[Pastor Ralph]

Q3. In what sense are Jesus and the Father one? In what way was Jesus distinct from the Father? Is Jesus God in the sense that the Father is God?

[pickledilly]

Jesus and Father are one in the sense that they are two of the three persons of triune Yahweh - the one true and living God. They have different roles and personalities, yet they are the very same essence of divinity, perfect holiness, and love.

Jesus clearly identified that He obeys the Father's will, reflects the Father's glory, came to earth clothed in flesh to restore fallen man to the Father. 1 Cor.8:6 says there is only one Supreme Divinity, the Father, and that there is only one Supreme Master Owner, Jesus Christ. Yet it says that through each of them came all things and through each of them we live. They have to be the same God. Jesus said they are one.

I don't know if this is "correct", but I think of it this way. Father designed the plan of creation and redemption according to His will, Jesus Christ the Son obediently executed that plan and revealed the Father to humanity, and the Spirit implements the plan of His will throughout creation and within the hearts and lives of humanity. I AM WHO I AM, the Self-Existent One, exists as pure perfection. If any one of the three persons of the divine Trinity were missing, God would not be perfect! Jesus is identified by that name in prophecy (fulfilled and future) and by His own testimony. He is Yahweh, equally as much as Father and the Spirit.

[Helenmm]

Jesus was conceived by the HolySpirit Who, described as the "Power of the Highest", "overshadowed" her. Jesus is the physical incarnation of the power of God through His Spirit. I can't go past the old picture of the Trinity being like water, ice and steam, different forms of the same substance in different contexts. Maybe it's a bit like my voice. Sometimes it presencts as spoken words. Sometimes it presents itself in written form. Sometimes it is more powerful in body language, but all of it is me communicating. All forms have a unity that is me. They are not distinct entities from one another, and yet they have their distinction!

So Jesus was distinct from the Father in the way we are able to receive or perceive Him, rather than in any real sense.

Jesus is the Word or voice of God. He issues from God and has no distinction from God. He was the voice of God before He took carnal form through Mary, and is ever the voice of God. The Holy Spirit is the Presence of God, always was (moved over the face of the earth from creation's beginnings and still does0 Luke describes Him as the Power of God (not limited to earth because He is here). We understand Him as wind or breath. I think of Father as the great energy of all things. Jesus in the physical had limitations and did only what He saw His Father doing. This is a description of their oneness. Only the Father knew certain things - the time of the second coming, who would sit at Jesus right and left hand in the Kingdom. Jesus is no longer in the physical and probably no longer has those limitations. But He was begotten (not made). He was separate from God sufficiently to be abandoned at the Cross when He became sin for us. He is, therefore His own person. I don't understand what 'begotten' means. But it does indicate that Jesus came from God and that there is a distinction between persons, even though the unity is total.

[JustJeff]

Jesus presented Himself as the only earthly means by which we could commune with the Father. He proclaimed that God had "given" His children to Him and, He told Philip that "anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father." Conclusively, Jesus plainly illustrates that His words and His presence indicate that He and the Father are one. Add to this the Holy Spirit and we have God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
The Lord always separated Himself from the Father in heaven. He told us that He came not to seek His own glory but, to glorify our Father in heaven. He distinguished Himself from the Father as the Son of man(kind). Thus He allowed Himself to be a conduit to the Father above, distinct from He, Himself, here on earth.
Jesus is God the Son to whom God the Father has given all power in heaven and in earth. Two distinct and separate parts of the Godhead. And so it will remain until He has put all of His enemies under His feet... "And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all." 1 Cor 15:28

[Salome Ross]

I can not answer the questions any better than the 4 above - beautifully put!
The way I see it and not sure if this is correct, Jesus and the Father are one in the sense that we are three also, spirit, soul and body.
Jesus was distinct from the Father as He actually gave up His place in heaven to come down to earth to die for our sins - Thank You Jesus/Yashua my Messiah!
Yes I do believe that Jesus is God in the sense that the Father is God!

