What if I was baptized in (The Titles)Father, Son, Holy Ghost is that Incorrect?

[Della Morton]

There's Bad News If you were!! because no one in the entire Testament Church Was ever baptized that Way! Let us examine the new Testament Water baptisms and Find The right Way to be baptized! The Good News Is Your here and Hopefully Have a desire to Follow the Bible.


There has been some beliefs state salvation is accepting Jesus as your personal savior. By acknowledging he is the son of God that your saved. Then they teach and baptize in the titles Father Son and Holy Spirit.

But what does the Bible say?

Act 19:1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

Act 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

You Must believe to come to salvation. But believing is not salvation.

Act 19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

Why did he ask them How they were baptized? Does it matter how your baptized?

YES


Act 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

Act 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

So they first were taught.

Secondly they believed

Then was baptized

Next you will see they was filled with the Holy Ghost and the evident of the Holy Ghost came By that God given tongue that God gives to each he fills with his spirit.

Now we see prior to this they had repented but didn’t know the truth about really being saved. But once they seen the truth they willingly received God.

Act 2:37

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?

Act 2:38

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.


Mat 16:18

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Mat 16:19

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.


Now What did peter who God said upon who he was going to build his church on and who was given the keys too say?


Repent, Be baptized and How did he say to be baptized? In the titles Father Son and Holy Spirit?

NO.

He said IN THE NAME OF. NAME NOT NAMES OR TITLES. SINGULAR ONE NAME.

And he gave us what that one name to our one God is. JESUS.

Find in the word where there was ever anyone baptized in the titles father son, holy spirit.

It is not in there. You will never find in Gods word where any one was baptized the 3 titles. NAME OF Means one name singular.

There is one verse in the book of Matthew 28:19 and when you read this verse understand that anytime Jesus tried to make the people understand who he really was they wanted to stone him. His mission wasn’t to prove he was God just yet. His mission was to bring us to him by coming in a fleshly form. Every time they would question who he was he would talk to them in riddles or in a way they wasn’t sure just what he was saying for sure. Even still they wanted to stone him. He slipped away through the crowd many times. So when he spoke of Matt 28:19 he was using wisdom talking of a shadow of what was to come. If he has said go out teaching men to baptize in my name they would have stoned him. Most of the things he spoke did not even come to them or fully understand until he died on the cross then more when he rose again like he said he would do. Then on the day of Pentecost wow. What he said about coming back and living in me was true. For the first time in their lives they saw Christ for who he really was. Ok here is that verse Christ spoke while still walking in a flesh form with them.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

He didn’t give the name of yet they would soon find what that name was to be.
He does give us a Clue that there is one Name for remission of sins by preaching the gospel.
Luke 24:46-47 (King James Version)

46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Act 2:41

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Now those three thousand didn’t just say that they believe that God sent Jesus and that they accept him only. They Repented and were baptized in JESUS NAME and was filled with his spirit (with the evidence by speaking in tongues)

Act 2:42

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Somewhere along the way a large percentage of the church world has left the apostles doctrine. Are we to still follow the doctrine that God set up through the apostles?


Act 19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.


Eph 4:4

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Eph 4:5

One Lord, one faith, one Baptism,

Eph 4:6

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Living a good life will not save you. the word tells us that if you haven’t been born of the water and the spirit which is to repent and receive the Holy Ghost and Baptism that you will not make it to heaven.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, 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.

Oh come on I was baptized and believe besides I don’t have to give up as much going to the church I am at now. Whats the big deal? They love God too. What God isn’t gonna let them in just because they didn’t speak in all that tongue stuff or get baptized in Jesus name.

Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Joh 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Joh 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.



Joh 10:8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

Joh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.



Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

Joh 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

See what did I tell you earlier? He was trying to let them see hey guys I came from heaven robed in this skin because I love you. But they couldn’t see that. Do you really think they would have accepted him saying 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. Like was said in acts 2:38?

Joh 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

Joh 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

Joh 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

Joh 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

Joh 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

Joh 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

Joh 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

Joh 10:39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

Below is some of the scriptures from the word of God on baptism.

Act 2:38 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.


Act 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Act 8:13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Act 8:14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

Act 8:15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

Act 8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

Act 8:17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

Act 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Act 10:44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

Act 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Act 10:46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,

Act 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

Act 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Act 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

Act 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Acts 8:34-39 (King James Version)

34And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

He Is The Only Way We Can be Saved.
Don't You Want to Be Baptized the Right Way Today?
Please drop me a line on my page . Love In Christ Della Morton

Here is a Bible Study video on Why Is Water baptism Of The Father,Son, Holy Spirit Incorrect?
FIND OUT "WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?" A must see video.

[Della Morton]

JESUS IS GOD

"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9).

The fact that Jesus is God is as firmly established in Scripture as the fact that God is one. The Bible teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully man.

In the next few sections we will present and discuss scriptural proofs that Jesus is God, numbering them for the reader's convenience.

The Old Testament Testifies That Jesus Is God

1. Isaiah 9:6 is one of the most powerful proofs that Jesus is God: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father The Prince of Peace." The terms child and son refer to the Incarnation or manifestation of "The mighty God" and "The everlasting Father."

2. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be called Immanuel, that is, God with us (Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:22-23).

3. Isaiah described the Messiah as both a branch out of Jesse (the father of David) and as the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1, 10; see also Revelation 22:16). According to the flesh He was a descendant (branch) of Jesse and David, but according to His Spirit He was their Creator and source of life (root). Jesus used this concept to confound the Pharisees when He quoted Psalm 110:1 and asked, in essence, "How could David call the Messiah Lord when the Messiah was to be the son (descendant) of David?" (Matthew 22:41-46).

4. Isaiah 35:4-6 shows that Jesus is God: "Behold, your God… he will come and save you." This passage goes on to say that when God comes the eyes of the blind would be opened, the ears of the deaf would be unstopped, the lame would leap, and the tongue of the dumb would speak. Jesus applied this passage of Scripture to Himself (Luke 7:22) and, of course, His ministry did produce all of these things.

5. Isaiah 40:3 declares that one would cry in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy when he prepared the way for Jesus (Matthew 3:3); so Jesus is the LORD (Jehovah) and our God.

6. Micah 5:2 proves that the Messiah is God. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah… out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

Thus the Old Testament clearly states that the Messiah and Savior to come would be God Himself.

The New Testament Proclaims That Jesus is God

1. According to Acts 20:28, the church was purchased with God's own blood, namely the blood of Jesus.

3. Paul described Jesus as "the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13; NIV has "our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ").

4. Peter described Him as "God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (II Peter 1:1; NIV and TAB both have "our God and Savior Jesus Christ").

5. Our bodies are the temples of God (I Corinthians 3:16-17), yet we know Christ dwells in our hearts (Ephesians 3:17).

6. The Book of Colossians strongly emphasizes the deity of Christ. "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9; see also 1:19). According to these verses of Scripture, Jesus is not just a part of God, but all of God is resident in Him. If there were several persons in the Godhead, according to Colossians 2:9 they would all be resident in the bodily form of Jesus. We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). Whatever we need from God we can find in Jesus Christ alone. (For further discussion of Colossians 2:9 and other proofs of Christ's deity in Colossians,

We conclude that the New Testament testifies to the full deity of Jesus Christ.

God Was Manifest in the Flesh as Jesus

The statement that Jesus is God necessarily implies that God took on human flesh. This is in fact what the Bible says.

1. "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (I Timothy 3:16; see verse 15 for further confirmation that God is the subject of verse 16). God was manifest (made visible) in flesh; God was justified (shown to be right) in the Spirit; God was seen of angels; God was believed on in the world; and God was received up into glory. How and when did all of this happen? In Jesus Christ.

2. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh…" (John 1:1, 14). Literally, the Word (God) was tabernacled or tented in flesh. When did God tabernacle or robe Himself in flesh? In Jesus Christ. Both verses of Scripture prove that Jesus is God - that He is God manifest (revealed, made known, made evident, displayed, shown) in flesh.

