The Godhead – Trinity or Oneness?
The bible declares that there is only one true God. The bible also declares that God is one, and that God has revealed Himself in eternity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-God in three persons. The apostle John writes,
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (1 Jn. 5:7)
The triune nature of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is an infinite mystery that transcends human understanding. Therefore, it is impossible for the finite mind of man to grasp the infinite triune being of God.
By triune, we mean that God is a trinity. This means that God is three in one. He exists eternally in three separate and distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Some do not approve of the term persons when referring to the Godhead. However, by saying God is a trinity, or that He eternally exists in three persons does not mean that there are three Gods; for this would be tri-theism (the belief in three Gods).
The use of the term persons in a theological sense is confined strictly to describe an infinite concept of the triune nature of God, so that finite man can approach the Godhead with an understanding that he can embrace. The term persons is used to represent the distinction within the Godhead.
Though one in substance; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons in one God. The bible teaches God the Father creates and works all things by Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit. Creation, redemption and regeneration are the work of the Godhead.
- The Father is the in-visible person of God–He is (pristine) Spirit (Jn. 4:24).
- The Son is the in-carnate person of God–He is (logos) the Word made flesh, (the express image of the invisible God) (Jn. 1:1, 14).
- The Holy Ghost is the in-dwelling person of God–He is (the resident) Spirit, “… he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (Jn. 14:17). The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son.
When trying to understand and explain the Godhead, some see three persons in one God, while others see one God in three persons. Which is which-three in one, or one in three? In my opinion, one can look from right to left or from left to right, from the inside out or from the outside in. The answer is still the same.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:( Deu. 6:4)
Although the Godhead is not simple to understand or explain, sometimes I have used the simple illustration of an egg to describe the Godhead. An egg has three distinct parts-the egg shell, the egg white and the egg yoke.
1 egg
The egg white is not the yolk; the egg yoke is not the egg shell; and the egg shell is neither the egg white nor the egg yolk. Each part of the egg is separate and distinct in its characteristics and function; yet neither is a complete egg by itself. There are not three eggs, but one.
Yet, no earthly example is sufficient to describe the infinite, eternal, co-existent nature of the Godhead. Since Man can only understand the finite dimension of time and space, it is therefore impossible for some to grasp the eternal triune nature of the Godhead.
Since God transcends time and space and dwells in eternity–when approaching an understanding of the Godhead from the standpoint of eternity, it is therefore proper to speak of the Godhead as a trinity. There are three persons in God, yet God is absolutely and numerically one.
1 (Father) X 1 (Son) X 1 (Holy Ghost) = 1 God
The Father sent the Son to be the savoir of the world (1Jn. 4:14). The Son gave his life a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45). The Holy Spirit seals and indwells the believer (Rom. 8:10; Eph. 4:30). There is only one God, eternally existent as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
A popular doctrine taught today is the Oneness doctrine of the Godhead. It proposes: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three manifestations of one person in the Godhead, namely Jesus. Oneness proponents reject the doctrine of the trinity and have adopted the use of the phrase “three manifestations of God” rather than three persons. However the Oneness doctrine is inadequate to explain the Godhead for the following reasons.
1) A manifestation is only a temporary expression. Although, the term manifestation is somewhat adequate to explain Christ’s humanity (his birth, death, resurrection, etc.,) it does not and cannot adequately represent Christ’s deity, which is eternal.
2) A manifestation by definition can only be a temporary expression of deity. Therefore, since the Godhead is eternal and inhabits eternity, the term manifestation can not be used as an eternal expression of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost).
3) The term manifestation falls even further short of representing and defining the eternal nature of the Father and the Holy Spirit. Since a manifestation by nature has a beginning–Can one who is eternal and inhabit eternity, have a beginning?
In conclusion, the Oneness doctrine of three manifestations of one God only allows for only a temporary expression of deity. Therefore, the use of the term “three manifestations of God” is inadequate to explain or define the eternal nature of the Godhead.
The doctrine of the trinity however, allows for a full expression of Christ’s deity and humanity [incarnation] as it relates to the eternal triune nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
That being said, the Godhead is an infinite mystery that transcends human understanding. Jesus Christ is God, and in him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col.2:9).
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