[Lisa Rupert]

Q3. In what sense are Jesus and the Father one? In what way was Jesus distinct from the Father? Is Jesus God in the sense that the Father is God?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God John 1:1
...the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...John 1:14
John 10:30 I and [my] Father are one.
John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Jhn 14:11 Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
John 10:29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
There is only ONE GOD. Jesus is one with the Father. God is one in three (Father, Son, Holy Spirit-Trinity). Yet they are distinct persons. Three distinct personalities but one divine union. Three who are divine but only one God. God is the highest authority. He is the one true God. Jesus is the Word of God.
1 Cor 8:6 "For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we live: and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through who we live."

[s8nfighter]

In what sense are Jesus and the Father one? In what way was Jesus distinct from the Father? Is Jesus God in the sense that the Father is God?
Jesus and the Father are one in the sense that they are the same. There can be only one I AM and both God and Jesus called themselves I AM. I think it odd that most people find it easy to believe that God chose to reveal himself to Moses through a burning bush, or to Elijah in the sound of a gentle whisper, but have a hard time thinking that God can reveal himself to us through Jesus. Is this not the same God that created the world and all things? Jesus must be the God in the same sense that the Father is God because he said if you have seen me you have seen the Father.
There is only one distinction between the Father and the Son, that distinction is the law. The law was given by the Father and fulfilled through the Son. Like fall turning into winter man tried to blanket themselves with a coat of white snow, but when the sun breaks through in the spring the ugleness which the snow covered up is exposed. And when the sun keeps on shining and the rains come new life is given anew. That is the promise of God through His Son. Not more of the same old life but a new life, well watered.
When someone is having dificulty in understanding the Trinity, I explain it this way. I draw a rectangle and place three circles inside it, top to bottom. I ask them what is it I have drawn. Most will recognize it as a stop light. A stop light reveals itself to us as a red light, yellow, light, and a green light, but it is a stop light.

[steve.c]

In what sense are Jesus and the Father one?

Jesus is God as much as the Father is God; their characteristics are the same, except that Jesus is God in flesh. Jesus was in no doubt about this and neither was John and Paul. " The Word became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us.' [John 1:2] "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.These are the Scriptures that testify about me." [John 5:35] "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity was in bodily form." [Colossians 2:9]

In what way was Jesus distinct from the Father?

We know Jesus through His earthy ministry. He was both fully God and fully man. His incarnation distinquishes Him as one of the three persons of God. The power of Jesus is that we can relate to His humanity. Through this, we have a more direct relationship with God. During His life on earth He related to it as well and throughout there is a filial obedience to His Father's will. "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." [Matthew 26:39] In the person of the Son, Jesus is the mediator between us and the Father. This was God's marvellous gift. Through Jesus' humanity we can know God better. We have a living example on which to model our lives; the example of one who was tempted and suffered like any other human being but was also God and so could atone for our sins and give us eternal life.

Is Jesus God in the sense that the Father is God?

Yes, Jesus tells us that this is so. "'I tell you the truth.' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am'." [John 6:58]. His life, teaching and actions are a reflection of who He is: God in flesh.

[Marilyn Rivington]

I find this concept so hard to verbalize. Jesus is “of one Being with the Father” as we profess in the Nicene Creed. They are one in that they are both parts of the Trinity, separate yet one.

Jesus is distinct from the Father because he became human and dwelt among us. He is Son, not Father.
I believe that Jesus is God in the sense that the Father is God. After Jesus was resurrected God raised him up to sit at his right hand in glory. God is Judge of the world but Jesus is going to come and judge the living and the dead at the end of time as we know it.

This is all as clear as mud! It is one of those mysteries that I accept by faith without having to struggle trying to explain it. As Pastor Ralph said, the word Trinity is not mentioned in Scripture “but the concept is certainly present in the New Testament.”

[charisbarak]

Jesus and the Father are both God. The same but different.

(It seems strange writing this when the concept is beyond my understanding!!)

