Tag Archives: one

ONE!

Apologetics, ,

John 17:20-23 NIV
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— [23] I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

The Bible is shot through with the evidence of “echad”, the onenness that is everywhere in the universe and that echoes the “echad” in the divine Trinity.

Many religions try to deny, ignore, discredit, or argue away God’s “echad” by accusing us of worshipping three gods. No, the Bible never says there are three Gods. The Bible declares that there is one God, revealed in three distinct persons. In a sense, “God” (with a capital, “G”) is a species, just as “man” and “animals” are separate species. In the species, “God”, there are only three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in the fellowship of the three persons, they are one. There is never conflict or dispute. They are one in essence, character and purpose.

The Bible speaks of another “god” species but they are not “God”. They are spirit beings, created by God, to manage the nations in God’s behalf. He called them “gods”.

Psalms 82:6 NIV
[6] “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ “

Deuteronomy 32:8 NIV
[8] “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel (Hebrew – gods).”

The “sons of God” are identified as angels or spirit beings who were present at creation…

Job 38:4-7 NIV
[4] “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. [5] Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? [6] On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— [7] while the morning stars sang together and all the angels (elohim bene…sons of God), shouted for joy?”

…and to whom God gave the responsibility to rule the nations under His authority whom He called His “divine counsel”.

Therefore, the idea of “god” in Scripture does not belong to God alone. Gods are beings who have power and authority, but the God of Israel, the God of the Bible is the supreme God and sovereign over the gods. He has all power and all authority.

Now, let’s, get back to the Trinity.

The Bible describes God’s character as love.

1 John 4:16 NIV
[16] “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. GOD IS LOVE. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

Since love has no meaning apart from an object, how can God be love if He has no one to love? Before He created humans to love, God was still love. He could only express His love within the Godhead if there were more than one person. When we speak of “God”, we are essentially referring the three persons who make up the Godhead or Trinity. The persons, who make up God have names… God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each is a separate person, distinct but equal, and each relating to the other in perfect love and harmony.

Hence, Jesus prayed…

John 17:22 NIV
[22] “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—”

During His life on earth, Jesus functioned as a son. He took on the role of a son, and a representative of all humanity, to fulfil the law and to usher in the new covenant.

After His victory over sin and death, the Father elevated Him to the status of “Lord”, the Supreme Authority in the universe because of His submission and obedience as a son.

Philippians 2:8-11 NIV
[8] “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! [9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Never once, during His time on earth, did Jesus ever do anything apart from the Father and without the Holy Spirit. His constant testimony was…

John 10:30 NIV
[30]”I and the Father are one.”

John 8:29 NIV
[29] “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

Jesus challenged those who opposed Him…

John 8:46 NIV
[46] “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?”

The Father gave the Spirit to the Son at His baptism…

Matthew 3:16-17 NIV
[16] “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

…God in three persons, together in that sublime moment, preparing the Son for His mission on earth.

Jesus testified to His dependence on the Holy Spirit…

Matthew 12:28 NIV
[28] “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Before He returned to the Father in heaven, Jesus promised His followers that He would send the Holy Spirit from the Father to be with them and in them and to continue His work through them.

Acts 1:7-8 NIV
[7] “He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Book of Acts is the historical record that tells the story of the Trinity at work through people to bring heaven to earth, the Kingdom of God to the hearts of those who would believe in Jesus.

Could there be any more convincing evidence from the Bible itself that God is in three persons, distinct and separate, yet perfectly one in all they were, said, and did?

No, Christians do not believe in three Gods. We believe in one God, revealed in three persons, perfectly one…echad…in essence and function, in love, in unity, and purpose, to restore those who believe in Jesus to unity and oneness with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in answer to Jesus’ prayer…

John 17:20-21 NIV
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

…the greatest testimony to the truth that Jesus came from the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit to restore humanity to God.

THAT THEY MAY BE ONE – 24

Bible Study, ,

John 17:20-21 NLT‬
[20] “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. [21] I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

Jesus’ third request was for all who would believe in Him throughout the centuries to this very moment. What a prayer, enfolding all believers for all time in one great purpose, UNITY!

Why was unity so important to Jesus?

First, unity is the very core of God’s nature. The statement of faith of God’s people under the Old Covenant, learned by every newborn at its mother’s breast was…

‭Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV‬
[4] “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

The Hebrew word, “echad”, meaning “one” is often used in Scripture to convey the thought of the unified nature and purpose of more than one entity, for example, the two pieces of the tabernacle covering were joined together to become “echad”, one curtain.

