Nature of God and Christ, Part 3

God is Spirit, John 4.24, as we mentioned in our Q&A session here. Spirit is the essence of God. God is uncreated and eternal. According to John 1.1, both God and the Word are uncreated and co-eternal. Therefore, they are of the same spiritual essence. There is one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12.13, Ephesians 4.4. So let's look at those verses right quick. We'll all turn there, please. John 4 and verse 24. What is God? The very essence of God. John 4 and verse 24. God is Spirit. Now, some translations have God is a Spirit. The old King James has that.

But there is no indefinite article in Greek. So it is God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Spirit is the essence of God. That is His... Actually, it's not a composition as we think of composition. We think of composition as many different parts put together, but some people say, well, that's His composition.

That's what He's composed of. And that's why we prefer to use the word essence as opposed to composition or substance. His being is Spirit. Our being is flesh. And to be on the God plane, you must be uncreated. Now we go to John 1-1. John 1-1. And we notice these things that we also mentioned in our question and answer session. In the beginning was the word, showing existence.

The verb was means to exist. The word was with God. He existed with God, showing relationship. And the word was God, showing His identity, and also showing two beings. The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by Him. Without Him was not anything made that was made. Verse 12. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the way that we can be on that God plane is through receiving this essence of the eternal Spirit, and then being changed at the resurrection into the sons of God on that plane, and being then of the essence of God Himself, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

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 of truth. The Holy Spirit is the life, essence, and power of God and Christ. It imparts life and spiritual understanding and power to the believer. Thus, the Holy Spirit is not a person in the sense of being a separate and distinct entity. Once again, the Holy Spirit is not a person in the sense of being a separate and distinct entity that acts apart from God and Christ.

The Holy Spirit is under the direction of God and Christ. And the same Spirit that is in the Father, as far as essence is concerned, is in Christ, and is the same Spirit that abides within us. We have that essence within us as well as begotten sons and daughters of God. Now, let's turn to Romans 8 and verse 9, and we'll see in this verse some get confused with this verse because it says, the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ.

But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you, once again, God is Spirit, His essence is Spirit. That life essence can be imparted to us. We can become partakers of the divine nature, 2 Peter 1.4. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of his.

That doesn't mean that there is a separate Spirit between God and Christ, that they are joined together by that one Spirit. So, in this verse, the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are referenced. Yet, as noted, there is one Spirit. Yet, there can be thousands of people joined to God and Christ.

Yet, even millions, and hopefully billions, can be joined to God and Christ through the Holy Spirit. Turn to Romans 12. Romans 12 and verse 5, we'll see that very clearly. When I have a board to write on, what you do here, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, John 15.26. And so, you make a link, shed on us through Christ, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through Christ, and then you can put dots to represent every person who has ever had the Holy Spirit within them and those who have the Holy Spirit within them today.

And you'll notice this verse here, Romans 12.5. So, we being many are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another. How are we members one of another? Because we have that common essence within us. We are spiritual brothers and sisters in God and Christ. The Apostle Paul beautifully summarizes this spiritual unity for us, and we'll probably come back here again. Let's go please now to Hebrews 2 verse 11. Hebrews 2 and verse 11.

Let's read verse 10 as well. Hebrews 2.10, For it became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

And one of the ways that Jesus Christ was tested to the very absolute limit, as you might say, he suffered this ignominious death, and through that suffering, he never turned back. He never lost sight of his mission and why he was here. And he was perfectly obedient even unto death, as it says in Romans 5. For both he that sanctifies, and they who are sanctified, are all of one. Are they all of one? By that common essence. For which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren? Because of that link, we're all members of one another, and we have the common Father, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit shed on us through Christ. He is the firstborn among many brethren, according to Revelation 1 and verse 5.

So in this verse, in this Hebrews 2.11, we see a familia, that is a family relationship established between Christ and begotten believers. Let's read it again.

