THE GODHEAD
By
Shelby G. Floyd
The Bible teaches that there is just one God or
Godhead, but this one Godhead involves three distinct persons.
In a discussion with a Jewish scribe, Jesus referred to the Old Testament
Scriptures which taught that God is one Lord.
The scribe had asked, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the
commandments is: ‘Hear, O
The Jews worshiped just one God in contrast to the polytheism of the
pagan nations surrounding them. We are
to worship and serve one God, and yet, God is not one person. The New Testament teaches that Jesus Christ
is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, which simply means that he possesses all
the powers and attributes of the deity.
Paul said, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily." (Colossians 2:9).
When Jesus Christ assumed bodily form, and lived upon the earth, he
exhibited all the marks of the divine nature.
Philip once asked the Lord to show him the Father, whereupon Jesus
replied, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you
have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen
the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9).
On another occasion the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Where is Your
Father?” Jesus replied, “You know
neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” (John
8:19). This is what Paul meant when he
said that all the fullness of the Godhead dwelled bodily in Christ Jesus.
There are churches that teach that Jesus Christ is all three persons
mentioned in the Godhead. They affirm
that there is just one person in the divine Godhead. They deny that there is God the Father, God
the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They
say, “Where does the Bible use such expressions as those which you have just
mentioned?”
GOD THE FATHER
Let us notice that the Bible applies the noun God to the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit. The Bible even uses
the phrase "God the Father" to refer to the first person of the
Godhead. In John, Jesus said, “Do not
labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to
everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father
has set His seal on Him.” (John 6:27).
Observe that in this verse two persons are mentioned: one is the Son of
Man, a phrase which denotes the humanity of Jesus Christ. He was made flesh and dwelt among us, and he
suffered and died in order that he might be one of us. The Hebrew writer says, “Inasmuch then as
the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in
the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death,
that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14).
But there is another person mentioned in this verse and that is God the
Father. Now the Father had sealed his
Son, that is, he had approved of his Son, and had sent his Son into the world
to give himself a ransom for many. No
one then can deny that the Bible makes reference to the first person of the
Godhead, namely, God the Father, unless they deny the plain teaching of the
Bible.
Several other passages of Scripture also refer to the Father as
God. Let us notice these: Paul said to
the Romans, "That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
(Romans 15:6). In the First
Corinthian letter we also read, "Yet for us there is one God, the
Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and
one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we
live." (1 Corinthians
8:6). In his second letter to the
Corinthians Paul stated, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” (2 Corinthians
1:2-3).
When Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians, he prayed for their
well-being, saying, “That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit
together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of
understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and
of Christ.” (Colossians 2:2). This is one of the key passages of Scripture
touching upon the doctrine of the divine Godhead in the entire Bible. You will notice the term mystery is used in
use in connection with the subject of God.
In the Bible the term mystery does not refer to something which is
incomprehensible, but it refers to something which previously was unknown, but having been revealed, is no
longer a mystery, but may be understood as clearly as any other subject in the
Bible.
Albert Barnes makes the following comments
upon this passage:
"This does not mean that the
mere fact of the existence of God was a mystery, or a truth which had been
concealed, for that was not true. But
the sense plainly is, that there were truths now made
known in the gospel to mankind, about the mode of the divine existence, which
had not been disclosed; and this mystery he wished them to retain, or fully
acknowledge. The mystery or the hitherto
unrevealed truth, related to the fact that God subsisted in more persons than
one, as Father, and as Christ.” (Albert Barnes,
Barnes on the New Testament, Ephesians and Colossians, pages 260-261).
The Old Testament Scriptures taught the plurality of the divine Godhead,
but not as clearly as that which is revealed in the New Testament. What Paul wished his readers to understand
was simply that God, the divine nature, expressed itself through the person of
the Father and the person of Jesus Christ.
Oneness teachers definitely cannot answer the plain teaching of this in
regard to the plurality of the persons of the Godhead.
We have already pointed out that the Bible speaks of the first person of
the Godhead under the phrase, "God the Father," but this same Bible
plainly teaches that God is expressed in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore Paul rose to the very heights of
inspired eloquence when he said, “and without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.” (1 Timothy
3:16). There is God the Father, and
there is also God the Son.
