God manifests himself in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

• Matthew 1:21-23 "And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name 'Jesus,' for he shall save his people from their sins. [22] Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, [23] "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name 'Emmanuel,'" which being interpreted is, "God with us."
  (Note: This scripture is misconstrued by some who attempt to use it to illustrate that Jesus is not the Messiah, and therefore not "God with us," in the flesh. They try to reason that since the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 speaks of one whose name shall be called "Emmanuel," that this one whose name is called "Jesus" (and not "Emmanuel") could not be the Messiah.
  However, by calling his name "Savior," which is what "Jesus" means, and then declaring Jesus to be the Savior, just like his name indicates, it was declared that he was "God with us," which is what "Emmanuel" means. Why? Only God has the identifying name, "Savior." In Hosea 13:4 God declares, "Yet I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but me, for there is no savior beside me ." Jesus is God, in the flesh a son of man, and the Son of God as well.
  The argument stems from the assumption that the name, "Emmanuel," is to be the birth-name of the child, like "John,", or "George," or "Kevin,' because Isaiah 7:14 says his "name" shall be called "Immanuel," or "Emmanuel."
  The original Hebrew word in this passage, translated as "name" in the English language, is "shem," which can be defined variously as "name," "reputation," "memory, or "renown."
  Isaiah did not write of a literal name to be given to the Messiah. Rather, this was a prophecy indicating that God would walk among us, in order to fulfill the many other prophecies concerning his birth, life, death and resurrection. "Emmanuel" means "God with us."
  Concerning names of God, it is important to notice the same principle used in the well-known and oft-quoted passage in Isaiah 9:6, where it says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name ("shem," same as above) shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
  In Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12, prophecies that point to the Messiah, it states that the Messiah's name will be "The Branch." Most would certainly agree that these are not to be taken as literal birth names given to the Messiah. God also says, "My name (shem) is Jealous" (Exodus 34:14). But yet we do not call him "Jealous."
  In these cases, it seems we have no problem understanding what God means by the word "name" (shem) when he applies it to himself.
  In Exodus 3:13-16, when Moses asked God to tell him a name by which he could be referred to when he returned to the Israelites in Egypt, God replied "I am who I am. " Then he told Moses to just tell the Israelites "'I AM' has sent me.." Then God gave Moses a constructed name from the Hebrew word for "I am." He told Moses that his name was to be "Yahweh. " In the King James version of the Bible, the word LORD in capital letters is usually substituted for this name, as thus it appears in verse 15. In some passages, the word appears as "Jehovah."
  Yahweh, from "I am," simply means, "The Everlasting, Eternal, Self-Existent One."
  The actual pronunciation of this name became lost because the Israelites developed a prohibition against saying the name, feeling that it was so holy that it shouldn't be uttered aloud. (And yet, these Hebrew scriptures record that Moses was to say to the Israelites that Yahweh had sent him to them.) We know that the consonants are approximately YHWH in English, but we can only guess at the vowel sounds.
  In the King James Version of the Bible YHWH is removed, and the word "LORD," or, much less commonly, "GOD" (when the word "Lord" has already been used adjacently), in capital letters, is substituted. Whenever we see the word LORD or GOD in capital letters, it is YHWH in the Hebrew language.
  "Yahweh" is constructed from YHWH. God said that Yahweh is his name forever, and his memorial to all generations (verse 15). Of the several names that God calls himself, this name can be shared by no other, because no other being is self-existent and eternal. Therefore, when one refers to "Yahweh", they are always referring to the one true God. It is the single name that best describes God, but, like Emmanuel, it is by no means the only name by which God is named.
  No one name, or many names, can completely and adequately describe God. The names that he chooses for himself help us to know him. The name "Emmanuel", in the above verses, clearly shows that Jesus is "God with us.")
• Joel 2:27-32; Acts 2:17-21; Acts 2:36
  The words "God,", "Yahweh" (written as "LORD," in the KJV), and "Lord," are used interchangeably in these passages, and all refer to Jesus Christ.
  In Acts 2:36, recording a sermon by the apostle Peter, it says, "...God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Note: God has made Jesus Lord.