For both he that sanctifies, and they who are sanctified, are all of one. For which cause? He is not ashamed to call them brethren. And sometime in prayers, we say, we ask it in the name of our elder brother. Now some people have written and said, well, maybe this is being too familiar with Jesus Christ to speak in those terms. But once again, as I ask you to paraphrase Romans 8.17, Romans 8.17 says we are heirs of God. We can inherit, as it were, what he is and joint heirs with Christ. So once again, we'll be on that plane by the same spirit that he raised Jesus from the dead. He'll also raise us, make alive our mortal bodies. So let's go to that Romans 8.17. Romans 8.17, and we want to begin in Romans 8.14. Romans 8 and verse 14.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. So that's another qualification to be a son of God. You have to be led by the Spirit of God.

For you've not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of oeothecia, or oeothecia, huio-t-h-e-s-i-a, the Greek word for sons, huio-s. So this is oeothecia, and adoption is not a good translation. It should be sonship. Why should it be sonship? Because, and I've already explained this once, in adoption you can receive all of the benefits of a son that is in the legal sense, but you did not come out of the loins of whoever adopted you, your father, mother. But with us, we have that same essence that is in God, that is in Christ, that is in us, by one Spirit, are we all baptized into one body? Why? Therefore, we are sons. It is sonship. It is not just adoption. It is not just a legal matter. It is a literal thing.

The Spirit of sonship whereby we cry, Abba, Father. He is our Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and join heirs with Christ. Remember the Hebrews 2.11, not ashamed to call them brethren. If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. Being an heir of God brings us to the very heart and core of God's purpose for humanity. We want to review some of the things we've already said and bring some things together. God the Father and the Logos are uncreated and coessential. Coessential means same essence. Thus, no family relationship could exist since neither one was begotten by the other one. So we go to Hebrews 7 quickly and we review that once again.

And we want to state again what we just said when we get there. Hebrews 7, and let's state it again. God the Father and the Logos are coeternal, coessential. They are uncreated. Thus, there's not a family relationship of one begetting the other at that stage of their existence. That is, before the Logos, the word humbled himself, who, being in the form of God, took on the form of man, as it talks about in Philippians 2.

So that relationship could only exist after there was this process of beguetal and birth through the resurrection. So we see here in Hebrews 7, verse 3, without Father, this Melchizedek, king of Salem, verse 2, to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation king of righteousness, no earthly person, a lot of commentators, and some very few ministers have left our fellowship saying that this Melchizedek was just another human being.

What human king would be king of righteousness? I don't know any, and I've never heard of any. And what human being would be also the king of peace? Jesus Christ is called another title of Jesus Christ as Prince of Peace. Without Father, which human king is without Father? Without Mother? Without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life? Which human king lives eternally? I don't know any, but made like unto the Son of God abides a priest continually. To me, there is no doubt that this is speaking of the one who became Christ, and this whole section here is talking about how there was a change in the priesthood that under the priesthood during the days of Abraham, Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek. And then, during the days of Moses and the dispensation under the law, they tied to the Levitical priesthood. Now it's to the priesthood of Melchizedek that abides eternally and forever. So the word was made flesh, as we read from John 1.14 at the beginning. And he was made flesh to usher in a new order of relationships, that is, familia or family type of relationships. Since that didn't exist prior to that, since both were co-eternal, co-essential, and uncreated. So it was necessary that one of them humble himself and go through a begettle and birth process in order to establish the family relationship described in Hebrews 2.11 and Romans 8.17 that we just talked about. Not ashamed to call them brethren. Heirs of God join heirs with Christ. So in order for the family relationship to begin, the Logos had to partake of flesh, flesh and blood, and yet remain divine. So let's go to Philippians again. Philippians 2, beginning in verse 6. Philippians 2 verse 6.

Once again, in order for the family relationship to begin, the Logos had to partake of flesh and blood, yet remain divine. This was necessary. To pay the penalty for sin, and also it introduced a new kind of relationship in the Godhead.

