The Garden of Gethsemane
One of the questions which always arise when discussing the Godhead, specifically pertaining to Jesus is: “If Jesus is God, who was he praying to in the garden of Gethsemane”?
Turn to John 17 and let’s dissect the passage through study and by asking questions of our own.
Divinity of Jesus in His Own Words
John 17:1-2 “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him”
First question: To whom was Jesus praying? Himself? To the first person of the Trinity? Modalists (often known as “Jesus Only”) attempt to explain this by separating the humanity of Jesus from His divinity. The claim is that the human side of Jesus was praying to the Spiritual side. In other words, the claim is that Jesus (the human) was praying to the Father, because He IS (or WAS) the Father. In further explanations from the Jesus Only crowd, this statement is sometimes associated with the dual nature of man, however, mankind only has a dual nature once they are born again. To assign the same attributes to Jesus as one would assign to a lost, sinful soul (mankind), is a serious error.
Those who hold Trinitarian viewpoints often see this as the dual nature of man praying to God, but upon examination of documented church teachings and of discussions, some confusion exists in attempting to explain God sitting on a throne in heaven in listening mode while Jesus is on earth agonizing over the will of his Father. In some explanations, we’re told it’s just a great mystery which is too difficult for us to comprehend. The eternal question which must be answered is this: Where in scripture do you ever see God the Father sitting on a throne? If we could point to one verse showing this, surely we would see 3 thrones simultaneously with the Father, and the Holy Ghost sitting on 2 and an empty one when Jesus was on the earth. Could it be that we’re just not seeing all 3 at once? We’ll cover all this and more a bit later, but first let’s get back to John 17.
To whom was Jesus praying? Regardless of your interpretation of the Godhead, it is clear Jesus was praying to “the Father” (John 17:1)
John 17:2 presents another question for us. “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” The question? Who gave Jesus power? Himself? No! That’s not scripture and it’s certainly not what Jesus himself declared. “THOU” (God the Father) gave him power over all flesh. Power over what? All flesh (this is a deeper conversation and study I’ll address in a completely separate teaching).
When we reach John 17:5, Jesus declares had had “glory” with God, before the world was (literally meaning before the world was created).
There is more to John 17 with relation to our teaching which we will come back to review later in this study. Please try to 1 Corinthians 15.
Verse 9 isn’t a long scripture but it is very powerful. I’m not a ‘one scripture theologian’ but if you’ll use this scripture as a base along with the question asked at the top of this page, you’ll have a reference by which to answer the many inquires you’ll certainly have as we study the Godhead. Verse 9 states “…in him…” In whom? Verse 8 gives us the clear answer. We are speaking of course, of Christ!
Allow me to further break down verse 9: “…in him…” (Christ) dwelleth (resides, lives) all (the entire amount, the whole quantity, every member or individual component of, the whole or sum of, the extent of) the fulness (containing all that is possible, complete in every particular, the maximum or complete amount, possessing all qualties or quantities of, to the complete extent) of the Godhead (divine nature, essence, nature of God, totality of God’s nature) bodily (in his “person”, in the flesh, physical as opposed to spiritual or mental, as a complete physical entity, having a body).
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”. In other words: The Father, Son, Holy Ghost dwells completely within the body of Jesus.
The bible couldn’t be more clear on the subject than that!
As we move forward, it’s a good time to address some of the common beliefs surrounding the subject of the Godhead. Several beliefs are prevalent in the world today but is impossible for all to be true. The most common beliefs with an abbreviated description are listed below.
Monotheism
The belief that God is absolutely one, undivided and indivisible. He has no partners and no physical body, no offspring, no children. God simply exists.
Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
God exists in 3 physically distinct and individual beings who are ‘one in purpose’ rather than one in substance. Jesus and Satan are “spirit brothers”, both children of God the Father and all people (humanity) were also siblings in heaven before being physically born on earth.
Binitarianism
God is comprised of only two persons: the Father and the Word (Jesus). The Holy Spirit is only the power (or the essence) of God.
Unitarianism
God is a single unitary person. Jesus is the Son of God (a prophet) but not God Himself.
Arianism
Jesus is only a created being, subordinate to God.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Only Jehovah is truly God. Jesus is God’s first creation and is synonymous with Michael the Archangel. The Holy Spirit is God’s “active force.
Tritheism
Father, Son, Holy Spirit are three separate and distinct gods who work together in agreement.
Partialism
God is split into 3 parts, each being one-third of total God.
Docetism
Jesus’ physical body was only an illusion and he was a pure spirit. In other words, he only seemed to be human to those around him but was not in reality, a human as we know it.
Trinitarianism
This is the traditional belief and view of the Godhead. God exists as three distinct, co-equal persons (sometimes labeled as “personalities”). Father, Son, Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit if you wish to use that term instead) are all “one God”.
Modalist
God is a single person who manifests himself in three “modes” (or forms). Father, Son, Holy Ghost are all different forms of God. The core belief is that God is the Father in creation, the Son in redemption, and the Spirit in regeneration and that God simply switches his mode (form) at will.
Sola Scriptura
The scriptures are the sole source of information concerning God’s entire nature. God is spirit, Jesus is the Son (The Word who was made flesh), Holy Ghost is God’s nature dwelling in believers.
Which of these beliefs do you hold for yourself?
The most common of these and, by far, the largest denominational organizations today subscribe to two beliefs: Modalism and Trinitarianism.
Let’s continue our study.