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Home , God the Father

the Father, the , and the prepared by Bill Rose

To Be Completed Individually:

Years of surveys and polls indicate most people believe in God. The fact that you’ve taken this step indicates you do too. The more complicated question is, what exactly do we believe about God as ? Take a moment to write down some of your own beliefs about God. Can you identify when you first held this ?

The gives us great insight into who He is and how He works, but it also is clear there’s an “otherness” to God that lies beyond our “humanness”, even though we have been created in His image. Verses like the following help us get a clearer picture of who He is:

Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The our God, is one.”

1 Timothy 1:17 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and for ever and ever. Amen.”

Part of the “otherness” of God is found in verses that refer to God as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. For instance John 6:27 refers to God as Father

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Other passages refer to , the Son as God.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Colossians 2:9 “…in Christ all the fullness of lives in bodily form.”

And others which assume the deity of the Holy Spirit, calling Him an “eternal Spirit” in :14

“God” is even used interchangeably with the “Holy Spirit” in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”

And then there are texts that speak to the plurality of persons in the , or what we call the “”. God is one, but three.

“In the beginning God created the and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was 30 hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness’” Genesis 1:26

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

The doctrine of the Trinity can be summarized in eight statements. 1. There is only one God. 2. The Father is God. 3. The Son is God. 4. The Holy Spirit is God. 5. The Father is not the Son. 6. The Son is the not the Holy Spirit. 7. The Holy Spirit is not the Father. 8. The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in nature and three in person.

Additionally, it is helpful for us to identify what we do NOT believe. 1. That the terms Father, Son, and Spirit are not just different names for the same Person. 2. The theory that Jesus was not God at all; rather, at His , Jesus was empowered by God to perform His mighty works. 3. The theory called “modalism” which states that God is a single person who, throughout biblical history, has revealed Himself in three modes or forms. So you end up with the mode of the ‘Father’ in times. Then from the time Jesus was born to His going back to he is in the mode of ‘Son’. That would mean now he is in the mode of the ‘Holy Spirit’. These modes are consecutive and never simultaneous. In other words, this view states that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never all exist at the same time--only one after another. 4. There are also some groups out there, primarily cults, that would say the Bible is talking about three separate .

While all three persons of the trinity are unique and individual, they also work in concert with one another.

Read James 1:17, John 3:16 and Psalm 34:8 - The Bible says that the Father is love and that He is good.

Read John 14:6-7, Colossians 1:15, Philippians 2:6-7 - The Bible also says that Jesus shows us who the Father is and reconciles us to Him through His death on the cross and through His resurrection.

Read John 14:26, Acts 1:8, John 16:8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 - The Bible says that the Holy Spirit comforts us, teaches us truth, convicts us when we are off track, empowers our spiritual lives, gives us spiritual gifts so we can minster and serve, and helps us mature by developing godly character.

As you reflect on these passages and these roles of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which seem the most familiar to you? Are there any you are less familiar with or curious about?

31 To Be Completed in Community:

Prayer:

Open with a of praise and thanksgiving that our God exists in community, therefore setting an example for us. Him in the beautiful mystery of the trinity.

Discussion: When you think of God as Father, what comes to mind? How do you feel? How would a loving, good Father effect your value and identity? When you think of Jesus the Son, what comes to mind? How do you feel? When you think of the Holy Spirit, what comes to mind? How do you feel?

When you hear the phrase ‘adopted into God’s family’ what are your thoughts? Do you personally have confidence in this because of Jesus? Why or why not? This may be a great time for your community to tell their stories of coming to .

Talk about times when the Spirit has comforted you, or led you into a new truth (and perhaps revealed a lie you were believing). Have you seen evidence of conviction or correction from the Holy Spirit? How did you respond to that correction?

Action Steps: 1. Share with your partner or group any lies about the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit you have been believing. If you have received truth in exchange for these lies, share this. If not, pray with your community for this truth to be revealed. Write down anything you see, sense, or feel. 2. Consider the roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit you listed in your individual time as being less familiar with. Share these with your partner or group. Commit to your community to spend time in The Word this week seeking knowledge and understanding of these less familiar roles.

Prayer: As you pray together, pray for each other to be filled with the Spirit, to be confident in your relationship with Christ and to experience the love of our good Father.

Homework: Memorize Matthew 28:19-20

32 NOTES

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