That of Father and Son. Philippians 2.6. Who being in the form of God, morphe is a great word for form, thought it not robbery, that is a thing to be seized, is a better translation to be equal with God. It wasn't the thing to be seized because he was already on the God plane. Isis, we talked about, is the Greek word for equal. It can mean quantity and quality. Quality was on the God plane. But in quantity, the Son or the Word, the one who became the Son, emptied himself of glory, but not divinity. He was still the Son of God, that is divine Son of God, after the Begettle. But made himself of no reputation, and took on him the form, morphe, the same as form of God. Verse 6, of a servant who was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the stake. So Jesus Christ humbled himself, the Word, the one who became Christ. The Word allowed the Father to somehow place him, that is that Spirit essence of the Word in the womb of Mary. This is the Begettle process. Let's go to Luke 1.

Now we don't know exactly how that was done. It was through God and the Spirit. As we've just read here, the Word who being in the form of God humbled himself and took on the form of a man.

But to go from this position in the heavens into the womb of Mary, that's quite a change. Luke 1 and verse 30. The angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for you found favor with God. Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. Who receives the throne of his father David?

I know that I wrote something one time. This was back before the split, but when the discussions were going on about Jesus Christ being the true David. He shall give unto him the throne of his father David. I didn't write it. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How should this be? Seeing, I know not a man, I'm a virgin. How can this be? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the highest shall overshadow you. This word overshadow means to cover completely. It's used to indicate the presence of God over something. Reminiscent of the cloud that covered or overshadowed Israel on their journeys from Egypt to the Promised Land. The power of the highest shall overshadow you.

Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. This is not a physical thing.

The Father cannot create something, make it up, put in the womb of Mary. It is a spiritual thing. Turn to Matthew 1.

Matthew 1.

In Matthew 1, verse 18, When Mary was a spouse to Joseph, Joseph found out that she was pregnant. But he had not had any kind of intimate relationships with her. Matthew 1.18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when as his mother Mary was a spouse to Joseph, before they came together, she found a child of the Holy Spirit. It's not a physical thing, obviously.

The Joseph, her husband being a just man, not willing to make her a public example, but minded to put her away privately.

Remember, the Holy Spirit is what? It's the essence of God and the Word.

You shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all of this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet. This is from Isaiah. That verse, we heard about in the sermon in Matthew 5.17, it says, Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets, because there is the part of fulfilling the law and magnified it, making it honorable, and also fulfilling what was written of him in the prophets. So there are two aspects to that fulfilling, and that fulfilling and filling up to the full should not be just viewed in isolation. So here you see that it was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, His very name is God with us. God with us.

The birth process occurred at the resurrection. I want to now turn to Revelation 1.5. Revelation 1 and verse 5.

It might be interesting to note just as a side point, Revelation 1.1.

A lot of people talk about the book of Revelation being, since the way it starts off, the revelation of Jesus Christ. But you don't read the whole verse. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him. So the chain of Revelation is God, Jesus Christ, the angel, the messenger, which can be either divine or human, and to us. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass, and he sent and signified it by his angelos, his messenger unto his servant John.

Verse 4, John to the seven churches which are in Asia graced me unto you, peace from him which is, which was, which is to come. Once again, showing eternity always existing, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne, and from, and from, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the prototico, the firstborn of the dead.

The prince of the kings of the earth, and unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his blood. Now, what did this being the firstborn from the dead, what relationship did that establish? Now we go to Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1, we've already said it, and we know it, but let's show it from the scriptures. In Romans chapter 1, verse 1, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. So, as with regard to physical descent of the seed of David, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. And we're going to go through that same process, and are going through that same process, of begat and eventually birth into the kingdom of God. No created material being or created spirit being could die for the sins of the world and return to glory, the glory that the Word shared with the Father before the world began. You couldn't have been created and do that. Angels are created spirit beings. The loggah spoke and they came into existence. Let's go to Colossians 1 16 now. Colossians 1 16.

Colossians 1 16.

And perhaps we should back up here. My wife gets on me for this, but I do it almost every time. I say go to whatever it is and then I'll back up two verses. But anyhow, let's back up.

