Category Archives: Jesus

These Three Are One (Part III)

The New Testament clearly teaches these facts: The Father is God (John 6:27; I Pet. 1:2). But Jesus is also identified as God (John 1:1-3; 20:28; cf. also, e.g., John 12:37-40; Is. 6:1-10). And the Holy Spirit is also identified as God (Acts 5:3,4; II Cor. 3:17; cf. Psalm 139:7). However, the Father is never identified with Jesus or the Holy Spirit, nor is Jesus ever identified with either the Father or the Holy Spirit, nor is the Holy Spirit ever identified with either the Father or the Son.1 There are three divine Persons in one God. This is what the Bible teaches, though we may not fully comprehend it.

No analogy is ever perfect but when I think of ways to explain the relationship of the three Persons of the Godhead I think of few analogies. First, I think of a triangle. A triangle consists of three sides, three vertices (the points at which the sides meet) and three angles. If you do not have these three parts, you do not have a triangle. Yet, they make up only one triangle. Another analogy that is often used is an egg. An egg has three parts: The shell, the white and the yoke. The three parts make up only one egg, yet each part is the egg. You cook the yolk and not the shell, but you still say you cooked an egg. Another analogy might be a musical chord. A chord consists of three distinct notes that harmonize to create one unified sound. Each note is fully present, yet together they form a single musical entity. Finally, I think of our own human nature. We have a body, soul and spirit. We are a triad, as it were. In fact, we are created in the image of God. Now none of these analogies are perfect because the triune Godhead is unique, but they do help to visualize in our own minds what can be very difficult concept to grasp, namely, God’s triune nature.

The best thing we can do is to look at the scriptures which either explicitly state or are consistent with the verses given above. Let’s begin with Jesus’ baptism. The Bible tells us that Jesus approached John the Baptist to be baptized (Matt. 3). Immediately after He was baptized, as He was stepping up out of the water (Mark 1:10), the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended in a bodily shape like a dove and the voice of God spoke from Heaven, saying, This is my Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:16,17). There are three distinct Persons in this account. There is the Father, the Spirit, appearing as a dove, and, Jesus. They are in three, separate locations. The Father is in Heaven. The Son is in the Jordan river and the Spirit is moving from Heaven to where the Son is. The Father speaks from Heaven identifying Jesus as His Son, in Whom He is well pleased. The Holy Spirit is seen descending and lighting upon Jesus and remaining there, thus indicating His distinction from the Son (John 1:33).

Another instance worthy of note, is the Great Commission. In giving the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20), Jesus commanded baptism. Notice how Jesus expressed this command. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus commanded baptism on the authority of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In doing this, Jesus placed the Son and the Spirit on an equal level of authority with the Father.

When we think of the nature of the Spirit described in the scriptures, we should realize that the Spirit has “personhood.” That is, He has traits that indicates He is an individual with will, rationality and feelings. The Holy Spirit is always spoken of as an He, not an it. The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Eph. 4:30), He has the potential of being lied to (Acts 5:3), He can be vexed (Is. 63:10), He has intention and is responsive to human action (Is. 63:10), He speaks (Acts 13:2), He teaches (John 14:26), He testifies (John 15:26), He strives (Gen. 6:3), He commands (Acts 8:28), He intercedes (Rom. 8:26), He sends workers (Acts 13:4), He calls (Rev. 22:17), and He works (I Cor. 12:11), etc. We will delve more into the nature of the Spirit at a later time in greater depth but for now it is important to note that He is not a force, but a person, separate from the Father, yet God. He has all the attributes of deity, including omnipotence (Luke 1:35; Rom. 15:19 ), omnipresence (Ps. 139:7-13) and omniscience (I Cor. 2:10 ), just as does the Father and Son.

Jesus stated that when He went back to the Father, that the Holy Spirit would be sent to the apostles. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26). This statement of Jesus’ clearly identifies three Persons of equal divine status but with different work. After Jesus completed His work here and He returned to the Father, He would send the Spirit of Truth from the Father to the apostles. The Spirit would then testify of Jesus to and through the apostles (John14:26:16:3, etc).

Another instance of the triune nature of the Godhead being mentioned is found in Paul’s three-fold blessing in II Cor. 13:14. Much like the three-fold formulas found in the Old Testament discussed in a previous installment, Paul includes all three Persons of the Godhead in his blessing. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (II Corinthians 13:14). In this three-fold formula, Paul places each of the three on an equal footing while differentiating their separate works.

