The Unity of the Godhead.
We see in great detail this unity of the Godhead outlined in the High Priestly Prayer of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of John Ch17. We see in the very 1st verse "the Glory of His Personal Greatness with the Father". V1
"With the Glory which I had with thee before the world was." That speaks of complete unity
He was the Christ, the Son of God. "He counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God" It was His right.
The Gospel of John is concerned with the Deity of Christ. Ch1. declares that in Him are embodied all the treasures of the Divine Wisdom, and all the collective thoughts of God see (1Cor 1 v24)
In Eph. Ch3 v11. Paul states that "All the eternal purposes of God were entrusted in Jesus Christ" See also John ch1 v1-3
In Heb. Ch1 v3. It states he was the radiance of His glory or the word rendered means "He is the Beam of the Divine Glory".
We have never seen the sun, but only its far-travelled ray, which left its surface some minutes before. But the ray is of the same constitution as the orb from which it comes; when you unravel its texture, you will learn something of the very nature of the sun; they live in perpetual and glorious unity. When we think of these things we are reminded of the Scripture that no man has seen God at any time, yet He has been revealed in the Word made flesh.
We hear our Master saying again the old, deep mysterious words: "I and my Father are one. We will come and make our abode"
When the Lord Jesus met the frightened women at the tomb on resurrection morning, He said, "I ascend unto my father and your Father, and my God and your God". This term used by our Lord and as understood by the Jews, not only signified Divine relationship, but also Divine equality. Hence, on one occasion, the Jews sought to kill Him, because He said that God was his Father, making Himself equal with God. See John 5:18.
The 2nd half of verse one says The exact representation of His nature.
Which also means "The impress of the Divine Nature. The illusion here is to the impression made by a seal on molten wax; as the image made on the wax is the exact resemblance, though on another substance, of the die, so is Christ the exact resemblance of the Father in out human flesh. And thus He was able to say; "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father" The Life of Jesus is the Life of God
The Unity of Nature.
In Proverbs Ch8. V14-30 we see the remarkable personification of the eternal Son of God, it speaks of the Co-equality and Co-existent with God, it speaks of a timeless beginning. Notice the verses from v27 “I was there”
Not only do we see the unity of the Godhead seen in the Son with the Father, but also in nature we see the same wonderful unity
Let us for a moment go back to Genesis one. Where it says in the beginning. This same word of majesty, the word of the plural "Let us"
When we look at nature see amazing individuality each species separate and yet part of Gods great plan notice the plants each different, showing different attributes, we see the wonder of Spring with its own set of plants coming into life, then so sooner has Spring ended and Summer blossoms into view, then Autumn, plants are already preparing themselves to blossom into Spring again.
And yet amidst all this natural variety and diversity there is a marvellous unity. Every part of the universe interlocks by subtle and delicate links with every other part. You cannot disturb the balance anywhere without sending a shock disturbance through the whole system.
This delicate balance lies at the heart of each of nature's inhabitants. From flower, to tree, to plant, to universe, the stars, the planets, the moons and so on all interlinked and dependent upon each other.
As you penetrate into Nature's heart, you meet God "of Him and Through Him, and to Him, are all things. The unity that encompasses it all, is a result of it being affected by one hand- the mind and hand of God.
Notice also when man Sinned in the Garden of Eden this delicate balance was disturbed Gen. 3:17. "Cursed is the ground because of you"
We read in Roman's Ch8 v21-22 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
Man was made in God's Image notice in Genesis Ch1 v27-28
And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him: male and female He created them. And God blessed them: and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it and rule over it."
But man in is own ill informed logic lost that privilege. Man wanted self rule he wants to be king of his own destiny and yet reserves his right to abdicate all responsibility when things go pear shaped. Away from God man is living a lie he cannot fulfil his God given purpose to enjoy that God has for him
In Hebrews chapter 12 we are encouraged to run the race to reach the final finishing line.
The encouragement that is given for this is found in the previous chapter the hero's of faith men and women who despite all their failures found favour with God. The illustration that is set before us is a great crowd of spectators those who have run the race and are urging us to do the same
They are compared to a cloud. In Dresden there is the famous painting of the Madonna de San Sisto, which depicts the infant Saviour in the arms of his mother, surrounded by clouds; but when the accumulated dust of centuries was removed, they where found to be composed of myriad's of angel faces. Surely this is the thought of the inspired writer when he speaks of so great a cloud of witnesses"
The race we are in started at Calvary when the Lord Jesus Christ triumphantly shouted the victory, "It is Finished" God had been vindicated sin destroyed and death vanquished.
Jesus told his disciples, "he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. John 14:12
He goes on to say in verse 18-20 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you After a little while the world will behold Me no more; but you will behold Me; because I live, you shall live also. In that day you shall know that I am in My father, and you are in Me, and I in you.
John 17:23 reminds us I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love me.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him"
We said before we are running a race. Every runner winning the race receives the prize the Hymn Love Divine all loves excelling says these words.
Finish then Thy new creation,
Pure and spotless may we be;
Let us see our whole salvation
Perfectly secured by Thee!
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place;
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.
2Cor 3:18 Echo the words above
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed unto
the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Sprit of the
Unity of the Godhead And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Heb. Ch1 v3
Reading Hebrews Ch1 to Ch2 v4
The Unity of the Godhead.
The Unity of Nature.
The Unity of Man.