  In Acts 2:17-21 (which quotes a prophecy in Joel 2:28-31), "the day of the Lord", in Acts 2:20, is the same as "the day of the LORD", in Joel 2:31. (The capital letters in Joel denote the word "Yahweh" in Hebrew. See above.)
  Peter, and later on the writer of the book of Acts, interchange "Lord", referring to Jesus, for "LORD", which always refers to God. Peter referred to "the day of Yahweh (the LORD)" in Joel as "the day of the Lord" in his sermon. He shortly thereafter referred to Jesus as Lord in the same sermon, saying, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (v.36).
  In Joel 2:27, the verse in the prophecy just prior to the verses quoted by Peter, this Yahweh says, "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Isreal, and that I am the LORD (Yahweh) your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed." To Peter and the writer of Acts, Jesus is the "Yahweh" of Joel 2, in the midst of Israel, Emmanuel.
  The writer of Acts recorded this sermon of Peter's, apparently without qualms, obviously knowing Yahweh and the Lord Jesus to be one and the same God.
• John 17:5 Jesus prayed, "And now, Oh Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world was."
  (Jesus reveals that he was pre-existent, and dwelled with the Father in a glorified state.)
• John 14:7-9 "'If you had know me [Jesus], you should have known my Father also, and from now on you know him and have seen him.' Philip said to him, "Lord, show us your Father and it will be sufficient.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been so long a time with you, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He that has seen me has seen the Father, so why do you say, "Show us the Father?"'"
  (Jesus reveals that he manifests the Father, even to the degree that those who "see", or know him, can "see", or know, the Father. Jesus is God in the flesh, with us, Emmanuel.)
• John 16:13-28 In these passages, Jesus says, in verse 13-16, "When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, he shall guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatever he shall hear he shall speak, and he will show you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I said that he would take of mine and shall show it to you. [16] A little while, and you shall not see me, and again a little while and you shall see me, because I go to the Father." (Note: the Spirit of Truth would come and guide them into all truth, but they would "see" Jesus after he returned to his state of full glory. The Spirit would receive of the things that belong jointly to the Father and Jesus, and show it to them.)
  (At this point, his disciples desired an explanation of this statement. Jesus explained that it was like a woman giving birth. There would be great travail at his parting followed by great joy when they would see him again (verses 16-22)).
  Then he said, in verses 23-28, "In that day," referring to the time when they would see him again, "you shall ask me nothing. Most assuredly I say to you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name he will give it to you. [24] Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. [25] I have spoken these things to you in proverbs, but the time comes when I shall no longer speak to you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly about the Father. [26] In that day you shall ask in my name, and I am not saying to you that I will pray to the Father for you, [27] for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and believed that I came out from God. [28] I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world. Now again, I leave the world and go to the Father."
  (This time when they will "see him again" is not referring to Jesus' brief stay with them immediately after the resurrection. This is referring to the time when they would receive the "Spirit of Truth" that would "not speak of himself" and would "show [them] things to come," This Spirit would receive of the things of Jesus, which he explained were also the things of the Father, and not just "speak of himself." This is a profound statement about the nature of the Godhead - God is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit dwell in each Christian. For the Christian, Emmanuel, "God with us," is truly the name of God!)
•   John 17:1-3 Jesus here is praying to the Father, and in verse 3, he says "...this is life eternal, that they might know you, the only true God...."
  Jesus states that the Father is God. This facet of the nature of God is the least disputed, but is stated here for the purpose of supporting our doctrinal statement.
  (Note: Jesus prayer to the Father in John 17 is cited by some as proof that Jesus is not God, or that he is a different God than the Father, or that the oneness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as God is a contradiction. They say, " If Jesus and the Father are one God, how could Jesus pray to himself?"
  To understand the situation, we must take all the word of God into consideration, not just construct a contradiction that ignores the whole teaching of scripture. Probably the most important teaching that is ignored with this erroneous hypothesis is the fact that God is infinite in power, presence and knowledge.
  Mathematically, that which is infinite cannot be reduced. It can be used in all manner of ways without being diminished. God was fully present in the man Jesus. It did not subtract anything from the nature of God.