John’s symbolic description of God’s throne in the Revelation also gives a glimpse of the triune nature of God. In this vision, John saw One that sat on a glorious, heavenly throne (4:2). This is presumably God, the Father. Before the throne were seven lamps, which are said to be the seven Spirits of God (4:5). This is a symbolic way of representing the Holy Spirit. Also in the midst of the throne stood a lamb as if it had been slain (5:6) which is an obvious reference to the Son (Is. 53; John 1:36; I Pet. 1:19,20; Heb. 12:2, etc.). So we have in John’s vision all three Persons of the Godhead symbolically represented. Furthermore, we have the three-fold praise directed toward the throne, Holy, Holy, Holy (4:8).

Besides these texts there are many other passages which reference all three Persons of the Godhead in some way. This site lists 58 Triadic passages and answers some objections to them. There are other sites which provide passages which support the triune nature of God. It is a doctrine clearly taught in scripture, but it is not always easy to grasp all that it entails.

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (I John 5:7).

Eric L. Padgett

Endnotes

  1. There are certain exceptions to this (Is. 9:6, e.g.) but they do negate the overall tenor of this point, that the divine Persons of the Godhead are separate from each other while all being God. Each of those passages need to be examined more closely and independently to understand them more fully.

These Three Are One (Part 1)

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one (I John 5:7).1

As we have seen, there is but one God. And yet, the Bible clearly teaches here and in the totality of its revelation that there are three Persons in the Godhead, or, in one God. The common word for this is the Trinity. Though that word is not explicitly found in scripture, the idea is there from the first verses to the last chapter of the Bible. While Moses (and Adam and Abraham and all other saints mentioned in scripture) may not have understood the triune nature of God, he speaks to it often, as do other Old Testament authors. In this installment, we will focus on one particular passage and then broaden our scope to cover more of the Old Testament landscape.

The very first verse of the Bible teaches so much. One very interesting aspect of this verse is that the word translated God, elohim, is plural. It literally means “gods.” This is the word translated most often in scripture as “God.” It is true that Hebrew sometimes uses the plural of some words to intensify the meaning. But it’s not the word elohim alone that is significant. It’s the connection of the plural noun “elohim” to the singular verb “created” (bara) that makes it so unique. In Biblical Hebrew, standard grammar demands that a singular noun govern a singular verb and a plural noun govern a plural verb.2 Moses was an educated man (Acts 7:22) and would not have made such a simple mistake as to confuse number grammatically. The text could literally be translated, “In the beginning, the gods He created…” To be grammatically correct, the text should read either “God He created” or “gods they created.”

Grammatically, there are no parallels in Hebrew to this construction which is consistently used in the Old Testament. There are instances of collective, plural nouns receiving the action of a masculine, singular verb (i.e., mayim and shamayim, Gen. 1:1, 7), but this is very different from the use in the elohim passages. And it wasn’t only Moses. Nearly every Old Testament book uses elohim and very often it is connected to a singular verb (i.e., II Chron. 26:7). The use of a singular verb with the plural elohim in scripture is not a mistake, it is intentional and suggests the idea of the Trinity. Furthermore, it is a testament to the inspiration of the scriptures that Hebrew authors and other persons in scriptures across the centuries and from various backgrounds utilized the same grammatical peculiarity in referring to deity. This, in itself, is astonishing.

A further support of this view is that Genesis1:26 contains the statement, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). This grammatical structure indicates a plurality of Persons. Some say God was using the majestic “we.” But God does not use the majestic “we” in other important passages, (ie., Ex. 20 “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me…”). Others say He was speaking to the angels. But angels are created beings and were not of the same nature as God. We are not made in the image of angels (Psalm 8:5;Heb. 2:7-9). It is better to take this as referring to the three Divine Persons of the Godhead. So from the very first verse of the Bible, and from the first chapter elsewhere, we are given a glimpse of the triune nature of God.

It is a glimpse. A foreshadowing of a truth more fully revealed in the New Testament. This is not unusual. Various prophecies, types and metaphors arising from the various tabernacle services and utensils and other forms of Old Testament worship revealed in parts the coming redemptive work of Messiah. These things were not fully understood until the Holy Spirit revealed them clearly in the New Testament. As Paul explained, “Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:5). And so it is with the triune nature of God. What was hinted at and suggested in the Old Testament regarding the nature of God, is now more fully revealed in the New Tesament.