But Jesus came to earth as a fully human man/fully God, whereas God the Father still remained the absolute authority under which Jesus put Himself.

Yes, Jesus & God the Father are equals.

[sahala p.s.]

Pastor Ralph, on Mar 2 2006, 05:21 AM, said:

Q3. In what sense are Jesus and the Father one? In what way was Jesus distinct from the Father? Is Jesus God in the sense that the Father is God?

Jesus and Father are one. Two but one, they can be separated. Talking about unity of two person, Jesus and Father, although too simple, I think they can be analogozied as two sides of an coin. One entity having two features. We can be separated the two sides away. If we seperate them, the coin will be nothing.

Jesus was distinct from the Father was in one thing that is the special duty of Jesus concerning of the salvation of man. Jesus came to the world to become a human being and died on the cross for redeeming human sins.

For the third part of the question, my answer is yes. Jesus is God and and the Father is God, they both are egual. Jesus and Father are God.

[June]

God put His Spirit into Jesus, so Jesus did as the Father instructed. Jesus came from the Father to live among the people to do the things that God did. Jesus walked among the people doing visible miracles after God sent Him to earth with His Spirit to do His work.
We have ALL been given that same Spirit, when we became " born again." Though we do not exercise our gift as Jesus does, we have the same authority " In Jesus Name" to do many wonders and miracles. Giving all praise, honor and glory to God and not thinking that we did it by ourselves.

[linda bass]

In what sense are Jesus and the Father one?
They are 2/3's of the Trinity. They both took part in creation.

In what why was Jesus distinct from the Father?
Jesus left heaven in order to come down to earth and take on the form of humanity.
Eventho Jesus is back in heaven, He still maintains a human form, while God the Father is essentially spirit.

Is Jesus God in the sense that the Father is God?
Yes.

[Embraced by the Father]

Jesus and the Father are one in that they are the Trinity. The Trinity is God in One: God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and God the Son, Jesus Christ. Together the three are One God. Even though the Trinity is very difficult, if not impossible to understand, I think of it in terms of three manifestations or activities.
Jesus’ manifestation or activity was to be born on earth in the form of a human man and sacrifice his life for the salvation of all of us. The Father was the Creator. Both Jesus and the Father are God but God manifested himself in three ways: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They each had/have specific tasks to carry out – yet they are all One God.

[care2hope2]

Jesus and the father are part of the trinity and both part of God. One as in a family
Jesus is son ... God is father.... Jesus is the human side of Godhead... God is creator and
ruler and Jesus is definitely part of God but he is distinctly the one who became human and was
able to feel and live and communicate with human mind and feeling etc. God is still High and
exalted and a more in awe part of the trinity. Respected and obeyed but held at a distance
Jesus is touchable and able to relate to us as a friend and God figure.... God is more a creator and
figure head.To talk to and be communicated with but held in a way of regal respect.

I See God as really like a king on a throne and Jesus as one who walks beside me.
Both respected and both communicated with only Jesus closer in emotion and God
held at a distance and bowed down to ...

[Lion of Grace]

Jesus and the Father are one in the sense that they are one in the Trinity. Both the Father and Jesus were present at creation, ( John 1:1.) so they were there as one.

Jesus though, took on human form and was both God and man. (John 1:14) so He also had a distinct role that was only His. He became like us and understands us. He took our sins and sufferings on Himself and can have empathy with us. He restored us to our Father through His death on the cross. He was the final blood sacrifice that tore the veil and enables us to come to the Father ourselves.

I think all three persons of the Trinity have a distinct role, but all are one and God.
Father chose me. (Love.)
Jesus saved me by His blood. (Grace.)
Spirit is in me and convicts, comforts and guides me. That is sanctification. (Fellowship.) 1 Peter 1:2., 2 Corinthians 13:14
But all are one. Matt. 28:19.
That is how I understand it from the Four Reasons Why I Believe in The Trinity article along with my 1 Peter study through my church.

