God revealed Himself to the Jews in the wilderness as one being. Consider the following reference.

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Alfred Greene
5 years ago
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1 2 Reating to God Introduction From the very first chapter of Genesis, God refers to himsef as us. Let us make man in our image He said. Three distinct persons are reveaed in the scriptures. Each has specific responsibiities and each has a specific task. This study wi expore the three-fod nature of God. The Unity of God God reveaed Himsef to the Jews in the widerness as one being. Consider the foowing reference. The Trinity The word Trinity is not found in the scriptures. But reference to the three-fod nature of God is cear. "Hear, O Israe! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! Deuteronomy 6:4 Circe the word that describes God s unity. It is possibe for God to manifest himsef in mutipe persons whie sti having unity of identity, purpose and intention. To say that God the Father, God the Son and God the Hoy Spirit are one is both rationa and appropriate. There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Hoy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equa in power and gory. Westminster Shorter Catechism Matt 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make discipes of a the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Hoy Spirit, teaching them to observe a that I commanded you; and o, I am with you aways, even to the end of the age." The Father The manner of fatherhood among men is fashioned after the mode of fatherhood in God. God exempifies a that a Father shoud be. Some of the Father s characteristics incude His authority, His pan, His sustenance and His contro. The Father s Authority It is cear that Jesus the Son considered God the Father to have authority over Him. Consider: "But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accompish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. John 5:36-37 Circe the phrase describing whom it was who gave Jesus work to do. When one is sent on a mission, the one doing the sending is normay the one with authority. Underine the name of the one who sent Jesus. Jesus continuay describes His reationship with the Father as one where God gave direction and He obeyed. John 5:27 John 6:38 John 8:26-29 John 10:18 John 12:49 There is aways a reason for going when one is sent on a mission. Page Discipeship Resource Center

2 Reating to God The Father s Pan The fact that the Father has a pan is ceary evident. Every action and decree has a specific purpose. He makes it cear that His pan was in pace before the word was made. "Remember the former things ong past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one ike me, Decaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My purpose wi be estabished, and I wi accompish a My good peasure; Isaiah 46:9-10 Circe the phrase that indicates the part of God s pan that He decared from the beginning. Underine the word that describes what wi be estabished. The image that this verse presents is of a God who pans the detais from the very beginning and then works to insure that his very purpose is carried out in a way that is peasing to Him. For more insight into the Father s Pan, spend time studying God s Pan in this Knowing God series of studies. The Father Sustains Consider the foowing verses. The LORD sustains a who fa, and raises up a who are bowed down. The eyes of a ook to Thee, and Thou dost give them their food in due time. Thou dost open Thy hand, and dost satisfy the desire of every iving thing. Psams 145:14-16 Underine the one who sustains. Circe the various ways that God sustains. To sustain means to nourish or care for, to strengthen or repenish. God sustains not ony mankind but every one of His created things. David attributed riches and honor, power, might and strength as coming from the Lord in 1 Chronices 29:12. He is the source of satisfaction for every human need. The Father Contros Consider Psams 121. Circe every phrase indicating or impying that God is in contro. 2 My hep comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He wi not aow your foot to sip; He who keeps you wi not sumber. 4 Behod, He who keeps Israe wi neither sumber nor seep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun wi not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD wi protect you from a evi; He wi keep your sou. 8 The LORD wi guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. Psams 121:2-8 Skeptics woud say that if God created the universe, He has vacated his pace of contro. They see the word as something God started ong ago and then waked away. Scripture makes it cear that God is intimatey invoved in the on-going affairs of each one of his creatures. Consider what Jesus said Matthew 6:26 Matthew 10:29-31 Page Discipeship Resource Center

3 Reating to God The Son Jesus the Son came for a specific purpose, according to God s pan. He is fuy man. That is, he was born, grew from a chid to a man, ate food, waked, sept, wept, oved, argued, suffered, bed and died. At the same time He is fuy God, totay pure, having no sin. As God s Son, Jesus has specia characteristics that distinguish Him from the Father. The Son Obeys the Father Perhaps the most obvious characteristic is that He was competey obedient to the Father. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own wi, but the wi of Him who sent Me. John 6:38 Circe the one whose wi Jesus foowed. It is perfecty cear that God the Father is the one doing the sending and Jesus is the one doing the obeying. "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own wi, but the wi of Him who sent Me. John 5:30 Circe that which Jesus did on His own initiative. Underine the reason Jesus judgment was just. Obeying was no easier for Jesus than for you or me. Hebrews 5:8 indicates that obedience was something Jesus earned. Funess of the Son s Deity The men who istened to Jesus ceary understood that He caimed to be God. The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for basphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yoursef out to be God." John 10:31-33 Circe the phrase indicating why the Jews wanted to stone Jesus. The penaty for basphemy was death. If Jesus caim was fase, he deserved to die. If it were true, death woud have no grip on Him. Circe the phrase in the foowing verse that describes Pau s view of the Deity of Jesus. For in Him a the funess of Deity dwes in bodiy form, and in Him you have been made compete, and He is the head over a rue and authority; Co 2:9-10 Page Discipeship Resource Center

