This is part one of a multi-part series of articles on the topic “Jesus Our Example.” In this first article, I want to communicate the fact that Jesus is fully God (along with the Father and the Holy Spirit), and that the different “persons” of the Godhead play different and distinct roles in their interaction with us.
The Trinity
In the Bible, our God has revealed to us that He exists as One God in Three Person. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The theological term for this is “The Trinity” or “The Triune God,” or “The Godhead.” Here are some scripture references for this:
The Father is God: Ephesians 1:2
The Son is God: John 1:1,14
The Holy Spirit is God: Acts 5:3-4
God is One: Deuteronomy 6:4
We see in scripture that the Trinity has always existed. The Father, Son, and Spirit have always been in eternal communion with each other, with no beginning and no end. They are co-equal and co-eternal. Their is no hierarchy among the Trinity inasmuch as none is exalted above the others. They are all equally and fully God. Instead of a hierarchy, they seem to continually defer to one another. The Father points to the Son. The Son points to the Spirit, and the Spirit points to the Son and the Father. They are always in perfect agreement and perfect unity. And whatever action is performed by God, it seems that all three “persons” are always involved in some way.
Different Roles
Although the Father, Son, and Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal, we do see that each of them plays a different role in how they interact with us. Here are some examples:
- The Father sent the Son. (John 6:57, 3:16, 8:42) But the Son did not send the Father. And the Spirit did not send either the Father or the Son.
- The Spirit brought the Son into a human body by placing Him in the womb of Mary. (Luke 1:35)
- The Son was performing the will of the Father when He came as a man (John 6:38)
- Neither the Father nor the Spirit took on human form like the Son did.
- After the Son ascended and was placed at the right hand of the Father, the Father gave the Spirit to the Son, and the Son pours the Spirit out on us. (Acts 2:32-33)
- The Spirit did not give or send the Father or the Son.
- The Spirit “continues” the ministry of the Son after the Son ascends – The entire book of Acts
- The Son glorifies the Father (John 17:4)
- The Father glorifies the Son (John 17:1)
- The Spirit testifies of the Son. (John 15:26)
- The Son (while in the body) was led by the Spirit (Luke 4:1)
- The Spirit enabled the Son (while in the body) to perform signs and wonders, and cast out demons (Luke 4:14-18, Matthew 12:28)
- The Spirit inspired the writers of the scriptures. (2 Peter 1:20-21)
- The Father reveals things to us by the Spirit. (1 Cor 2:10-12)
- The Son died for our sins. (Romans 5:8)
- The Father and the Spirit resurrected the Son from the dead: (Romans 1:4, Romans 8:11)
- The Father, Son, and Spirit created the universe, with each of them playing different roles: (Genesis 1:1-2, Colossians 1:16-17)
So from these scriptures (and from many many others), we can definitely begin to see that the role Jesus plays in God’s interaction with humanity is not the same of the role of the Father. And the role the Holy Spirit plays is different from the Son. And so on.
To very general, here are some observations you can make when you look for patterns in these different roles.
1 – We usually see that the Father is the one that initiates a plan or an action. For example, the Father sent the Son in John 3:16.
2 – We usually see that the Son carries out that plan. Jesus often talks about his role in carrying out the plans and the will of the Father (John 6:38)
3 – We usually see that the Holy Spirit brings the invisible things of the spirit realm and makes them tangible in our physical realm. He enables or applies the Father’s will. For example, the Holy Spirit placed Jesus in the womb of Mary (Luke 1:35). The Holy Spirit empowers Jesus to cast out demons (Mat 12:28). The Holy Spirit lives in every believer, and glorifies and testifies of the Son…bringing spiritual truths into our tangible experience (John 15:26, John 16:14)
And with those general observations I will conclude this first article. Stay tuned for part two…”God Became Man”
