Walk With Me
Christian discussion of biblical topics, and a dose of daily application. Yes the Bible is still relevant, and we find out more and more each day how relevant it has always been.
Walk With Me
The Mystery of One God: Understanding the Divine Nature
Hello everybody, welcome to today's episode of Walk With Me. I am your host, jj. It's so good to have each and every one of you here with us today on the Walk With Me Bible Study Podcast. It is so good to have each and every one of you. You guys could be listening to any other podcast. There are so many out there. There's even some with the same name as this, because I didn't think it through when I would have named it. But I do thank you for each and every one of you joining us here on this podcast.
Speaker 1:Thank you for the questions. You can also send them through the Facebook now, on the Iron Gate Ministries Facebook page. If you need to have that, we will send a link through. I guess you can request the link, because I haven't quite figured out how to do that yet. They're just a regular podcaster, such as myself. But you know what? It's good to have all of you here. Thank you so much for your questions. Thank you so much for your comments. Thank you so much for your questions. Thank you so much for your comments. Thank you so much for your support last week.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry that I went on that little rant last week, but it's just something that had been bothering me for so long. And then that situation that we talked about just sort of reared its ugly head. And then some of you guys sent questions and again I I'm really thankful for the questions. I really love the questions that, uh, when their questions are biblical, it helped me help you because it helped me, because sometimes you guys send me questions that I may not know the answer to or I may be a little weak on that answer. Now I got to go study the word of God and then that makes me help you, because if the question was something that you're needing, that last little bit to kind of get yourself over a hump to live and for God, then it helps, helps me, help you Right, and then which then in turn helps me Right. So it's all one thing, and that's we're going to get into our lessons today, but let's address something, because isolationism is a kind of a spirit that's going around now and is leading a lot of people astray and it's going to end up with people being lost thinking that they're not, going to end up with people being lost thinking that they're not. We need each other.
Speaker 1:The Bible refers to the church as his body. If I cut off my finger right now and sent it into the corner, the finger would die and this body would hurt and the function of the body would not be as efficient as it was if the finger was still attached. So it doesn't matter where you are. If you are in the true church of God, if you are part of the body of Christ, you are necessary. There is nothing like and I'm sure anybody here can admit to it it is absolutely an eye-opening experience to have a part of your body that you suddenly get hurt and then all of a sudden you realize how important it is. Oh my God, it's a pinky toe. Then all of a sudden you hurt that toe and then now you realize that you try to walk on it and you're limping, and now you're hurting your other knee and it's like a cascading failure. So big shout out to our sponsors, true Boss, lyricists and Exquisite Creations. We're going to be doing a polo event Sunday. I'm really excited about that. But thank you all so much. Thank you all so much for the sponsorship. Thank you for the questions.
Speaker 1:We're going to get right into our lesson because I think I've wasted enough time here. We're going to talk about a question that I get on a regular basis. Again, if I've answered this question for you, then it is what it is Just kind of ride along with us, and if not, then you know, sit down and I hope you get something out of the lesson today. So the question is why do I believe that God is one God? Okay, now I can clearly just say and a lot of lazy people do this they say, well, you know, the Bible says and then that's it. But the problem is that if you take certain scriptures out of context and the Bible says something completely different too. So that's why, on this podcast, we have one rule. One rule Read the verse or two above a scripture, the verse or two below the scripture, but preferably the whole chapter, because context is key.
Speaker 1:So when I say that I believe in one God, that means there is one God and there's a difference in understanding the name of the saying. You know, one God versus a person. And I think this is where we get it really kind of messed up in our in our lexicon, so to speak. See, if you say person, then some people would understand it to mean like a body or an appearance or like a visible expression. So then, if we accept that definition, then clearly, god the Father is not a person, it is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. So God is a spirit.
Speaker 1:On the other hand, if you take the word person to kind of be short for like personality or individuality or self-consciousness or something like that, then God the Father is a person. I know that sounds a bit confusing and it's fine to go ahead and rewind this back list to it a few times Again. If you think it's like a physical thing, then God is not a person, he is a spirit. But if you take it to be a personality or something like that, then yeah, it's a person, but this still doesn't make two or three persons in a Godhead. That's not how this works.
Speaker 1:This personality deal is really one and the same, whether you see it as Jehovah in the Old Testament or as Jesus in the New Testament. This is where we get the second person that people refer to as God, but the Bible does not. The Bible talks about it being one God. So what is this personality of God? Let's talk about that, because when we start going down through Scripture, things have to make sense In both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Speaker 1:Man is able to have a fellowship with God, he's able to interact with God and in some positions, in some places, it's almost a one-on-one personal relationship. And man is able to talk to god and have communication with him and we never um kind of think of we should never actually think of god as just being like this impersonal force or like the force of the universe or something like that, and that's very important that we don't do that. But he is God and the way he loves us and he manifested himself in flesh to die for us shows that he is God and that he loves us, how much he loves us. And as such, he still has personality. He still has the same personality, but he's still one God, one divine person. Whether you consider the fleshly manifestation of Jesus or the personality of God, he is still one. So what does that mean? Now, we men, we consider ourselves right, we have body, soul and spirit, but we're one person. If you say, hey, jj, well, jj's got a body, jj's got a soul, jj's got a spirit, what do you mean? Jj's got a soul and a spirit. Okay, here's the thing If you, if the way you act, the way you react to things. It's not just a bunch of brain chemicals, it is literally how you react to things, because this is who you are, this is your personality Before you learn anything. This is your personality. I you learn anything. This is your personality.