Accordingly, we have also in connection with Genesis 1:1 the New Testament commentary on this passage in John 1:1-3. John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John clearly intends to comment and elaborate upon the Genesis text. While John’s purpose may have been to combat certain false doctrines regarding Jesus’ nature, he nevertheless corroborates the view that Genesis 1:1 is meant to encompass the triune nature of the Godhead.

John’s statement is just as unique as the Genesis passage. John states the Word was both with God and was God. Now, in our world and reality it is not possible to both be with and be the same thing. I am myself. I am not with myself, not in any sense about which we normally speak (unless we speak in euphemistic way, i.e., we might say someone is beside himself). But both of these things were true of the Word Who became flesh (John 1:18). He was with God and He was God. This explains how God could say, “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness…” (Gen. 1:26). God the Father was speaking to at least the Second Person of the Godhead, the Logos or Word. John emphasizes this once again in his first general epistle ( I John 1:1-3).

Even standing on its own, it seems to me to be clear that the use of the plural elohim with a singular masculine verb in Genesis 1:1 (and throughout the Old Testament) is speaking to, at the very least, a plurality of the singular God and, in its fullest revelation, the triune nature of the Godhead. We have not even touched upon the fact that Spirit of God is explicitly mentioned in the Text as a separate quantity (Gen. 1:3). More will be said about the Spirit in future installments. And more will be said about other Old Testament passages that add to the doctrine of the triune Nature of God.

Endnotes

  1. I know this verse is controversial with many. However, I hold it to be sacred scripture. You may find part of my reason for holding it thus here (https://mtvchurchofchrist.org/wp/?p=594). Just because many do not find it authoritative, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used in defense of the truth it states. I will not let other Christian’s skepticism of this verse dictate my use of it any more than I would let modernists skeptics doubts of other passages limit my use of them. I have found that many merely follow what they have been told rather than do their own research and come to their own conclusions, unfortunately.
  2. ”A good command of Hebrew also requires proficiency in using grammatical gender and number correctly, as nouns, verbs, and adjectives are all gendered and must agree in terms of number.” from https://www.hebrewpod101.com/blog/2021/03/18/hebrew-grammar-overview/#2; A Concise Hebrew Grammar Guide

Eric L. Padgett

BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH!

In Syhcar, in Samaria, Jesus had been so busy with teaching the woman at the well and then the people of the city, that He had neglected to eat. His disciples, concerned for Jesus’ well-being, urged Him to eat something (John 4:31). But Jesus told them that His meat was to “do the will of Him” that had sent Him and to “finish His work” (John 4:34). Just before Jesus died on the cross of calvary, He said “It is finished” (John 19:30). He had completed the work He was given to do.

However, while the Lord completed His work on earth, He spoke about another phase of His work, especially toward the end of His work here. Jesus said “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself” (John 14:3). Jesus promised to come again. This should have given the apostles comfort after Jesus’ death and an indication that He would keep His word and rise again the third day (Luke 24:37). But Jesus did leave this world and promised to return once again (Acts 1:11; Heb. 9:27). That promise still stands.

In one of the parables Jesus delivered during His last hours on earth, He described His return in the figure of the return of the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1-13). It was the custom in those days for the bridegroom to spend time at the home of the bride’s father and then to bring his new bride to his own home. Virgins waited for the bridegroom to come, so that they could assist the bride in her new surroundings. In this parable, ten virgins wait for the bridegroom to return.

At midnight, at an hour when you might least expect it, the call came that the bridegroom approached. The bridegroom had been away longer than anticipated. The young women, who had been busy with preparations, were now weary for waiting so long and had fallen asleep. But when the call came, they arose and hurriedly prepared to go to meet the bridegroom and his new wife. Five of the virgins were wise and had prepared beforehand by taking extra oil, anticipating a longer wait. Five were foolish and did not prepare for any eventuality.

The foolish virgins desired that the wise virgins would give them of their oil, but they refused, lest they should not have enough for themselves. They counseled the five unwise to go to the market and purchase their own oil, but by the time they returned it was too late. The door to the house was shut and when they called for entrance, the bridegroom said unto them “I know you not” (Matt. 25:11,12). Someone else cannot make preparations for us; we are all going to receive the things done in our bodies (II Cor. 5:10,11).

Jesus gives us the point of this parable. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13). Previously, Jesus had said that even the angels do not know when He will return (Matt. 24:36). There were many things the angels would like to have known but could not (cf. I Pet. 1:12). Mark also indicates that Jesus, on earth, did not even know when the return would be (Mark 13:32). If the angels and the Son did not know, how can we believe any mortal man who would claim to know the day or hour of the Lord’s return?

