How Are God and Jesus One?

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How exactly are Jesus and the Father ONE? How is the Father greater than the Lord? Is the Godhead, who and what is God, relevant to living life each day? A wrong idea about God's nature can affect our spiritual life. Many do not even know who or what they worship, as Jesus told the woman from Samaria (John 4:22).

God does want us to know who He is and to worship him and Jesus in a certain way (John 4:24). He wants us to understand, at a basic level, what it means for the Godhead to be one.

The apostle John had to combat the Gnostics and their false doctrines that Jesus only appeared to be made of flesh when he came to die for man's sin (2John 7; 1John 4:2 - 3). He did this by emphasizing his humanity but also him being one with God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and not even one thing that was created came into being without Him . . . And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us (John 1:1 - 3, 14).

God creating the universe
God creating the universe
Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, 1511

Jesus is, without a doubt, 'the Word.' Another key section showing the true identity of Jesus is in John 5, where the Jews wanted to murder Christ because he made himself equal to God (John 5:17 - 18).

Unlike the Jews of his day, Christ referred to God the Father in a way they believed was blasphemous. Jesus also said in John something the Jews wanted him dead for proclaiming. He stated 'I and the Father are one' (John 10:30), something the Jews fully understood referenced the God of all creation. After the Lord spoke these words they sought to immediately stone him! Jesus side-stepped the accusations thrown at him by quoting Psalms 82:6 to affirm he was God's son.

Jesus, in John 8, made an often overlooked but profound statement regarding who he was and part of how he is one with God. Jesus stated, "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM." (John 8:58). The Lord is directly implying He was the God or Jehovah who spoke to Moses through a burning bush (Exodus 3:14). Note carefully what the Jews wanted to do after Jesus made the above statement. The Bible states, "Then they picked up stones to throw at Him."

Why did they want to kill Jesus? For making a blasphemous statement that entailed him being one with God! They fully understood what Jesus meant by his statement. Christ also made several other statements about himself, especially in the gospel of John, that none of the bible's true prophets would even dare to make (see John 6:35, 14:6, 8:12, 15:5, etc.)

Only one can forgive

Only God can forgive sin, a prerogative that Jesus also claimed. After healing someone who was disabled Jesus told him something which some religious leaders immediately questioned.

He said to the paraplegic, 'Child, your sins have been forgiven you.' But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 'Why does this man speak such blasphemies? Who has the power to forgive sins, except one, and that is God?' (Mark 2:5, see also Luke 5:19)

Notice that Jesus did not correct the scribes and their interpretation of him being one with God and able to forgive sins.


Worshipping Him

If Christ was worshipped by anyone without correcting them (see Revelation 22:8 - 9, etc.) that would prove he was very God. Some will reply that the word 'worshipped' in the New Testament can refer to people paying their respects to a king, etc. Note what Peter and the disciples said when Christ walked on the water and had the winds become calm the minute he got into their boat.

And those in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, 'You are truly the Son of God.' (Matthew 14:33).

The Apostle Paul directly applies to the Lord the Psalmist's words about Yahweh (Psalm 102:18 - 22). Because of this he is worthy of being worshipped by angels! The Apostle Paul directly states that Christ created all things (Ephesians 3:9).

Still, to us there is one God the Father, from Whom are all things, and we are in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we are by Him. (1Corinthians 8:6, see also Colossians 1:16 - 17).

If Jesus Christ made everything, then logically he himself could not have been one of the things made! The book of Revelation contains several texts that assert Christ's Deity. The apostle Paul also affirms Jesus' Deity when he states the following in Colossians 2.

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; (Colossians 2:9).

Since Jesus possesses "all the fullness" of God he possesses the divine nature and is one with the Eternal.

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