Masterpiece 117
The Doctrine of Christ
2 John 8-9: 8 Look to yourselves,
that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full
reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not
in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of
Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If
there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil
deeds.
Now, these are very strong words coming from the
Apostle John, but very important for one to open their ears to hear. Because he
said if you do not have the doctrine of Christ, then you do not have God. And
then he said the doctrine of Christ is one God who had a son. He said in order
for you to have the doctrine of Christ, you must have both the Father and the
Son.
Therefore there are eight major statements
Brother Branham makes concerning the Doctrine of Christ that we must consider
when we speak of the Godhead. These eight statements are as follows:
Godhead Explained, E-74 Many of you people listening to this would say,
"Brother Branham is a Oneness." I am not. I think you're both wrong,
both oneness and trinity. Not to be different, but it's always the middle of
the road."
E-96 SHOW US THE FATHER 53-0907.1A There's only one God. And I differ and disagree with the
organization of Pentecost that calls the Oneness like your finger is one.
That's wrong. Absolutely, it's wrong.
128 HEBREWS CPT. 4 141-126 -- 57-0901.2E Now
the Oneness took it, the oneness group of people, and try to make Father, Son
and Holy Ghost, just one office and one place, and like your finger, one.
That's wrong. God could not... Jesus could not been His own father. If
He was, then He was a... Well, how could He been His own father?
25 HEBREWS Chapter 7, Part 1HEB 292-25 -- 57-0915.2E Now, the reason
that there's a difference between God and Jesus: Jesus had a
beginning, God had no beginning; Melchisedec had no beginning, and Jesus
had a beginning. But Jesus was made liken unto Him.
282 PARADOX -- 64-0206.1M, And this little Boy, twelve-year-old
Child, no wisdom at all, why, but just a twelve-year-old Boy. The Father
didn't dwell in Him at that time; because He come on the day when He baptized
Him, "He saw the Spirit of God coming down, see, and went in Him."
But, look, this little twelve-year-old Boy, being the Word; He was born the
anointed One, see, to be the anointed. And here He was. "Know ye not that
I must be about My Father's business?"
Notice Brother Branham tells us that the Father did not yet indwell
Jesus at this time. He tells us that God entered the Son at the river
In the Message, ELISHA THE PROPHET 56-1002.2E E-21, brother Branham said, "And Jesus, the baptism He had was the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, which was in Him, that come on Him at the river
And in the message, MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD
60-0518 88 He said, "In the
Also from, THE RISING OF THE SUN 65-0418 He
said, " When God looked down upon the body...
(The Spirit left Him in the Garden of
E-40 TESTIMONY WILLIAM BRANHAM 60-0210 Brethren and sisters, we're men and women, got to die, but
the Spirit of God that's among us, is the same God that met Moses in the
wilderness, was in Jesus Christ on earth, because the life of It proves
It's the same Spirit. It's doing the same thing. It's a promise of Christ. Oh,
how... There's just no place to stop.
GOD'S GIFTS ALWAYS FIND PLACE 63-1222
93 The man, the
body was not Deity, but Deity was in the body.
IDENTIFIED CHRIST OF ALL AGES
64-0617 36 Now,
notice now, God... Jesus said that those who the Word came to was called gods;
that was prophets. Now, not the man
himself was God, no more than the body of Jesus Christ was God. He was a Man, and God was veiled behind
Him.
BLASPHEMOUS
NAMES 62-1104M .”… Now, they was looking at that
little body that was
borned of Mary. See? That wasn't God; that was the Son of God,
but God was in that body.
It was God…”
Therefore you must ask
yourself the question, How then was God in that body, and in this study you
will find out.
E-37 FUNDAMENTAL FOUNDATION FOR FAITH 55-0113 Now, when He was here on earth, He was a perfect example of
everything of the godhead. He was the fullness of the godhead bodily. In Christ
dwelt God. The body of Jesus was only the tabernacle of God. It's where
Almighty God Himself lived and dwelt in a human being. You believe that,
don't you? You have to, to be saved. You have to believe
that.
ATTITUDE AND WHO IS GOD? 50-0815 018 There He puts the first Bible. Oh, back in the days
of--ancient days, they looked at those things. Today, He's got His Bible wrote
here. But He wrote It in the heavens, that man would look up and realize that
Jehovah the Creator lived above. And then I can see Him, He looked at that...I
can see Him speak to this world hanging there as an icicle, whatever it was,
way away. And He moved it over here. I can see this little Light go out.
Now, WE GOT TWO NOW. The Father, and out of the
Father came the Light, the Son. And I can
see that Light moving over here and pulled the earth over near the sun to dry
it off. And begin to...?... raise the water up, separating the land, earth from
the water, and so forth.
Now, this in no way
makes it two Gods. There is One God and he has a Son. The Scripture calls Him
the "Son of God", never does it say he is "God the Son".
