1 God, 1 Spirit, 1 God and 1 Spirit on Earth called Jesus along with many other names, 1 Man 1 Spirit returned to God and left us that same Spirit.
God with his Holy Spirit in the OT Prophets had to be laid upon them the Holy Spirit, the NT, God transferred his Holy Spirit to flesh which is still the same to Jesus and he transferred that same Holy Spirit to us when he returned to God in heaven. Jesus was indeed the human messenger of God; after all He was God's Son and was sent to earth to walk among the people and proclaim the Good News. In all of our learning and teaching, we have been told to have faith in the things that we cannot see or touch or feel. God tried to help the early inhabitants of this world to see, feel, touch, be taught and share fellowship with His Son Jesus. Jesus was sent to earth in the earthly form of a baby to grow and walk among the people of this world, while teaching and preaching God's message to the world. When he left us, he went back to the Holy Spirit and left the same Holy Spirit with us to finish his teaching and preaching. I believe that after he ascended and left the Holy Spirit their was no need to have the office of Prophets because God didn't need to lay the Holy Spirit on anyone else, because the Holy Spirit was left for each and everyone of his servants to finish his mission to build the Kingdom.
The word �disciple� refers to a learner or follower. The word �apostle� means �one who is sent out.� While Jesus was on earth, His twelve followers were called disciples. The twelve disciples followed Jesus Christ, learned from Him, and were trained by Him. After His resurrection and ascension, Jesus sent the disciples out to be His witnesses (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). They were then referred to as the twelve apostles. However, even when Jesus was still on earth, the terms �disciples� and �apostles� were used somewhat interchangeably. That is why their was no need to have anymore apostles, their mission was to raise up disciples to include us.
The doctrine of the Trinity � that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are each equally and eternally the one true God � is admittedly difficult to comprehend, and yet is the very foundation of Christian truth. Although skeptics may ridicule it as a mathematical impossibility, it is nevertheless a basic doctrine of Scripture as well as profoundly realistic in both universal experience and in the scientific understanding of the cosmos.
Both Old and New Testaments teach the Unity and the Trinity of the Godhead. The idea that there is only one God, who created all things, is repeatedly emphasized in such Scriptures as Isaiah 45:18:
�For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; �I am the Lord; and there is none else.�
A New Testament example is James 2:19:
�Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe, and tremble.�
The three persons of the Godhead are, at the same time, noted in such Scriptures as Isaiah 48:16:
�I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I; and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.�
The speaker in this verse is obviously God, and yet He says He has been sent both by The Lord God (that is, the Father) and by His Spirit (that is, the Holy Spirit).
The New Testament doctrine of the Trinity is evident in such a verse as John 15:26, where the Lord Jesus said:
�But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father, He shall testify of me.�
Then there is the baptismal formula:
�Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost� (Matthew 28:19).
One name (God) � yet three names!
JESUS � That Jesus, as the only-begotten Son of God, actually claimed to be God, equal with the Father, is clear from numerous Scriptures. For example, He said:
�I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty� (Revelation 1:8).
HOLY SPIRIT � some cults falsely teach that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal divine influence of some kind, but the Bible teaches that He is a real person, just as are the Father and the Son. Jesus said:
�Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come� (John 16:13).
TRI-UNITY � the teaching of the Bible concerning the Trinity might be summarized thus. God is a Tri-unity, with each Person of the Godhead equally and fully and eternally God. Each is necessary, and each is distinct, and yet all are one. The three Persons appear in a logical, causal order. The Father is the unseen, omnipresent Source of all being, revealed in and by the Son, experienced in and by the Holy Spirit. The Son proceeds from the Father, and the Spirit from the Son. With reference to God's creation, the Father is the Thought behind it, the Son is the Word calling it forth, and the Spirit is the Deed making it a reality.
We �see� God and His great salvation in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, then �experience� their reality by faith, through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit.
Though these relationships seem paradoxical, and to some completely impossible, they are profoundly realistic, and their truth is ingrained deep in man's nature. Thus, men have always sensed first the truth that God must be �out there,� everywhere present and the First Cause of all things, but they have corrupted this intuitive knowledge of the Father into pantheism and ultimately into naturalism.