God is a Spirit without flesh and blood and invisible to man. In order to make Himself visible to man and in order to shed innocent blood for our sins, He had to put on flesh. (For more on the purposes of the Son, see Chapter 5 - THE SON OF GOD.) Jesus is not another God or a part of God, but He is the God of the Old Testament robed in flesh. He is the Father; He is Jehovah who came in flesh to bridge the gap between man and God that man's sin had created. He put on flesh as a man puts on a coat.

Many verses of Scripture declare Jesus Christ to be the God of the Old Testament robed in flesh for the purpose of self-revelation and reconciliation.

3. "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" (II Corinthians 5:19).

4. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [spoken, revealed] him" (John 1:18).

5. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son… the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person…" (Hebrew 1:1-3).

6. Jesus is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15; II Corinthians 4:4).

7. He is God veiled in flesh (Hebrews 10:20). As Abraham prophesied, probably without understanding the full meaning of his own words, "God will provide himself a lamb" (Genesis 22:8). God indeed provided a body for Himself: "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me" (Hebrews 10:5).

8. Jesus was the builder of the house (God the Father and Creator) and also a son over his own house (Hebrews 3:3-6).

9. He came to His own creation and to His own chosen people but they did not recognize Him or receive Him (John 1:10-11).

The Word

John 1 beautifully teaches the concept of God manifest in flesh. In the beginning was the Word (Greek, Logos). The Word was not a separate person or a separate god any more than a man's word is a separate person from him. Rather the Word was the thought, plan, or mind of God. The Word was with God in the beginning and actually was God Himself (John 1:1). The Incarnation existed in the mind of God before the world began. Indeed, in the mind of God the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world (I Peter 1:19-20; Revelation 13:8).

In Greek usage, logos can mean the expression or plan as it exists in the mind of the proclaimer - as a play in the mind of a playwright - or it can mean the thought as uttered or otherwise physically expressed - as a play that is enacted on stage. John 1 says the Logos existed in the mind of God from the beginning of time. When the fulness of time was come, God put that plan in action. He put flesh on that plan in the form of the man Jesus Christ. The Logos is God expressed. As John Miller says, the Logos is "God uttering Himself." [10] In fact, TAB translates the last phrase of John 1:1 as, "The Word was God Himself." Flanders and Cresson say, "The Word was God's means of self disclosure." [11] This thought is further brought out by verse 14, which says the incarnated Word had the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, and by verse 18, which says that the Son has declared the Father.

In Greek philosophy, the Logos came to mean reason or wisdom as the controlling principle of the universe. In John's day, some Greek philosophers and Jewish theologians influenced by Greek thought (especially the Jewish thinker, Philo of Alexandria) regarded the Logos as an inferior, secondary deity or as an emanation from God in time. [12] Some Christian heresies, including an emerging form of Gnosticism, were already incorporating these theories into their doctrines, and therefore relegating Jesus to an inferior role. John deliberately used their own terminology to refute these doctrines and to declare the truth. The Word was not inferior to God; it was God (John 1:1). The Word did not emanate from God over a period of time; it was with God in the beginning (John 1:1-2). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was none other than the Word, or God, revealed in flesh. Note also that the Greek word pros, translated "with" in verse 1, is the same word translated "pertaining to" in Hebrews 2:17 and 5:1. John 1:1 could include in its meanings, therefore, the following: "The Word pertained to God and the Word was God," or, "The Word belonged to God and was God."

Jesus Was God From the Beginning Of His Human Life

God was manifest in the flesh through Jesus Christ, but at what point in His life did God indwell the Son? The Bible unequivocally declares that the fulness of God was in Jesus from the moment when Jesus' human life began.

1. Matthew 1:23 says, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." He was "God with us" even at his birth.

2. The angels worshiped Him at His birth (Hebrews 1:6), Simeon recognized the infant as the Christ (Luke 2:26), Anna saw the babe as the redeemer of Israel (Luke 2:38), and the wise men worshiped the young child (Matthew 2:11).

3. Micah 5:2 ascribed deity to the Messiah at His birth in Bethlehem, not just after His life in Nazareth or His baptism in Jordan.

4. Luke 1:35 explains why Jesus was God at the beginning of His human life. The angel told Mary, "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." Jesus was born of a virgin, His conception being effected by the Holy Ghost. Because of this ("therefore"), He was the Son of God. In other words, Jesus is the Son of God because God, and not a man, caused His conception. God was literally His Father. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…" (John 3:16). To beget means to father, sire, procreate, or cause. Jesus was begotten by God in the womb of the virgin Mary.

Isaiah 7:14 also links the virgin conception with the recognition that the Son thus born would be God. In other words, at the moment of conception, God placed His divine nature in the seed of the woman. The child to be born received its life and the fatherly side of its nature from God at this time. From the mother's side it received the human nature of Mary; from the father's side (God, not Joseph) it received the nature of God. Jesus obtained His divine nature through the conception process; He did not become divine by some later act of God. The virgin birth of Jesus establishes His deity.

Some believe that Jesus received the fulness of God at some later time in His life, such as at His baptism. However, in light of the virgin birth and Luke 1:35 this cannot be so. Jesus received His nature of deity as well as the nature of humanity at conception. The descent of the Holy Ghost like a dove at the baptism of Jesus was not a baptism of the Holy Ghost; Jesus already had all the fulness of God within Him (Colossians 2:9). Rather, His baptism, among other things, occurred as a symbolic anointing for the beginning of His earthly ministry and as a confirmation to John the Baptist of His deity (John 1:32-34).

The Mystery of Godliness

The fact that God became flesh is one of the most wonderful and yet one of the most incomprehensible things about God. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…" (I Timothy 3:16). Jesus is like no other man that ever has been or will be. He has two natures; He is fully God and fully man. (See Chapter 5 - THE SON OF GOD.) Most problems in people's minds concerning the Godhead come from this great mystery. They cannot understand the dual nature of Christ and cannot correctly separate his two roles. They cannot comprehend how God could take on the form of a baby and live among men.

It is true that we cannot comprehend fully how the miraculous conception - the union of God and man - took place in the womb of Mary, but we can accept it by faith. In fact, if we do not believe that Jesus is come in the flesh we have an antichrist spirit (II John 7), but if we do accept this doctrine of Christ we will have both the Father and the Son (II John 9). Both Father and Son are revealed in Christ (John 10:30; 14:6-11).

The mystery of God in flesh was a great stumbling block to the Jews. They never could understand how Jesus, being a man, could also be God (John 10:33). Because He claimed to be God they rejected Him and sought to kill Him (John 5:18; 10:33).

Even today, many Jews cannot accept Jesus for this reason. In a conversation, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi told us he could never accept Jesus as God. [13] He felt that since God is an omnipresent, invisible Spirit He can never be seen by man and cannot be visible in flesh. His reasoning reminded us of the Jews in Jesus' day. Like this rabbi, they tried to limit God by their own preconceived ideas of how God should act. Furthermore, they did not have a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures that proclaim the deity of the Messiah.

While it is humanly difficult to understand how the infinite God could dwell in flesh, yet the Scriptures declare it to be so. We reminded the rabbi of God's appearance in the form of a man to Abraham in Genesis 18. He admitted this was a problem for him, but he tried to explain it in terms of an anthropomorphism or figurative language. Then we referred to other verses of Scripture such as Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Jeremiah 23:6, and Micah 5:2 to show that the Messiah would be Jehovah God. The rabbi had no answer except to say that our translations of these verses of Scripture were possibly incorrect. He promised to study them further.

There never has been a mystery as to "persons" in the Godhead. The Bible clearly states that there is only one God, and this is easy for all to understand. The only mystery about the Godhead is how God could come in flesh, how Jesus could be both God and man. But the truth of this mystery has been revealed to those who will believe. The mystery of Jesus Christ has been kept secret since the world began, but was revealed in the New Testament age (Romans 16:25-26; Colossians 1:25-27). A mystery in the New Testament is simply a plan of God that was not understood in the Old Testament but which has been made known to us. We "may understand… the mystery of Christ 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 3:4-5).