QA ON GENESIS13-13 53-0729 007 Well now, if you'll notice close now, in Genesis 1:26,
let's get the first part first. God said, "Let us..." Now, "let
us," us is a... "Let us make man in our own image." Our,
'course, we realize He's talking to someone; He was speaking to another
being. "Let us make man in our own image after our likeness, and let
them have dominion over the cattles of the field." If you notice in
creation, the first thing that was created, of course, was light. You come on
down through the creation; the last thing was created was what? A man. And woman
was made after man. All right, the first... Last thing that was created of
God's creation is mankind.
CURTAIN OF TIME 55-0302 E-22 They couldn't understand Him. He was a mystery, even to the
Apostles. No one could understand Him, because there was two people talking
all the time. -23 The Person Jesus Christ was talking, and God was
talking in Him, also. Sometimes it was Christ himself; sometimes it was
the Father that dwelt in Him. You see it? He--they couldn't understand some
things He would say; He talked in riddles to them.
SHOW US THE FATHER IT'LL SATISFY
56-0422 E-36 Now, it's many times it's been said that no man can see God at
anytime, the Bible said so. But the only begotten of the Father has declared
Him. Philip, here was very inquisitive; he wanted to see the Father. Says here
He said, "I've been so long with you, Philip, and you don't know Me?"
Said, "When you see Me you see My Father." In other words, you see
the Father express Himself through the Son. Him and the Father were one in the
sense that His Father was dwelling in Him, not Him doing the works; He was a
Son, Himself, the immortal, virgin born, Son of God. And then in Him was
dwelling the God the Father, expressing Himself to the world, His attitude
towards the people. See? Well, that's how Christ and God were one. God was in
Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Now, He said, "When you see Me,
you see the Father, and why do you say, 'Show us the Father?'
JEHOVAJIREH 56-0429 053 "That's the reason people couldn't understand Him.
Sometime it was Christ speaking... or was the Son speaking. Other times it was
the Father speaking. He was a dual Person. He was one Man, the Son. God
was in, which was tabernacling in Him. But what did He do? Did He go around
saying, "I'm the Healer." Very contrary, He said, "I'm not the
Healer." He said, "It isn't Me that doth the works; it's My Father
that dwelleth in Me." And in Saint John the 19th chapter when He was
questioned for passing a whole bunch of crippled, lame, withered, halt, blind
people, healed one man laying on a pallet, the Father showed Him to go there
and heal. Walked away and left the rest of them laying there, they questioned
Him. A man packing his bed on the sabbath. Listen to what He said.
LET US SEE GOD 131 59-1129 …I said, "He was more than... God was in
Him. He was a man, but He was a dual Person. One, He was a man; the
Spirit in Him was God." I said, "God was in Christ." She said,
"Aw, no." I said, "Look, lady, I'll take your own Scripture. He
was a man, but He was a God-man. When He went down to the grave of Lazarus, He
did weep like a man. That's true. But when He stood there, straightened His
little stooped shoulders up, and said, 'Lazarus, come forth,' and a dead man,
that'd been dead four days come to life again, that was more than a man. Man
couldn't do that. That was God in His Son."
Notice that brother
Branham pointed out that we are not talking about two physical beings like a
man and wife are two physical beings. They are not two in that way. But
he explained that there is one that was a man, and we know to be a man you must
have body, soul and spirit. But in that man that was fully man, indwelt the
God, the Father, who is Spirit. Thus making them one by the indwelling. But
notice in this next quote how brother Branham is more specific and shows that
the oneness of God and His Son is not like Husband and wife and He is more
clear as to why it is different.
Baptism Of the Holy Spirit 58-0928M
94 Jesus, He said, "I and My
Father are One. My Father dwelleth in Me." No one could read that
any plainer. They said, "Why don't You show us the Father, and
it'll satisfy us." John 14:8. He said, "I've been so
long with you and you don't know Me?" He said, "When you
see Me, you see My Father." As a lady once jumped up, she
said, "Why, Brother Branham," she said, "the Father and the Son
are one, just like you and your wife are one." I said, "Oh, no they're
not." I said, "Do you see me?" She said, "Yes." I
said, "You see my wife?" Said, "No." I said, "Then
they're not the same kind of one. Jesus said, 'When you've see Me, you
have seen the Father. The Father dwelleth in
Now, that is the key to
understand what Brother Branham meant when he uses this story about the
confrontation with this woman. He said, "Then
they're not the same kind of one. Jesus said, 'When you've see Me, you
have seen the Father. The Father dwelleth in
Palmerworm Locust Caterpillar
59-0823 140 God Almighty, the Father, dwelt in Him. At the
day of the baptism, when He received the Holy Ghost on the day when John
baptized Him, John said, "I beheld and saw the Spirit of God
like a Dove descending from heaven, and a Voice saying, 'This is My beloved Son
in Whom I'm pleased to dwell in.” Jesus said that God was with Him, "I and My
Father are One. My Father dwells in Me.” Not Jesus, and being one
with God; but God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. 143
And you Oneness brethren, many of you get off the wrong track when you try to
think that God is one like your finger is one. He can't be His Own
Father. He can't be.
