Is it possible to understand the Godhead? Part 05

[jame...@btinternet.com]

Is it possible to understand the Godhead?
PART FIVE
But in John’s Gospel we hear this same man (Jesus) who said the Father
was in Him praying to His Father. "This is John I7:I "These words spake
Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is
come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee." Now read
John I7:9 "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me; for they are thine." Jesus distinctly said
that the Father was in Him, yet He seemed to be praying to His Father
in heaven. How can the One who claimed the Father was in Him need to
pray to that same Father. Is it possible to believe the Father was in
Him, and that He needed to pray for His disciples to His Father.
The answer is simple. We have already established that Jesus was
genuinely human. We read in Psalm 65:2, "0 thou that hearest prayer,
unto thee shall all flesh come." Now it does not say that unto God
shall some flesh come or most flesh come, but it declares, "0 thou that
hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come." Prayer was instituted
not for the Creator, but for created beings. Paul has already told us
that Jesus is flesh in Romans 9:5 "Whose [are] the fathers, and of whom
as concerning the flesh Christ [came], who is over all, God blessed for
ever. Amen." The Example of Prayer.
He had to pray as an example to us as Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:21 "For
even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps." Christ is not
only our Saviour, but also our example. We know a person who never
prays will never be a successful Christian. The Lord taught us about
prayer in the parable to the True Vine, John 15:5 "I am the vine, ye
[are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." In this
parable as God He also promised to answer prayer, John 15:7 "If ye
abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and
it shall be done unto you." It is not possible to abide in Him without
prayer. Martha complained because Mary chose to sit at the Master’s
feet while she had all the work to do. We know Mary was right because
Jesus said in Luke 10:42 "But one thing is needful: and Mary hath
chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
If Jesus had not prayed Christians could live lives without prayer and
justify themselves. Jesus, being our example, had to pray. He prayed as
man, and He prayed as our example.
We should note that the One who prayed as a man (Jesus), also promised
to answer prayer in John 14:13-14, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my
name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If
ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it]." This is marvellous
because the One who prayed as man answers prayers as God. His dual
nature is the answer to these difficulties. If we believe that in
Christ we see "The Perfect Oneness of the Godhead," we have no problems
about Him praying to His Father.
The reason Christians claim to believe in the Trinity as One God in
three Eternal Persons is because they have never really studied or
endeavoured to understand exactly what being Trinitarian means. The
Trinitarian who sees Jesus praying says the second person of the
Godhead is praying to the first person of the Godhead. They are in fact
talking nonsense, because they believe the first and second persons are
God, and therefore Jesus praying is God is praying to God. The
Jehovah’s Witness and the Christadelphians have opted out by making
Jesus less than God, but they are wrong, and this contradicts His own
teaching. Jesus prayed in the garden as the perfect man inferior in His
manhood to His Father.
We know a Divine Person cannot pray to another Divine Person without
undeifying Himself. The second person who is praying for help must be
less than the God and Father to whom He is praying for help, otherwise
the practice would be meaningless. If we ever hear someone praying, we
know they need help, and God never needs help. A divine person cannot
ever need help, only men need help. The explanation of John 17 that we
find one divine person is praying to another divine person is dishonest
and foolish. Unless we understand that Jesus was the Perfect Man, and
that the Father was dwelling in Him, we will always be confused and
confounded
Jesus was not an ordinary person. Jesus was God and man! If Jesus
Christ had a dual nature why then should we think it incredible that He
should perform a dual role?
No one would ever think of saying that God died on the cross for God
cannot die. This thought by itself is just as blasphemous as the
statement by Roman Catholics that Mary is the Mother of God. However we
can truthfully say that the Son of God who died was God. We can also
say that Mary was the mother of the Son of God, but never the Mother of
God. Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:13 "Hold fast the form of sound words,
which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ
Jesus." There is a certain form of sound language that cannot be
condemned. Let us say the right thing the right way!
The Son’s Lack of Knowledge
Here is another example of Christ’s dual nature and role. "But of that
day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in
heaven, neither the Son, but the Father" (Mark 13:32).
The Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christadelphians also use this verse to
claim Jesus could not be God. They say if the Son does not know the
time of His own coming, He cannot be God." Actually this is no
different from Luke’s statement that Jesus increased in wisdom. The
simple answer is in Philippians 2:7 "But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men." He was not always a servant, but He took upon Himself, at His
incarnation, a servant’s form..
I was born in Kenya where we had servants. We did not bring them into