[anthony s. rapaglia]

In the prolouge to John's Gospel presents Jesus as the "WORD"who created all things (1:3) and who became flesh and dwelt amoung us(1:4). He is the Life (1:4) and the Light of mankind (1:4); the Glory of God (1:4);and the only begotten God who makes the Father known(1:18).

The Gospels record Jesus' own self designation as Son of Man,the title He frequently used to speak of His humiliation,His identification with sinful mankind,His death on behalf of sinners and His Glorius return.

While Jesus was the Son of Man in respect to His ministry and passion,He is also the Son of God,the uniquely begotten one sent from God Himself (Mark 1:1;John #;16)

Jesus was fully human.he was not partially human nor did He function at times as a human and at times as God nor did He merely appear to be human.He was once both man and God.

[Linda Stanley]

IN WHAT SENCE ARE JESUS AND THE FATHER ONE?A FEW YEARS BACK I HAD A TEACHING ON THE GODHEAD.SO ,IN THE TEACHING IT ALL CAME DOWN TO THE TRINITY."GOD THE FATHER"GOD THE SON"AND GOD THE HOLY GHOST"ALL ARE ONE,BUT YET PLAY A DIFFRENT ROLL.GOD WAS FIRST,THEN GOD CAME DOWN TO THE EARTH AS MAN"JESUS" ,THEN WHEN JESUS LEFT THE EARTH THE HOLY GHOST CAME.YOU SEE A UNITY IN THE, THREE IN ONE.
IF YOU HAD THREE GLASSES OF WATER AND YOU TOOK ONE GLASS OF WATER AT A TIME,POURED IT ALL TOGETHER IN A PITCHER,YOU WOULD STILL HAVE THREE GLASSES OF WATER ,BUT THEY WOULD BE ALL TOGETHER AS ONE.I KNOW THIS SOUNDS CHILDLIKE ,BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN THIS ANY BETTER.FROM THE OLD TESTIMENT TO THE NEW TESTIMENT,WE ALL KNOW GOD LOVED US SO MUCH THAT HE CAME DOWN TO EARTH AS MAN TO SAVE US,GIVE US LIFE ETERNAL,AND COMFORT US UNTIL HE RETURNS.AMEN
JESUS BEING DISTINCT FROM THE FATHER ,I WOULD SAY THAT BECAUSE OF HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS TO SAVE US ,THE TRUTH IS THAT WE GO THROUGH JESUS TO REACH THE FATHER.I DO ADMIT THAT WHEN I PRAY MOST OF THE TIME I JUST ADDRESS GOD WITH MY PRAYERS,SOMETIMES I SAY IN JESUS.I REALLY DON'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO ADDRESS GOD IN ANY WAY ,BUT KNOWING GOD IS MY FATHER AND JESUS IS ONE.IF I AM WRONG,PLEASE SOMEONE FEEL FREE TO HELP ME ON THIS QUESTION.

[Stan]

. In what sense are Jesus and the Father one? In what way was Jesus distinct from the Father? Is Jesus God in the sense that the Father is God?



They are one in the fact that they are doing what the Father wants accomplished in His relationship with His chosen people. Jesus said that He came to accomplish the Father's will and that is what He did. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one in their relationship with their Father and ours.

He is the Son of the Father sent to do His will and to fulfill His will. He is distinct in that He is the one Who died for us on the cross. He shed His blood,preformed the perfect sacrifice and love the Father by doing His will.


Jesus is God in every sense. He is the Son sent to fulfill the will of the Father . He is God in His relationship with us. He is Emmanuel, the Christ, Lord of Lord, He is our High Priest in the order of Melchidzek. He is the head of the body the church all this at the biding of the Father and His will to do the Fathers work that He gave Him to do.

[Saved55s]

In what sense are Jesus and the Father one? Jesus is the Son of God, yet they are one.

In what way was Jesus distinct from the Father? Jesus came to earth & lived in human form & prayed to the Father.

Is Jesus God in the sense that the Father is God?
Jesus & God are one in that Jesus is God in the flesh who came to earth to live as a man.