In Colossians 1 verse 12.

Colossians 1 12. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us fitting to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. The Father made us fitting to be partakers, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.

In the spiritual sense. See, we are now children of God, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn, and here they translate it correctly, the prototico, the firstborn of every creature. For by him are all things created that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and invisible. So that would include the angelic realm. Whether they be thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers, all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist, and he is the head of the body, the church, who is beginning the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Jesus Christ is the I AM. He says in John 8.58, in John 8.58 Christ says, before Abraham, I AM. In other words, I existed before Abraham. As created spirit beings, the essence of angels is somehow, and I don't know exactly how, the same as that of God in the Word, and one must never allow themselves, himself, herself, to become confused regarding the nature of angels.

Angels are not immortal spirit beings in the same sense that God is, or that we will be. That is, they don't possess life within themselves as God does. Once again, they are created beings. After they were created, I guess you could say, okay, they have life within themselves, but they didn't always have that. They had to be created. This doesn't mean that they won't live into eternity, but they had a beginning point, and they will not be born into the spirit realm of heirs of God and join heirs with Christ.

Now, let's go back to Hebrews 1. Hebrews 1 and verse 4. Speaking of Christ, whose reference in verse 3, and hopefully we'll get to explain verse 3, which is more technical toward the end. If we don't have time today, we don't have time. But in Hebrews 1.4, 1 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, you are my son? Which of the angels said he at any time? Now the angels can be called sons of God by creation. Human beings can be called sons of God by creation in the physical sense. But to be a son of God in the spiritual sense, that is, on the same plane, there has to be the beguetal and birth. So which of the angels, when did he say to the angels at any time you were my son, this day have I begotten you?

He never did, because they were created beings. And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he brings in the first born into the world, he says, and let all the angels of God worship him. Verse 13, But to which of the angels said he at any time said on my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool, Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

So thus is showing the purpose of angels. And there's no way that angels could die for the sins of the world. Christ is of the eternal spirit. Once again, showing clearly that no created being could die for the sins of the world. Look at Hebrews 9, verse 14. Hebrews 9, verse 14.

Here, that term, eternal spirit, is used. Hebrews 9, 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? So as I stated earlier, the Logos, the Word, had to empty himself of his glory, take on the form of man in order to begin the begat and birth process so that humankind could become the very sons of God.

Jesus Christ, the forerunner, the captain of our salvation, he paved the way for us. Moreover, no one less than the begotten Son of God could die for the sins of the world. Turn now, please, to John 17. Jesus Christ, on the night before he was crucified, prayed this prayer. We read this during the Passover services. Every year we read John 17. On the night before Christ was crucified, he prayed that the Father, the Son, and believers would all be made one. They are all of one. He who sanctifies and they who are sanctified, Hebrews 2, 11, are all of one.

Therefore, he's not ashamed to call them brethren. John 17, verse 19, And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me, and that the glory which you gave me I've given them, that they may be one even as we are one.

And as Paul writes in Romans 12, 5, that we are all members, one of another. The plain words of Christ in this passage clearly revealed that he is the Father, I'm sorry, that he is in the Father and the Father is in him, and that he prayed that we might be one as they are one. And this is only possible through this spiritual union.

He prays that believers also become one with them. Now this one, this is not a Trinitarian kind of construct, but a spiritual unity whereby God, Christ, and believers are all one through the Holy Spirit, the very essence of God, by comparison.

So that you'll be able to know and know that you know and so you'll be able to combat the Trinitarian model. The classic orthodox Trinitarian position states that in the being of the one Eternal God there are three eternal and essential distinctions, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet no separation. In Western Christendom, that is the Catholic Church, the classical formula is three persons in one substance. Now the Greeks always thought they were smarter than everybody else.

They said, well you can't have three persons in one substance. That doesn't make sense. So we've got to come up with a way whereby we can maintain the oneness of God, and yet there be these three. So they came up with this notion of three hypostasis or three distinctions in being in one being. And I used the analogy in some of the writing when we were discussing this back in the early 90s that to me it reminded me of a three-headed turtle.