the study. Nor did we tell them the private things of the family.
Common sense tells us that if we did treat a servant in that way he
would not remain a servant for very long. The same of course applies to
a pastor and his church.
Jesus said that this was so in John 15:15 "Henceforth I call you not
servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have
called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I
have made known unto you." Jesus took upon Himself the form of a
servant. When Jesus said that He knew not the time of His return, He
spoke as a servant. He knew not what His Lord did. Verses like that do
not prove that He is not God, they simply prove that Jesus was human."
Jesus Knew All Things
What Jesus did not know as man, He knew as God; what He did not know as
the Son, He knew as the Father. This is evident when He questioned
Peter in John 21:15-19, "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon
Peter, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest (Greek 25 agapao (ag-ap-ah’-
o); "divine love") thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea,
Lord; thou knowest that I love (Greek 5368 phileo (fil-eh’-o); from
5384; to be a friend to (fond of [an individual or an object]), i.e.
have affection for) thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to
him again the second time, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest (agapao) thou
me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love (phileo)
thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third
time, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest (Greek 5368 phileo (fil-eh’-o);
from 5384; to be a friend to (fond of [an individual or an object]),
i.e. have affection for) thou me? Peter was grieved because he said
unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord,
thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith
unto him, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou
wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest:
but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and
another shall gird thee, and carry [thee] whither thou wouldest not.
This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when
he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me."
Here Peter acknowledged this when He said "Lord, thou knowest all
things; thou knowest that I love thee." Peter had denied His Lord three
times and was therefore fearful to use the same word for divine love,
i.e. agapeo, and so replied used phileo, the lesser word saying that he
was fond of Him. He was grieved when the Lord also used the lesser word
for His question when he replied the third time. Knowing all things the
Lord also signified that he would die by crucifixion. This appears to
be the meaning commentators have suggested for His prophetic utterance
concerning Peter’s death.
John Foxe tells us that when Nero planned to crucify Peter the
Christians urged him to escape by leaving the city. But, coming to the
gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to whom he, worshipping,
said, "Lord, whither dost thou go?" To whom he answered and said, "I am
come again to be crucified." By this, Peter, perceiving his suffering
to be understood, returned back into the city again, and so was he
crucified in manner as is before declared. Peter was crucified, his
head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he
was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner
as the Lord was."
As Lord, Jesus knew all things. It was only as the servant that He knew
not all things. Paul made this evident in Colossians 2:2-10 "That their
hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all
riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement
of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are
hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any
man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in
the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your
order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have
therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him: Rooted
and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil
you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,
after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in
him, which is the head of all principality and power." Here Paul tells
us that in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
and that we are complete in Him."
There is nothing that He does not know, that is, as God. But as man
there are some things that He did not know. Jesus was truly man and
absolutely God. The Key to all this is the Prophecy in Isaiah 9:6-
7, "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. Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there
shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to
order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform
this."
Isaiah explains to us that the child who was born and wrapped in
swaddling clothes lying in a manger, that helpless, crying, sucking
infant, is the mighty God! This prophecy was fulfilled for He was born
a Son. Yet in the same message He is the Father of the ages, the Father
of eternity, the everlasting Father. Here Isaiah sees two persons, A
Son and a Father?
We all know that Isaiah believed in the high and lofty One who
inhabited eternity. He did not believe in a high and lofty two neither
a high and lofty three, but the high and lofty One who inhabits
eternity. He declared that this One is the Son and is also the Father.
See Isaiah 57:I5 "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth
eternity, whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place],
with him also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the
spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
END OF PART FIVE

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