The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
January 23, 2005
In
This Issue:
Three
in One: The Godhead
by
Steve Klein
How
Much is Eternal Life Worth to You?
by
Gilbert Alexander
Three in One: The Godhead
There are several popular religions, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, United Pentecostals and Muslims, which deny that there are three separate and distinct Beings who can be called God. They generally scoff at the idea of a "Trinity" (this is their term, not the Bible's). Of course such denials fly in the face of plain passages of scripture like Genesis 1:26 where God said "Let US make man in OUR image." Notice the plural pronouns "US" and "OUR." Genesis 1:27 goes on to record that man was made "in the image of God". One does not have to be Solomon to see that if man was made after an image that was possessed by more than one Being, and if that image is called "God," there must be more than one Being who can properly be called God!
The scriptures also plainly teach that before Jesus came to earth, He existed "in the form of God" and "did not consider it robbery to be equal with God" (Philippians 2:6). When Jesus came to earth He was found "in appearance as a man" (2:8). Was Jesus actually a man? The text only says He was "in appearance as a man." Yet, even those who would deny His divinity would proclaim YES, Jesus was a man! Much stronger language is used to describe the divinity of Jesus; He was in the very "form" of God and "equal with God." Was Jesus actually God? Consistency demands that we answer YES!
"Well," someone says, "what about the equally plain passages of scripture which say there is one God?" James 2:19 states that if "You believe there is one God, your do well." 1 Corinthians 8:6 affirms that "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." Surely the Scriptures do not contradict themselves. Yet how can there be "one God" while at the same time there is more than one Being who is called "God?" The answer to that question is found in the definition of one Bible word --- "GODHEAD."
The term Godhead is found twice in the New King James version of the Bible, twice in the American Standard Version, and three times in the King James (Acts 17:29, Colossians 2:9 & Romans 1:20). In the KJV of Acts 17:29 Paul said, "we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." The NKJV of the same text says "we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising." Notice that the term translated "GODHEAD" in one version is translated "DIVINE NATURE" in the other. "Divine nature" is not only a good translation of the original Greek term, it is an excellent definition of the English word "Godhead." Similarly, the ASV in Romans 1:20 states that the invisible things of God are seen through creation, "even his everlasting power and divinity"; the KJV indicates that the attributes of God are His "eternal power and Godhead." Thus we have it from reliable translators that "DIVINITY" is also a term equivalent to "GODHEAD." Webster's dictionary defines "divinity" as "the quality or state of being divine -- God."
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit share in common many characteristics and attributes which are the rightful possessions of Beings who are known together and separately as God. They are each "Godhead" or "Divine." However, there are differences between the Three.
God the Father is the Head, the One who provides leadership and direction (1 Corinthians 11:3). While Jesus did say that He and the Father are one, He also made it clear that He was subject to the will of the Father (John 10:30, 17-18). Jesus said, "I do nothing of Myself...for I always do those things that please Him" (John 8:28-29). The Holy Spirit is also subject to the Father; the Father has the authority to "send" the Spirit just as He sent the Son (John 14:24ff).
The Son of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, is also fully Divine. "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9). Think about that. "All the fullness" of Divinity dwells in Jesus. Jesus is God's "Word" (John 1:1-2, 14). He is the explanation of who God is in human terms. He communicates God to man. For, "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18). Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9b). He is the "express image" of the person of God (Hebrews 1:3). He is the answer to the question, "What is God like?"
The Holy Spirit wields the power of the Godhead among men and in the physical universe. While the "Word" was the agent of creation, the Spirit was the force (John 1:1-4; Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:30). It was He who moved the prophets to speak and write the words of God in scripture (2 Peter 2:21), and it was according to His power that those words were miraculously confirmed (Hebrews 2:4).
So we see three unique Beings, all Divine, all One. "For there are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one" (1 John 5:7).
-- Steve Klein
How much do you value your soul-- that immortal part of you? Jesus said, "What is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt.16:26). Surely that which will endure through eternity is of more value than the things of this life which so soon pass away.
What is the present state of your soul before God? Do you have assurance of hope, firmly and clearly based on the word of God, that you are acceptable before God and have the promise of eternal life? Remember that Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Heb.5:9). "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." (Mark 16:16). Jesus also said that one must do the will of the Father in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt.7:2l). When Jesus comes again with His angels in great glory, He will take fiery vengeance on those "who know not God and who obey not the gospel" (II Thes.l:7-9). "He that endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matt.l0:22). Friend, considering these teachings, can you pillow your head tonight at peace with God?
Every choice one makes in life requires sacrifice. We give up some things to get other things. For things we value much, we will sacrifice much. How much do you value eternal life? Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matt.16:24). We must give ourselves, our lives, to the Lord (Rom.12:1,2). "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt.16:25). Are you willing to make the sacrifices that are necessary in order to have eternal life?
For what would you give up the hope of eternal life? Or what would you hold onto even at the loss of eternal life for your soul? Dear friend, there are formerly faithful people who have chosen to give up their faithfulness for reasons or things that have little or no value compared to eternal life. Others have never obeyed the gospel because they value worldly things more than eternal life. Are you among these?
Please weigh these examples:
1. Some people let their occupations come between them and the Lord. Some say, "You can't be a Christian and work with the people I have to work with." Some take jobs, knowing that their jobs will interfere with worshipping God. These evidently value jobs more than they value a life of obedience to God.
2. Some people value an unlawful marriage relationship more than they value their souls and the souls of the spouses they have taken. Sometimes they enter unlawful relationships against the counsel and pleadings of godly friends. Fleshly gratifi-cation is worth more to them than eternal life.
3. Sometimes people let human conflicts come between them and the Lord. Because brethren misbehave or say hurtful things, some others quit serving the Lord. Where is the logic? Is not one's relationship to the Lord worth more than that? If some brethren prove to be unfaithful, that doesn't mean that the Lord is unfaithful.
Dear friend and neighbor, are you letting anything come between you and your Lord? If so, please reconsider and re-evaluate your choices. How much is eternal life worth to you
-- Gilbert Alexander