I want to show you the
hypocritical nature of those who preach against what we stand for in one simple
prayer that Jesus preached. In JOHN
Therefore it is very
apparent that we are one by receiving the same Word which bring us into the
same Glory or same mind as the Father. And the
glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we
are one:
HARVEST TIME 641212 87 034 Jesus
said, "That they might be one, Father, as You and I are one." Not
for some man to be over something, it never will work; one denomination wants
to take over the other, and one man over the other. But that you might be
one with God, like Christ and God was one; that's what the prayer is.
That... He was the Word, and Jesus prayed that we might be the Word,
reflecting Him. That's His prayer to be answered. See how Satan
scruples it up in the carnal mind? But that wasn't Jesus' prayer, at all, that
we might all congregate together and all have a certain creed and so forth.
Every time they do it, they go further and further from God. He wants us to be one with God, and God is the Word. Each individual in his heart must be that one with God.
I have put together a
list of things which I believe show that there is a difference between The
Father and The Son.
#1) God is God and He
does not have a God. Behold O Israel the Lord Thy God is One God. God
is sovereign and does not answer to anyone. He does not have someone above Him
that is God. Therefore, if Jesus (the Son of God) was God, then why does He
speak of another Who is God? And if He has a God then who is that God if He
Himself is in fact God? Therefore, Jesus, the “Son of God”, was not “God the
Son”, but He was the “Son of God”. That means He had a God and that God was His
Father.
John 20: 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not
yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend
unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Mark 15: 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud
voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Now, this word forsaken means to totally
abandon. How could Jesus cry out that God had abandoned Him if the Man Jesus
was God? Can God totally abandon Himself from Himself?
Matthew 27: 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried
with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
John 8: 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is
nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your
God:
John 10: 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified,
and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
John 8: 54 Jesus
answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that
honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
And
not only from Jesus Himself do we hear this talk that God is His Father, but we
also hear from the Apostle Paul that God is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ:
Ephesians 1: 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in
the knowledge of him:
#2) God is Not only the
God of Jesus Christ but He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as well. Jesus called God His
Father showing there is a difference between the two. And
William Branham said Jesus could not be His own Father.
Seed shall not be heir 65-0429B P:45 There's where the oneness
missed it; there's where the trinity missed it, both sides of the road. But the
happy medium's right in between. If God could be His own Father, if
Jesus was His Own Father, He couldn't be. And if He had another Father
besides God, and the Bible said the Holy Ghost was His Father, and if they're
two different spirits, He's a illegitimate child. That's right. Which was the
Father of Him, God or the Holy Ghost? You say one and watch how embarrassed
you're going to get. See? God was His Father. Is that right?
Questions and answers
Show us the Father 53-0907A P:96 There's only
one God. And I differ and disagree agree with the organization of Pentecost
that calls the Oneness like your finger is one. That's wrong. Absolutely, it's
wrong. God... Jesus couldn't have been His Own Father, and if God is a
Man, then Jesus was born sexual desire and not virgin birth. That settles the
whole thing. You see? If He's one like your finger's one, then what? Then He
was His Own daddy. How could He have been? That's wrong. He had a
Father, Jesus did.
Cruelty of sin 53-0403 P:73 There He died, friendless,
even forsaken by God Himself. God, and, then, His Own Father, forsaken
Him, bleeding.
Palmerworm locust caterpillar 59-0823 P:79 And you
Oneness brethren, many of you get off the wrong track when you try to think
that God is one like your finger is one. He can't be His Own Father. He
can't be. But He is God. God is Jehovah, the Spirit; Christ was the House
that He dwelt in.
Revelation chapter one 60-1204M P:66 Now, at the
Nicene Council, they come to two great decisions on the... Oh, many of them in
that day of the early church fathers, they had two extreme views. One of
them was a triune God, a trinitarian. And the other one was a one God. And they
both come into existence and went out on two straight limbs, out like that. The
triunity became a place of a three-god person. The oneness became a
unitarian, just as far wrong as the other one was. So they both went on
limbs, but right in here reveals the Truth. Jesus could not be His own
Father. If He had a Father outside
of the Holy Spirit, then He is a illegitimate child and not... The Holy Ghost
conceived Him, and He said God was His Father. So the Holy Ghost and
God... That's Matthew 1:18, if... The Holy Ghost and God has to be the same
Person or He had two daddy's.
Now,
that we have seen what William Branham taught concerning the Father and the
Son, let’s see what the Apostles taught as well.
Peter:
Matthew 16: 16 And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
1 Peter 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto
a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
2 Peter 1: 17 For he received from God the Father
honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Paul:
2 Corinthians 11: 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
2 Corinthians 1: 3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all
comfort;
1 Corinthians 8: 6 But to us there is but one God,
the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
Romans 15: 6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John:
2 John 1: 3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God
the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and
love.