That when you wanted to be the Father, you stick out this head, and when you want to be the Son, you stick out that head, and when you want to be the Holy Spirit, you stick out this head, but they're just one turtle. Well, there's a lot of problems with that because of the literal meaning of the word hypostasis. So we have reviewed some of the main points that we made in the first two sermons. Hopefully brought that a little closer to our memory and our mind. Made it maybe a little clearer, and now that we've talked about it at least three times, and that you continue to review it, it'll be forever with you.

Now, some, basically, the whole Orthodox world. My goal has been, and I haven't yet written, started on my book. My book would be titled, The Cult of Orthodoxy, How Satan is Deceiving the Whole World. The Orthodox people claim that in order to be really a true Christian and to be within the have the blessings of Orthodoxy, you have to believe in the Trinity.

As I said, the Catholic world or the Western Christianity uses the term persons, and the Greek world uses the term hypostasis. Now, there is some change over in some of this, but that's a general statement. Some assert that the God, that the Son of God, is not a separate being, since He is the radiance of God's glory, as in Hebrews 1.3. So, now, this material, our remaining time here, if you've mastered what we've said so far, hopefully you'll be able to hang on here, and let's go a little deeper. Hebrews 1.

In Hebrews 1, as I said, some assert that the Son of God is not a separate being, based on Hebrews 1.3. And on this, and this is more what the Greeks teach, and this is what came out from headquarters in 1993, this paper, and also the videos about the Trinity, using this hypostatic kind of union to try to say that there's one God and three ways of being. And Hebrews 1.3 was one of the main verses that they tried to use. I wrote a rebuttal point by point of that whole paper in Senate 2, Pasadena. I still have a copy of it. But let's look at this verse, and once again, we'll read into it. Hebrews 1.1, God, who at different times and in different ways spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets. He spoke dreams, visions, sometimes appeared to them, as in Genesis 18.1, the Yahweh appeared to Abraham. Hath of these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, who being the brightness of his glory, and some saying, well, he's just the brightness or the radiance of his glory, just a reflection, and the express image. This word express image in the Greek has to do with character. Some assert that the Son of God, as I said, is not a separate being, just the radiance. Is this assertion true? Some assert that the phrase express image of his person proves that the Son is in hypostasis of God or a way of being. So they try to prove that Spirit is indivisible, and there can be only one God. The fact that God and Christ are one and the believers are one with God and Christ does not mean that the Spirit is divided. You need to think this again.

The fact that God and Christ are one and the believers are one with God and Christ does not mean that the Spirit is divided. We have read John 17, 21, where it says, I am the Father, Father in me, and I pray that they'll be one as we are one. And as Paul writes in Romans 12, 5, that we are members, one of another. That is, we're joined to each other, God and Christ, through the Holy Spirit. So in that sense, there is no division. There's no broken chain that each one of you has the Spirit of God, that has the Spirit of God, and you are all linked to Christ and the Father. You are individual entities, and you have identity. Now, one of the things that we got into in discussing this was where it says in 1 Corinthians 15 that you'll have a spiritual body. And so they tried to make that into what they called a pneumaticos, and actually drew Christ down in the little corner of the page as a resurrected Christ as a pneumaticos, which once again would introduce a fourth being. So in a sense, they got caught in a trap where you would merge back into the spirit world, sort of like an Eastern mysticism. So I wrote this paper in which I said, now what shall we be in the Kingdom of God? Will we just be bleeps on God's great radar screen and say, bleep, there goes John, bleep, there goes Mary, or shall we have identity? Well, we will see clearly that we have identity in the Kingdom of God and in the family of God. So back to this Hebrews 1.3. 2. Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person. Now believe it or not, this word person in the Greek is hypostasis. Being the express image of his hypostasis. Now we want to get the meaning of hypostasis. Here's how online Bible defines hypostasis, or sometimes it's spelled hoopostasis, H-U-P instead of H-Y-P, same. Define it as a setting or placing under a thing, a setting or placing under a thing, that which has substance, real being, the substantial quality nature of a person or thing. So you can readily see the hypostasis as a wide range of meaning. Theologians contend that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in hypostatic union with the Father eternally begetting the Son and the Father and the Son generating the Holy Spirit through a process called passive spiration. Hang with us. Yet, John 5, 26 says, for as the Father has life in Himself, so has He given the Son to have life in Himself. So it's clear that the Father and Son are independent entities in that sense. They have independent identity, yet they're joined by the same essence, the Holy Spirit. I in Him, you in Me, and that we might all be one, or they might be all one, as we are one.

