Another witness:
Jer 31:9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble:
for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
God the Father and God the Son are One God, one Spirit.
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http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,4472.0.html[Someone says; Isa 9:6 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.]
Some will say wait a minute, “The everlasting Father?” Christ (Jehovah) says, He was a Father to Israel. He’s the eonian God to Israel. So are we understanding God better?
Okay, let’s take this a little farther. We read about God/Elohim, we learn about the Lord God - Jehovah/Elohim, and sometimes we hear about El.
Now we know in the garden, Christ... though Jehovah is doing the talking, because no man has ever heard God the Father. So the Lord God (Jehovah/Elohim) said unto the woman, “and the Lord God said…” Why did He say ‘said’? Because He’s the spokesman, He’s the Word. He’s the Word of who? Elohim, and He is Jehovah/Elohim and His Father is Elohim. There is only one Elohim. So it’s the Lord God - Jehovah/Elohim.
When we come to the NT then we read about God. Jesus Christ said, they ask Him what is the greatest commandment, He said “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37). The Greek says, you shall love the Kurios your Theos with all your heart and so on.
Kurios/Theos… who was He talking about? The Father. He’s quoting the OT, that comes out of Deuteronomy, where Jehovah Himself says, “You shall love the Lord your God” (Deu 6:5). Not Kurios/Theos, but Jehovah/Elohim.
Well who are we to worship with all our heart? Jehovah/Elohim or Kurios/Theos of the NT, who we know is the Father. But Jehovah/Elohim (where it’s quoted from the OT), is Jesus Christ. Who is it talking about? It’s always talking about BOTH. ALWAYS!
Even though we give Jesus the designation Jehovah/Elohim, it still includes the Father. Why? Because there is only ONE Elohim! He is the Jehovah, one God - there is the Father, one God and together they are the one God. You just have to believe the scriptures.
John 10:30 I and My Father are one.
One what? One God and it’s understood, We are one... one God. We two, are one. Whenever two are of the same mind and spirit, they are considered one.
Now we only have one analogy of that in the scripture, and it’s of a husband and wife. Isn’t it interesting when He says that they are joined together. Because when you are joined together, it’s like you stick a plug in the wall. The plug that you stick in is the male and the wall plug is called the female. So it’s when a man and woman join there bodies. They are literally inside of each others body, they are one, see, literally they are one. That is the most intimate relationship there is, on the human plain, sexual intercourse with a man and a woman, you literally become one body. Because it signifies being one in Spirit. But Paul says he speaks of this concerning Christ and the church in Ephesians. He says this is a great mystery.
Eph 5:28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
v. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
See the connection.
Eph 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
v. 31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
v. 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
So what is it about Jesus and His Father, that make them one? I mean they don’t have a sexual union, they are both masculine. How do they be, one? There is one other all encompassing factor….. they are one Spirit!
You could get a superficial feeling of this, when you have a group of men in the army, let’s say the navy seals or somebody. They are so precisely trained to do one job together, that 6 of them function as one, see. They are multiple individuals, but function as one. We call it, I think it’s Latin, Esprit de corps….. the spirit of the corps, the group. That’s what Jesus Christ and God His Father have, they have a lot of Esprit de corps. They are one Spirit, it’s the same spirit and it’s the same spirit of perfection wisdom and knowledge, love and power. Same Spirit! How could they both have that and not be God? But there is only one Spirit.
Wherever God gives His spirit in this room, it’s all the same spirit. Those of us who have that spirit, have a certain Esprit de corps with one another. Now we don’t do it as well, I realize that and some of us are virtually strangers. But if we can talk to each other for an hour or so and know that we have that bond. You would trust me and I would trust you anywhere. Why? Because you have the spirit of God.
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Hope this helps John.
Peace, G.Driggs