International Bible Teaching Ministries
The Godhead
Question 1: If God is the head of Christ, would it not be more proper and honorable to ascribe the headship of the church to God the Father?
ANSWER: This question reflects the reasoning of man rather than the will of God! "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And (God the Father) hath put all things under His (Christ's) feet, and gave Him (Christ) to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:19-23).
Since the Father Himself ascribed the headship of the church to His son, Jesus Christ, it would only be proper and honorable to submit to His wisdom and authority by doing the same! To do otherwise would be to sinfully reject His will in the matter!
Question 2: A man said that if Christ was God He would have known when He was going to return (Matthew 24:36). Is Christ God? If God is the Father and Christ is the Son, who is the Mother?
ANSWER: Yes! Christ is God! (John 1:1; John 5:18; John 20:28; Philippians 2:5-6). It is sometimes difficult for man, largely because of false teaching, to accept the fact of three personalities in one God or one Godhead! The scriptures reveal quite forcefully that there is only one God (Isaiah 44:6). However, with equal force, this one God reveals Himself to us in scripture as God the Father (Ephesians 4:6), God the Son (Matthew 1:23), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4)! These three separate and distinct personalities make up the Godhead or God (Matthew 28:19; Acts 17:29; Colossians 2:9)! Each of these personalities, being all-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful, possesses all the attributes of Deity. They are coequal and coeternal! They are individually and collectively, God!
We learn from the Bible that "God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1), but it was not the Father alone who participated in the creation. In Genesis 1:26, "God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness." To whom was God speaking? Undoubtedly, to the other two personalities in the Godhead! We find in Genesis 1:2 that the Holy Spirit was present at the creation and in Colossians 1:16-17, we find that the Son was also present. They were not only there, but were actively involved with the Father in the creation process! Undeniably then, there is only "one" God or Godhead (Isaiah 42:8; 43:10; 45:21), made up of three distinct personalities (Matthew 3:16; 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14).
It is very difficult for physical man to accept the biblical concept of the Godhead, simply because he tries to understand it from an earthly or physical viewpoint. It cannot be done! It is for this reason that atheists, unbelievers, and skeptics continually reject the miracles of the Bible! The result of this viewpoint is self-defeating, because when man tries to force the spiritual things of God into his own physical limitations, he dethrones God in his own mind to the human level. As long as one fails to comprehend the fact of an enormous difference between physical man and spiritual Deity, he will never be able to accept the truths of the Bible necessary to his salvation. All men everywhere need always to contemplate and understand the following: "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" (Isaiah 55:8-9).
The fact of Jesus not knowing (when He spoke the words in Matthew 24:36) of the time of His Second Coming does not, in any way, disprove His Deity. The statement that "He would have known, had He been God" implies that He wanted to know and the Father wouldn't tell Him. This is foolishness! Deity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) is all-knowing. This does not necessarily mean that each of them knows everything all the time. It means that each of them can know whatever they want to know whenever they want to know it. At this particular time, the Father only possessed that specific knowledge. When Christ ascended back to the Father (Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 28:18-20), He was given a kingdom, dominion, glory, and all authority. It may be the case that He at that time, or since that time, has opted to know the time of His Second Coming. We cannot know! Whether He has decided to know it should not be of great importance to us. What is important is that we be ready to meet Him when He does come!
The words "Father" and "Son" are not to be understood in the physical sense; nor are we to infer that Christ had a spirit mother because the first person in the Godhead is referred to as His "Father!" The words "Father" and "Son" are used solely to describe the functional and spiritual relationship that exists between the first and second persons of the Godhead. Jesus Christ, as God, is eternal, without beginning and without end (Micah 5:2; Hebrews 7:1-3). Obviously then, He had no need of a father and mother to bring Him into existence!
Question 3: Is Jesus God? Would it be blasphemous to say so?
ANSWER: Yes! Jesus is God (John 1:1; Philippians 2:6). It would be blasphemous to say otherwise (I Corinthians 12:3).
Question 4: Why is it that the word “Trinity” is not used in the Bible, but the word Godhead is used? Explain the word “Godhead.”
ANSWER: Though the word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, the concept, nonetheless, is there. The fact that God chose not to express the “Godhead” as the Trinity does not change the fact of the Trinity. The word “Trinity” is simply defined as a group of three or the fact or state of being three. The Greek word (theios) translated Godhead in the New Testament refers to divinity, the divine nature, or essence. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all possess all of the attributes of the divine nature. That is, they are all God and collectively all three represent the one Godhead, i.e., they are three, yet they constitute the one Godhead and may, thus, be scripturally referred to as the Trinity!
Question 5: How do we answer someone who denies the Godhead on the basis of Isaiah 9:8?
ANSWER: This passage (Isaiah 9:8) does not deal with the question asked. I am assuming you mean Isaiah 42:8. This passage, rather than disproving the Godhead, actually supports it. It is the Godhead that is speaking and saying, “I will not give my glory to another,” i.e., another who is not God! That Christ was given and had the glory of God is evidence that He is God and a part of the Godhead, e.g., John 1:14; John 17:5; I Corinthians 2:8.
Question 6: When Jesus was asked what the only way was to true salvation, he replied: “keep the Commandments (Matthew 19:17).” The first of the Commandments was to believe in the Oneness of God (Exodus 20:3). Why did Jesus answer so if he believed in and was part of the Trinity? Why did he not refer to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost?
ANSWER: Though Jesus did not refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in this place because it was not necessary to the context, it remains a fact that Jesus did so as the context demanded so elsewhere (Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7). It is sometimes difficult for man, largely because of false teaching, to accept the fact of three personalities in one God, or Godhead! The scriptures reveal quite forcefully that there is only one God (Isaiah 44:6). However, with equal force, this one God reveals Himself to us in scripture as God the Father (Ephesians 4:6), God the Son (Matthew 1:23), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4)! These three separate and distinct personalities make up the Godhead, or God (Matthew 28:19; Acts 17:29; Colossians 2:9)! Each of these personalities, being all-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful, possesses all the attributes of Deity. They are coequal and co-eternal! They are individually and collectively, God!
We learn from the Bible that “God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), but it was not the Father alone who participated in the creation. In Genesis 1:26, “God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.” To whom was God speaking? Undoubtedly, to the other two personalities in the Godhead! We find in Genesis 1:2 that the Holy Spirit was present at the creation and in Colossians 1:16-17, we find that the Son was also present. They were not only there, but were actively involved with the Father in the creation process! Undeniably then, there is only “one” God or Godhead (Isaiah 42:8; 43:10; 45:21), made up of three distinct personalities (Matthew 3:16; 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14).
It is very difficult for physical man to accept the biblical concept of the Godhead, simply because he tries to understand it from an earthly or physical viewpoint. It cannot be done! It is for this reason that atheists, unbelievers, and skeptics continually reject the miracles of the Bible! The result of this viewpoint is self-defeating, because when man tries to force the spiritual things of God into his own physical limitations, he dethrones God in his own mind to the human level. As long as one fails to comprehend the fact of an enormous difference between physical man and spiritual Deity, he will never be able to accept the truths of the Bible necessary to his salvation. All men everywhere need always to contemplate and understand the following: “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” (Isaiah 55:8-9).