Understanding the Godhead: Who Is God?
As believers, one of the most critical aspects of our faith is knowing who God is—understanding His nature, His purpose, and how He has revealed Himself to us. This knowledge shapes our relationship with Him, deepens our worship, and empowers us to live according to His Word. We must also keep in mind that Satan wants to distort our view of God and His nature, so we must be on the look out for Satan skewing our understanding.
We call this understanding of God's nature the Godhead. The Bible uses this term to describe God's divine essence, His eternal power, and His supreme deity. In Romans 1:20 (KJV), Paul writes, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."
But who does God reveal Himself and His nature too? Anybody? Jesus answered this in Matthew 11:27 (KJV): “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” God reveals Himself to those that believe, because He is sovereign. Remember though that the revelation one has of Him must be in alignment with His own written Word. If someone produces and theory or undersatnding of Gods nature apart from the written Word, then we turn away from it. Paul taught this in Galatians 1:11-12 (KJV): “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
God’s View of Himself
The starting point for any understanding of God must come from how God views Himself. He declares in His Word that He is one God, not many.
From the Old Testament through the New, this truth is affirmed. Even Jesus, when asked about the greatest commandment, confirmed, “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Mark 12:29). Yet, within this oneness, God reveals His nature in ways that can sometimes seem complex, as seen in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—but always one God.
Created in God’s Image
In Genesis 1:26 (KJV), God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” This declaration has caused some to believe in a plural Godhead—three distinct persons in one. But look closer. When God made man, He made one person, not three. Just as we are body, spirit, and soul—but one person—so is God. A human male, can be a husband, father, son, and grandfather all at the same time but is one person. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) confirms this, speaking of our spirit, soul, and body as one entity.
The apostles taught this view. 1 John 5:7-8 (KJV) clearly states, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” The oneness of God remains consistent, not only in heaven but also in how He interacts with us on earth.
Baptism: In the Name, Not Titles
One of the clearest examples of understanding the Godhead is in the way the early apostles baptized. Jesus, in Matthew 28:19 (KJV), commands them to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But notice, it says "name," not "names." That name is Jesus Christ, the Word. The apostles understood this clearly:
No one in all of Scripture, was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The apostles knew this and didn’t baptize in titles but in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ because they recognized the fullness of God was revealed in Jesus Christ, who sent back His Spirit to dwell in His church on the day of Pentecost. They knew He was not three seperate gods (Which would be polytheism), but they knew He was just what He said, "One God" who manifested Himself as Son, Jehovah of the Old Testament, and the Holy Spirit down through the ages. Jesus Himself affirmed this when Phillip asked him, John 14:8, "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?".
Creation: God’s Oneness in Action
The most incredible passage in Scripture about the Godhead is found in John 1:1-14, that reveals that Jesus Christ, the Word, was not only with God but was God from the beginning: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…”
All things were made by Him, for Him, and through Him. This echoes Paul’s teaching in Colossians 1:16 (KJV): “For by him were all things created… all things were created by him, and for him.” God didn’t send someone else to create the world—He did it Himself, through Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God. All that God was He poured into Christ which the first born of all creation and the very being that God used to express Himself.
John 1:18, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."
Colossians 1:13-15, "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:"
Colossians 1:19, “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.”
2 Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
At the baptism of Jesus in Luke 3:22 (KJV), we see the Spirit of God descending upon Him, filling Him, so that "all the fullness" of God should dwell in Him (Colossians 1:19). Not three separate persons, but one God revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why Understanding the Godhead Matters
We must take God at His Word, and not add our interpretation to it. The written Word stands on its own.
Understanding the Godhead is not just an intellectual pursuit; it’s fundamental to our faith and salvation. John 17:3 (KJV) says, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Knowing who God is and that He expressed Himself in Jesus Christ leads us to eternal life. Knowing who He is also strengthens our faith, deepens our worship, and helps us to recognize false teachings that have crept into the church over time.
In fact, much of the confusion about the Godhead stems from church history. Early church councils, like the Council of Nicaea, introduced doctrines from various theories that, frankly, began to divide God into three separate persons—a belief foreign to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. As believers today, we must return to the pure Word of God, just as Revelation 10:7 calls us to.
In the end, the Scripture is clear: God is one, revealed through His Son Jesus Christ, and working by His Spirit. We are not called to dissect God into multiple beings but to worship Him in His fullness.
The Godhead is not a mystery meant to confuse us but a revelation of who God is that God Himself gives to an individual of how He works, and how we are to relate to Him. We must always return to the Word of God and let it guide our understanding.
As believers, we can confidently say that in Jesus, the fullness of the Godhead dwells, and it is by His Spirit that we are made one with Him.
