One repetitive theme of Jesus’ teaching to His closest disciples regarded His oneness with the Father. He once said to them, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” Then Phillip brilliantly asked, “Jesus, can you show us the Father?” Uh… “If… you’ve seen ME… you’ve seen the Father…” (That last part was my interpretation of what Jesus might have been thinking – you can read it in John 14.)
We still struggle with this concept today in religious circles. Major religions that try to identify as Christian present a Jesus who is a whole lot like the Father, somewhat close to the Father, but not exactly one with the Father. Paul addressed the teachings of these factions in his letter to the Colossians when he said, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” (1:15)
So here is the basic truth. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Each of these three are distinct personalities occupying distinctly different roles within the Trinity, but each one is as fully God as the other, and there is only one God. The Son is the one member of this Trinity who became visible when He was born to Mary in Bethlehem. From that moment on, He is the one and only snapshot we need to physically, visibly represent God. His humanity never diminishes His deity.
When we get to heaven someday, we’ll see God in Jesus. If you want to know what God’s character is like, read about Jesus. And if you want to know the Father, there is only one Way, and His name is Jesus.