We can know the mystery of God and the Father, which is Christ (Colossians 2:2; see also the NIV and TAB). In fact, Paul explained this mystery by saying that in Jesus Christ dwells all the wisdom, knowledge, and fulness of God (Colossians 2:3, 9). The mystery of God has been revealed to us by God's Spirit (I Corinthians 2:7-10). This revelation comes to us through God's Word, which is illuminated by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 2:7-10). The light of Christ, who is the image of God, has shined in our hearts (II Corinthians 4:3-4). There is therefore no biblical mystery about the Godhead and certainly no mystery about the number of persons in the Godhead. The only mystery is Christ, and He has been revealed to us! The mystery of God and the mystery of Christ converge in the Incarnation. It is simply that the one God of Israel came to the earth in flesh. This mystery has been revealed and God's Word declares that it has been made known to us today.

Jesus is the Father

If there is only one God and that God is the Father (Malachi 2:10), and if Jesus is God, then it logically follows that Jesus is the Father. For those who somehow think that Jesus can be God and still not be the Father, we will offer additional biblical proof that Jesus is the Father. This will serve as more evidence that Jesus is God. Actually two verses of Scripture are sufficient to prove this point.

1. Isaiah 9:6 calls the Son the everlasting Father. Jesus is the Son prophesied about and there is only one Father (Malachi 2:10; Ephesians 4:6), so Jesus must be God the Father.

2. Colossians 2:9 proclaims that all the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus. The Godhead includes the role of Father, so the Father must dwell in Jesus.

3. In addition to these two verses, Jesus Himself taught that He was the Father. Once, when Jesus was talking about the Father, the Pharisees asked, "Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also" (John 8:19). Jesus went on to say, "I said therefore unto you, if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24).

We should note that he in the verse is in italics, which indicates that it is not in the original Greek, being added by the translators. Jesus was really identifying Himself with the "I AM" of Exodus 3:14. The Jews, who did not understand His meaning, asked, "Who art thou?" Jesus answered, "Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning" (John 8:25). However, "they understood not that he spake to them of the Father" (John 8:27). In other words, Jesus tried to tell them that He was the Father and the I AM, and that if they did not accept Him as God they would die in their sins.

4. In another place Jesus said, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30). Some try to say that He was one with the Father much as a husband and wife are one or as two men can be one in agreement. This interpretation attempts to weaken the force of the assertion Jesus made. However, other verses fully support that Jesus was not only the Son in His humanity but also the Father in His deity.

5. For example, Jesus stated in John 12:45, "And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me." In other words, if a person sees Jesus as to His deity, he sees the Father.

6. In John 14:7 Jesus told His disciples, "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." Upon hearing this statement, Philip requested, "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us" (John 14:8). In other words, he asked that Jesus show them the Father and then they would be satisfied. Jesus' answer was, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 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. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake" (John 14:9-11). This statement goes far beyond a relationship of agreement; it can be viewed as nothing less that the claim of Christ to be the Father manifested in flesh. Like many people today, Philip had not comprehended that the Father is an invisible Spirit and that the only way a person could ever see Him would be through the person of Jesus Christ.

7. Jesus said, "The Father is in me, and I in him" (John 10:38).

8. Jesus promised to be the Father of all overcomers (Revelation 21:6-7).

9. In John 14:18 Jesus said, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." The Greek word translated "comfortless" is orphanos, which Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines as "bereaved ('orphans'), i.e. parentless." Jesus was saying, "I will not leave you as orphans" (NIV and TAB), or "I will not leave you fatherless: I will come to you." Jesus, speaking as the Father, promised that He would not leave His disciples fatherless.

Below are some comparisons which provide additional proof that Jesus is the Father.

10. Jesus prophesied that He would resurrect His own body from the dead in three days (John 2:19-21), yet Peter preached that God raised up Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:24).

11. Jesus said He would send the Comforter to us (John 16:7), but He also said the Father would send the Comforter (John 14:26).

12. The Father alone can draw men to God (John 6:44), yet Jesus said He would draw all men (John 12:32).

13. Jesus will raise up all believers at the last day (John 6:40), yet God the Father quickens (gives life to) the dead and will raise us up (Romans 4:17; I Corinthians 6:14).

14. Jesus promised to answer the believer's prayer (John 14:14), yet He said the Father would answer prayer (John 16:23).

15. Christ is our sanctifier (Ephesians 5:26), yet the Father sanctifies us (Jude 1).

16. First John 3:1, 5 states that the Father loved us and was manifested to take away our sins, yet we know it was Christ who was manifested in the world to take away sin (John 1:29-31).

We can easily understand all of this if we realize that Jesus has a dual nature. He is both Spirit and flesh, God and man, Father and Son. On His human side He is the Son of man; on His divine side He is the Son of God and is the Father dwelling in flesh. (See Chapter 5 - THE SON OF GOD for more on the Son and Chapter 6 - FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST for more on Father, Son, and Spirit.)

Jesus is Jehovah

The verses of Scripture demonstrating that Jesus is the Father do not exhaust our proof that Jesus is the one God. Below are twelve verses of Scripture specifically proving that Jesus is Jehovah - the one God of the Old Testament.

1. Isaiah 40:3 prophesied that a voice in the wilderness would cry, "Prepare ye the way of the LORD" (Jehovah); Matthew 3:3 says John the Baptist is the fulfillment of this prophecy. Of course, we know that John prepared the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since the name Jehovah was the sacred name for the one God, the Bible would not apply it to anyone other than the Holy One of Israel; here it is applied to Jesus.

2. Malachi 3:1 says, "The LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant." This was fulfilled by Jesus, whether the literal Temple or the temple of Jesus' body is meant (John 2:21).

3. Jeremiah 23:5-6 speaks of a righteous Branch from David - a clear reference to the Messiah - and names Him "The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (See also Jeremiah 33:15-16.) In other words, Jesus is "Jehovah Our Righteousness."

4. Isaiah says, speaking of Jehovah, "His arm brought salvation" (Isaiah 59:16), and "his arm shall rule for him" (Isaiah 40:10). Isaiah 53:1-2 describes the Messiah as the revelation of the arm of the LORD. Therefore, Jesus the Savior is not another God, but an extension of Jehovah in human flesh to bring salvation to the world.

5. Isaiah prophesied that the glory of the LORD would be revealed to all flesh (Isaiah 40:5). Since Jehovah said He would not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8; 48:11), we know He could only fulfill this prophecy by revealing Himself. Indeed, we find in the New Testament that Jesus had the glory of the Father (John 1:14; 17:5). He is the Lord of glory (I Corinthians 2:8). When Jesus comes again, He will come in the glory of the Father (Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:38). Since Jesus has Jehovah's glory, He must be Jehovah.

6. Jehovah said, "Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak; behold, it is I" (Isaiah 52:6). Yet we know that Jesus is the One that declared the Father, manifested the Father's name, and declared the Father's name (John 1:18; 17:6; 17:26). Jesus declared the LORD's name (Psalm 22:22; Hebrews 2:12). Thus, He must be Jehovah.

7. The LORD said, "That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear" (Isaiah 45:23). Paul quoted this verse of Scripture to prove that all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-11). Paul also wrote, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow" (Philippians 2:10).

8. Zechariah offers convincing proof that Jesus is Jehovah. In the passage beginning with Zechariah 11:4, "the LORD my God" said, "So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver." In Zechariah 12:10 Jehovah stated, "They shall look upon me whom they have pierced." Of course, it was Jesus who was sold for thirty pieces of silver and who was pierced (Matthew 26:14-16; John 19:34). Zechariah 12:8 says with reference to the Messiah, "the house of David shall be as God." Zechariah also wrote, "The LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee" and describes Him battling against many nations and stepping foot on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-5). Of course, we know Jesus is the One coming back to the Mount of Olives as King of kings and Lord of lords to war against the nations (Acts 1:9-12; I Timothy 6:14-16; Revelation 19:11-16).

9. When Paul, the educated Jew, the Pharisee of Pharisees, the fanatic persecutor of Christianity, was stricken on the road to Damascus by a blinding light from God, he asked, "Who art thou, Lord?" As a Jew, he knew there was only one God and Lord, and he was asking, "Who are you, Jehovah?" The Lord answered, "I am Jesus" (Acts 9:5).

10. Although Moses dealt with Jehovah God, Hebrews 11:26 says that Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ to be greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. So Moses' God was Jesus Christ.