Speaker 1:I saw studies where they took a baby that was had, you know, formed, to a crack parent, a crack house, a crack mother, a crack addicted mother, let me just say it that way and they put them in a really nice home. They put them in nice homes and they gave them, they nurtured them and they tried to educate them and all that stuff. And while they were being educated, as far as scholastically speaking, as far as intelligence, there were certain things that were still carried over from themselves, from the spirit inside them. So they had still addictive or addictive personality, and we call that now an addictive trait. So it's kind of the same thing, but I don't want to get too far off in the weeds on that. So it's kind of the same thing, but I don't want to get too far off in the weeds on that.
Speaker 1:But in the same way that the titles Father, son and Holy Ghost are freely used in Scripture. This fact does not make these three separate persons, nor three gods. Okay, I want you to really think about that for a second. The Bible declares the Father, son and Holy Ghost is one person. Now let's go and check it out John 5. Sorry, 1 John 5 and 7. Remember we have that rule Verse 2 above, verse 2 below, but preferably the whole chapter. There are three that bear record in heaven the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost. But wait, I thought you were talking about the Son 1 John 5 and 7.
Speaker 1:Now you're saying that there's four gods this is where I have some very good Jehovah Witness friends that kind of went off track with this and now they're saying that the Word and the Son are two different gods. Now you got four gods. But if the father, the word and the Holy Ghost these three are one, then where does that leave Jesus? Because Jesus is the son, and that opens an entirely new doctrine of confusion. So let's consider it man, with our spirit and soul and body. But we're one person. I am JJ.
Speaker 1:The three titles of son, co-worker and minister doesn't make me three different persons. It's just saying that in this role I'm going to be doing something different, but I am still the same JJ. Oh, my gosh, now there's four JJs. No, I'm just doing. I'm just wearing a different hat at this time doing a different thing. Well, jj, you're not omnipresent. That's the key to knowing the difference between me and God. God is omnipresent. That's the key to knowing the difference between me and God. God is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent all these things that JJ is not. But we are still in that image of being able to do multiple things, wear multiple hats and still be in the same person.
Speaker 1:Colossians 1 and 3 we give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, wait a minute, what about the word? Colossians 1 and 3. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, wait a minute. What about the Word? What about the Holy Spirit? What? You can't separate these Because you say God and the Father. Now you have two more people. Now you got five gods. So you got to be very careful with how you, how we read the bible and how we study the bible and pray about the word. We should always pray about what we're reading. Um, until you know, we get a revelation about what's in the bible and how it does not contradict itself.
Speaker 1:Now here's 1 Timothy 3.16. I really love this because it really puts everything in perspective and it's the thing that is told to the churches. Remember, these are all letters to the church. Everything from Romans to Jude is just letters to churches, letters to churches. When we look at 1 Timothy 3.16, we are literally talking to another church, to a church where they're dealing with this situation. Because let me give a little back story Again. I don't want to get off on the weeds, but remember, a lot of Gentile churches came out of polytheism, like the churches at Greece they have. You know, greece mythology has a lot of different gods, North mythology, I mean, I can just go down the road. There's so many different religions out there with multiple gods and things like that, and so when you're coming into the true church you have to kind of have this reinforced. It kind of has to be taught that there is only one God. It's just doing different things at the same time, but without controversy.
Speaker 1:Great is the mystery of God. God was manifest in the flesh. From that moment on, boom. That explains it all. But then it goes on to explain all the things that God did when he was manifest in the flesh. Now if you look at Amplified now, I actually like the new living translation. But if you want to look at Amplified now, I actually like the New Living Translation. But if you want to look at Amplified, he, god was made visible in human flesh.
Speaker 1:Now, that's one of the key verses that can only be understood by revelation. And yet it has to be understood if we're to really understand what the Godhead is all about. Like. We can go back and look at how God manifested himself in ways like on Mount Sinai. God manifested himself man to man. He was talking to negotiate salvation of Sodom. You know, in Hebrews 1 and 3, the knowledge of God never given in, for the incarnation of Christ is the expressed image of the invisible God.
Speaker 1:So, on this thought, we should really kind of look at how the Bible really depicts God and how God always talks about it. I, I, I. He never talks about we. Oh, but DeDe, what about? Let us make man? It's kind of like saying you know, let's go to the store and then you're the only one that goes. Alright, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. We're going to cover that. I think we're going to end up covering this over several episodes.
