By: Rev. David F. Gray

QUESTION- In the New Testament Jesus said He had been with the Father; He prayed to the Father; His Father spoke at His baptism. I believe Jesus is God, but I can't understand these things.

ANSWER  It is important to realize that Jesus spoke from two distinct standpoints.

In His divine nature He was the Father, the eternal Spirit, who dwelt in the body of flesh called the Son which He had created through the virgin's womb.

In His human nature He was the "Son of Man", the human tavernacle for the Everlasting Father to dwell in among men.

Thus it could be said as was prophesied by Isaiah, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given . . . and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6).

So you see the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father was identified in the child that was born at Bethlehem, and the Son that was given at Calvary. In Rev. 22:16 Jesus declared that He was both the "root" (Father) and "offspring" (Son) of David. He is BOTH the Father and the Son, both divinity and humanity, in ONE PERSON! Therefore He could speak from both standpoints.

As the Mighty God He was the Water of Life; as Son of Man He cried, "I thirst". As the Mighty God He said, "I will give you rest"; as Son of Man He was weary. As the Mighty God He cast out devils; as Son of Man He was tempted of the devil.

When this is understood is becomes easy to grasp the reason why Jesus Prayed.

When God took flesh upon himself and became a man as we are, He voluntarily limited Himself to no more of the powers of divinity than is available to us. "He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren (that is, those who are His brethren through the New Birth)" Heb. 2:16,17.

When Jesus died on the cross, the Father did not die, for deity cannot die. It was the tabernacle of God, the flesh or Son in whom the Father dwelt which had been created through the virgin's womb (Gal. 4:4) that died.

It was this flesh or Son that was with the Father (also the Father was IN the Son-John 14:10). It was this flesh or Son that prayed to the Father (He was the example for us, and we pray to God although He dwells IN us also in the Holy Ghost).

This revelation delivers us from the manifest absurdity of the trinity' doctrine which would have us believe that one of a trio of divine persons prayed to another one of the divine persons; one God Praying to, another God! If Jesus were a separate God from the Father, why didn't He avail Himself of His own divinity to help Him, instead of calling on another God's divine power?

How wonderful is the truth! Jesus prayed because He was calling on His own divine nature, the Father. Thus Scripture harmonizes, and the truth sets us free from the traditions of men.

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