  This also explains how God can be the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, whole and complete in each facet of his nature, and yet one God.
  Everything we deal with, apart from God, can be measured or counted or quantified in some way, at least theoretically if not in practice. Therefore, some try to apply the same physical methods to examine the nature of God, who is not physical, but Spirit.
  God himself tells us of his nature, his very being, the way he is. He reveals it in his word, he reveals it in his creation. He is Spirit, beyond the bounds of human comprehension. If we want to know what he is like, the only choice we have is to let him explain it, while we listen and believe.)
• Acts 5:3-4,9; Matthew 4:7
  Acts 5 contains the account of Ananias and Sapphira, who committed an open and blatant affront to the Spirit of God that resulted in their death. There is much we can learn about the nature of God in this account.
  Acts 5:3 , "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? [4] While you still had it, wasn't it your own? And after it was sold, didn't you have the power to do with the proceeds as you wished? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart: You have not lied to men, but to the Holy Spirit." [9] .... Peter said to her (Ananias' wife), "How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? ..."
  Matthew 4:7 records Jesus' words to Satan when he (Jesus) was confronted by Satan in the wilderness. Jesus said to Satan, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
  The word translated from Greek into the English word "tempt" can be better translated "put to the test," that is, to see what God will do about it. This was the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a possession, then fraudulently claimed that they had given the all proceeds to the apostles to be used for the needs of the brethren, when in actuality they were keeping part of the selling price to themselves. It says in Acts 5:9 that Peter knew that they had "agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to a test," to blatantly challenge the Spirit.
  To "tempt the Lord God," and to "tempt the Spirit," are one and the same transgression.
  It might be pointed out, also, that in Matthew 4:7, when the devil came to tempt (test) Jesus, and Jesus says, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God," that Satan did not come there to tempt the Father so much as he came to tempt the Son. It says, in Matthew 4:1, that Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (tested) of the devil. Jesus is, by virtue of being Satan's master, and by virtue of being God Most High, Satan's Lord and his God.
  These scriptures show that to put Jesus to the test is the same transgression as putting God to the test, and the same as putting the Spirit to the test. They are one and the same God.
• Colossians 2:9 "For in him (Christ) dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
• Isaiah 59:21; 61:1; Zechariah 7:12; Ezekiel 11:24 (and many others); 1 Peter 1:10-11
  If we take the Bible as the authority, then these passages will help illustrate that the Spirit of Yahweh, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Christ, are synonymous, and help define the nature of God in "three persons."
  Isaiah 59:21 " As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the LORD (Yahweh [Heb]). My Spirit that is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your descendants, nor out of the mouth of your descendent's descendants, says the LORD (Yahweh [Heb]), from this time on and forever."
  Isaiah 61:1 " The Spirit of the Lord GOD (Yahweh [Heb]) is upon me (later Jesus applied these words to himself - Luke 4:18.) because the LORD has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."
  Zechariah 7:12 "Yes, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts has sent in his spirit by the former prophets ; therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts."
  Ezekiel 11:24 "Afterwards, the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity...."
  1 Peter 1:10-11 , speaking of the salvation of our souls "....of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, [11] searching for what, or at what time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow.
  (The Spirit of the LORD (Yahweh), the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Christ, are one and the same in all instances. Peter speaks of the "Spirit of Christ " that inspired the prophets, while the prophets themselves write of this same Spirit as the "Spirit of Yahweh " and the "Spirit of God .")
• Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
  (This declares that the Messiah's, the Christ's, name would be "mighty God ," and "everlasting Father ". This verse is a marvelous prophecy that contained the answer to the then unrevealed mystery of the Godhead.)
• John 1:1,14; Revelation 19:13
  John 1:1,14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [14] And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
  Revelation 19:13 "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called, 'The Word of God.'"
  (In the book of John we are shown that Jesus is "the Word," and was with God and was God. In Revelation we are shown that Jesus is still the Word of God when he wages war against the evils of the world. You may want to read the surrounding context in both.)