2 John 1:9 Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son.
Jesus:
JOHN 20:17 Jesus saith unto her,
Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to
my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and
[to] my God, and your God.
John 14: 28 Ye have heard
how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye
would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is
greater than I.
Notice that Jesus readily admits that the Father is greater than Himself. This
word Greater was translated from a Greek word which not only means greater but
also it means elder. Then when the Trinitarian tells you that Jesus was
co-eternal and co-equal with the Father, how can that be when the Son of God
denies it Himself. All sons have beginnings. Then how could the Son be the
Eternal Father?
Well,
they will quote Isaiah 9:6, so let’s look at Isaiah 9:6 and read it for
ourselves.
Isaiah 9: 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace.
Now,
let’s read this one thought at a time. For unto us a
child is born. Now, if the child is born then he had a beginning.
Therefore he can not be the eternal Father. Also, if he is born then someone
had to give Him birth. And the word born suggests several things. It suggests
pedigree or lineage. It also suggests a carrying, for the one who gives birth
had to carry this one. And it also suggests to bring forth. So if it brought
forth from someone, then there had to be that someone there before the one that
is born.
Secondly,
we read, unto us a son is given: Now, if
the Son is given, then someone Greater had to give it. And we are told in St. John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He (GOD)
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Now,
let’s examine the third thought here, and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: So we see that he will be placed in a
position of ruler-ship. Luke 1: 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the
Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his
father David:
Now,
let’s examine the last portion which deals with the name of this child, this
Son that will be born. : and His name shall be
called Wonderful, (is wonderful a name? No. It is a description.) His name shall be called Counsellor,(is counselor
a name? No. It is a title.) His name shall be called
The mighty God,(is the Might God a name? No, it is a title. ) His name shall be called The everlasting Father, (is
Father a name? No, it is a title.) His name shall be
called The Prince of Peace (is the Prince of Peace a name? No. It is
a title.) Now, there is only one name of
the Ever Lasting Father and the Mighty God and the Counsellor, etc. And that
name is Jesus. Therefore when he says, His name shall be called, we must
further look at what it means when it says His name shall be “called”.
This word “called” was translated from the Hebrew word qara
which means to proclaim. So we see His name shall proclaim the Might God, and
His name shall proclaim the Everlasting Father.
Therefore, the Name Jesus proclaims the Mighty God and Everlasting
Father, for it is the Father’s name. Jesus told us that in,
John 5: 43 I
am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another
shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. That is why William Branham said, And how
many knows that that was Jesus in Jesus?”
And
that is why Brother Branham called Jesus a dual being.
CURTAIN OF TIME 55-0302 E-22
They couldn't understand Him. He was a mystery,
even to the Apostles. No one could understand Him, because there was two
people talking all the time. -23 The Person Jesus Christ was talking,
and God was talking in Him, also. Sometimes it was Christ himself;
sometimes it was the Father that dwelt in Him. You see it? He--they
couldn't understand some things He would say; He talked in riddles to them.
JEHOVA JIREH 56-0429 053 "That's the reason people couldn't understand Him.
Sometime it was Christ speaking... or was the Son speaking. Other times it was
the Father speaking. He was a dual Person. He was one Man, the Son. God
was in, which was tabernacling in Him. But what did He do? Did He go around
saying, "I'm the Healer." Very contrary, He said, "I'm not the
Healer." He said, "It isn't Me that doth the works; it's My Father
that dwelleth in Me." And in Saint John the 19th chapter when He was
questioned for passing a whole bunch of crippled, lame, withered, halt, blind
people, healed one man laying on a pallet, the Father showed Him to go there
and heal. Walked away and left the rest of them laying there, they questioned
Him. A man packing his bed on the sabbath. Listen to what He said. Saint John 5:19: "Verily, verily, I say unto you: The Son can
do nothing in Himself, but what he sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son
likewise." Is that what He said? "I do nothing till the Father
shows Me a vision first what to do."
LET US SEE GOD 131 59-1129 …I said, "He was more than... God was in Him. He was a
man, but He was a dual Person. One, He was a man; the Spirit in Him was
God." I said, "God was in Christ." She said, "Aw, no."
I said, "Look, lady, I'll take your own Scripture. He was a man, but He
was a God-man. When He went down to the grave of Lazarus, He did weep like a
man. That's true. But when He stood there, straightened His little stooped
shoulders up, and said, 'Lazarus, come forth,' and a dead man, that'd been dead
four days come to life again, that was more than a man. Man couldn't do that.
That was God in His Son."
Now,
let’s just read a few more verses that show that God is the Father of Jesus
from Jesus own words.
Luke 10: 22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no
man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but
the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
John 15: 23 He that hateth
me hateth my Father also.
John 15: 15 Henceforth I
call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I
have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father
I have made known unto you.
John 15: 1 I am the true
vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
John 14: 20 At that day ye
shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
John 14: 12 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he
do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my
Father.