This unity is wonderfully exemplified by the sexual union of one man and one woman in marriage. They were made of the same substance. They had the same human nature. They were to be joined together for the same purpose, to reflect the nature and unity of the Godhead.

‭‭Genesis 2:23-24 NIV‬
[23] “The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” [24] That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one (echad) flesh.”

The word “flesh” can also be translated “person”.

So, “one – echad” does not mean a single unit but more than one joined together by the same essence and nature to accomplish the same purpose.

Jesus prayed, then, that all His people in every generation, would share the same purpose since they had been recreated through the power of the Holy Spirit to be a new species with the same nature as His.

‭2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV‬
[17] “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

‭Ephesians 2:14-18 NIV‬
[14] “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, [16] and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. [17] He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

Since God’s children have been made into one new species, we have an obligation to maintain that unity by humble submission to one another. We can only do this by putting to death, through the Spirit, the deeds of the flesh, the old sinful nature dominated by selfishness.

‭Ephesians 4:3-6 NIV‬
[3] “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism; [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

‭Ephesians 5:21 NIV‬
[21]”Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

‭Philippians 2:1-5 NIV‬
[1] “Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. [5] In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:… “

The second purpose for unity among God’s people is the witness unity would be to a world fragmented by sin. Despite all the calls for unity and all the legislation to force people to unite, unity outside the transforming power of the Holy Spirit is impossible.

Hostility, antagonism, and alienation are embedded in the hearts of people with Adam’s fallen nature. No legislation or even punishment can change sinful hearts. Only the power of God, through the Holy Spirit, can transform selfish people into one body that reflects God’s nature.

What a witness to the power of the cross!

‭Ephesians 2:14-16 NLT‬
[14] “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. [15] He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. [16] Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.”

So, was the answer to Jesus’ prayer possible? No, if God’s people, like the Israelites under the Old Covenant, insist on living their lives in the flesh; but a resounding “Yes!” if, in obedience to God’s requirement and provision, we put the deeds of the flesh to death through the Spirit.

We can choose to be the answer to Jesus’ prayer or not by the way we respond to the provisions God has made. We CAN live together in unity as a powerful witness to Jesus and His death if we do as the Word says.

‭Galatians 5:16 NLT‬
[16] “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”

In two ways, God’s children show the world that Jesus came to change us from a species of self-loving, hostile, enemies to God-and-people-loving, single-minded sons and daughters recreated in the image of His Son. This transformation is only possible by being born from above into the kingdom of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now we can live this life through the same Spirit who is in us.

The Lord Is One

Bible Study, , ,

THE LORD IS ONE 

“‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.'” John 17:20-23 NIV.

This is the third of Jesus’ requests — for unity in His body throughout the ages. Why was unity so important to Jesus?

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness so that they may rule…’ So God created mankind in His image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26a, 27 NIV.

Theologians have many ideas about what the image of God means — a moral being; self-conscious and self-determining; able to know and have fellowship with Him etc. Although these are all valid expressions of the image of God, there is one overriding characteristic that makes human beings uniquely created in His image. He created us to be one with Him and with one another so that we perfectly reflect Him in the world.

The Hebrew “creed” (Deuteronomy 6:4) or Shema which they repeated over and over every day, and which a Hebrew child learned at his mother’s breast, states: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Misunderstood, this statement has caused confusion because “one” is understood to mean one in number rather than one in unity in diversity.

“Reading here that God is one, most Jews for centuries have ruled out the possibility that Jesus could be the Son of God, on the same divine plane as the Father…”

“The Hebrew word translated one in Deuteronomy 6:4 is echad. Its meanings include the number one but also has such associated meanings as “one and the same,” “as one man, together [unified],” “each, every,” “one after another” and “first [in sequence or importance]” (Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1951, page 25). It can also be rendered “alone” as the New Revised Standard Version translates it here (William Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1972, page 9).The exact meaning is best determined by the context.”

(http://www.ucg.org/booklet/who-god/how-god-one/lord-our-god-one/)

Although “God is one” could mean “first in priority” or “alone”, Jesus gave substance to the New Testament truth that He and the Father are one in mind and heart, in essence and purpose, although two distinct persons. It was God’s original intention to create an entire universe that functioned as a unit to express the nature of the Godhead.

Marriage, according to Genesis 2:24, the most intimate of human relationships, was to mirror that oneness between a husband and wife. “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh,” because humans have the capacity to be one by choice and behaviour. The Bible is full on examples of the unity that mirrors the nature of God.