Speaker 1:So, on this thought, we should go back and look at what is the mystery of God. God is manifesting himself in the flesh. Now the mystery of inequity is flesh manifesting itself in God. Because we say that we have inequity in our flesh. These are contrasted scriptures and, you know, man has his choice. If he doesn't accept the mystery of godliness, he's going to be compelled to accept the mystery of iniquity. Now what does that mean? He's going to be compelled to accept the mystery of iniquity. Now what does that mean? If God did not manifest in the flesh, then Jesus was a sinner and that is blasphemy. And I had to say that real quick because I didn't want any devil to turn around saying I'm over here blaspheming. But if it was God in the flesh that can cause us to live sinlessly, then yes, god can manifest in the flesh. Now, remember I said that the Jehovah Witnesses said a whole bunch of all gods. Okay, so here's how this works, and it took me about three months to practice, so don't feel bad if you have to listen to this a couple times.
Speaker 1:John 1 and 1. I had a very good friend I used to work with and we were talking about the Bible. He brought his Bible and he showed me John 1 and 1. And in the John 1 and 1 of his Bible, well, let me do this one first. In all the other Bibles, it says In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. In his Bible it added one letter, and I can repeat one letter, and it changed the entire meaning of the Bible. I'll read it the way his was In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was with God and the Word was a God. Whoa. Okay, remember earlier we talked about God and the Father and the Word, the Holy Ghost and the East 301? Let's talk about the Son. This is where this starts. And now you're up to like five gods and now you're up to like five dots. And I, literally I sat and I wrestled with that verse for like three weeks and then I finally said that's what it is. And I went and go look my bible. God finally said bro, go read your bible. I read my bible, said his bible. I said wait, they took the a out. No, they added the A to their Bible. So let's move on.
Speaker 1:We're talking about the logos. So the logo, translated from the Greek, means word. Now this means it's not only the expression of an inward thought, but also the thought itself. This could not be better translated. But for the sake of our understanding, we might attempt to understand the meaning of logos. There was a. There was a computer programming language called logos we messed around with in 6th grade. It was really cool because it took a great time.
Speaker 1:You would tell the person to go forward two spaces, make a left and then draw a line, and it would do that, but the line would only be as long as you told it to draw. Go forward two spaces, make a left and then draw a line, and it would do that, and the line would only be as long as you told it to draw. So you have to really put the thought together to really make the cursor do what you want it to do. So we might say that using a logo is how the deity expressed itself. So while the word of God said let there be light, there was light. It may not have been that simple, but it was expressed this way so that we could understand it. In other words, logos is really just an expression of the invisible God, like deity, speak. So now this is how we're thinking.
Speaker 1:An expression of that thinking cannot be separated from ourselves. Like, for instance, you say JJ came up with this idea to streamline operations, to streamline operations, then yes, that idea cannot actually be separated from me. You could steal it, but we all know the idea was mine and that idea cannot be separated from me. But if it's, how do I say this? It's an essential part of our very being, but it's not a separate person, it's not a separate, not a separate human. So the same way it is with God.
Speaker 1:The scripture, written by the apostle Under inspiration, is and it's written by under inspiration To prevent Contradictions and stuff like that and it clearly states the logos was God. So we're going to stop here, because that was a lot to cover for one day. But we're talking about just the word here. God's word is the expression of God's idea. It is not a separate God. And just because the word did a thing, because God is all powerful, is literally speaking a thing into existence, which is why I generally tell people to stay away from that kind of thinking, because we are not God. I've never seen anybody speak a bag of money into existence. I've never seen that happen. Now, if you get somebody to do that, I'm probably going to walk away from you because that's kind of like witchcraft to me. So just stay away from that kind of thinking. But the Word of God does so much. But the word of God does so much because it is God that is doing it. It is not a separate God. Just like our words go out, it is us, us coming from inside.
Speaker 1:That's why Jesus would say stuff like it's not what goes into you that defiles you, but what comes out of you that defiles you. He's not talking about going to the bathroom. He's talking about what you say out of your mouth, because of all the things that are inside, that you've got to have worked out how you put things out and this I am absolutely convicted but how you let things come out of your mouth is what defiles you, it's what turns people off. Or even though you could be saying things absolutely true, but the way you say it and that's one thing I could never get in my head. I could never understand how people would say not what you say is how you say it. Holy moly, what is that? Not what you say is how you say it. Holy moly, what is that? But that's why the logos, the word, is God, it is from God, it is attributable to God, it is connected to God, it is actually God's will, the will of God being spoken out and performing things Right now.
Speaker 1:I know this may have generated some questions, so if you have questions, email me at walkwithmebiblestudy at gmail and I'll try to explain it more, and I'll probably end up doing another episode on just this part. It is very deep. You've got to talk about this and you've got to get it settled Alright. God bless you, each and every one of you heart, because it is very deep. You got to talk about this and you got to get it set up All right. God bless you, each and every one of you. Thank you all for joining me. Check on somebody, tell somebody you love them. It's probably the only positive interaction they will see today. This world is a very dark place these days, but we are the light. We are the light and light of Christ shines through us and again I convict myself. God bless each and every one of you. Thank you all. God bless you all Until the next one.