11. Psalm 68:18 depicts a scene m which Jehovah ascends on high and leads captivity captive, yet we know Jesus ascended and led captivity captive. In fact Ephesians 4:7-10 applies this prophecy to Jesus.

12. Revelation 22:6 says, "the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel" to John, but verse 16 says, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you."

There are yet many more passages of Scripture identifying Jesus with the one Jehovah God. Below is a list of verses that describe Jehovah in certain ways paired with verses that describe Jesus in the same ways. Thus, these verses of Scripture all prove that Jesus is Jehovah.
Table 4: Jesus is Jehovah (I)
Jehovah Jesus
1 Almighty Genesis 17:1 Almighty Revelation 1:8
2 I AM Exodus 3:14-16 I am John 8:58
3 Rock Psalm 18:2; 28:1 Rock I Corinthians 10:4
4 Horn of Salvation Psalm 18:2 Horn of Salvation Luke 1:69
5 Shepherd Psalm 23:1; Isaiah 40:10-11 Good Shepherd, Great Shepherd, Chief Shepherd, Hebrews 13:20; I Peter 5:4
6 King of Glory Psalm 24:7-10 Lord of Glory I Corinthians 2:8
7 Light Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 60:19 Light John 1:4-9; John 8:12; Revelation 21:23
8 Salvation Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 12:2 Only Salvation Acts 4:10-12
9 Lord of lords Psalm 136:3 Lord of lords Revelation 19:16
10 Holy One Isaiah 12:6 Holy One Acts 2:27
11 Lawgiver Isaiah 33:22 Testator of the First Testament (the Law) Hebrews 9:14-17
12 Judge Isaiah 33:22 Judge Micah 5:1; Acts 10:42
13 First and Last Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12 Alpha and Omega, Beginning and Ending, First and Last Revelation 1:8; 22:13
14 Only Savior Isaiah 43:11; 45:21; 60:16 Savior Titus 2:13; 3:6
15 Giver of Spiritual Water Isaiah 44:3; 55:1 Giver of Living Water John 4:10-14; 7:38-39
16 King of Israel Isaiah 44:6 King of Israel, King of kings John 1:49; Revelation 19:16
17 Only Creator Isaiah 44:24; 45:8; 48:13 Creator of everything John 1:3; Colossians 1:16
18 Only Just God Isaiah 45:21 Just One Acts 7:52
19 Redeemer Isaiah 54:5; 60:16 Redeemer Galatians 3:13; Revelation 5:9

Table 5: Jesus is Jehovah (II)
Name Jesus is our: Scripture
1 Jehovah-jireh (provider) Provider (of the sacrifice) Hebrews 10:10-12
2 Jehovah-rapha (healer) Healer James 5:14-15
3 Jehovah-nissi (banner, victory) Victory I Corinthians 15:57
4 Jehovah-m'kaddesh (sanctifier) Sanctifier Ephesians 5:26
5 Jehovah-shalom (peace) Peace John 14:27
6 Jehovah-sabaoth (Lord of hosts) Lord of Hosts James 5:4-7
7 Jehovah-elyon (most high) Most High Luke 1:32, 76, 78
8 Jehovah-raah (shepherd) Shepherd John 10:11
9 Jehovah-hoseenu (maker) Maker John 1:3
10 Jehovah-tsidkenu Righteousness I Corinthians 1:30
11 Jehovah-shammah (present) Ever Present One Matthew 28:20

The above lists are not exhaustive, but they are more than adequate to prove that Jesus is Jehovah. There is only one Jehovah (Deuteronomy 6:4), so this means Jesus is the one God of the Old Testament.

The Jews Understood That Jesus Claimed to be God

The Jews did not understand how God could come in flesh. They did not understand Jesus on one occasion when He told them He was the Father (John 8:19-27). However, on many other occasions they did understand His claim to be God. Once when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath and credited the work to His Father, the Jews sought to kill Him - not only because He had broken the Sabbath but because He said God was His Father, making Himself equal with God (John 5:17-18). Another time Jesus said Abraham rejoiced to see His day. When the Jews asked how this could be, Jesus replied, "Before Abraham was, I am." The Jews immediately recognized that He claimed to be I AM - the name by which Jehovah had identified Himself in Exodus 3:14 - so they took up stones to kill Him for blasphemy (John 8:56-59).

When Jesus said, "I and my Father are one," the Jews sought to stone him for blasphemy, because He being a man made Himself God the Father (John 10:30-33). They sought to kill Him when He said the Father was in Him, again because He was claiming to be the Father (John 10:38-39).

When Jesus forgave a palsied man of His sins, the Jews thought He had blasphemed because they knew that only God could forgive sin (Isaiah 43:25). Jesus, knowing their thoughts, healed the man; thereby showing His divine power and proving His deity (Luke 5:20-26). The Jews were right in believing that there was one God, in believing that only God could forgive sin, and in understanding that Jesus claimed to be the one God (the Father and Jehovah). They were wrong only because they refused to believe Jesus' claim.

It is amazing that some people today not only reject the Lord's assertion of His true identity, but even fail to realize what He did assert. Even the Jewish opponents of Jesus realized that Jesus claimed to be God, the Father, and Jehovah, but some today cannot see what the Scriptures so plainly declare.

Jesus is the One on the Throne

There is one throne in heaven and One who sits upon it. John described this in Revelation 4:2: "And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne." Without doubt this One is God because the twenty-four elders around the throne address Him as "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come" (Revelation 4:8). When we compare this to Revelation 1:5-18, we discover a remarkable similarity in the description of Jesus and the One sitting on the throne. "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). Verses 5-7 make clear that Jesus is the One speaking in verse 8. Moreover, Jesus is clearly the subject of Revelation 1:11-18. In verse 11, Jesus identified Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. In verses 17-18 Jesus said, "I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of bell and of death." From the first chapter of Revelation, therefore, we find that Jesus is the Lord, the Almighty, and the One who is, was, and is to come. Since the same descriptive terms and titles apply to Jesus and to the One sitting on the throne, it is apparent that the One on the throne is none other than Jesus Christ.

There is additional support for this conclusion. Revelation 4:11 tells us the One on the throne is the Creator, and we know Jesus is the Creator (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Furthermore, the One on the throne is worthy to receive glory, honor, and power (Revelation 4:11); we read that the Lamb that was slain (Jesus) is worthy to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing (Revelation 5:12). Revelation 20:11-12 tells us the One on the throne is the Judge, and we know Jesus is the Judge of all (John 5:22, 27; Romans 2:16; 14:10-11). We conclude that Jesus must be the One on the throne in Revelation 4.

Revelation 22:3-4 speaks of the throne of God and of the Lamb. These verses speak of one throne, one face, and one name. Therefore, God and the Lamb must be one Being who has one face and one name and who sits on one throne. The only person who is both God and the Lamb is Jesus Christ. In short, the Book of Revelation tells us that when we get to heaven we will see Jesus alone on the throne. Jesus is the only visible manifestation of God we will ever see in heaven.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

The Book of Revelation contains many other powerful statements concerning the deity of Jesus. God's purpose in having John to write the book was to reveal or unveil Jesus Christ, not merely to reveal future events. In fact, all of John's writings strongly emphasize the oneness of God, the deity of Christ, and the dual nature of Christ. John wrote the Gospel of John so that we would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31). Accepting Jesus as the Son of God means accepting Him as God, because the title "Son of God" simply means God manifested in the flesh. (See Chapter 5 - THE SON OF GOD for further discussion.) John identified Jesus as God, the Word, the Father, and Jehovah (the I am). All of John's writings elevate the deity of Jesus; the Book of Revelation is no exception.

Revelation 1:1 tells us the book is the revelation of Jesus Christ. The Greek for revelation is apokalupsis, from which we get the word apocalypse. It literally means an unveiling or an uncovering. Certainly the book is a prophecy of things to come, but one of the main reasons for this prophecy is to reveal Christ - to show who He really is. The serious Bible student should seek to understand the predictions in the book; but, more importantly, he should seek to understand the reason for these predictions. He should seek to understand the revealing of Jesus Christ in these future events.