John 5: 17 But Jesus
answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Matthew 26: 53 Thinkest thou
that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
me more than twelve legions of angels?
Matthew 26: 42 He went away
again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may
not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
Matthew 10: 32 Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my
Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men,
him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
John 16: 23 And in that
day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye
shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
John 15: 10 If ye keep my
commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's
commandments, and abide in his love.
John 12: 27 Now is my soul
troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for
this cause came I unto this hour.
John 14: 24 He that loveth
me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the
Father's which sent me.
John 8: 16 And yet if I
judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that
sent me.
John 5: 30 I can of mine
own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I
seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Luke 23: 46 And when Jesus
had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my
spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye
would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I
of myself, but he sent me.
#3)
We know that Jesus came in His Father’s name. Therefore the name of the Father was
Jesus.
John 5: 43 I am come in my Father's name,
and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will
receive.
Therefore
the name of the Father was Jesus, the same name given to the Son. Now, we have
already quoted a couple times where William Branham said it was Jesus that was
in Jesus. He said, “Jesus in Jesus.” Now, I am not trying to
trick you here, that is what he said. The Apostle Paul said, God was IN Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.
He did not say God was Christ, but God was In Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:
19 To wit, that God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Paul
did not teach that Jesus was the Fullness of the Godhead, but he taught that IN
Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead. Colossians
2:9 For in him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Peter
did not teach that the Holy Ghost was Jesus, but he gave witness that God the
Father spoke and said that He came down and dwelt IN His Son. 2 Peter 1: 17 For he
received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to
him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, IN
whom I am well pleased. And brother Branham interpreted this as God
saying that He was pleased to dwell in His Son, and so we must also.
Godhead Explained 61-0119A P:56 The Spirit of
God, like a dove, descended and a voice from heaven (which was above Him) saying,
"This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am pleased to dwell."
(Really, the right translation... They got the verb before the adverb, like all
the foreigner is... "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am pleased to
dwell in." Or, "Whom I am pleased to dwell." "In
Whom I am pleased to dwell." ) That was God coming into Jesus, and in Him
was the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
John 10: 25 Jesus answered
them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me.
#4) Jesus prayed to the
Father. JOHN 17:15 I pray not that
thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them
from the evil. 16 They are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world. 17 ¶
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent
me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for
their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the
truth. 20 ¶ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them
also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one;
as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou
gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in
them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world
may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 ¶
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where
I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst
me before the foundation of the world.
#5) The Son of God could
learn which means He was not Omniscient as God is Omniscient and Knows all
things.
HEBREWS 5:7 Who in the
days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong
crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard
in that he feared; 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience (to
come under subjection) by the things which he suffered; 9 And being
made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey him; (learn is to increase
ones knowledge, and obedience shows submission). He learned to come under
subjection.
Now, if this young man
was God, then how could he increase in anything. God is all knowing yet in MATTHEW 24:36 Jesus said,
But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no,
not the angels of heaven, but my Father only, showing
The Son did not possess Omniscience.
#6) He was made perfect
or mature and complete. This means that
the Son of God could change in His stature, wisdom and maturity. God can not
change (Mal 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8)
LUKE 2:40 And the child grew,
and waxed (increased and became)
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon
him. 52 And Jesus
increased in wisdom and stature, (maturity) and in favor (knowledge
and influence) with God and man. Jesus
made progress in the things in which he grew. He grew in Wisdom, he grew in
maturity and he grew in the influence and knowledge of God.
#7) The Son is in
subjection to the Father. I CORINTHIANS 15:28 And when all
things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject
unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
#8) Jesus had set aside
His Glory that He had with the Father in the beginning, and was dependent upon
the Father to restore it to Him again. JOHN 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou
me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world
was. This tells us that he had it but stepped aside from it, and now is
asking for it to be restored to Him again.
Most notable is the fact
that He stripped Himself of all privilege when he came to earth to take on the
form of man, and emptied Himself out completely and took on the nature of a
bond-slave.
The Weymouth Translation says,
"Although
from the very beginning He had the
nature of God, He did not reckon equality with God a treasure to be tightly grasped. Nay, He stripped Himself of His Glory, and took on Him
the nature of a bondservant, a man like other men.
And as a bond
slave, the main attribute expressed is that of submission to the will of the
slave owner.
#9) Jesus was dependent
upon the will of His Father HEBREWS 10:7 ¶ Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the
book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering
and burnt offerings and [offering] for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst
pleasure [therein]; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O
God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once [for all].
#10) Jesus could not so
anything unless the Father showed Him first. JOHN 5:19 Then answered
Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do
nothing of himself, (then he can not create, he can not save, he can
not heal, he can not redeem,) but what he seeth the Father do: for what
things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth
him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than
these, that ye may marvel.
JOHN 5:30 I can of mine own
self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I
seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
31 ¶ If I bear witness of myself, my
witness is not true. 32 There is another
that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of
me is true.
(He couldn't even bear witness of Himself).