Hypostasis, once again, has to do with that which has substance or the essence of something. It also can be used of that which is the foundation or placing under a thing, the substantial quality or nature of a thing or a person.

If one defines hypostasis as ground of being, or the essential quality or essence, then he would be forced to conclude that the Father cannot exist without the Son. Because we would read verse 3, says, the express image of his hypostasis, or ground of being, and that would indicate that as ground of being, that the Son was the ground of being of the Father in upholding all things by the word of his power, which he had by himself purged our sins, and sat down in the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The Son cannot be the ground of being of the Father, because the Father is the one who begat the Son. So what does Hebrews 1.3 actually reveal about the relationship of the Son to the Father? Does this verse show that there is only one person in the Godhead, yet three ways of being God? So let's look at it again.

The Son being the brightness, and the express image in the Greek character, a stamped image of his hypostasis, placing under foundation essence or substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. This verse is not stating that the Son is just a hypostasis of God or a way of being God. It is quite the opposite. How so? A definite distinction is being made between the Father and the Son, and at the same time it is clearly stated that the Son reflects the opinion and character of the Father, and is of the same essence or substance. Once again, stamped image of his person, meaning of the same essence as the Father. So let's read it again. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his essence, which he had by himself, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. So being the express image of his hypostasis. He is the express image of the Father in essence. In other words, they have the same essence. And you read verse 4. You see clearly that a distinction is made, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they, for under which of the angels said he at any time, that is the Father, you art my son.

Now, the stamped image of his person, once again meaning of the same essence as the Father. Now, this discussion can lead to many other questions. For example, did God give his only begotten Son, born from above Son, or did he play games with his ways of being, or his ways of being, and given hypostasis of himself? If he only gave him hypostasis of himself, why talk about giving his only begotten Son? If he only gave an hypostasis of himself, he merely gave himself to himself.

You follow what I'm saying? So this verse 3 is not saying that they're all the same being, three ways of being God. It is saying that they express image of his essence. In other words, they are of the same essence.

If it was ground of being, then the Son, it would be necessary for him to exist in order for the Father to exist. And if it were to be used as three ways of being God, then God would be giving a hypostasis of himself to himself to pay for the sins of the world. Now let's go to Hebrews 7, 27, because we'll see here the scriptures declare that Jesus offered up himself unto God. Jesus offered up himself unto God. He didn't offer up a hypostasis, or that is, a way of being God. He offered himself an entity that's not the Father, but an entity, the Son. Hebrews 7, 27.

Who need not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins and then for the people's? For this he did once when he offered up himself. For the law makes men high priests which have infirmity, but the word of the oath which was since the law makes the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. Also, once again, look at Hebrews 9, 14 again. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God? It was the Son who offered himself without spot to God. It wasn't a way of being God. So Hebrews 1, 3, the express image of his person, means once again the express image of his essence or his being. They are of the same substance, but the Son is not the ground of being of the Father, and the Son is not just a way of being God. The Son is God and a separate entity who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purged your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. On the cross, Jesus cried out. Let's notice what he cried out in two different places. Matthew 27, 46. Matthew 27, in verse 46. About a year and a half ago, a couple of us did a very detailed study of Matthew 26 and 27. When you just really get down and look at each verse and study, it is one of the most inspiring and amazing passages of Scripture that you can possibly hope to study. Matthew 27, let's read Matthew 27, 45. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. So the sixth hour would be noon, high noon. At high noon, darkness all over the land until three o'clock in the afternoon. And about three o'clock in the afternoon, the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is to say, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Some of them that stood there when they heard this said, this man calls for Elijah. And straightway one of them ran, took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, let's see whether Elijah will come to save him. And Jesus, when he cried again with a loud voice, gave up the pneuma, the Spirit. Now we go to Luke 23. Luke 23. Luke's account of Jesus on the stake.