The Book of Revelation presents Jesus both in His humanity and in His deity. He is the Lamb slain for our sins but He is also the Almighty God on the throne. Below is a list of some of the ways in which the book presents Christ.
Table 6: Jesus in the Book of Revelation
Title Comment Scripture in Revelation
1 Faithful Witness Prophet and apostle 1:5
2 Firstbegotten of the dead 1:5
3 Prince of kings 1:5
4 Alpha and Omega 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13
5 Beginning and Ending 1:8; 21:6;
6 One which is, was, is to come 1:8; 4:8
7 The Almighty 1:8; 4:8
8 Son of man Same as Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9 1:13
9 First and last 1:17; 22:13
10 He that liveth, was death, is alive for evermore 1:18
11 Possessor of the seven Spirits 3:1; 5:6
12 One on the throne 4:2
13 God 4:8; 21:7
14 Creator 4:11
15 Lion of tribe of Judah Humanity 5:5
16 Root of David David's creator 5:5; 22:16
17 Lamb Sacrifice for sin 5:6
18 Redeemer 5:9
19 Faithful 19:11
20 True 19:11
21 The Word of God 19:13
22 King of kings 19:16
23 Lord of lords 19:16
24 Offspring of David Humanity 22:16
25 Bright and morning star 22:16

Each of these titles and roles is a beautiful revelation of Jesus. Together, they present a portrait of One who came in flesh, died, and rose again but also One who is the everlasting Lord God Almighty.

The last chapter of Revelation describes God and the Lamb in the singular (Revelation 22:3-4) and identifies the Lord God of the holy prophets as Jesus (Revelation 22:6, 16). These references tell us that Jesus is the God of eternity and that He will appear with His glorified human body (the Lamb) throughout eternity. God's glory will be the light for the New Jerusalem as it shines through the glorified body of Jesus (Revelation 21:23). These closing chapters of the Book of Revelation describes how God will reveal (unveil) Himself in all His glory to everyone forever. They tell us that Jesus is the everlasting God and that Jesus will reveal Himself as God throughout eternity. Therefore, the book is indeed the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Has All the Attributes and Prerogatives of God

If any more proof is needed to demonstrate that Jesus is God, we can compare the attributes of Jesus with the attributes of God. In doing so we find that Jesus possesses all the attributes and prerogatives of God, particularly those that can belong only to God. In His humanity, Jesus is visible, confined to a physical body, weak, imperfect in power, and so on. In His divine nature, however, Jesus is a Spirit; for Romans 8:9 speaks of the Spirit of Christ. In His divinity, Jesus was and is omnipresent. For example, in John 3:13 Jesus referred to "the Son of man which is in heaven" even though He was still on earth. His omnipresence explains why He could say in the present tense while on earth, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). In other words, while the fulness of God's character was located in the human body of Jesus, the omnipresent Spirit of Jesus could not be so confined. While Jesus walked this earth as a man, His Spirit was still everywhere at the same time.

Jesus is also omniscient; for He could read thoughts (Mark 2:6-12). He knew Nathanael before He met him (John 1:47-50). He knows all things (John 21:17), and all wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him (Colossians 2:3).

Jesus is omnipotent; He has all power, is the head of all principality and power, and is the Almighty (Matthew 28:18; Colossians 2:10; Revelation 1:8).

Jesus is immutable and unchanging (Hebrews 13:8). He is also eternal and immortal (Hebrews 1:8-12; Revelation 1:8, 18).

Only God should receive worship (Exodus 20:1-5; 34:14), yet Jesus received worship on many occasions and will receive worship from all creation (Luke 24:52; Philippians 2:10; Hebrews 1:6). Only God can forgive sin (Isaiah 43:25), yet Jesus has power to forgive sin (Mark 2:5). God receives the spirits of men (Ecclesiastes 12:7), yet Jesus received the spirit of Stephen (Acts 7:59). God is the preparer of heaven (Hebrews 11:10), yet Jesus is the preparer of heaven (John 14:3). Therefore, we find that Jesus has all the attributes and prerogatives that belong to God alone.

Moreover, Jesus displays all the other characteristics God has. For example, while on earth Jesus displayed godly emotions such as joy, compassion, and sorrow (Luke 10:21; Mark 6:34; John 11:35). The Bible also testifies that He has the moral attributes of God. Below is a list of some moral attributes of Jesus which correspond to those of God.
Table 7: Jesus Has the Moral Nature of God
1 love Ephesians 5:25
2 light John 1:3-9
3 holiness Luke 1:35
4 mercy Hebrews 2:17
5 gentleness II Corinthians 10:1
6 righteousness II Timothy 4:8
7 goodness Matthew 19:16
8 perfection Ephesians 4:13
9 justice Acts 3:14
10 faithfulness Revelation 19:11
11 truth John 14:6
12 grace John 1:16-17

Conclusion

Jesus is everything that the Bible describes God to be. He has all the attributes, prerogatives, and characteristics of God Himself. To put it simply, everything that God is Jesus is. Jesus is the one God. There is no better way to sum it all up than to say with the inspired Apostle Paul, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him" (Colossians 2:9-10).

[Della Morton]

You've Said you've heard all this before? WHAT YOU'VE Heard the Bible scriptures before that Jesus is the Father and That People Continually IGNORE Them??? How sad it is people are arguing over The Precious Word of God.

Well If Some one on Here hasn't read these scriptures, Please Look up these scriptures above this I gave you proving Jesus is God the Father. Don't Take my words for it! But Look them up for yourself and Prayerfully SEEK The Lord and seek to know HIS Truth in the Word of God. Man CAN BE Sincerely wrong? That is why I am Saying to you Let's LOOK AT THE Scriptures and see if I am not telling you the Truth?. I love Everyone in here and If your a minister of God YOU ARE All the MORE Accountable. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE For People's LIVES. Heaven or hell. We all have to answer to Jesus TODAY .So
I for one don't want to be Found Fighting against His Word. Jesus and the apostles and the entire bible Is flowing in perfect Harmony,Scriptures NEVER CONTRACT ITSELF. It's that MAN CAUSES THE DIVISIONS.
What I am saying is: Is that let the Word Of God interpret itself by the Holy Spirit.God Bless you. Love In Christ Della Morton

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

Elder Williams (and anyone else reading this):

Good day to you! It has been a while, and yes, until people realize and/or admit truth, you're gonna see the same subjects over and over.

Now, as for JESUS being the FATHER: "Equal with The FATHER" does not mean "I am the FATHER". There is a BIG difference there! Lets say that your father is Elder Williams 1st, you're Elder Williams II, and your son is Elder Williams III. Even if your father died, and you stepped up to a position equal to his, it doesn't make you Elder Williams the first! The Oneness doctrine falsely makes being "equal with" mean that one is literally that person. The word Equal means this:

"of the same measure, quantity, amount, or number as another identical in mathematical value or logical denotation: equivalent; like in quality, nature, or status; like for each member of a group, class, or society"

The Greek word for "Equal" in John 5:18 is "isos" (ee'-sos), and it means "similar (in amount and kind) -- + agree, as much, equal, like." This does not mean that JESUS said I am the FATHER, but it is Him claiming "equality with" the FATHER in nature, attributes, and power, but not authority. HE is the only begotten Son of GOD the FATHER, literally meaning out of all sons, HE is the ONLY Son coming from the literal essence of the FATHER. He is the ONLY Son that is (for a lack of better words) made of the exact same substance as YHWH the FATHER. If that substance for example was O+ blood and a certain type of skin, then JESUS is the ONLY existing being that is from that very essence. The FATHER literally formed the Son out of His own essence. Mind you, I did not say that JESUS was created; HE was born out of the FATHER's mind and power. JESUS is an exact duplicate. The CLOSEST thing to human comprehension you can have for this is "cell replication" or "DNA cloning". This is how humans multiply in the first place. This goes right back to what GOD said to GOD "let Us make man in our own image, after Our own likeness".

I ask these questions to Oneness and I never get a direct answer to it, just an explanation of what they believe. Maybe someone here will be able to answer it directly instead of going around in circles with long messages about everything BUT the questions:

"Who is JESUS talking to when HE prayed to the FATHER? Was HE praying to Himself?"

"Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15 that JESUS would hand the Kingdom over to the FATHER in the end. If you say that JESUS is the FATHER, would that mean that JESUS is giving the Kingdom over to Himself?"

"How can JESUS be the FATHER if JESUS subjected Himself to the FATHER? Does JESUS subject Himself to Himself?"

If anyone is going to respond to anything I posted, please take the time to respond to these questions FIRST.

[Della Morton]

When Jesus said, "I and my Father are one," the Jews sought to stone him for blasphemy, because He being a man made Himself God the Father (John 10:30-33). They sought to kill Him when He said the Father was in Him, again because He was claiming to be the Father (John 10:38-39).

When Jesus forgave a palsied man of His sins, the Jews thought He had blasphemed because they knew that only God could forgive sin (Isaiah 43:25). Jesus, knowing their thoughts, healed the man; thereby showing His divine power and proving His deity (Luke 5:20-26). The Jews were right in believing that there was one God, in believing that only God could forgive sin, and in understanding that Jesus claimed to be the one God (the Father and Jehovah). They were wrong only because they refused to believe Jesus' claim.

It is amazing that some people today not only reject the Lord's assertion of His true identity, but even fail to realize what He did assert. Even the Jewish opponents of Jesus realized that Jesus claimed to be God, the Father, and Jehovah, but some today cannot see what the Scriptures so plainly declare.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

Once again, can you please respond to my questions? I read my scriptures all the time, and I know exactly what it says. It never said HE claimed to be the FATHER, but that HE claimed to be EQUAL TO the FATHER.

[James Pierce]

Trevor,

That is correct. being that Yashah is the divine expression of the father, then he would be equal in that essence. I do not think Della would get this.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

I don't think so either James!

[Della Morton]

If Jesus never claimed that he was the Father then Why did JESUS Tell Phillip WHEN YOU HAVE SEEN ME YOU HAVE SEEN the Father? Phillip was looking for the father and that was it reply.
John 14:8-10 (King James Version)

8Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

10Believest 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.

[Della Morton]

The Dual Nature of Christ

From the Bible we see that Jesus Christ had two distinct natures in a way that no other human being has ever had. One nature is human or fleshly; the other nature is divine or Spirit. Jesus was both fully man and fully God. The name Jesus refers to the eternal Spirit of God (the Father) dwelling in the flesh. We can use the name Jesus to describe either one of His two natures or both. For example, when we say Jesus died on the cross, we mean His flesh died on the cross. When we say Jesus lives in our hearts, we mean His Spirit is there.

Below is a comparative list that will illustrate what we mean when we say Jesus had two natures or a dual nature.
Table 8: The Dual Nature of Jesus Christ
As a man, Jesus But as God, He:
1 Was born a baby Luke 2:7 Existed from eternity Micah 5:2; John 1:1-2
2 Grew mentally, physically, spiritually, socially Luke 2:52 Never changes Hebrews 13:8
3 Was tempted by the devil Luke 4:2 Cast out devils Matthew 12:28
4 Hungered Matthew 4:2 Was the Bread of Life and miraculously fed multitudes John 6:35; Mark 6:38-44, 52
5 Thirsted John 19:28 Gave living water John 4:14
6 Grew weary John 4:6 Gave rest Matthew 11:28
7 Slept in a storm Mark 4:38 Calmed the storm Mark 4:39-41
8 Prayed Luke 22:41 Answered prayer John 14:14
9 Was scourged and beaten John 19:1-3 Healed the sick Matthew 8:16-17; I Peter 2:24
10 Died Mark 15:37 Raised His own body from the dead John 2:19-21; 20:9
11 Was a sacrifice for sin Hebrews 10:10-12 Forgave sin Mark 2:5-7
12 Did not know all things Mark 13:32 Knew all things John 21:17
13 Had no power John 5:30 Had all power Matthew 28:18; Colossians 2:10
14 Was inferior to God John 14:28 Was equal to God - was God John 5:18
15 Was a servant Philippians 2:7-8 Was King of kings Revelation 19:16

We can resolve most questions about the Godhead if we properly understand the dual nature of Jesus. When we read a statement about Jesus we must determine if it describes Jesus as a man or as God. Moreover, whenever Jesus speaks in Scripture we must determine whether He is speaking as man or as God. Whenever we see a description of two natures with respect to Jesus, we should not think of two persons in the Godhead or of two Gods, but we should think of Spirit and flesh.

Sometimes it is easy to get confused when the Bible describes Jesus in these two different roles, especially when it describes Him acting in both roles in the same story. For example, He could sleep one minute and calm the storm the next minute. He could speak as man one moment and then as God the next moment. However, we must always remember that Jesus is fully God and not merely an anointed man. At the same time, He was fully man, not just an appearance of man. He had a dual nature unlike anything we have, and we cannot adequately compare our existence or experience to His. What would seem strange or impossible if applied to a mere human becomes understandable when viewed in the context of One who is both fully God and fully man at the same time.

Historical Doctrines of Christ

The dual nature of Christ has been viewed in many different ways throughout church history. We will discuss these various views in a brief and general way. For the sake of reference and further study, we have included in parentheses various historical names associated with these beliefs. For more on these terms and doctrines, see any good work on the history of dogma, especially the history of trinitarianism and Christology.

Some believe that Jesus was only a man who was greatly anointed and used by the Spirit (Ebionitism; see also Unitarianism). This erroneous view completely ignores His Spirit nature. Others have said that Jesus was a spirit being only (Docetism - a doctrine in Gnosticism). This view ignores His human nature. John wrote that those who deny that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh are not of God but have an antichrist spirit (I John 4:2-3).

Even among those who believe in the dual nature of Jesus Christ, there are many erroneous beliefs. Some have tried to distinguish between Jesus and Christ, saying that Christ was a divine being who temporarily dwelt in Jesus beginning at his baptism, but withdrew from the man Jesus just before death (Cerinthianism - a doctrine in Gnosticism). In a similar vein, some say Jesus was a man who became God only at some point in His adult life - such as at His baptism - as a result of an adoptive act by God (Dynamic Monarchianism, Adoptionism). In other words, this view contends that Jesus was a human who was eventually deified. Others regard Jesus as a created deity, a deity like the Father but inferior to the Father in deity, or a demigod (Arianism). Then, some believe that Jesus is of the same essence as the Father, yet not the Father but subordinate to the Father in deity (Subordinationism).

We refuted these false theories by referring to the Scriptures. There we noted that Jesus is fully God (as demonstrated by Colossians 2:9) and that Jesus was fully God from the beginning of His human existence (as demonstrated by the Virgin Birth and Luke 1:35).

The Spirit inspired John and Paul to refute many of these erroneous doctrines, particularly the Gnostic beliefs that Christ was a spirit-being only and that Christ was a being inferior to the Supreme God, Among other things, Gnostics believed that all matter was evil. Therefore, they reasoned, Christ as a divine spirit could not have had a real human body. Since they held that the Supreme God was so transcendent and holy that He could not make direct contact with the evil world of matter, they taught that from God came a series of emanations one of whom was the Spirit-being Christ, who came to this world. Of course, the Book of Colossians refutes these doctrines and establishes that Jesus is the Almighty God in the flesh.

While the Bible is clear in emphasizing both the full deity and full humanity of Jesus, it does not describe in detail how these two natures are united in the one person of Jesus Christ. This, too, has been the subject of much speculation and debate. Perhaps there is room for divergent views on this issue since the Bible does not treat it directly. Indeed, if there is to be any mystery about the Godhead, it will be in determining precisely how God manifested Himself in flesh. (See I Timothy 3:16.) The study of the nature or natures of Christ is called Christology.

One way to explain the human and divine in Christ is to say He was God living in a human house. In other words, He had two distinct natures unified not in substance but only in purpose, action and appearance (Nestorianism). This view implies that Christ is divided into two persons, and that the human person could have existed in the absence of the divine. The Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. condemned Nestorius' view as heresy. [14]

Many theologians, however, including Martin Luther have thought that Nestorius, the chief exponent of this doctrine, did not really believe in such a drastic separation but that opponents distorted and misrepresented his views. Apparently, he denied that he divided Christ into two persons. The main concern Nestorius expressed was this: he wanted to so differentiate between the two natures of Christ that no one could call Mary the mother of God, which was a popular practice in his day.