Adam’s disobedience disrupted the unity between God and man and in the entire cosmos, but God intervened through Jesus to reconcile everything to Himself and to restore the entire creation to the unity He established in the beginning.

“For God was pleased to have all His fulness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:19, 20 NIV.

Unity between believers is a miracle that only God can create, but it is up to us to maintain that unity (Ephesians 43) by submitting ourselves to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21).

Will Jesus’ prayer be answered? Most certainly because God has promised that what He began He will complete, but we must partner with Him to see the dream of Jesus being fulfilled.

Faith Is The Glue

Bible Study, , , ,

FAITH IS THE GLUE 

“Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue, for they loved human praise more than the praise of God.

“Then Jesus cried out, ‘Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.'” John 12:42-46 NIV.

Secret believers! Held captive by fear!

This is the power of false religion. Because religion has its origin in the human mind, it needs humans to defend it and force to keep people from leaving when they know the truth; force, the only way humans know how to exercise power. Fear holds people in bondage and force protects their loyalty.

These religious leaders were bound by the fear of what their colleagues would do to them if they followed Jesus. Is it possible to believe but not to follow? Jesus said not. To follow Him means to take up the cross. Anyone who carried a cross was on the way to death. A disciple is one who has embraced his rabbi, his rabbi’s yoke, and everything his rabbi stands for. He is no longer his own person. He has died. These Jewish leaders, whom John said believed in Him, had not done that. They were afraid.

But fear and force cannot bind the conscience when it is convinced of the truth. How was it that the apostles and many thousands after them, were willing to lay down their lives rather than deny that Jesus is Lord? Did He threaten them with death if they refused to acknowledge Him? Did He destroy Peter for denying him with oaths and curses? What changed cowering men into courageous witnesses? The resurrection convinced them that He was the Son of God and not even death could scare them into submission to the Roman authorities or the bullying religious leaders.

But the reward for believing in Jesus far outweighs the cost! There is a revelation of the face of the Father in the face of Jesus that is reserved for those who recognize and embrace the truth that He and the Father are one.

Throughout the history of His people, Jesus had dealings with them in many different ways. He met Moses through the miracle of a desert bush that burned with an unearthly fire but was not consumed and revealed His name to him on the mountain. He revealed His glory in dreams and visions to His prophets, men like Isaiah and Ezekiel; He gave His personal protection to Daniel in the den of lions and his three colleagues in Nebuchadnezzar’s fire; He spoke in an audible voice to Abraham and Jacob and even wrestled with Jacob until he prevailed and became a prince with God.  But they never saw His face.

Now He was here on earth in person, in human form so that all men might see the face of God in Him; but only those who believed the truth of who He was would recognize in Him the nature of the Father He represented. To some He was a blasphemer; to others at best a prophet or just a good man. Only to those who believed in Him was He the face of the Father.

John lived and walked with Him for three and a half years. To him, Jesus was the Word become flesh…”We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. Paul met Him on the Damascus road and, from then on He was, to him “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Colossians 1:15. To the unknown writer to the Hebrews He was “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being…” Hebrews 1:3.

How did Jesus respond to Philip’s request, ‘”Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us’? “Jesus answered, ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.'” John 14:8, 9.

The miracle is that Jesus is just Jesus, good man, prophet perhaps, until faith opens the eyes and the heart sees Him as the Son of God and a mirror image of the Father. This is the glue that binds us to Him. We are not held to loyalty by fear or threats of death. To believe in Him is to see Him and to see Him is to love Him. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 NIV.

Glimpses Of The Great God: Day Twenty Four

Devotion, , ,

DAY TWENTY FOUR

 “For He Himself is our peace,

who has made the two one

and has destroyed the barrier,

the dividing wall of hostility,

by abolishing in His flesh the law

with its commandments and regulations.

His purpose was to create in Himself one new man

out of the two, thus making peace,

and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God

through the cross,

by which He put to death their hostility.

He came and preached peace to you who were far away

and peace to those who were near.

For through Him we both have access

to the Father by one Spirit.”

  Ephesians 2:14-18

Just imagine that!  Because of the cross of Jesus we can now not only get along with people we would having nothing to do with before, but now we are actually one new family made up of every ethnic group, language and culture on earth.  This is a miracle of what Jesus’ death has done for us.  If Jesus can bring peace between Jew and Gentile and create a new family out of enemies, just imagine what He can do between all the people of South Africa if we give our lives over to Him and allow Him to be our peace.