But as Jesus teaches us in His parable, the key is not knowing the day or the hour, but in being prepared no matter when He might return. It is easy, as the Lord delays His return, for scoffers to say “Where is the promise of His coming” (II Pet. 3:3,4). It is also easy for us who believe to grow weary in well-doing and faint as we wait (Gal. 6:9). Just as the virgins fell asleep waiting for their Lord to return, we might also fall asleep. Thus, Paul warns us:

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:14-17).

Do not be unwise. Don’t let your oil run out. Redeem the time. When the bridegroom comes will you be ready?

Eric L. Padgett

THIS MAN RECEIVETH SINNERS

Everyone wanted to hear Jesus teach. We know the common people heard Him gladly (Mark 12:37). The Pharisees were forever listening in on Him, if for no other reason than to find a way to entrap Him in His teaching (Mark 7:1). He drew such great multitudes of people that He often had to retire to a separate place apart to get rest (Matt. 14:23). The multitudes that followed were so many that He often did not even have time to eat (Mark 3:20). The publicans and sinners also drew near for to hear Him (Luke 15:1). Even the little children wanted to hear the Lord (Mark 10:14).

On one occasion, the Pharisees were critical of the Lord on account that He received and ate with publicans and sinners, who had gathered to listen to Him teach (Luke 15:2). The Pharisees were often an haughty lot (Luke 18:11), though there were some who exhibited humbler attitudes, such as Nicodemus (John 3:1-3) and Joseph of Arimethea (Luke 23:50). But most of the Pharisees were such scoundrels that the Lord could universally blast them with a series of woes highlighting their hypocrisy (Matt. 23:13-29). The Pharisees would never think of associating with sinners (Luke 7:39).

On this occasion, the Pharisees sought to impugn the character of Jesus. They apparently addressed the people, saying, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them” (Luke 15:2). They said this as if it would somehow depreciate His teaching and His character. But Jesus did not deny associating with sinners. Instead, He demonstrated that the Pharisee’s views on sin and sinners were not only incorrect but hypocritical, as well.

It stands as a truth that a human being is far more valuable than any dumb animal. Yet, the Pharisees would leave ninety-nine safe sheep of their own to find one sheep that had been lost. If you would do that for the dumb animal, why wouldn’t you do that for a lost soul? If you were to lose an inanimate object like a piece of silver, you would turn the whole house upside down to find it. And when you had found these lost things, you would rejoice.

Likewise, when God loses a soul in the wilderness of sin, or one gets lost in the cracks of the world, when they are found, there is great joy in heaven. The parable of the prodigal son demonstrates like no other the great joy that should accompany the restoration of a lost individual (Luke 15:11-32).

Jesus was sent into this world (John 10:36) but He said “I am not of this world” (John 8:23). Neither was he ever tainted by the wickedness of the world nor wallowed He in it’s filth, but He could interact with sinners and influence them for good (Heb. 4:13). Take for example the incident at Simon the Pharisee’s house (Luke 7:37). A woman of known ill repute could embrace and kiss His feet yet there is never in the slightest a hint of impropriety on the part of Jesus. Yet Simon saw only the sinner while Jesus saw a lost soul. Simon interpreted her actions as improper, but Jesus saw love oozing from a wounded heart. Simon would not have associated with her by choice and would have castigated her for her sins. Jesus let her know He knew of her many sins but was willing to forgive her.

While Jesus was in the world and interacted with humanity, He never descended to its level. Whatever Paul meant when he said “I became all things to all men” it could not mean anything that contradicted the Lord’s teaching or life. When Jesus attended the supper at Matthew’s house (Mark 2:14,15), the Pharisees again asked, “Why eateth your Master with Publicans and sinners” (Matt. 9:11)? This event was after the Lord called Matthew to follow Him (Matt. 9:19). It is very unlikely that Matthew, after being called by the Lord to be His disciple, would throw a wild, worldly party. It is much more likely that Matthew called all of his old friends to hear Jesus teach them the truth. Jesus was not there to join in any revelry, He was there to teach.

Jesus did not brow beat sinners. It is true He could not seem to bear with the stiff-necked, hard-hearted, arrogant Pharisees. But He never acted as though He was better than those He met (even though He was). He had compassion on the souls that were lost, that hungered and thirsted for righteousness. He did not use people as things but treated them with dignity. He received and ate even with sinners and publicans, but it was in order to bring them to Himself, closer to God. Jesus’ association with the world should be the pattern for our own association with it.

Eric L. Padgett