#11) Jesus was dependent
on the Father for His doctrine as well. JOHN 7:16 Jesus answered
them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any
man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or
[whether] I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own
glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no
unrighteousness is in him.
#12) The Father sent the
Son. I JOHN 4:1 ¶ And we have seen and do testify that the
Father sent the Son [to be] the Saviour of the world.
JOHN 5:36 But I have
greater witness than [that] of John: for the works which the Father hath given
me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father
hath sent me. 37 And the Father
himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard
his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
#13) God raised up Jesus
from the dead.
ACTS 2:32 This Jesus hath God
raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
ACTS 4:10 Be it known
unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him
doth this man stand here before you
ACTS 5: 30 The
God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a
tree
ACTS 13:30 But God raised him
from the dead:
GALATIANS 1: 1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither
by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the
dead;)
#14) The Son receives Life from the Father
JOHN 5:26 For as the
Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself;
#15) The Son is not sovereign.
In JOHN 5:17 Jesus is being accused by the Jews for
working on the Sabbath because He healed on the Sabbath. His answer to them is
found in verse 17. ¶
But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Now,
this was not a very satisfactory answer to them, and it only made them much
more angry, because instead of bending down
to their Oneness understanding, He was letting them know that it was the
Father that was doing the works. 18 Therefore
the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the
sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal
with God. 19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for
what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Now, it is very apparent
here that Jesus is telling the Jews that he is helpless unless the Father shows
him what to do. He says, the Son can do NOTHING. Then the son cannot save, he
cannot heal, he cannot redeem, he can do nothing, unless shown by the Father
what to do. These are not the words of One who is Sovereign. But God is
Sovereign. God is Omniscient and Omnipotent.
1. One who is sovereign
answers to no one.
2. One who is sovereign
reigns supreme above all.
3. One who is sovereign
is completely independent of all others.
Therefore, the Son of
God is not and was not Sovereign, for He was completely dependent upon the
Father to act and to speak. He did not have his own words, nor his own actions,
nor his own doctrine, and he subjected His own will to the Father. I challenge
you to make a chart that lists these three attributes of Sovereignty, and then
take any Scripture that speaks of the Son of God and check yes or no to whether
he displays the attributes of One Who is Sovereign, and the answer is you can’t
find one Scripture speaking of a Sovereign son.
|
Scriptural references |
Attributes of
Sovereignty |
Sovereign
|
Sovereign |
|
|
|
YES |
NO |
|
John 5:19 The Son can do nothing but what the Father shows Him |
Answer to no one |
|
X |
|
|
Reigns above all |
|
X |
|
|
Completely independent |
|
X |
|
John 14:10 The words I speak I speak not of myself, |
Answer to no one |
|
X |
|
|
Reigns above all |
|
X |
|
|
Completely independent |
|
X |
|
John 14:10 The Father that dwelleth in me He doeth the
works |
Answer to no one |
|
X |
|
|
Reigns above all |
|
X |
|
|
Completely independent |
|
X |
|
John 7:16 My doctrine is not mine but His that sent me
|
Answer to no one |
|
X |
|
|
Reigns above all |
|
X |
|
|
Completely independent |
|
X |
|
John 5:17 My Father worketh hitherto and I work |
Answer to no one |
|
X |
|
|
Reigns above all |
|
X |
|
|
Completely independent |
|
X |
|
Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a son he learned obedience |
Answer to no one |
|
X |
|
|
Reigns above all |
|
X |
|
|
Completely independent |
|
X |
You will find scripture
for an obedient son, but never any Scripture of a son who is sovereign. It is God that indwelt that Son that is
sovereign. God is Omniscient, and God is Omnipotent, but the son was always dependent
upon the Father for everything including; speaking, acting, His doctrine, and
even submitting His own will to the Father’s will.
And what about "Father, I would that you take this cup from me, But not
My will but Thine be done", etc. Those are not words of one who
is sovereign. We could continue with this study using many more scriptures, in
fact all Scriptures concerning the Son
of God, but I’ll leave it up to you to try it yourself.
JOHN 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all
things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that
ye may marvel. Notice again that Jesus is speaking of this unique
relationship He had with the Father. He says, the Father shows Him all that he
is to do, for the Father Himself is first doing those things, and then shows
them to the Son for Him to perform. . This is exactly what William Branham also
had to do. He was completely helpless until the Father first showed Him in
Vision what he had to do. Then in the role as another obedient son, he
did what was shown Him to do, having seen the Father already performing it in
Vision before he then acted out the role to make that vision come from that
dimension to this one, bringing flesh to the Spoken Word..
In the next verse we
find Jesus again explaining how it works. JOHN 5:21
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and
quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he (The Father) wills. Now, in your own thinking you may have
read that Jesus was saying that He (Jesus) raised up whomsoever he the son of
God wills, but that is not what He has been saying for the past few verses. He
has already been saying that he can do nothing but what He sees the Father
doing, and then why would he turn and say, For as
the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth
whom he himself wills. You
see how far off the Scriptures everyone reads them. To read it that way you
will have to completely throw out everything Jesus the Son of God had just been
saying about how His relationship with the Father works.
