The Godhead Study

Who is God?

Is there one God or three? If there is one, is He one Being or three Persons in one? Who is Jesus Christ? The word “begotten” is important because Scripture uses it when speaking of the Son of God. In this study, we will examine the biblical passages themselves to understand what they mean, rather than assume that the word has already been explained correctly by a church or a theological tradition. Is He equal with the Father, or beneath Him? And the Holy Spirit: is the Spirit a third Person, or something else? Who is it that actually lives in a believer when Scripture says, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27)?

What Does “Godhead” Mean? Before we begin, it is important to understand what the word “Godhead” means. Some today use this word as though it were simply another name for the Trinity—the doctrine that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three co-equal, co-eternal Persons who constitute one God. But the word itself does not mean “Trinity.”

In the King James Bible, “Godhead” refers to divinity, the divine nature, or that which is divine. Notice how Scripture uses the word in Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, and Colossians 2:9. These passages must be examined in their own context to understand what they reveal about God's nature and Christ's divinity.

Throughout this study, we will use the word “Godhead” in its biblical sense. We will not assume that it automatically establishes a particular theological definition of God. Instead, we will examine what Scripture says about the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, allowing the biblical evidence to determine our conclusions.

What Does “Begotten” Mean? One of the important words you will encounter in this study is begotten. In ordinary language, the word refers to being brought forth as a son from a father. In Scripture, it appears in passages that speak about the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ, including John 3:16 and Hebrews 1:5.

Christians do not all understand these passages in the same way. Some interpret the language of the Son being “begotten” figuratively, while others understand it as expressing a real relationship between the Father and His Son. This difference is important because it affects how the passages concerning Christ's identity and His relationship to the Father are understood.

Rather than asking you to accept a conclusion simply because a church or theological tradition teaches it, this study will examine the relevant biblical passages and allow Scripture to speak for itself.

These are not small questions. For many Christians they are also unanswered ones. Millions hold a belief they can't explain and can't defend, because they were told long ago that it is a mystery and to stop asking. This course asks again, and it takes its time.

Why another study on this topic?

There is no shortage of material. But it is one thing to know a conclusion and another to know how you reached it. This study is built to put the whole subject in one place, step by step, so that when you finish you will know three things:

1. What the Bible says about God, the Son and the Spirit.
2. How you arrived at it, text by text.
3. How to explain it kindly and clearly to someone who asks.

Every Christian should be able to give an answer for the hope that is in them. Not "this is what my church says," but "this is what is written."

The one rule of this course

We use the Bible and the Bible alone. Not creeds. Not councils. Not famous teachers, and not me. Where a verse is quoted, you can open your own Bible and check it. Where a conclusion is drawn, you will be shown how it was reached, and you are free to disagree if the text doesn't support it.

Before we begin: what is truth?

Truth does not depend on opinion. It doesn't matter what you think, and it doesn't matter what I think. Truth stays truth. It also does something to the conscience: when a true message is heard, something inside quietly says, that's right. God will not override your will, and that is the one thing He leaves in your hands. You can accept a message or reject it.

Consider how serious that is. Jesus said: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21–23)

Who calls Jesus "Lord"? Christians do. Notice who these people are: believers, busy, sincere, even doing wonders. And notice what Jesus says to them. When His disciples asked about the end of the age, His first words were not about dates. They were: "Take heed that no man deceive you" (Matthew 24:4). Deception is the first danger He names.

Here is something worth noticing about every one of us. Each person reads the Bible through a filter built from their own background, experience and convictions. That filter decides what a verse seems to say, and it is why sincere people can read the same page and reach opposite conclusions. So how do we read without a filter? Not perfectly, but better:

1. We read as Jesus read, not adding to His words and not taking from them.
2. We listen to the apostles, who walked with Him, were taught by Him, and wrote down what they heard.
3. We set our own creeds, feelings and philosophies down for a moment and let the words say what they say.

Many people do the opposite without realizing it. They arrive with an answer and then make the verses fit. This study asks you to do the harder and humbler thing: let the verses lead.