The Godhead

“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 20, 21)

If Tommy’s sleepy eyes hadn’t closed, Mother could have told him about the “Us” verse that proves God wasn’t alone at creation: “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26)—or the one that mentions all three: “Now the Lord God [the Father], and his Spirit [the Holy Spirit], hath sent me [Jesus, the Son of God]” (Isaiah 48:16).

But no one can explain the mystery that while there is only ONE God—“The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4)—the Godhead consists of three co-eternal Persons having a unique and mysterious relationship.

Preview

At Port Dickson on the west coast of Malaysia, is a lighthouse built on a steep, rocky cliff. The beam from that lighthouse guided more than 1,000 ships each week past the dangerous rocks and shallows of the coast. Streaming from one source, its blinking glow could be seen not only far out at sea, but also along the coast for many miles.

God is somewhat like that light. He is the Eternal Father, who possesses infinite love, light, and wisdom. With Him, as part of the Godhead, is His Son, Jesus—our Saviour and Creator, who is also the Light of the world. Working as part of the holy team is the Holy Spirit, our enlightener.

Jesus stated that His Father loved Him before the foundation of the world (John 17:24). This love is more real, active, and concrete than the love we feel, for it’s not polluted and warped by sin.

All three holy Persons illumine the pathway to heaven. As light shines out in every direction, so they are present everywhere, determined to do everything possible to save us.

While the Godhead is not one person, but Three, God is one in purpose, mind, and character. The separateness of their personalities was evident at Jesus’ baptism. During the baptism of the Son of God, the Father gave His verbal blessing (Matthew 3:16, 17), and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove. Just before He died, Jesus promised, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things” (John 14:26).

Points to ponder

The Godhead has many wonderful names. Each name adds details to the beautiful emerging portrait of the Godhead. “Holy and reverend is his name” (Psalm 119:9). Below are a few Hebrew words translated as “God” in English.

1. Knowing God is more than knowing His names.

Jesus said in John 17:3...

Through the Bible and nature we come to know God. As we worship God, nature helps us understand Him better. Like the little boy who almost explodes with big wonderful words about his daddy, we use some difficult words to describe the Godhead (see “Words to Remember” below). Not only God’s names but His divine attributes provide information to help us know God a little better.

2. Omniscience

a. Consider how your body shows God’s wisdom. Psalm 139:14

Red corpuscles—fantastic little carriers of raw materials and oxygen—go to remote parts of your body. Instead of returning empty, they pick up carbon dioxide and dump it in the lungs for a fresh load. How does God guide these billions of red cells, all constantly moving, without a mammoth traffic jam?

How did God design mysterious substances that the best chemists have never duplicated, which convert apples, spinach, bread, and carrots into bones, fingernails, teeth, muscles, blood, and saliva? How can your stomach know which digestive juices are appropriate for which foods, and in what order each should be digested?

b. Consider how nature reveals God’s wisdom. Psalm 147:5.

Think for a moment about the Creator’s plan to protect the pollen in flowers and grasses from rain and dew. On rainy days notice a field of Queen Anne’s lace. Some of the delicate round flower heads are tipped over. Some are not. Why? The older heads that have already shed their pollen remain erect. Those that have just bloomed—in which the pollen is still ripening—are tipped 90 degrees. God planned that in wet weather the stem becomes flabby about two inches below the flower head, protecting the pollen from the rain. Only God could have designed the stem to droop if pollen is present but to tand erect if not!

3. Omnipotence

a. God asked in Job 38:31...

We cannot, but God can and does. This star cluster in the Northern Hemisphere appears to have six or seven stars, but through telescopes, astronomers have identified more than 250. All these stars, one of which is 800 times larger than our sun, move through space on parallel paths having a common motion. It’s as if God said, “You are to journey through the heavens together. My power will hold you in a cluster as you travel at terrific speed through space.”

b. Read Matthew 19:26.

4. Omnipresence

Read Hebrews 4:13.

Light (called radiant energy) can help us understand better this concept of God’s ability to be present everywhere at the same time. All light exists in the form of waves, ranging from enormous ones hundreds of miles in length, to infrared rays measured in microns—about 1/1000th of a millimeter—or cosmic rays so small they are tiny fractions of a millionth of an inch. Yet trained persons using complicated machines can do marvelous wonders with these types of invisible light all around us, such as x-rays and ultraviolet rays. Though God is invisible, He is always near and longs to surround you with His loving presence. You can be illumined by the light of His life.

5. Immutability

Read Malachi 3:6.

In the tropical rain forests of Malaysia, the ever-wet jungles have temperatures similar to a hothouse. July or January, the rain forest literally drips. Jungle animals don’t hibernate. Food is plentiful all year. Bird generations immediately follow the last one. New pink or red leaves appear continually on the green foliage. The jungle throbs with grandeur, a fantastic profusion of life, and unusual sounds. The multitude of species in the flora and fauna is overwhelming.

You can stand in one of those jungles and marvel at its unvariableness. Our God is like that. With Him there is no variableness (James 1:17). He does not change. He is constant in His love and mercy. He is always true to His promises. Aren’t you thankful God doesn’t change?

I Truly Believe

My Prayer

Dear Father,

I thank You for Your goodness and great love for me, for Your Son who died for me, and for the Holy Spirit who pleads with me to accept that great love. May none be wasted because I refuse to let it grow in my heart.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.