Now, let’s continue
reading what Jesus says concerning this unique relationship he has with His
Father. JOHN 5:22 For
the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: Now,
the word here that is used for committed is the Greek word didomi which means
to grant. And Paul uses the same word when he says in ROMANS
15:5 ¶ Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be
likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: Notice Paul
uses this word in speaking of God giving us an ability to be likeminded, and he
adds, according to Christ Jesus. Therefore, he is telling us as Jesus was
likeminded with the Father in all things, so too Go has given us the same
ability to become likeminded with Himself. So when God is committing all
judgment to the Son, Jesus is saying, that God has given Him an ability to
Judge as the Father Judges. He is not saying that His judgment is Sovereign,
nor is he saying that His judgment would somehow be different from the Father’s
Judgment. But what He has been telling us is that He can do nothing except what
He has first learned from the Father to do. And if you read it any other way,
you are making Jesus a Hypocrite. How could He be speaking in one context for
several examples and then suddenly change his course. He is the same yesterday,
today and forever. And if we do not believe that we might as well hang it up.
JOHN 12:44 ¶ Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me,
believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. Notice he is
telling us here that the things we hear and thus believe, are not his words,
but the Father that sent him, thus by Believing the Son we are believing the
father. For they are the Words the Father gave the son to declare. 45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. 46 I am come
a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in
darkness. 47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not:
for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He that rejecteth
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: The Word that I have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. And Who is the
Word? In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was God! Notice how, Jesus
again tells us that the words He spoke were not even His own Words to speak,
but were the very Words His Father told Him to say. 49
For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a
commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his
commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the
Father said unto me, so I speak.
So how can we refuse Him
that speaketh when He is only speaking the words of the Father. Now, let’s get
back to JOHN 5:23 That all men should honour the
Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son
honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Notice, Jesus tells us
if we do not give Him honor then we cannot honor the Father that sent Him.
That again ought to tell
you that He is saying, since everything the Son doeth, the Father has shown Him
first to do, then we should honor Him even as we honor the Father.
In honoring the Son we
are honoring the Father, because the Son is only doing what the Father has
instructed Him to do. Thus what we see being done is the Father working and the
son working hitherto. Thus in giving honor to the son we are acknowledging the
Father’s preeminent role, and the son’s role of complete obedience to the Father.
Now, in reading the next
verse, we must remember that the Words Jesus is speaking He had first learned
from the Father to say. JOHN 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my
word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. We find
Jesus clarifying this in JOHN 14:10b The words that
I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he
doeth the works. Notice he is saying, these are my Fathers words,
not mine. This is identical to what we had read in various other Scriptures so
far, and should need no further elucidation.
JOHN 5:25 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. And why is He saying
this? Because He has already established that His Words, and thus His Voice is
nothing short of an echo of God’s own Words and thus God’s own Voice. And He
explains that in the next verse. 26 For as the
Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself; Notice then that the very Life that Jesus had was given to
Him by one greater than Himself. His Life came from the Father. And thus the
Father who is the giver of Life.
Now, in moving forward
we find Jesus say in verse 27 And hath given him
authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Remember,
we had read earlier in verse 22 that the Father had committed all judgment unto
the Son to execute, and we had stated that this was an ability to be likeminded
with the Father. Notice in this verse Jesus tells us the authority to do so was
also given Him by the Father, because He is His Son. John
5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in
the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation. 30 I can of mine own self do
nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; Why? because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father
which hath sent me. There you have it. Jesus can judge because God,
His Father knows that he will only judge what God has already judged. He said,
I have not come to do my own will but the will of the father which sent me.
Then he says, 31 ¶ If I bear witness of
myself, my witness is not true. 32 There is another that beareth witness of me;
and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
In verse 56 we find out
Who the witness is, Jesus is speaking about. And if Jesus is consistent in what
he has been telling them, then it has to be His Father that He is speaking
about as we see in JOHN 5:36 But I have greater
witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to
finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent
me. 37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of
me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. 38 And ye
have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
Now, let’s stop
for a moment and look at another scripture that Jesus is speaking of this
Judging. Let’s turn to JOHN 8:16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not
alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17 It is
also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I
am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me
beareth witness of me. 19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus
answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have
known my Father also. Notice the words of Jesus, he says, I am not alone. Now, that speaks of another,
meaning more than one is involved here. And he tells us immediately who that
other is… I and the Father that sent me. Then
he says, 17 It is also written in your law, that the
testimony of two men is true. Then
notice who those TWO MEN are that he uses for his witness. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that
sent me beareth witness of me.
Now if Jesus considered
Himself to be One with God in that way, why would he speak these words? But
they could not see His Father because they did not understand what He was talking
about. And so they looked for one that can not be seen, and missed seeing that
He was living in His Son.
