Verse by Verse

Speaker 1: 00:01

Hi. I'm Eric Jones, and this is Verse by Verse, a short podcast all about exploring the insights and lessons of the inspired word of god. The history of Christianity over the past 1900 years can be studied through the lens of theological debates. Theology has actually divided people more than unite them. This is one of the reasons we have so many churches and denominations today because people interpret the Bible differently, and that causes rifts and divisions.

Speaker 1: 00:34

One of the greatest and most divisive theological debates has surrounded the question of God's nature. In other words, how should we properly understand God? How can we explain him? Within the many denominations of Christianity, there have basically been 2 competing explanations for god's nature. They are, 1, Unitarianism or sometimes called monotheism.

Speaker 1: 00:58

This explanation views god as one singular being. Typically, this explanation says god the father is the one singular god, and Jesus Christ was a created being, maybe an angel or some kind of lesser god or even an elevated prophet. The second and more prominent idea is trinitarianism. This explanation interprets God as one god, one being who manifests himself as 3 coequal divine personages, god the father, god the son, and god the holy spirit. Trinitarianism is by far the most popular explanation of god in all of Christianity.

Speaker 1: 01:37

But which one of these explanations is true? Well, what if I told you the answer was neither, none of the above? In fact, today's verse reveals an entirely different way to understand god. That verse is found in Ephesians 3 verses 14 through 15. Let's read it.

Speaker 1: 01:57

For this reason, I bow my knees to the father of our lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Paul, the writer, here reveals an important point about who and what god is. Is. First of all, notice how many individual beings are mentioned. Let's read verse 14 again.

Speaker 1: 02:19

For this reason, I bow my knees to the father of our lord Jesus Christ. Paul mentions 2 distinct beings, the father and our lord Jesus Christ. Notice he didn't mention bowing to the Holy Spirit. But how are we to For this reason, I bow my knees to the father of our lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Did you notice the terms Paul used to describe god?

Speaker 1: 02:56

The father. He also uses the phrase the whole family. There is the key right there, family. The apostle Paul and many other biblical writers refer to god in family terms. There is god the father.

Speaker 1: 03:12

There is Jesus Christ the son. As far as the family in heaven goes, those are the only 2 beings that are revealed to be god, the father and the son. Those two beings are 2 distinct personalities that form one unified family. They accomplish their will through their spirit, the power that proceeds from them to accomplish their purpose in the physical creation. But that spirit is not a member of the family.

Speaker 1: 03:40

It's not a distinct person. It is a power. It is a force. When we understand the bible's use of family terms to describe god, we come to an understanding of how god can be 2 divine beings yet 1 because god is a family. Just as human families are 1 singular family yet have multiple members, They can have fathers and sons and uncles and aunts and brothers and sisters.

Speaker 1: 04:08

God is 1 single family, the god family, composed of 2 members, a father and a son. This truth that God is a family, a family that God is building and growing and wants you to be a part of, is one of the most important truths in the entire bible. Not only does it answer the question, who is god, it also answers another question that theologians and philosophers have wrestled with for 1000 of years, what is the purpose of human life? Now there's so much more to say, but we don't have the time to cover all the scriptures on this topic in this short podcast. That's why I'd like to urge you to check out the show notes to find a link to our free booklet that goes much more in-depth on this subject, getting to know the god of the bible.

Speaker 1: 04:55

Getting to know the true God and discovering that he is a family, a family that he wants you to be a part of, is one of the greatest truths you can learn from God's word, the Bible.

Speaker 2: 05:08

Verse by Verse is a companion podcast to the daily bible verse blog, which you can find on the Life, Hope, and Truth Learning Center. Check out the show notes for more.