Another Christological view holds that the human and divine aspects of Christ were so intermingled that there was really only one dominant nature, and it was divine (Monophysitism). A similar belief is that Jesus did not have two wills, but only a divine-human will (Monothelitism). Others believe that Jesus had an incomplete human nature (Apollinarianism); that is, Jesus had a human body and soul but instead of a human spirit He had only the Spirit of God dwelling in Him. Other ways to state this belief are that Jesus was a human body animated solely by the Spirit of God, or that Jesus did not have a human mind but only the divine mind (the Logos).

On the one hand we have a view that emphasizes the separation between the two natures of Christ. On the other hand, we have several views that describe one totally dominant, divine nature, a totally unified nature, or an incomplete human nature.

Jesus Had a Complete, But Sinless, Human Nature

The truth may lie somewhere in between these historical views expressed by various theologians. That Jesus had a complete human nature and complete divine nature at the same time is the teaching of Scripture, but we cannot separate these two natures in His earthly life. It is apparent that Jesus had a human will, mind, spirit, soul, and body, but it is equally apparent that He had the fulness of the Godhead resident in that body. From our finite view, His human spirit and His divine Spirit were inseparable.

The divine Spirit could be separated from the human body by death, but His humanity was more than a human body - the shell of a human - with God inside. He was human in body, soul, and spirit with the fulness of the Spirit of God dwelling in that body, soul, and spirit. Jesus differed from an ordinary human (who can be filled with the Spirit of God) in that He had all of God's nature within Him. He possessed the unlimited power, authority and character of God. Furthermore, in contrast to a born-again, Spirit-filled human, the Spirit of God was inextricably and inseparably joined with the humanity of Jesus. Without the Spirit of God there would have been only a lifeless human that would not have been Jesus Christ. Only in these terms can we describe and distinguish the two natures in Jesus; we know that He acted and spoke from one role or the other, but we also know that the two natures were not actually separated in Him. With our finite minds, we can make only a distinction and not a separation in the two natures that blended perfectly in Him.

Although Jesus had a complete human nature, He did not have the sinful nature of fallen humanity. If He would have had a sinful nature, He would have sinned. However, we know He neither had a sinful nature nor did He commit sinful acts. He was without sin, He did not sin, and sin was not in Him (Hebrews 4:15; I Peter 2:22; I John 3:5). Since He did not have a human father, He did not inherit a sinful nature from fallen Adam. Instead, He came as the second Adam, with an innocent nature like Adam had in the beginning (Romans 5:12-21; I Corinthians 15:45-49). Jesus had a complete, but sinless, human nature.

The Bible does indicate that Jesus had a human will as well as the divine will. He prayed to the Father, saying, "Not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). John 6:38 shows the existence of two wills: He came not to do His own will (human will), but to do the Father's will (the divine will).

That Jesus had a human spirit seems evident when He spoke on the cross, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). Although it is difficult to distinguish between the divine and human natures of His spirit, some references seemingly focus upon the human aspect. For example, "he sighed deeply in his spirit" (Mark 8:12), "waxed strong in spirit" (Luke 2:40), "rejoiced in spirit" (Luke 10:21), "groaned in the spirit" (John 11:33), and "was troubled in spirit" (John 13:21).

Jesus had a soul, for He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew 26:38; see Mark 14:34) and "Now is my soul troubled" (John 12:27). Upon His death, His soul visited hell (Greek hades - the grave or the underworld of departed souls), just as all souls did before Calvary (Acts 2:27) The difference was that the Spirit of God in Jesus would not let His soul stay in hell (Acts 2:27, 31); instead He conquered hell (again, hades) and death (Revelation 1:18).

The soul of Jesus had to be inseparably bound to the divine Spirit of Jesus. Otherwise, Jesus would have lived as a man, even with the eternal Spirit taken away from Him. This did not and could not have happened, since Jesus is God made known in the flesh. We know that Jesus as God never changes (Hebrews 13:8).

If we do not accept the fact that Jesus was fully human, then the scriptural references to His temptations lose meaning (Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 2:16-18; 4:14-16). So does the description of His struggle and agony in Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-44). Two passages in Hebrews point out that since Jesus was tempted as we are, He qualifies as our High Priest, understands us perfectly, and helps us in our infirmities: "In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren" (Hebrews 2:17); "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Hebrews 5:7-8 says, "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." These verses do not present a picture of someone unaffected by the emotions of fears and doubts. Rather, they describe someone who possessed these human weaknesses; He had to subdue the human will and submit to the eternal Spirit.

The humanity of Christ prayed, cried, learned obedience, and suffered. The divine nature was in control and God was faithful to His own plan, but the human nature had to obtain help from the Spirit and, had to learn obedience to the divine plan. Surely all these verses of Scripture show that Jesus was fully human - that He had every attribute of humanity except the sinful nature inherited from the Fall. If we deny the humanity of Jesus, we encounter a problem with the concept of redemption and atonement. Not being fully human, could His sacrifice be sufficient to redeem mankind? Could he really be a true substitute for us in death? Could He truly qualify as our kinsman redeemer?

Could Jesus Sin?

The assertion that Jesus was perfect in humanity leads to a question: Could Jesus sin? This is really a misleading and abstract question, since we know Jesus did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). The answer is more academic than practical, more speculative than bearing any real substance. In His humanity, Jesus was tempted by Satan, and He struggled with His will in Gethsemane. Although He did not have our depraved natures - He had the same innocent, sinless nature as Adam had originally - He had the same ability to go against God's will, as did Adam and Eve.

Certainly the divine part of Jesus could not sin and could not even be tempted to sin (James 1:13). The human part of Jesus, when viewed alone, theoretically had the capacity to sin. But this is only theoretical, and not actual. Viewed alone, it seems that the humanity of Christ had the capacity to choose sin. However, His human nature always willingly submitted to the divine nature, which could not sin. So, as a practical matter, Jesus Christ - viewed as the combination of humanity and divinity that He was - could not sin. The Spirit was always in control and Spirit-controlled humanity does not commit sin. (See I John 3:9 for an analogy.)

What if the humanity of Jesus had rebelled against the divine leadership? This is another totally theoretical question because it did not happen and as a practical matter it could not happen. This question does not take into account the foreknowledge and the power of God. Yet if one insists on an answer, we would say that if the humanity of Jesus had tried to sin (a foolish assumption), the divine Spirit of Jesus would have immediately separated Himself from the human body, leaving it lifeless. This lifeless body would not be Jesus Christ, so technically Christ could not have sinned, although the plan of God would have been thwarted temporarily.

Since Jesus as God could not sin, does this mean the temptations were meaningless? No. Since Jesus was also fully human He really was able to feel the struggle and pull of temptation. He overcame temptation, not as God in Himself, but as a human with all the power of God available to Him. He now knows exactly by experience how we feel when we are tempted. Of course, He knew He would be victorious through the Spirit, but we can have the same assurance, power, and victory by relying on the same Spirit that was in Christ.

So, why did Satan tempt Jesus? Apparently, he did not know Jesus inevitably would be victorious and he did not understand at that time the full mystery of God in flesh. If he had, he never would have instigated the crucifixion. Perhaps he thought he had defeated God's plan by the crucifixion, but instead he just fulfilled it. It is also probable that the Spirit of God allowed Satan to tempt Jesus so that Jesus could feel temptation as we do. We are told that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1).

For those who think our position somehow detracts from the reality of Christ's temptations, consider this. We know Jesus did not have a sinful nature. We know He did not have the inclination and compulsion to sin that we have because of our fallen nature. Yet, this does not detract from the reality of what He experienced. He still felt the very struggle that we feel. Likewise, the fact that as God Jesus could not sin does not detract from the reality of His temptations. He still felt the same struggles and trials that we feel. On the other hand, if we say Jesus could sin we detract from His absolute deity, for we are indicating that somehow God can exist apart from Jesus and vice versa.