Now, in getting back to John 14:8 we read, Philip
saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus
saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known
me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou
then, Shew us the Father? 10 Believest thou not
that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you
I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe
me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the
very works' sake.
Obviously from what we
have seen so far, Jesus is not saying here that He and His Father are one like
your finger is one. But what He is saying is that the same Word that is in the
Father, is abiding in Him and that makes Him one with the Father. Brother
Branham further clarified this in the sermon,
SHOW US THE FATHER IT'LL SATISFY
56-0422 E-36 Now, it's many times it's been said that no man can
see God at anytime, the Bible said so. But the only begotten of the Father has
declared Him. Philip, here was very inquisitive; he wanted to see the Father.
Says here He said, "I've been so long with you, Philip, and you don't know
Me?" Said, "When you see Me you see My Father." In
other words, you see the Father express Hisself through the Son. Him and the
Father were one in the sense that His Father was dwelling in Him, not Him doing
the works; He was a Son, Himself, the immortal, virgin born, Son of God. And
then in Him was dwelling the God, the Father, expressing Hisself to the world,
His attitude towards the people. See? Well, that's how Christ and God were one.
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Now, He said, "When
you see Me, you see the Father, and why do you say, 'Show us the Father?'"
Again in the sermon, He Swore By Himself 54-1212
we can find William Branham clarifying
that this is what was meant by Jesus when he spoke to Philip. He said, "I and My
Father are One. My Father is in Me." Said,
"Show us now the Father." Philip said, "Showeth
me the Father and it'll satisfy me." Said,
"Philip, I been so long with you, and you
don't know Me?" He said, "When you see Me, you see the Father. And why say, 'Show me
the Father.' I and the Father are One. My Father's living in Me now.
It's not Me that doeth the works; it's Him that dwells in me, that does
the works." Oh, my.How could I tell a man
what was wrong with him? How could I tell him what his future will be ten
years, or what he was forty years ago? It isn't me. Hallelujah. It's Him that
lives in me, that come down, that through His Blood brought me in
fellowship with Him. Hallelujah. How could my hands do anything by healing the
sick? It hasn't got a bit of power. It's not me. But it's Him that dwells in
here that does it.
And since three is a
witness, let me share one more quote with you where William Branham further
elucidates my point that Jesus and God were one by reason of the Father abiding
in Him, directing Him by His Word. CONFERENCE 60-1125 E-73
When He said, "It's not Me that
doeth the works. It's My Father. He dwelleth in Me. Me and My Father are
One. I and My Father are One. My Father dwelleth in Me." And He did the same works that He did when He dwelt
in that Body standing there before Abraham.
AS I WAS WITH MOSES 51-0503
E-15
When Jesus of Nazareth ... I believe that the Father was in Him, that all the great
things that was the Father's was given unto His Son, all the great blessings
and gifts; for He was just expressed image of the Father. And in Him dwelled
all the richness of God dwelling in Him here, looking up. And I... He said,
"I and My Father are One. My Father dwelleth
in Me." Just as Jehovah... Just what
Jehovah was, Jesus was. He was the expressed image of Him. He was God shaped
out here, and all the powers of God formed into, and put in a human body. He
said, "It's not Me that doeth the works;
it's My Father that dwelleth in Me; He doeth the works."
GIFTS 56-1207
E-29 Now, in Christ dwelt the Fullness of the Godhead
bodily. He had all the Spirit of God in Him. "I and My Father are One,"
said Jesus. That's the reason the people couldn't understand Him. Sometimes
He'd say something, might look like He turn around and say something different.
It was Him speaking, then the Father speaking. See? They were... And even the
disciples could not understand Him. And right at the last, they said, "Lo, now speakest Thou plainly. Now, we believe by this if you
know all things; no man needs to teach you."
Jesus said, "Do you now believe?" After all that time, they couldn't get the... Why? That
sometimes He'd say this and then say that. It was Him and the Father speaking. E-30 Now,
notice closely. Now, God dwelling in Christ used His voice to speak by. Jesus
said in His miracle, "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the
Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise."
Is that right?
SUPER SIGN 59-1227M
86 When He was here on the earth, He proved that He was
God, proved that God was in Him, because the signs of God followed Him. He
said, "If I do not the works of My Father, then believe Me not. But if I do
the works of My Father, if you don't believe Me, believe the works, the sign":
Immanuel. "I and My Father are One. My Father has sent Me. And as He sends Me,
so send I you. The Father that sent Me is with Me; He's in Me and doing
the works of Himself. It's God in flesh."
SHOW US THE FATHER AND IT WILL SATISFY
60-0731 E-15 "The works that
I do, shall you also." And seeing the same results by human
beings so submitted to God, until the Holy Spirit can work through those human
beings just like the Holy Spirit worked through Jesus, Who just has confessed that,
"I and My Father are One. My Father dwelleth in Me. He doeth the
works. It's not My words; it's His words."... See? He was so
submitted to God.