• Genesis 1:1-2; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16; Acts 7:48-50; Job 33:4
  (These scriptures show that Jesus, and the Holy Spirit of God, and God, and the Most High, are all referred to as the Creator.)
  Genesis 1:1-2 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, [2] and the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. "
  Ephesians 3:9 "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ."
  Colossians 1:16 "For by him (Christ) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by him, and for him.
  Acts 7:48-50 "...the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands, as the prophet says, ' "Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool. What house will you build me?" says the Lord, "Or what is the place of my rest? Hasn't my hand made all these things" ' "
  (Note: this passage in Acts is directly quoting the LORD, Yahweh, and is from Isaiah 66:1. The word "LORD", in capital letters in the King James Version of the Old Testament, always refers to Yahweh (Jehovah), and "Yahweh" is always God. So, the Creator = Yahweh = Christ = God.)
  Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty has given me life."
  (Again, the Spirit of God = Creator = Christ who has created all things. The Creator is revealed to be God, Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God, and Yahweh, all one and the same God.)
• John 7:37-39; 14:16-20
  Here are some more passages that show that Christ, the Spirit, and the Father are one.
  John 7:37-39 "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. [38] He that believes on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water'. [39] (But this he spoke of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
  John 14:16-20 "And I (Jesus) will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, [17] even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him, neither knows him, but you know him for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. [18] I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. [19] Yet a little while, and the world sees me no more, but you see me. Because I live, you shall live also. [20] On that day you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you."
  (It was time for Jesus to allow his physical body to be crucified. He would return to his disciples in the Holy Spirit, and the disciples would then understand and see Jesus dwelling in them. They would be in Christ , who is in the Father . Christ, the Spirit, and the Father are one, and we are to be one with them.
  As long as we are in physical bodies, we cannot experience this to perfection, but Christians are indeed to experience the sweet taste of the oneness of God. If the church is full of people who strive to experience and practice oneness, the church will reflect it brightly, for this is the true Light, Christ, in us. This is what others are to see.
  We are to be the light of the world. Whether we accurately manifest true light or not, people see us for what we are. We are the City on the Hill, the city that cannot be hidden. Therefore, oneness is a matter of utmost importance. We will serve as either a true witness of the true light, or a false one, but we will be a witness nevertheless, for we cannot hide.)
• Romans 8:9-10 "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. [10] And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
  (The Spirit of God can rightly be called the Spirit of Christ. This passage equates them. There is only one Holy Spirit. It is the means by which Christ, and therefore God, dwells in us. Christ is God is the Holy Spirit. Christ dwells in us, God dwells in us, the Holy Spirit dwells in us. They are one.)
• John 3:31-34 "He that comes from above is above all. He that is of the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth. He that comes from heaven is above all, [32] and of what he has seen and heard he testifies, and no man receives his testimony. [33] He that has received his testimony has set his seal that God is true, [34] for he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give him the Spirit by measure."
  (John the Baptist is speaking here of Christ. He is saying that Jesus, who comes from above, is above all. Only God is above all. He also states that God "does not give him (Christ) the Spirit by measure." The Spirit was not "measured out" to Christ. Christ was God in fulness, not just in part. This truth is reaffirmed in Colossians 2:9 (quoted previously in this section.) where it says that in Christ "dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily.")
  

  (Please click on any of the highlighted boxes ( ) below to go to the in-depth study of each statement.)

  There is one Christian church.
  The church is composed of all Christians.
  A Christian is one in whom the one true God dwells.
  The Holy Bible is God inspired.
  The Holy Bible contains all the truth necessary for salvation.
  Different translations of the Bible, and various interpretations of scripture and doctrine, may contain errors, but in all major translations the errors are not a barrier to salvation.
  Salvation is by grace, a gift from God.
  Christian works are the acts of Jesus dwelling in us.
  Jesus lives in the members of the church, and the church is his body in this age.
  Everyone sins and breaks the spiritual law, even Christians.
  To love God and to love our neighbor is the fulfillment of all spiritual law.
  God's forgiveness is ongoing and limitless, and available to all who truly accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.
  God will never leave us, nor forsake us.
  

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