A Critical Look at the Godhead (Part 2).

This is part two of A Critical Look at the Godhead. I will encourage you to read part one here before reading part two. You will see the divine Trinity at work in every aspect of the Christian life.

1. The Godhead saves us.

I mentioned in part one of this series that our salvation isn’t complete if you do not accept the deity of Christ. What of the Father and the Holy Spirit? If we believe that Jesus is God but deny the divinity of the Spirit, can we make it to Heaven? We were so sinful that it needed to take the involvement of the entire Godhead to save us.

1 Peter 1:2 says, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” (Emp added). The pattern of salvation is that the Father chose us, or put it another way, He knew those who would accept the gospel. When we surrender to Jesus, He uses His blood to cleanse us from sin. Immediately, the Holy Spirit starts the work of sanctification. Sanctification is the process of purification. It is impossible to be a Christian and live in sin. You are chosen, saved and purified to be like God. You are saved when you surrender to Jesus; your spirit is born again, and you become a new creature. Your soul must go through a lifetime of sanctification by renewing the mind (Romans 12:1-2). But you must cooperate with the Holy Spirit in this process. He comes to live inside us to gear us towards the things of God. We cannot please God apart from Him. The Spirit speaks to us and directs us to overcome sin, addiction etc. God didn’t give us His Spirit for a show off to the world, but He is in us to sanctify us. Sanctification happens from within. The change within is more fundamental to God than the outward look. God told Samuel that He looks at the heart and not the outward appearance. (1 Sam 16:7). We can all act nice before our friends and families, but God sees through our pretences. Our bodies are not ours; they belong to God. “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor 6:11; emp added). I want to be brief here because sanctification is a topic on its own. “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? You were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and spirit, which is God’s.” (1 Cor 6:15-20).

2. We live by Godhead

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” (2 Cor 3:14; emp added). Can you see the picture of the Trinity once again? The Godhead had always had fellowship with each other eternity past before the world was ever created. In other words, God doesn’t need us to survive. What was God doing before creation? He was in constant fellowship among Themselves. Anytime you think God needs you to be happy, think again!

Jesus said no one could come to Him unless the Father drew them (John 6:44). Only by God’s grace can one repent and believe in Jesus. Jesus also says we didn’t choose Him, but He chose us. (John 15:16). “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph 2:8-9). The Bible says the goodness of God leads to repentance. (Rom 2:4). God pours out His goodness upon us when we are still sinners. He pours out His rain both to the wicked and the righteous. It is the love of God that makes us come to the cross. When we were still sinning against God, Jesus came to die for us (Rom 5:8).

God sustains and protects even the wicked from harm, but He does that so that we can come to Him. He goes out searching for us and waiting until we respond. The Spirit comes to live and fellowship with us when we come to the cross. A Christian who does not love, extend grace to others and fellowship is not a Christian. Grace, love and fellowship must be evident in our daily life. Always pray for the grace of God in every situation, love people despite their weakness and fellowship with God through prayer. We must not forsake the assembling of the brethren. (Heb 10:25).

3. The Godhead Baptises Us

“When He had been baptised, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from Heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:16; emp added). This is an example of the Trinity interacting with each other. God the Son came from the water for God the Spirit to baptise Him, and then the Father affirmed that He is pleased with the Son. When Jesus finished His work, He commissioned His disciples to win souls. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt 28:19; emp added). We are not baptised in the “names of” but in the “name of.” This is a classic example to teach us that God is one in three. The Father, Son and the Spirit have one name. We all have one name even though we are tripartite beings. God has one name. This means you interchangeably use the same name for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is proof that we don’t have three Gods but one in three.

4. We Pray By The Godhead

“For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  from whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph 3:14-19). I will advise you that whenever you pray, involve the Trinity. There is no jealousy among them, but it is good to include Them for your prayer to be effective. You pray to the Father in the name of Jesus by the Spirit of God. The Bible tells us that we do not know how to pray except by the Spirit (Rom 8:26). We must learn to pray by the Spirit, calling on Him to direct us in prayer. You cannot pray effectively by ignoring the Spirit. For years, I didn’t ask much help from the Spirit. I would pray to the Father in the name of Jesus, but that is not the correct way to pray. You must always invite the Spirit of God to lead you in prayer.

5. We Mature By The Godhead

“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). There are two kinds of sanctification: first, positional sanctification means set apart for God and, in some instances, set apart for God’s purpose; second, practical sanctification is a progressive process and means growing in righteous living. The  Spirit of God is the One that helps us mature in the things of God. Sanctification here means growth in the Lord. When we are saved, we are not to remain there; we are required to grow in the things of God. Even though our spirit is born again, we must continue to abide in the things of God to grow.

6. The Godhead Gifts Us

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  There are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” (1 Cor 12:4-6). We have gifts from the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. I have explained these in more detail in the book Holy Spirit Unravelled, so I cannot repeat everything here.

Gifts From the Father

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Rom 12:6-8 emp added). Thus, there are seven gifts from the Father. We call these motivation gifts.

Motivational Gifts

• Prophesying
• Serving
• Teaching
• Encouraging
• Giving
• Leading
• Showing Mercy.

Gifts From The Son.

“Now this, “He ascended”, —what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the Heavens that He might fill all things. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Eph 4:9-12). We call these ministerial gifts.

Ministries In The Church

•  Apostle
•  Prophets
•  Teachers
•  Evangelist
•  Pastors

Gifts From The Spirit

    “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit (Holy Spirit). There are different ministries but the same Lord (Jesus Christ). And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God (Father) Who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kind of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” (1 Cor 12: 4-11; emp added).

1. Words of Wisdom.
2. Word of Knowledge.
3. Gifts of Healings.
4. Working of Miracles.
5. Prophecy
6. Discerning of spirits.
7. Different kinds of tongues.
8. Interpretation of Tongues.
9. Faith