The Godhead Part 1

 Bro Will Cook taught the Discipleship Series "The Godhead Part 1", for Bethel's Thursday night Bible Study. Bro Cook is funny, because he gets very excited about what he is teaching.  I'm waiting for him to get so excited that he finally runs the aisle in the middle of his lesson to liven up a Thursday night. As I have done for the previous Thursday's I am going to copy in this blog portions of the lesson. This is taken directly from the Bethel App and with permission to do so. 

THE PERSONA OF GOD

 Corinthians 5:19 – “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself…” 

1 Timothy 3:16 – “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: 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.” 

God is an invisible Spirit and cannot be seen by the human eye.

 • John 4:24 – “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

 • 1 Timothy 1:17 – “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God…” 

 • 1 John 4:12 – “No man hath seen God at any time…”

 We must not try to define God’s person, character or nature through our own thoughts, ideas, or assumptions. Our understanding of God must be based upon the infallible witness of His Word, the Bible. 

• Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 

• John 5:39 – “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think [realize] ye have eternal life: and they [the scriptures] are they which testify of me.” 

 Monotheism – The belief that there is but one God. 

• Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” • Deuteronomy 4:35 – “Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside Him.” 

• Isaiah 43:10 – “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD … that ye may know and believe me and understand that I am he; before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.”

 • Isaiah 44:6, 8 – “Thus saith the LORD … I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God … Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.” 

• Isaiah 45:5-6 – “I am the LORD, and there is none else; there is no God beside me...that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.” 

• Isaiah 45:21-22 – “… Who hath declared this from ancient time?...Have not I the LORD? And there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.” 

 • Isaiah 46:9 – “Remember the former things of old. For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me.” • Malachi 2:10 – “Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us?...” 

• Eph. 4:6 – “[There is] one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” 

 • James 2:19 – “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well. The devils also believe, and tremble.”

The name, Jehovah, is used in many enlightening ways in the Old Testament: • Jehovah-jireh (Genesis 22:14) “The Lord, my provider” • Jehovah-ropha (Exodus 15:26) “The Lord, my healer” • Jehovah-nissi (Exodus 17:15) “The Lord, my banner” • Jehovah-qadash (Exodus 31:13) “The Lord, my sanctification” • Jehovah-shalom (Judges 6:24) “The Lord, my peace” • Jehovah-tsabaoth (1 Samuel 1:3) “The Lord, of hosts” • Jehovah-elyon (Psalm 7:17) “The Lord, most high” • Jehovah-roi (Psalm 23:1) “The Lord, my shepherd” • Jehovah-tsidkenu (Jeremiah 23:6) “The Lord, my righteousness” • Jehovah-shammah (Ezekiel 48:35) “The Lord is there”

The invisible God manifested Himself (revealed Himself, made Himself visible) in the flesh of Jesus Christ. God actually robed Himself in flesh and became a man. • Matthew 1:23 – “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.” • Isaiah 9:6 – “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.” • Colossians 1:15 – “[Jesus Christ] …Who is the image [visible form] of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:” • John 14:9 – “Jesus 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, Shew us the Father?” • 1 Timothy 3:16 – “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: 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.” 

 All of the Godhead (all divinity) is found in Jesus Christ. He is not “a” God or just a “portion” of God – He is the fullness and completeness of the one, almighty God. • Colossians 2:8-9 – “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.” When we look at Jesus Christ, we see God – Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God. • John 14:7-9 – “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also; and from henceforth ye know him and have seen Him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus 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, Shew us the Father?”

The name Jesus is the culmination of the name of God. It is the most exalted name ever revealed to mankind. • Acts 4:10-12 – “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” • Philippians 2:9-11 – “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 Jesus was God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:14). All the fullness of God was in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:9). On several occasions, Jesus actually affirmed that He was Jehovah, the I AM, however, most of those who heard His declarations refused to believe them. • John 8:58-59 – “Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM. Then took they up stones to cast at him; but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple…”

1 Timothy 2:5 – “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” Jesus, as God, was the Creator of the universe; but, as a man, He was subject to all the emotions and limitations that accompany the human flesh. Although He was God, He willingly submitted Himself to the limitations of a human body.  

 God did not die on the cross, because God is an eternal, invisible Spirit. It was the human body of Jesus Christ (in whom God dwelt) that was sacrificed for our sins. And when this same human body of Christ was resurrected from the dead, Jesus said to His disciples: • Revelation. 1:18 – “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Understanding the identity of Jesus Christ is fundamental. Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. To comprehend the “mystery of godliness” we must recognize that Jesus Christ had a dual nature; He was both God and man. As God, He created all things; He knows all things; He judges all things. As a man, He experienced the same emotions and temptations that are common to all men; yet, He remained sinless and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He was fully God and yet fully man. Jesus Christ is Emmanuel – God with us!

God is good!