Similarly, men have always felt the need to �see� God in terms of their own experience and understanding, but this knowledge that God must reveal Himself has been distorted into polytheism and idolatry. Men have thus continually erected �models� of God, sometimes in the form of graven images, sometimes even in the form of philosophical systems purporting to represent ultimate reality.
Finally, men have always known that they should be able to have communion with their Creator and to experience His presence �within.� But this deep intuition of the Holy Spirit has been corrupted into various forms of false mysticism and fanaticism, and even into spiritism and demonism. Thus, the truth of God's tri-unity is ingrained in man's very nature, but he has often distorted it and substituted a false god in its place.
I believe the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. I believe there is only One God. Some will say that is impossible in this physcial world; they may be right, however we are not speaking of the physical world are we? We are speaking of the spiritual world and who are we to say what is impossible in the spiritual world when we know practically nothing about it!
Saint Augustine when he was walking along the beach thinking about The Trinity and just how could it be possible. He came up on a child digging into the sand with a small shovel.
"Hello little boy" Saint Augustine said
"May I ask what you are doing?"
The child replied without even looking up
"I'm digging a hole so that the ocean will rush into it!"
Saint Augustine smiled and spoke
"But young man, there is no way that this enormous ocean could ever fit into that small hole!"
The child stopped his digging and looked up at Saint Augustine.
"But Sir...how much different is it then you trying to fit the mystery of The Trinity into your small little mind?"
Saint Augustine wa stunned and walked away pondering on this amazing revelation. As he turned back to the child he realized that the boy was gone.
The Trinity is a Mystery to us and we will never be able to explain it or understand it. We just need to believe!
He's the greatest Phenomenon that has ever CROSSED the Horizon of this World! He's God's Son, He's a Sinner's Savior, He's the Centerpiece of Civilization, He's Unparalleled,
He's Unprecedented, He's the Loftiest Idea in Literature,
He's the Highest Personality in Philosophy, He's the Fundamental Doctrine of True Theology,
He's the only One Qualified to be an all sufficient Savior
I wonder if you Know HIM today?
He supplies Strength for the Weak, He's available for the Tempted and the Tried
He Sympathizes and He SAVES, He Strengthens and Sustains, He Guards and
He Guides, He Heals the Sick, He Cleansed the Lepers, He Forgives Sinners, He Discharges Debtors, He Delivers the Captive, He defends the Feeble, He Blesses the Young, He serves the unfortunate, He Regards the Aged,
He rewards the Diligent, He beautifies the Meager,
I wonder if you Know Him
He's the key to Knowledge, He's the wellspring of Wisdom,
He's the doorway of Deliverance, He's the Pathway of Peace,
He's the Roadway of Righteousness, He's the Highway of Holiness, He's the Gateway of Glory!
Do you Know Him?
Well, His Life is Matchless, His Goodness is Limitless, His Mercy is Everlasting, His Love never Changes, His Word is Enough, His Grace is Sufficient, His Reign is Righteous, and his YOKE is Easy, His Burden is Light,
I wish I could describe him to you
He's Indescribable, He's Incomprehensible, He's Invincible, He's Irresistible, You can't get HIM out of your Mind, You can't get HIM off of your Hand, You can�t outlive HIM, And you can�t live with out HIM, Well, the Pharisees couldn't Stand HIM, But they found out They Couldn't Stop HIM,
Pilate couldn't find any Fault in HIM, Herod couldn�t Kill HIM,
Death couldn't Handle HIM, And the Grave couldn't Hold HIM
twosparrows, I totally agree. My Pastor once told us even in this physical realm; one person can be more than one to the different people in their lives. For example, I am Deborah; to Shelly I am Mama- to Steve I am sister- to Aileen I am daughter.But no matter who I am to them, I am still Deborah. Don't know if what I wanted to say is coming across clearly. Just thought I'd share that tidbit.
Archimedes, maybe the point is------ Our God Is An Awesome God!:applause:
