Christ's Deity

One of the most common Trinitarian arguments for the deity of Christ is predicated on the use of the English word "worship" in the KJV.

Standard proof texts include:

• Matthew 2
  
  [*]Hebrews 1.
  
  [*]Matthew 14.
  
  [*]Matthew 28.
  
  [*]Luke 24.

I shall address Revelation 4 separately, because it is more complicated than these passages, and therefore deserves special attention.

The lowest common denominator among all of these proof texts, is their consistent use of the Greek word proskuneo. This is significant, because proskuneo is the only Greek word for "worshipped" which is ever applied directly to Christ - and it does not imply the worship of a God. Permit me to elaborate...

Proskuneo implies reverence (as to a king or ruler) but never worship of a god. I can provide a comprehensive list of the times when it occurs in the NT, if you'd like to see it, but in case you want an example, try reading the NRSV some time. It says that the wise men came to "pay homage" to Christ at Bethlehem. This gives a far more accurate rendition of proskuneo than the KJV, which merely says "worship." Of course, "homage" is something that you pay to a king. And Jesus was indeed born King of the Jews. But he was not God, and the wise men never expected him to be.

Both God and Christ receive proskuneo, but this does not make Jesus God. Why? Because Koine Greek has a word which is used exclusively for the worship of gods (latreou), and it is never applied to Christ. It is, however, applied to the Father. If you read Mark 11, you will see that Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem as a king, and you can be sure that he received proskuneo at this time. (It is interesting, however, that he was not welcomed into Jerusalem as God, which is what we'd need to see if Trinitarians were correct. Additionally, the Pharisees and Sadducees make no comment about the reception of Jesus by the people at this time, except to say that they are wrong to consider him the king of the Jews. Not one person is criticised for worshipping him as God - because this never happened!)

In the OT, angels are often worshipped by the men and women to whom they appear. This fact is oft forgotten by Trinitarians. The worship that angels receive at this time, is obeisance - not literal religious worship. Some angels reject this, because (from the context) they do not wish to be confused with God Himself. However, others accept it, on those occasions when they are representing God.

Now let's examine an Old Testament example of an angel accepting the worshipful prostration of a man (for which the LXX uses the word proskuneo):

• 
  Joshua 5:14-15.
  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?
  And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

How can Joshua perform proskuneo towards an angel, without being accused of blasphemy? The answer is simple - it is because proskuneo simply means "to prostrate; to bow down; to pay obeisance or homage." It does not mean "worship", as we understand the word.

Another word translated for "worship" in the NT, is doxa - though in most cases it is translated "glory", being used in reference to God, king Solomon, and those who receive praise at feasts. (Luke 14:10.) It contains no inherent religious implication, but (as with proskuneo) can be used within a previously-established religious context. Interestingly, the NRSV is more accurate that most other translations, rendering proskuneo as "homage." We would expect "homage" to be shown to a king (as indeed it is, by the magi who come to the stable in Bethlehem, for the purpose of seeing the "king of the Jews") but the word itself, does not suggest a religious act. You need a lot more than just "homage" in order to prove true deity.

But there are other passages where the NRSV is helpful, too. Let's compare the KJV with the NRSV. First, the KJV:

• 
  Matthew 8:2.
  And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

Trinitarians like this rendering, because it says "worshipped." However, the actual word translated as "worshipped" in this verse, is proskuneo - a word which (as we have already seen) may be used in an act of worship, but does not actually imply worship itself. Now I would like you to read the NRSV rendition of the same verse:

• 
  Matthew 8:2.
  And there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean."

See the difference? (Really hits you, doesn't it?) By simply rendering the Greek more accurately, in a way that gives the more precise, literal sense of the original word, we totally decimate the Trinitarian claim.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines proskuneo thus:

• 
  to make obeisance, do reverence to.

It also says:

• 
  It is used as an act of homage or reverence.

Zondervan’s Analytical Greek Lexicon defines proskuneo thus:

• 
  To do reverence or homage by kissing the hand; in N.T. to do reverence or homage by prostration; to pay divine homage, worship, adore; to bow one’s self in adoration.