GOD THE
Let us notice just a few verses of Scripture which affirm that the Son,
Jesus Christ, possesses the same divine nature or deity which his father
possesses. Out of all the terms and
phrases which are applied to Jesus Christ, none expressed his essential deity any
better than the phrase, “the Word.” In
the prologue of the Gospel of John, the eternity of the word, the society of
the word, and the deity of the word are all affirmed. John said, “In the beginning was the word,
and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with
God." (John
1:1-2). Observe that in the
beginning when God created the heaven and the earth, the Word, Jesus Christ was
there.
GOD THE HOLY
SPIRIT
The Bible also speaks of the Holy Spirit as God, that is, of possessing
the divine nature. The Holy Spirit was
in the beginning when the heavens and the earth were created. (Genesis 1:1-2). Shortly after the church had been
established, Ananias and Sapphira his wife lied about a certain contribution
that they made to help the needy. Peter,
by inspiration, exposed their deceitfulness.
In keeping back part of the price of the land, Peter stated that Ananias
had lied to the Holy Spirit. But then he
stated that he had not lied unto man but unto God. (Acts 5: 3-4). Therefore, the obvious conclusion is that the
Holy Spirit was God or possessed the divine nature.
THE TESTIMONY OF
TWO IS
In the gospel according to John, Jesus Christ, made one of the most
startling statements that has ever been uttered from the lips of man, and had
anyone else other than the divine Son of God made this statement it would have
been presumptuous and pretentious. Jesus
said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).
The Pharisees were not ready to accept the truth of the statement which
Jesus had just uttered, and therefore they argued with him saying, “Here you
are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” (John 8:13). Previously, Jesus Christ himself had stated
that if he bore witness of himself, his witness would not be true. (John 5:31).
Therefore, it seems on the surface that the Pharisees have a case
against Christ. He himself has said that
if he bore witness of himself his witness was not true, and he had just borne
witness of himself and therefore the conclusion would be that his record was
not true. But Jesus meant that if he
testified of himself, his testimony would not be considered true in a court of
law if the only witness that he had was that of himself. However, even though the testimony of Christ
might not be considered true in a court of law, his testimony was true
nevertheless. Therefore Jesus answered
the Pharisees in these words:
“Even if I testify on my own
behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am
going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.” (John 8:14).
When Jesus bore testimony of himself his testimony was definitely true because
he knew all things. But since the claims
and pretensions of Jesus Christ were to be examined and tested in the court of
humanity, the charge which the Pharisees made that the record of Christ was not
true because he testified of himself, would have been considered true if there
had been only one person in the Godhead.
But Jesus was not by himself in bearing testimony of his divine nature,
mission and work to redeem lost mankind.
Jesus continued his reply to the Pharisees saying, “You judge by
human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But ifI
do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the
Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two
men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself; my
other witness is the Father, who sent me.”
(John 8:15-18).
Observe that Jesus reasoned that when he bore testimony and passed
judgment on himself that his judgment was absolutely true because he was not
alone, but both he and the father that sent him were together. There are churches that teach that God is
alone, that there is just one person in the Godhead and therefore he would have
to be alone. If there were a roomful of
people and everybody left the room but one person, that person would be alone
in the room. But Jesus said that he was
not alone, and if he was not alone, then there was someone with him. He affirmed that the one that was with him
was the Father. “I am not alone, but
I and the father that sent me.” (John 8:16). Here is a basic axiom of
arithmetic that one plus one equals two.
In John
Jesus appealed to the teaching of the Old Testament law to the effect
that the testimony of two men is true. “And
yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I am the father
that sent me. It is also written in your
law, that the testimony of two men is true.
I am one that bear witness of myself, and the
Father that sent me bears witness to me."
(John 8:16-18). Moses had
said, "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that
is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall
not be put to death. The hands of the
witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, an afterword
the hands of all the people. So thou
shall put the evil away from among you.” (Deuteronomy 17:6-7).
This same principle is also reaffirmed in the New Testament by Jesus and
his apostles. (Matthew
18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1; Hebrews 10:28). On the basis of what the law said then
concerning the truth of a man's record, Jesus made the following logical
argument that his record was true. Major
premise: the testimony of two persons is considered true in a court of
law. Minor premise: Christ bore witness
of himself, being one person, and his father also that sent him more witness of
him, being a second person. Conclusion,
therefore the record of Christ is true.
But now let us examine the doctrine that there is just one person in the
Godhead in light of the argument made by Christ. The argument made by Christ would be nonsense
if there were only one person in the Godhead, for Jesus quoted the law to the
effect that the testimony of two persons is true, and then Jesus cited the
testimony of himself and his Father to prove that his record was true.
