Who Is God?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton
Text: Psalms 145
I. You run into many strange ideas in the world concerning God
A. We have people stating that there is only one being called God
1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that His name is Jehovah
2. There are Pentecostal sects who claim he is Jesus
3. I haven’t run across any that claim He is only the Holy Spirit, but I would not be surprised that they exist somewhere.
B. There are those who claim the Father and Son, but say the Spirit is just the spirit of one of those two.
II. God is three beings
A. Genesis 1:26 - Notice the use of plural pronouns in reference to God
1. This is not a use of the royal “we.”
2. Kings in the Bible used singular pronouns in reference to themselves. I Kings 8:17-21 is an example.
3. The word for God in the Hebrew is a plural noun
a. A noun in singular form that refers to multiple things.
b. Similar to words like “herd” or “flock.”
4. By itself, we cannot determine how many beings make up God.
B. Matthew 3:16-17 - Notice this is a reference to three separate beings in separate locations doing different actions.
C. Baptism occurs in the name (or authority) of three - Matthew 28:19
D. Three are also named in II Corinthians 13:14.
E. God, the Father
1. God is our Father because we are His creation - Isaiah 64:8
2. Jesus taught us to pray to the Father - Matthew 6:9
3. The Father resides in heaven while Jesus was here on earth - Matthew 7:11
4. The Father is God - John 6:27
5. There is but one Father and the Lord Jesus is separate from Him - I Corinthians 8:5-6
F. God, the Son
1. John 1:1-3 - The Word was both with God and was God
a. If ever there is a verse that proves God is made of multiple beings, it is this one.
2. John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and dwelt among man – Jesus the Christ.
3. Jesus’ name, “Immanuel” means “God with us” - Matthew 1:23
4. Calling himself the Son of God was making himself equal to God - John 5:18
5. Jesus is God, over all, and blessed - Romans 9:5
G. God, the Spirit
1. From the very beginning we see reference to the Spirit of God - Genesis 1:2
2. He, too, dwells in heaven since Jesus sent Him from there - John 16:7-8
a. This proves that Jesus is not the Holy Spirit
3. John 14:16-17 - Nor can the Spirit be the Father
4. We are the temple of God with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us - I Corinthians 6:19
5. Lying to the Spirit is lying to God - Acts 5:3-4
6. Demons were cast out by the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:28) or by the finger of God (Luke 11:20)
III. God is One
A. Each is one in count - Ephesians 4:4-6
B. The disciples are to be one as God and the Son are one. - John 17:20-21
1. Being one does not mean there is only one disciple
2. Being one does not mean we lose our individual characteristics
C. Jesus and his Father are one - John 10:30
1. To see Jesus is to see the Father - John 14:8-11
2. Yet Jesus is not the same as his Father, as he speaks of going to the Father - John 14:12-13
D. The concept should not be difficult for us.
1. We speak of men and women becoming one in marriage - Matthew 19:4-6
2. We speak of companies as a single entity, though they are made up of many people. And when the CEO speaks, often it is report that the company made an announcement.
E. There is only one God - I Corinthians 8:4
1. Even though later Paul speaks of both the Father and the Son - I Corinthians 8:6
F. There is not a separate God for Jew and Gentile - Romans 3:29-30
1. There is not a Jewish God, a Muslim God, and a Christian God. There is only one God.
G. God is only one - Galatians 3:20
IV. The Roles within the Godhead
A. The role of the Father
1. John 14:28 - The Father has supreme authority
2. Jesus reigns until he gives the kingdom to his Father - I Corinthians 15:27-28
3. As the ultimate authority, the Father knows more than the Son - Mark 13:32
4. My grandfather used to use builder terms to describe the Godhead.
a. The Father is described as the owner because everything belongs to Him.
b. This is also why the Father is sometimes just called God because ultimately He is the head.
B. The role of the Son
1. The very term “Son” shows the submission of the Jesus to the Father.
2. The world was made for and by Jesus - Hebrews 1:2,10
3. Through Jesus the world holds together - Colossians 1:16-17
4. Using our building illustration, Jesus is the architect.
5. Jesus was sent by God into this world - John 6:38
a. Even though he is equal to God, he submitted to the Father’s will - Philippians 2:5-11
b. He did so to set us free from Satan’s power - Hebrews 2:14-18
c. He was the author (or captain) of our salvation - Hebrews 2:10
d. Therefore he became the head of his people, the church - Ephesians 5:23
C. The role of the Spirit
1. The Spirit is the moving force of God
a. We see him shaping the world according to God’s will - Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:30
b. In our construction illustration, the Spirit is the builder
2. He was sent by Jesus after Jesus left this world - John 16:7
3. His purpose is listed in John 16:8-14
a. He would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment
b. He would guide the apostles into all truth
c. Like the Son, he would only speak what He is directed to say
d. He will glorify Jesus
4. He is the guarantee of our salvation - Ephesians 1:13-14
a. The written word, our Bible, comes by the Spirit.
b. It is the Bible that contains the promise of our salvation.
c. It was the work of the Spirit to confirm that promise
d. He is the witness of our salvation - Romans 8:16-17
5. Blasphemy (willful rejection) of the Spirit is more dangerous than rejecting the Son - Matthew 12:32
V. The difficulty is that the word “God” can refer to the three – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – working together as one, or it can refer to the Father.
A. It is the context that defines the term and in many cases it doesn’t matter if we are talking of the Father only or the Godhead.
B. People have a tough time with the concept, but only because they want to simplify the concept of God.
C. But a God whom we could simply describe could not be the God who created more than we can understand.
D. Sometimes it is easier to accept the facts as presented.