4 Reating to God Authority of the Son Even though Jesus is an obedient Son, the Father has granted Him far-reaching authority. "For just as the Father has ife in Himsef, even so He gave to the Son aso to have ife in Himsef; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. John 5:26-27 Circe the phrase describing the authority that the Father has given to Jesus. The position of Judge is perhaps the most powerfu position one can attain. It is the judge who determines whether another enjoys freedom or bondage, ife or death. Jesus has such authority. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "A authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:18 Circe the phrase describing the extent of Jesus authority. Underine the ream in which his authority is exercised. If He has tota authority, then everything is subject to Him. To caim a authority in heaven and earth is astounding in its impications. He can do whatever he wants whenever He wants. The Hoy Spirit Like the Son, the Hoy Spirit is has specific responsibiities. He is a person, having an emotion and wi. He is different from the Son in that He has no body. But ike the Son, He obeys the Father s direction, seeking to Impement His pan. To find out more about the Hoy Spirit, expore the study caed The Spirit Fied Life and Who is the Hoy Spirit in the Discipeship Resource Center The Spirit s Mission One of the primary purposes of the Hoy Spirit has to do with truth. In the foowing passage, Jesus expains one of the Hoy Spirit s purposes. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he wi guide you into a truth. He wi not speak on his own; he wi speak ony what he hears, and he wi te you what is yet to come. He wi bring gory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. John 16:13-14 Circe the Tite of the one who guides beievers into the truth. Notice that He, ike the Son, speaks ony what He hears. The Father is the one speaking to the Spirit. The Spirit simpy repeats what He hears. Underine that which the Spirit wi te you. Circe the phrase describing how the Spirit wi bring gory to Jesus. The Hoy Spirit is said to indwe every one who puts their trust in the Lord Jesus. It is this presence of God in one s ife that enabes one to hear the things the Spirit teaches. Page Discipeship Resource Center

5 Reating to God Ephesians 4 taks about the Hoy Spirit s purpose. After making the case for unity, Pau goes on to describe the work done by the Spirit of Jesus in the foowing way: It was he who gave some to be apostes, some to be prophets, some to be evangeists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare Gods peope for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be buit up unti we a reach unity in the faith and in the knowedge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whoe measure of the funess of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 Circe the activity for which God s peope are being prepared. Underine the resut that the Spirit is bringing about in the Body of Christ. Draw a box around the number of beievers the Spirit is bringing to unity. Circe the amount of the funess of Christ the Spirit is seeking to impart. Every beiever is gifted. That is, the Spirit gives Spiritua gifts to everyone he indwes. Gifts of the Spirit are discussed in the foowing passages Romans 12:6-8 1 Corinthians 12 Ephesians 4: Peter 4:10-11 The Hoy Spirit is God Over and over in both the New Testament and the Od, the Spirit is described as God s Spirit. Some times He is caed the Spirit of the Lord. Some times He is just caed the Spirit. Pau makes the Deity of the Spirit quite cear in his second etter to the Corinthians. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveied faces a refect the Lords gory, are being transformed into his ikeness with ever-increasing gory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Underine the identity of the Spirit. Circe the person from whom the ever-increasing gory comes. It seems cear that Pau considered the Lord and the Spirit to be one and the same. The very first verses of Genesis introduce God as a Spirit: Now the earth was formess and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:2 Three in One God has uniquey reveaed Himsef to man. As the Father, he panned the activities and events of His creation. He directs the Son and the Spirit in the detais of their ministry to men. He exercises contro and has a authority. The Son is God in the fesh. He is obedient to the Father in ever detai. The Father has granted Him a authority in Heaven and on Earth. The Spirit interacts with every beiever. He is competey obedient to the Father in every detai. He communicates truth to those who have paced their faith in the Son. A three are God. They share the same goas, methods and purpose. They differ ony in the means by which they reate to men. Page Discipeship Resource Center

Study 1: The Good News

) Study 1: The Good News by Mike Shipman Jesus encounter with woman at we is most compete record of how Jesus Himsef shared good news of savation (John 4:25-26). Beside we, Jesus ceary demonstrated pattern