"There are three that bear record in heaven, The Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit and these three are one." (1 John 5:8)
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This concept or idea of a three in one God may be the most difficult of truths to understand and grasp. How are three one?
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It may be easier to grasp through an example given by the Lord when He taught that when a man a woman come together under the covenant of marriage that these two are one.
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Maybe easier still is to look at redemption in the Bible through the workings of the Trinity. We will examine six areas of the working of redemption that God provided for man; the incarnation of God in Christ, God taking responsibility for the atonement, God pardoning and justifying us of our sins, God putting Christ to death, God resurrecting Christ from the dead, and finally God will resurrect all mankind.
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First let's begin with the incarnation of Christ, God coming into the world as a man. This magnificence appearing of God would come by the greatest of signs; a sign that would be as deep as Sheol and as high as heaven (Isaiah 7:11). This greatest of signs would be a virgin who will be with child (humanity) and bear a Son (Divinity - the second person of the Trinity), and she will call His name Immanuel (which is God with us). Isaiah 7:14
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Each person in the Trinity is responsible for this Divine appearing. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit working together, working as one, that God might appear among men. For the Father's part, we turn to Hebrews 10:5 where it says, "Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, 'Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, But a body Thou hast prepared from Me'." Here the writer of Hebrews describes that when God would come into the world it would be in a body which the Father would prepare for Him, quoting from Psalm 40:6.
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The writer of Philippians describes to us how the Son, Jesus, who all though He existed in the form of God... "But emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man..." (Philippians 2:6-8).
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Although the Son was God, He completely emptied Himself of His God nature, taking the form of flesh and blood. The writer of Hebrews captures this when he wrote; "Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil" (Hebrews 2:14).
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This appearing of the Son who is divine is again confirmed in Romans 8:3 which says, "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh."
God did it; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are each responsible for the incarnation of God on the earth. Our last participant in the incarnation of Christ is the Holy Spirit. Luke writes; "And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God'."
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Now each person in the Trinity have participated in God's appearing among men. Next let's examine the Triune God taking responsibility for the atonement. For the part of the Father let's turn to Isaiah 53:6 which says, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him."
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Isaiah basically prophesies that the Father shall cause our sins shall fall upon the Son. Then continuing in verse 10, it says, "But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief;" Wow, it actually pleased the Father to crush the Son on our behalf. But God the Son had to also be responsible for the atonement, the verse continues, "If He would render Himself as a guilt offering." The Son also taking responsibility for the atonement.
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The writer of Ephesians captures the Son in action when he wrote; "And walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma" (Ephesians 5:2). Lastly, the Holy Spirit also participated in the atonement of man.
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The writer of Hebrews captures this in Hebrews 9:14 where it says; "How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Each person in the Godhead participating with one goal, a sacrifice for sins. The Father crushing the Son, the Son offering Himself, through the eternal Spirit.
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Next in the redemption, God pardons or justifies us of our sins. First the Father, the Bible says, "But Thou art a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness" (Nehemiah 9:17). And again concerning the Father, scripture says, "Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7). We see the Father a God of forgiveness, a God who will abundantly pardon those who forsake their way and thoughts, turning to the LORD!
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The Son is no different from the Father. The writer of Romans writes, "Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). This next passage show that both the Son and the Holy Spirit work together to justify those who were guilty. "And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11).
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And again the Spirit justifies, when Paul wrote to Timothy, "And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).
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Our three in one God justifies and pardons us, because Christ was put to death. And each person in the Godhead participated in His death. The Father recorded in several places takes responsibility for putting the Son to death. First the Son speaking in Psalm 22 says, "And Thou dost lay Me in the dust of death" (Psalm 22:15). And again we see this in Romans 8:32, where it says, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" And of course the most famous of Bible passages says, "For God so loved the world that He gave is only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
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The Son also participated, putting offering Himself to death on our behalf. John 10:17-18 says, "I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again." Paul also wrote of Christ laying down His life, he wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and delivered Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
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Lastly, the Holy Spirit takes responsibility for putting the Son to death. The Bible says, "How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:14).
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Not only was each person in the trinity responsible for the death of Christ, but each was responsible for raising Christ from the dead. Acts 2:24 shows the Father in action, "And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power."
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The Son also held power over death and raised Himself. John 10:17-18 says, "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." The Son takes it up again by the command of the Father. But the Spirit is also involved completely with both Father and Son.
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It says in 1 Peter 3:18 that, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit." Paul also records the Spirit's working of raising Christ from the dead, he wrote, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you" (Romans 8:11).
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Again, the entire Trinity of God works together in perfect harmony as God redeems man, by first raising Christ from the dead, then also to raise us from the grave. The first passage shows that the Father and the Son work in harmony to raise man from the grave. In John 5:21 it says, "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes."
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Jesus later confirms His ability to raise the dead when He said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies" (John 11:25). And finally the Holy Spirit also raise mankind from the grave. Romans 8:11 again says, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you."
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This is the amazing harmony of the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit completely working together. Three but these three are one.
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Incarnation of Christ (God brought Jesus into the world as a man)
Father - Hebrews 10:5
Son - Philippians 2:7
Spirit - Luke 1:35
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God responsible for the atonement
Father - Isaiah 53:6, 10
Son - Ephesians 5:2
Spirit - Hebrews 9:14
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God pardoned or justified us of our sins
Father - Nehemiah 9:17, Isaiah 55:7
Son - 1 Corinthians 6:11, Romans 3:24
Spirit - 1 Timothy 3:16
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God put Christ to death
Father - Psalm 22:15, Romans 8:32, John 3:16
Son - John 10:18, Galatians 2:20
Spirit - Hebrews 9:14
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God resurrected Christ from the dead
Father - Acts 2:24
Son - John 10:17-18
Spirit - 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 8:11
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God will resurrect all mankind
Father - John 5:21
Son - John 5:21. 11:25
Spirit - Romans 8:11