In Luke 23, verse 44, It was about the sixth hour, noon darkness over all the earth until three o'clock in the afternoon. The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit, my pneuma, my life essence.

There is no consciousness in the grave. Christ had emptied himself of glory, took on the form of a man.

And it was the Father who raised him from the dead. And Jesus Christ shows that he placed his life essence in the Father's hands. He could put Romans 8.11 in the margin. By the same spirit that he raised Jesus from the dead, he will also quicken or raise us from the dead, make alive us at the resurrection.

Into your hands, I commend my spirit in having said thus, he gave up the pneuma, the Spirit.

If one insists that the Son is merely an hypostasis of the Father, and that the Father and Son are not distinct beings, they are hopelessly trapped into contradictions when it comes to explaining the incarnation of the Word and the crucifixion. Such a position demands the incarnation of all three ways of being God. Moreover, it demands the death of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit of their model. The alternative is to try to make Jesus into mere flesh, a man, not the Son of God, who died on the stake, thus denying that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come in the flesh. Such a position is the spirit of antichrist. Moreover, if one insists on strict monotheism, he's forced to conclude that God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit died on the cross, since the trinity allows for no separation of persons.

The Son's reflection of the radiance of God as a distinct entity is further illustrated by the clear biblical teaching that all the resurrected sons of God will reflect the radiance of God. As we've already read, Christ prayed that the saints be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. In fact, spirit-led Christians are possessors and reflectors of God's glory and brightness even in this light, even in this life. The spirit-led Christians cease to be separate persons as they reflect God's glory. Let's notice 2 Corinthians 3.18. 2 Corinthians 3.18. Jesus Christ, the express image of His character, His being, His essence. We are also to be reflectors of God's Spirit at the present time. In 2 Corinthians 3.18. But we all with open face, beholding in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

See, we are to be the light of the world. We are to reflect the radiance and glory of God even now. The Son has already gone through the whole process, and He is the stamped, exact image and of the same essence as the Father. And that's what we are going to be in resurrection.

Notice Romans 8, verse 29. Now we're getting into what shall we be. Shall we have identity, or shall we be bleeps on God's great radar screen? Shall we have spiritual bodies that can be identified, and faces and foreheads that can be identified, and we can say, yes, that's John, that's Mary.

Romans 8, 29. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He called, and whom He called them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified. So we're going to have that same glory and radiance in the ultimate sense at the resurrection. Now finally notice Revelation 22. Revelation 22.

This is the proof of proofs to me that we'll have identity and what we'll be in the resurrection.

Revelation 22, verse 1. He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bear twelve manner of fruit, shielded of fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it. And his servant shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads.

Distinct entities having identity in the kingdom of God. Brethren, I hope we understand how wonderful the understanding is of these precious truths. The precious truths that we have discussed during the last three Sabbaths address the very heart and core of the greatest questions of the ages. Who is God? What is God? What is his purpose? Correlarity to that. Who is man? What is man? What is his purpose? When the peoples of the world come to understand these precious truths, the world can move toward peace, peace on earth, and goodwill toward men. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace because he revealed to humans the answers to these great questions. Remember, he came to declare the Father and to reveal to us the Father. So let us think on the names of God and Christ and all that they imply, all they represent, and claim the promises, and make our calling and election sure, and set the kinds of example, and show the kind of light and life that Jesus Christ did while he was here on the earth.