The mere use of the word makes no implication as to the perceived humanity or divinity of the object. This is clearly seen from the use of proskuneo in Matthew 18:26 (the parable of the two debtors) where it is applied to the debtor pleading for mercy from his human lord:

• 
  Matthew 18:25-26.
  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Proskuneo is the word which has been translated here as “worshipped” in the KJV, but less archaically translated “begged” in the NIV, “imploring” in the RSV, “prostrated himself” in the NASB and “fell prostrate” in the NEB. The servant clearly was not intending to imply any divinity in his creditor. In reference to this distinction, Vine quotes the note of the American Committee in the Revised Version:

• 
  At the word ‘worship’ in Matt 2:2 etc, add the marginal note ‘The Greek word denotes an act of reverence, whether paid to man (see chap 18:26) or to God (see chap 4:10).

We also see that the man who comes to a banquet, "has worship" from those around him:

• 
  Luke 14:9-11.
  And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
  But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee,
  Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
  For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The word is not proskuneo in this case - but the same concept is undeniably present.

Christ says that the enemies of the members of the church of Philadelphia will be forced to worship at the feet of the Philadelphian Christians. In this passage, where it is obviously not talking about the worship of God, the NIV and the NEB translate the phrase as “come and fall down at your feet.” The RSV and NASB both say, “come and bow down at your feet."

• 
  Revelation 3:8-10.
  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

So we see that where the object of proskuneo is human, the modern translations have been unanimous in changing to a more modern English wording instead of “worship.” King Herod accepted proskuneo, and was struck dead by God. But in Herod's case, he was clearly and unambiguously worshipped as a god, and he accepted such worship as his due. This was nothing short of blasphemy, and God rightly punished him. Jesus, however, neither receives nor accepts this form of worship.

When we bow to God, we bow with the idea of worshipping Him in a religious fashion. But this was never offered to Jesus.

Let's look at the definition of proskuneo (which was offered to both God and Jesus), as defined by Thayer's Greek Lexicon:

• 
  1) To kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence.
  
  2) Among the Orientals, especially the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence.
  
  3) In the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication.
  3a) Used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank.
  3a1) To the Jewish high priests.
  3a2) To God.
  3a3) To Christ.
  3a4) To heavenly beings.
  3a5) To demons.

In the LXX, this word is used when someone bows or prostrates to the ground, on knees or face, in deep respect for another. Examples of this can be seen in I Samuel (I Kings LXX) 24:9, in which David bowed with his face to the ground and did obeisance (prosekunesen) to king Saul. And, again, in the case of Abigail, "she hasted and alighted from her ***; and she fell before David on her face, and did obeisance to him (prosekunesen), bowing to the ground." (I Samuel 25:23, LXX.) It would seem clear that in these two cases proskuneo is not "worship" in the modern sense of the word, but rather a deep respect common in the Eastern world, and unknown in the Western.

In the NT, proskuneo is used in this manner above, that is a bowing or kneeling in deep respect. This can be seen in:

• 
  Matthew 18:26.
  Therefore the slave fell down and began to proskuneo himself to (his master)...

As Thayer's Greek Lexicon told us, proskuneo is also shown to Jewish high priests, heavenly beings (such as angels) and demons. It cannot therefore mean that Jesus is God simply because he accepts proskuneo. Now let's see how Thayer defines the Greek word latreou - the word which is never used of Christ:

• 
  1) To serve for hire.
  2) To serve, minister to, either to the gods or men and used alike of slaves and freemen.
  2a) In the NT, to render religious service or homage, to worship.
  2b) to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to worship God in the observance of the rites instituted for his worship.
  2b1) Of priests, to officiate, to discharge the sacred office.

You can see that although Thayer acknowledges that the word was used in Greek society in reference to the service of exalted men, in the NT it is used only for religious service or homage. This makes it very different to proskuneo, which does not contain a religious connotation. That's why I keep hammering the distinction. Since proskuneo is not an act of religious worship per se, the intent of the one who is offering it clearly defines the response of the one who receives it. Surely this is clear.

The NT is careful to ascribe unambiguously religious worship to God, but never to Christ. Nowhere does Jesus ever encourage true worship of himself. Indeed, in the temptation account, Jesus uses proskuneo in combination with latreou regarding the Lord God only. Matthew 4:10 is translated by the Amplified Version in the following way: "Then Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship [proskuneo], the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve [latreou.]" The New English Bible says "But Jesus said, 'Begone, Satan: Scripture says, You shall do homage [proskuneo] to the Lord your God, and worship [latreou.] him alone." Trinitarians must explain why Jesus never receives this form of worship - neither when he was on Earth, nor after his resurrection.

Let us now turn our attention to Revelation 4 & 5.

I'll use Young's Literal Translation:

• 
  Revelation 4:1-11.
  After these things I saw, and lo, a door opened in the heaven, and the first voice that I heard is as of a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up hither, and I will shew thee what it behoveth to come to pass after these things;’
  and immediately I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne was set in the heaven, and upon the throne is one sitting,
  and He who is sitting was in sight like a stone, jasper and sardine: and a rainbow was round the throne in sight like an emerald.
  And around the throne are thrones twenty and four, and upon the thrones I saw the twenty and four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and they had upon their heads crowns of gold;
  and out of the throne proceed do lightnings, and thunders, and voices; and seven lamps of fire are burning before the throne, which are the Seven Spirits of God,
  and before the throne is a sea of glass like to crystal, and in the midst of the throne, and round the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes before and behind;
  and the first living creature is like a lion, and the second living creature is like a calf, and the third living creature hath the face as a man, and the fourth living creature is like an eagle flying.
  And the four living creatures, each by itself severally, had six wings, around and within are full of eyes, and rest they have not day and night, saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is coming;’
  and when the living creatures do give glory, and honour, and thanks, to Him who is sitting upon the throne, who is living to the ages of the ages,
  fall down do the twenty and four elders before Him who is sitting upon the throne, and bow before Him who is living to the ages of the ages, and they cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
  ‘Worthy art Thou, O Lord, to receive the glory, and the honour, and the power, because Thou—Thou didst create the all things, and because of Thy will are they, and they were created.’

Who is this? If we say that it is the Father, how can we be sure? If we say that it is Christ, how can we be sure?

Time to look for a parallel passage...

• 
  Isaiah 6:1-5.
  In the year of the death of king Uzziah—I see the Lord, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train is filling the temple.
  Seraphs are standing above it: six wings hath each one; with two each covereth its face, and with two each covereth its feet, and with two each flieth.
  And this one hath called unto that, and hath said: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is Jehovah of Hosts, The fulness of all the earth is His glory.’
  And the posts of the thresholds are moved by the voice of him who is calling, and the house is full of smoke.
  And I say, ‘Woe to me, for I have been silent, For a man—unclean of lips am I, And in midst of a people unclean of lips I am dwelling, Because the King, Jehovah of Hosts, have my eyes seen.’

Now let's place the two doxologies side by side:

• Revelation 4:
  ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is coming;’
  
• Isaiah 6:
  ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is Jehovah of Hosts, The fulness of all the earth is His glory.’

I think it's pretty clear that this is the Father, not the Son. These two doxologies are unique to the Father. They are never used in reference to the Son.

Time to examine Revelation 5...

• 
  Revelation 5:1-14.
  And I saw upon the right hand of Him who is sitting upon the throne a scroll, written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals;
  and I saw a strong messenger crying with a great voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose the seals of it?’
  and no one was able in the heaven, nor upon the earth, nor under the earth, to open the scroll, nor to behold it.
  And I was weeping much, because no one was found worthy to open and to read the scroll, nor to behold it,
  and one of the elders saith to me, ‘Weep not; lo, overcome did the Lion, who is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, to open the scroll, and to loose the seven seals of it;
  and I saw, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb hath stood as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the Seven Spirits of God, which are sent to all the earth,
  and he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who is sitting upon the throne.
  And when he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, having each one harps and golden vials full of perfumes, which are the prayers of the saints,
  and they sing a new song, saying, ‘Worthy art thou to take the scroll, and to open the seals of it, because thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
  and didst make us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth.’
  And I saw, and I heard the voice of many messengers round the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders—and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands—
  saying with a great voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing!’
  and every creature that is in the heaven, and in the earth, and under the earth, and the things that are upon the sea, and the all things in them, heard I saying, ‘To Him who is sitting upon the throne, and to the Lamb, is the blessing, and the honour, and the glory, and the might—to the ages of the ages!’
  and the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the twenty-four elders fell down and they bow before Him who is living to the ages of the ages.

I think it's pretty clear that the one who "sits upon the throne" is the Father, not the Son - while the Lamb is the Son, not the Father.

You will notice that in Revelation 4, the elders "fall down and bow" to the Father. The Greek word in question is proskuneo, which simply means "to prostrate or bow", as we have already seen. This is reverence (not religious worship), and it is the same word which occurs in Revelation 5.

Latreou (the Greek word for religious worship) is not used in either of these chapters. There is nothing to indicate that the Son himself is Almighty God.

But who is the recipient of proskuneo in verse 14 of Revelation 5? The Father or the Son? Once again, our answer can be found in the text itself. Let's go back to the previous chapter, and compare Scripture with Scripture.

• 
  ...to Him who is sitting upon the throne, who is living to the ages of the ages,
  fall down do the twenty and four elders before Him who is sitting upon the throne, and bow before Him who is living to the ages of the ages...

It is the Father, not the Son. We can be sure of this, because the Son comes to the Father in the form of a lamb, and takes the book from His hand. It is the Father Who "is living to the ages of the ages." The Son is necessarily subordinate to Him.

In closing, I would like to present the 21 occurrences of latreou in the New Testament. Observe the consistency of Scripture:

1. Matthew 4:10.
   Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship [proskuneo] the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. [latreou]
   
2. Luke 1:74.
   That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve [latreou] him without fear
   
3. Luke 2:37.
   And she [was] a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served [latreou] with fastings and prayers night and day.
   
4. Luke 4:8.
   And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship [proskuneo] the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. [latreou]
   
5. Acts 7:7.
   And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve [latreou] me in this place.
   
6. Acts 7:42.
   Then God turned, and gave them up to worship [latreou] the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness?
   
7. Acts 24:14.
   But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship [latreou] I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
   
8. Acts 26:7.
   Unto which our twelve tribes, instantly serving [latreou] day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
   
9. Acts 27:23.
   For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve [latreou]
   
10. Romans 1:9.
    For God is my witness, whom I serve [latreou] with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
    
11. Romans 1:25.
    Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served [latreou] the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
    
12. Philippians 3:3.
    For we are the circumcision, which worship [latreou] God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
    
13. II Timothy 1:3.
    I thank God, whom I serve [latreou] from [my] forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day
    
14. Hebrews 8:5.
    Who serve [latreou] unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, [that] thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
    
15. Hebrews 9:9.
    Which [was] a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service [latreou] perfect, as pertaining to the conscience
    
16. 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 [latreou] the living God?
    
17. Hebrews 10:2.
    For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers [latreou] once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
    
18. Hebrews 12:28.
    Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve [latreou] God acceptably with reverence and godly fear
    
19. Hebrews 13:10.
    We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve [latreou] the tabernacle.
    
20. Revelation 7:15.
    Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve [latreou] him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
    
21. Revelation 22:3.
    And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve [latreou] him

Notice that the final reference to religious worship is applied to one person only (hence the word "him.") If the Father and the Son were equally worthy of this worship, then the sentence should read "...shall serve them." But it does not. The religious worship mentioned here is reserved exclusively for a single person, and the consistency of Scripture demands that this person is the Father, not the Son.

There is not one single passage in which the Son is worshipped as God, but there are many passages in which the Father is worshipped as God, and some of these passages contrast the worship of the Father against the subordinate position of the Son. Not once are we required to worship Jesus as God, and on one occasion, men are condemned for worshipping created beings (such as animals; Romans 1:25.) The popular Trinitarian argument...

• 
  Jesus must be God because (a) we are forbidden to worship created beings, and yet (b) he accepted worship.

...finds absolutely no support in Scripture.

Ben -

Thomas said to His face, "My Lord and my God".

Click to expand...

Quite apart from the fact that Thomas was the only person to do so during Christ's ministry (a bit strange, if Jesus is God!), I would naturally expect him to employ this honorific, in acknowledgement of the Son as the agent of the Father.

Remember, "He who hath seen me, hath seen the Father."

Peter says "....the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ"--Peter did not say "of our God and of our Savior", he said "God AND SAVIOR JESUS".

Click to expand...

Read...

• II Kings 13:5.
  And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.
  
• Nehemiah 9:27.
  Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
  
• Isaiah 19:20.
  And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.
  
• Obadiah 1:21.
  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

...and learn.

Isaiah 43:11 says, "I, even I am the Lord---there is no savior besides Me." But Luke 2:11 says "Jesus is the SAVIOR born today!" What do you think happened, Lared? Did God CHANGE? Are there TWO SAVIORS NOW?

Click to expand...

There is only one way to remove all of the contradictions and conflict

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*snip*

There are no contradictions. There is no conflict. The apostle Paul tells us that "God is not the author of confusion." I believe him.

You obviously don't.

"Jesus did not regard equality with God to be robbery, but laid aside His privileges, taking the form ...in the likeness of men. Being found in the appearance of a man, He humbled Himself, even unto death." Phlp2

Click to expand...

I've already dealt with this on another thread.

It was met with vain protestations from the Trinitarian team.

I did not disagree with Old Shepherd in my post.

I merely stated that the common modern English pronunciation of God Almighty is Jehovah.

Just as Jesus is the common modern English pronunciation of the Son of God. Jesus is certainly not what he was addressed as by his family or disciples.

The same is true with Jeremiah, Joshua, Jacob, and no doubt Joseph, Mary, and John, which are all common modern day English names we say and use to identify who we are talking about.

Rather retype my explanation to validify the previous posts, I feel it would be appropriate to paste a previous post. I'm sure the powers that be will find it within their hearts to forgive this innocent newbie!?

We must all remember that the mystery (God manifest in the flesh) was revealed to Paul and the saints of the early church Eph 3:3-9 Col 1:26.
In his earlier years Saul(now Paul) was taught my the great teacher Gamellio regarding the one true living God. So that Saul believed with all his heart that he was serving God while persecuting the believers of Christ. However on his way to Damascus Saul had the opportunity to ask his one true God this question:Who are you? Acts 9:5...I AM JESUS...simple. {if you were to be asked the same question I'm sure you would reply with your own name!}
Now that God almighty has revealed his only true personal name being Jesus, let us see how Jesus himself answered when he was also asked the same question.
John 8:23-25 shows us that Jesus is again making a point that he and his father(God) are one and the same. When asked directly Who are you? Jesus wisely redirects them to scripture of old Isa 41:21-22 (it would have acheived little if they were given the name of the man standing before them).
Obviously we all know we would be able to gather a huge number of scripture that shows God to be Jesus, which should also remind us that never before did God have a personal name till the birth of Jesus as this was the one time that God was manifest in created substance;man, a PERSON! This now raises the question of the Man-God Jesus. By now I expect some readers will be thinking :what about this...what about that...! Read on!

To understand Jesus being the name of God we must first understand WHAT God is to then believe WHO God is.

Look these up: Col1:15 1Tim1:17 Heb11:27 Deut33:27 Jer23:24 John4:24 so we now have a simple description of WHAT God is: The Invisible, Eternal, Omnipresent Spirit that inhabits all of creation! There is obviously room for only ONE such being!
The Holy Ghost or Spirit of God is again the very same substance that is God, also this Spirit of God is the same Spirit of Christ 1Pet1:11 1John3:24,4:12-13 Phil1:19. This same Jesus Christ is refered to as the image of the invisible God Col1:14-15. Again this Jesus who was recieved up into glory is refered to as God 1Tim3:16.
So we can easily see that the Holy Ghost is not a separate person (spirit is different substance to a person anyway) but rather, the indwelling substance that is the Spirit of God is the very same substance that inhabits all creation!
Lets get back to the MAN-GOD Jesus. Fully man and fully human is controversial to those that do not fully understand. Yet if God's word says it, than we must look at accepting it as absolute truth. The combination MAN-GOD seems to denote a certain dual nature about Jesus. As a man he: ate, slept, cried, bled, just like you and I do, yet this mans flesh was pure and without sin. So that as a created living creature, God could now become that unblemished sacrificial lamb to take away that sin that once seperated us from Him. When Jesus performed miracles, it was the God within him doing the things which no mere mortal could do. DIVINITY clothed in HUMANITY! To believe this we must first find sripture that emphatically agrees with this: Col1:19,2:9. So now we understand that when the man Jesus prayed, it was his HUMANITY having a need that only his DIVINITY could address. The substance within Jesus is the very same God of the old testament, unchanging.
We now see the one, unchanging, almighty God for what He is, but more importantly who He is, for this reason the scripture tells us: Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
KJV