, but it takes revelation to understand Scripture not education or understanding Greek and Hebrew. It takes inspiration from God to truly understand the teachings of Scripture. The words that any man of God (outside of Scripture) uses are his own words that he uses to the best of his ability and knowledge to explain the REVELATION or THOUGHT that he has been given by the Lord. What I am trying to say is don’t major on semantics, but look to what is trying to be conveyed when you hear a tape of preaching or read a sermon. You must prayerfully read or listen with your Bible open. Listen to what is said or written and try your best to understand when you search it out in the Scriptures.