Now if there is only one person in the Godhead, then Jesus would have
been making a ridiculous argument. Jesus argued from the fact that there is
more than one person in the Godhead to prove that his record is true. In his final argument with the Pharisees that
his record was true, Jesus predicted that his death, burial and resurrection
would be the final proof that he was God's divine Son, and that what he said
was true, and that he was not alone but in perfect agreement with his
Father. “When you have lifted up the
Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do
nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who
sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases
him.” (John 8:28-29).
Twice in the eighth chapter of John, Jesus affirmed that he was not
alone, but that his heavenly Father was with him, and approved of all that he
did. Therefore, the Bible affirms that
Christ, the Word, was with God in the beginning and it equally affirms that the
Father was with the Son, and that he was not alone. Therefore there is more than one person in
the divine Godhead.
We have just noticed that there is more than one person in the
Godhead. We have observed that Christ
bore testimony of himself, and the Father that sent him bore testimony
concerning him. Therefore, Jesus was not
alone in bearing record of him-self, but his Father also testified of his
character and work. Then, Jesus was not
alone, but his Father was with him, which definitely teaches that there are at
least two persons in the Godhead. Both
the Father and the Son testify to this great truth. But we wish to enumerate and discuss other
witnesses which testified to the fact that there is more than one person in the
Godhead. Let us notice these
witnesses. The first witness whom we
should consider is that of Jesus Christ.
THE WITNESS OF
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus had been condemned by the Jews because he had healed a man on the
Sabbath day. He affirmed that he was
simply working as his Father worked.
Some preachers either deny the Son or the Father by saying that there is
only one person in the Godhead, but Jesus taught that men should honor both the
Father and the Son: “That all may honor the Son just as they honor the
Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent
him.” (John 5:23).
Let us notice what Jesus had to say concerning his own character and
work. Jesus said, “By myself I can do
nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to
please myself but him who sent me. If I testify about myself, my testimony is
not valid. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his
testimony about me is valid.” (John
5:30-32).
If there were just one person in the Godhead, as some affirm, then Jesus
would have been testifying of and by himself, and therefore his testimony, or
witness, would not be considered true by men.
But these verses, as you will observe, said his judgments were not made
by himself alone, but in conjunction with the will of the father which had sent
him. He uttered only that which he heard
from his heavenly Father. Therefore his
judgment was just and true because he was not alone, but worked with his Father
that sent him. This again reminds us of
the answer Christ gave to the Pharisees who said that his record was not true
because he bore testimony of himself.
Jesus replied: “though I bear record of myself, yet my record is
true.” (John 8:14). His record was true because he did not bear
record by himself for he was not alone, but his father also bore witness of
him. (John 8:15-18).
THE WITNESS OF
JOHN THE BAPTIST
Having stated his own testimony concerning himself, Jesus presented the
additional witness of John the Baptist. “There
is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is
valid." You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that
I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a
lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a
time to enjoy his light.” (John
5:32-35).
When John the Baptist began preaching in the wilderness, the Jews around
In fact, when John the Baptist baptized Jesus, he later looked back upon
that great event and bore testimony that Jesus Christ was the Son of God: “And
John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a
dove, and He remained upon Him. I did
not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom
you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes
with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen
and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:32-34).
The above Scriptures give us a summary of what John the Baptist had to
say concerning Christ. His testimony was
true that Jesus was the divine Son of God.
The Jews had been willing, at least for a season, to rejoice in the burning
and shining light of John's testimony.
The word light in John
The truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, was not solely
dependent upon the testimony of John the Baptist. However, his testimony was true because it
was inspired of God.
THE WITNESS OF
CHRIST WORKS
Jesus Christ spent his entire ministry going about doing good. (Acts
All the works that Jesus did that caused men to so marvel, and to be
amazed, bore testimony that he was God's Son and that God had sent him and was
with him. Even Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews, recognized that no man could do the works that Christ had done unless God
was with him. (John 3:1-8). After John had completed his work, and had borne
testimony of Christ, he was put in prison by Herod. While in prison, John the Baptist heard of
the great works which Jesus did, and he sent messengers to Christ inquiring, “Art
thou he that is to come or shall we look for another?” Jesus sent messengers back with this reply, “Go
and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers
are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the
gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew
11:4-6).
The signs, miracles and wonders which Jesus performed then proved beyond
a shadow of the doubt that he was God's only begotten Son, and that God was
with him. (John 20:30-31).
The only conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that there is
one God that is expressed in the persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.
“For there are three that bear witness in
heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8
And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the
blood; and these three agree as one.” (1 John 5:7-8).