We conclude that the human nature of Jesus could be and was tempted. Since the divine nature was in control, however, Jesus could not and did not sin. If Jesus had an incomplete human nature, the reality and meaning of the temptations and the struggle in Gethsemane would be lessened. We believe He did have a complete human nature. He experienced exactly how man feels when he is tempted and when he struggles. The fact that Jesus knew He would overcome through the Spirit does not detract from the reality of the temptations.

The whole question of whether Jesus could sin is abstract, as we have already observed. Suffice it to say that Jesus' human nature was like ours in all points except in the matter of original sin. He was tempted in all things, as we are, and yet the Spirit of God was always in control. The most relevant fact for us is that He was tempted, yet He did not sin.

The Son in Biblical Terminology

We should consider the dual nature of Christ into the framework of biblical terminology. The term Father refers to God Himself - God in all His deity. When we speak of the eternal Spirit of God, we mean God Himself, the Father. God the Father, therefore, is a perfectly acceptable and biblical phrase to use for God (Titus 1:4). However, the Bible does not use the term "God the Son" even one time. It is not a correct term because the Son of God refers to the humanity of Jesus Christ. The Bible defines the Son of God as the child born of Mary, not as the eternal Spirit of God (Luke 1:35). Son of God may refer solely to the human nature or it may refer to God manifested in flesh - that is, deity in the human nature.

Son of God never means the incorporeal Spirit alone, however. We can never use the term "Son" correctly apart from the humanity of Jesus Christ. The terms "Son of God," "Son of man," and "Son" are appropriate and biblical. However, the term "God the Son" is inappropriate because it equates the Son with deity alone, and therefore it is unscriptural.

The Son of God is not a separate person in the Godhead, but the physical expression of the one God. The Son is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:13-15) and "the express image of His [God's] person" (Hebrews 1:2-3). Just as a signature stamp leaves an exact likeness on paper, or just as a seal leaves an exact impression when pressed in wax, so the Son of God is the exact expression of the Spirit of God in flesh. Man could not see the invisible God, so God made an exact likeness of Himself in flesh, impressed His very nature in flesh, came Himself in flesh, so that man could see and know Him.

Many other verses of Scripture reveal that we can only use the term "Son of God" correctly when it includes the humanity of Jesus. For example, the Son was made of a woman (Galatians 4:4), the Son was begotten (John 3:16), the Son was born (Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 1:35), the Son did not know the hour of the Second Coming (Mark 13:32), the Son could do nothing of Himself (John 5:19), the Son came eating and drinking (Matthew 11:19), the Son suffered (Matthew 17:12), a person can blaspheme against the Son but not the Spirit and be forgiven (Luke 12:10), the Son was crucified (John 3:14; 12:30-34), and the Son died (Matthew 27:40-54; Romans 5:10). The death of Jesus is a particularly good example. His divine Spirit did not die, but His human body did. We cannot say that God died, so we cannot say "God the Son" died. On the other hand, we can say that the Son of God died because Son refers to humanity.

As stated above, "Son" does not always refer to the humanity alone but to the deity and humanity together as they exist in the one person of Christ. For example, the Son has power to forgive sin (Matthew 9:6), the Son was both in heaven and on earth at the same time (John 3:13), the Son ascended up into heaven (John 6:62), and the Son is coming again in glory to rule and judge (Matthew 25:31).

Son Of God

One note needs to be added to our discussion of the phrase "God the Son." In John 1:18 the KJV uses the phrase "the only begotten Son" and the RSV says "the only Son." However, the NIV says "God the only Son" and TAB says "the only unique Son, the only begotten God." These last two versions are based on variant readings in some Greek texts. We do not believe these variant readings are correct. If we could justify the use of the phrase "God the Son" at all, it would be by pointing out, as we have done, that "Son of God" can mean not only the humanity of Jesus but also the deity as it resides in the humanity. However, John 1:18 uses Son to refer to the humanity, for it says the Father (the deity of Jesus) is revealed through the Son. This verse of Scripture does not mean that God is revealed by God, but that God is revealed in flesh through the humanity of the Son.

What is the significance of the title "Son of God"? It emphasizes the divine nature of Jesus and the fact of His virgin birth. He is the Son of God because He was conceived by the Spirit of God, making God literally His father (Luke 1:35). When Peter confessed that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God," he recognized the Messianic role and deity of Jesus (Matthew 16:16). The Jews understood what Jesus meant when He called Himself the Son of God and when He called God His Father, for they tried to kill Him for claiming to be God (John 5:18; 10:33). In short, the title "Son of God" recognizes the humanity while calling attention to the deity of Jesus. It means God has manifested Himself in flesh.

We should note that the angels are called sons of God (Job 38:7) because God created them directly. Similarly, Adam was the son of God by creation (Luke 3:38). The saints (members of God's church) are also sons of God or children of God because He has adopted us into that relationship (Romans 8:14-19). We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, having all the legal rights of sonship. However, Jesus is the Son of God in the sense that no other being is or can be, for Jesus is the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16). He is the only One ever conceived or begotten by the Spirit of God. Thus, His unique Sonship attests to His deity.

So as we can see When Jesus was praying to the father it was HIS humanity praying to spirituality!Not forgetting His dual nature .
Jesus was are example!

[PASTOR CHARLES E BELL JR]

amen well put Della some people read the Bible and still dont understand

[Della Morton]

The Prayers Of Christ

Do the prayers of Christ indicate a distinction of persons between Jesus and the Father? No. On the contrary, His praying indicates a distinction between the Son of God and God. Jesus prayed in His humanity, not in His deity. If the prayers of Jesus demonstrate that the divine nature of Jesus is different than the Father, then Jesus is inferior to the Father in deity. In other words, if Jesus prayed as God then His position in the Godhead would be somehow inferior to the other "persons." This one example effectively destroys the concept of a trinity of co-equal persons.

How can God pray and still be God? By definition, God in His omnipotence has no need to pray, and in His oneness has no other to whom He can pray. If the prayers of Jesus prove there are two persons in the Godhead, then one of those persons is subordinate to the other and therefore not fully or truly God.

What, then, is the explanation of the prayers of Christ? It can only be that the human nature of Jesus prayed to the eternal Spirit of God. The divine nature did not need help; only the human nature did. As Jesus said at the Garden of Gethsemane, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Hebrews 5:7 makes it clear that Jesus needed to pray only during "the days of his flesh." During the prayer at Gethsemane, the human will submitted itself to the divine will. Through prayer His human nature learned to submit and be obedient to the Spirit of God (Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 5:7-8). This was not a struggle between two divine wills, but a struggle between the human and divine wills in Jesus. As a man Jesus submitted Himself to and received strength from the Spirit of God.

Some may object to this explanation, contending that it means Jesus prayed to Himself. However, we must realize that, unlike any other human being, Jesus had two perfect and complete natures - humanity and divinity. What would be absurd or impossible for an ordinary man is not so strange with Jesus. We do not say Jesus prayed to Himself, for that incorrectly implies Jesus had only one nature like ordinary men. Rather, we say the human nature of Jesus prayed to the divine Spirit of Jesus that dwelt in the man.

The choice is simple. Either Jesus as God prayed to the Father or Jesus as man prayed to the Father. If the former were true, then we have a form of subordinationism or Arianism in which one person in the Godhead is inferior to, not co-equal with, another person in the Godhead. This contradicts the biblical concept of one God, the full deity of Jesus, and the omnipotence of God. If the second alternative is correct, and we believe that it is, then no distinction of persons in the Godhead exists. The only distinction is between humanity and divinity, not between God and God.

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

Those are excellent questions. Trevor.

I guess I would add a very simple question from Genesis... Who is the "us" in the statement, "let us make man in our image."

Who was Jesus praying to when He prayed to the Father?

And where does the Holy Spirit come into place?

Is Jesus seated on the right hand of himself?

Did He leave to send another paraklete (sp?) But was really sending Himself?

By not addressing these legitimate questions, are we implying that in the Bible, Jesus portrayed as one with a multiple personality disorder ?

the bible isn't contradictory so there must be an explanation for "equality" and being "one with" and "being God" as well as the "going to the Father". "Sending another comforter" and any other scripture demonstrating a definite differences between the Father the Son the Holy Spirit. ESPECIALLY those scriptures that have direct freferences to the three.

Where is the harmonious accord in these two paradigms that are most definitely connected?