Unity
John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.”
John 17:22 “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
One God
I believe in God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I do not believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I know that is a technical statement, but I believe in one God who is revealed as three persons. I do not believe in three Gods.
Three Persons
Many of us have struggled with the idea of the Trinity being one God over the years. Some have tried to say that we are polytheistic and that we have three Gods. However, polytheism has gods that compete with one another. We have one God with one mind Who is manifested to us in three persons. Each person has different functions but each person is in total agreement with the others.
When my wife and I were raising children, we were supposed to be of one mind when it came to guiding and raising our children. However, there were occasions when the children did not like the answer that they got from one of us so they would go to the other one to see if we agreed. We didn’t always agree. Sometimes our disagreements required closed door discussions. Sometimes we compromised and never did agree. However, we do not get different instructions and guidance from the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit. They are unified. They have one mind and always agree. John 17 has helped me with the concept of oneness. We as Christians are also supposed to be unified just as the Lord and His Father are unified. However, no one would argue that that all Christians are one in the sense that they are the same person.
Three Hats
Some argue that there is one God who wears three hats. Sometimes He wears the hat of the Father, sometimes He wears the hat of the Son and sometimes He wears the hat of the Holy Spirit. However, when the Lord was baptized, the Father spoke from heaven, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and the Son got wet. This was not one person wearing three hats but three persons with different functions and responsibilities who were in complete agreement.
The Matter of Prayer
The question is often asked, “Since the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, can we pray to each one.” Logically, I would see no problem with that but scripturally we have no record anywhere of someone praying to the Holy Spirit. We do know that that the pattern prayers in Scripture were to be prayed to the Father in the name or authority of the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit seems to guide our praying.
We do have examples and instructions for praying to both the Father and the Son, however. The Lord took requests on this earth and He does leave instructions for praying to Him after He ascends to heaven. John 14:14 says, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Some translations say if you ask ME anything in my name, I will do it. That seems to be implied by the context. Paul prayed to the Lord on the Damascus road and he also prayed to the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh (See 2 Corinthian 12:7). In the context, this seems to be the Lord Jesus Christ to whom he was praying. Stephen prayed to the Lord in Acts 7:59-60. John prayed to the Lord in Revelation 22:20
The Real Issue
The real issue is not to Whom are we praying? But are we praying? Are we praying for appropriate things? Are we praying for things for which the Holy Spirit convicts us to pray and things that are in the name (or will or authority) of the Lord. We can’t pray for revenge on our enemies and expect the Lord to answer in this day of grace. However, I think we can pray for protection from our enemies and even for their salvation. If we did that we might be surprised at what the Lord would do.
I have One God that I worship and to whom I pray. I really don’t think He is too technically concerned about whether I am thinking Father or Son when I pray. He might not even be too concerned if I pray to the Holy Spirit so long as I pray and pray regularly and fervently with the expectation that He really will answer. I suspect that it thrills God’s heart (whether that be Father, Son or Holy Spirit) when I spontaneously and enthusiastically break into praise and thanksgiving as well.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of September 7, 2014