Like Father, Like Son

The other day I received an email from someone with the following content:

Hello André, I am studying the doctrine of the Trinity, or rather how it really is. In doing so I come at a certain point to something I cannot figure out, and I am curious how you see it.
There is one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s Son, His image, His form, the radiance of His glory and the impress of His essence. He is the one who in the Old Testament appeared to, among others, Abraham and Moses and said that His name is Yahweh. And then I no longer understand, because Yahweh is God, isn’t He? So then suddenly there are two Gods. Or is it that the Father is called Yahweh and the Son not? Or both?

Then something else. In the article about the Trinity you write: “In prayer we address God the Father. Not Jesus or the Spirit. Through Christ Jesus. That is the ever-recurring formula in Scripture.” That this is a recurring formula, I agree. But what then are we to do with Acts 8:22, where Peter says to Simon that he must pray to the Lord for forgiveness?

In any case I also want to say that I find your website very interesting and I wish you much wisdom in rightly understanding the Bible.

Greetings,
D.

My answer:

Dear D.,

Many thanks for your kind letter. From your words I gather that you see that the presentation of the Trinity is not correct, but of course you want to know how it really is. Perhaps I can set you on the right track.

Your first question is: is the Father called Yahweh or the Son? Or perhaps both?
The answer you already give yourself in my opinion, by referring to Hebrews 1:3, where we read of the Son…

This one, the brightness of His glory and the impress of His essence…

God and His Son relate to each other as the sun to its radiance. And as an imprint to the original. These are comparisons that the Bible itself provides. And from them we can learn much. On the one hand we can distinguish between a source of light and the light it radiates. The sun is not the same as the sunshine. On the other hand, we can only perceive the sun through the light it gives. When the sun stands high in the sky in summer, we cannot possibly look at the sun. What we see are the sunbeams. But in everyday speech we hardly make that distinction. On the beach I lie in the sun. It is very common to say it that way. Even though strictly speaking it is not correct. I am not lying on the beach in the sun but in the sunlight. But in common speech we identify the two. Just as the Bible often identifies the Son and the Father. He who has seen the Son has seen the Father (John 14:9).

The second comparison in Hebrews 1:3 (that of an imprint and the original) brings us to a similar thought. When I hold a coin in my hand I can point and say: that is Dutch Queen Beatrix. That is completely correct, but remember: it is figurative speech. For what I see on the coin is of course not Queen Beatrix herself, it is an image of her (cf. Matthew 22:20). In the same way “the Son of God’s love” is called “the IMAGE of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). God Himself may be the Invisible One, yet we do see Him. Namely through Him who is called His Image, Impress, Radiance, and Form.

It is completely Biblical to say that Christ is God. For the Bible itself does so in many places. But do not forget: it is (rightly) figurative speech. Whoever takes this figurative speech literally turns a common figure of speech into an incomprehensible mystery and bogs down in formulations that are utterly foreign to Biblical language. There is “one God, the Father” (1 Corinthians 8:6). He is the Invisible God. And His Son, “the Firstborn of every creature,” is the Image and the Form of the Deity. He makes God known to us (John 1:18).

Concerning the second question (to whom we actually pray) the following. The consistent line in the Bible is that we pray to God the Father. But also: we approach Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. So that in practice we again often see here the identification of Father and Son. For example in Acts 8:22, to which you refer.

Finally a few Bible texts where you find the above truth expressed:

“…and all, whatever ye may do in word or in work, [do] all things in the name of the Lord Jesus — giving thanks to the God and Father, THROUGH him.” (YLT)
Colossians 3:17

“…to the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and greatness, power and authority, both now, and to all the ages! Amen.” (THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord) (YLT)
Jude 25

“for one God, one also [is] mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus,” (YLT)
1 Timothy 2:5

Dear D., hopefully you can make use of these considerations.
May God give us “the eyes of our heart enlightened”!
– André Piet –

Delen: