Well, I can't say it's led to many questions and conflicts for me, but that's just me
They are not separate in the sense that they are say, a Landrover, a mini and a Jaguar all parked on the same road. They are ONE. To me a good analogy is what someone said in church years ago. All water is H20, however it comes in different forms - ice, liquid and gas...but it is all the same essence.
Just to put the cat amongst the pigeons, if God the Father Is Jesus's father, then could that mean in a sense that the Holy Spirit is his mother? Not saying He is, but I don't really think we can necessarily see it in quite the same terms as we do human reproduction, quite honestly.
Whichever way you look at it, your way or another way, it is really beyond total human comprehension.
Years ago, I had a 'vision' I suppose you could call it, where Jesus was carrying me all across this vast stony plain, then I found myself on top of a very, very high cliff looking down across the plain. Beside me was standing in the form of a man, the Holy Spirit. And His power was just blowing like a very strong wind all around us and all across the plain (to cut the vision short).
How I knew the one person was Jesus and the other The Holy Spirit is difficult to say precisely, but as many others have testified, when they have these experiences, they just 'know' that it's God the Father or Jesus or the Spirit.
No, it's not necessarily offensive, as the Holy Spirit points the way to Jesus, who is the way to the Father. In a sense, He is in the background. There is an argument I believe between some Cristians as to whther it is permissable to baptise just in the Name of Jesus or does it have to be in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But actually (I beieve) it comes to the same thing, because they are all one in spirit
Haven't much idea about that I'm afraid
. But perhaps again, it is because in a sense he is performing a different function (but no less equal or important).
Sometimes I think of the Father as being in front of me, Jesus as being beside me, and the Spirit as being behind me...kind of like the Spirit is making sure I come to or 'keep up' with Jesus (like a sheepdog LOL), and Jesus is taking me along the path to the Father. Not saying this is scriptural exactly, but just the way it sometimes seems to me. More complex than that of course.
I think the Holy Spirit has authority, but maybe he exercises it in a slightly different way from the others, like I said above, it seems almost like he does things from 'behind'. I mean, supposing your trying to turn around/run away from the Father or Jesus (so to speak) there you will find the authoritative Spirit reminding/advising you to get back on track.
It's hard to explain quite what I mean ( I don't have grand theological words to put things over, I certainly don't have complete understanding).
I'm rather hoping someone else with more insight or knowledge might give you better answers than I can. All I know is that I have in effect a relationship with all of them (in one), it's just a slightly different relationship in some way
I should think that it is of the Holy Spirit as well, and that that would be taken for granted from the whole thrust of scripture.
They probably do, we just aren't directly given the information, except perhaps through inference, again from the whole thrust of scripture.
Perhaps someone else can shed more light on this?
