The Doctrines of the Trinity & The Deity of Christ as revealed in John’s prologue

No man has seen God at any time; the [one and only] God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Aren’t there records in the OT where people claim they saw God? Yes. Genesis 16.13: Hagar asked, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him (the LORD)? Genesis 32.30: Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” Judges 13.22: So [Manoah] said, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.”

Doesn’t the Bible record cases where people saw God? Exodus 24.10-11: “… and they saw the God of Israel; & under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire…Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; & they beheld God, & they ate and drank. Numbers 12.8: God says of Moses, “With him I speak face to face, & he beholds the form of the LORD.

Doesn’t the Bible say the LORD appear to people? Yes. In a voice In smoke In fire In visions In His glory

Doesn’t the Bible state no one has/can see God? Yes. Exodus 33.20: God said to Moses, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me & live.” John 6.46: “Not that any man has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.” John 1.18: No man has seen God at any time… How are we to reconcile this apparent contradiction?

Visions, theophanies, His glory In the 3 occasions of persons claiming to see God it was the Angel of the LORD they saw. The name of the LORD is in this angel. Exodus 23.20: “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him.” Ex. 33.19: …I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you… what He is like Ex. 34.6: Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth…

Sometimes the angel & God are treated as one and the same Compare Genesis 16.10 to 16.13: Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they shall be too many to count.” Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “Thou art a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?”

Compare Exodus 3.1-6 & 14: And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush… He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

In some verses, the Angel and God are clearly distinct Zechariah 1.12-13, the Angel and God converse in prayer: Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, “O LORD of hosts, how long wilt Thou have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which Thou hast been indignant these seventy years?” And the LORD answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words.

How did these people see God and yet not see God? As in the case of Moses, they saw His attributes, but not His face. Exodus 34.6: Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth… Moses wasn’t asking to see another theophany, but to relate to God personally as any one of us would want to know Him.

In what way did the incarnate Logos uniquely explain the God? Specifically: as a Father. Children of God/child of God is not found in the OT. Sons of God is used 3 times in Job speaking of those who presented themselves before the LORD along with satan. It is used 2 times in Gen. 6 as those who took wives from the daughters of men. God relating to individual believers as a Father is seen only after the incarnation.

Jesus came to explain God as a Father Jesus reveals His relationship to the Father. Their relationship is the model for the relationship the Father has with all who believe in the Son. The Logos became flesh to secure this relationship John 1.12-13: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God [the Father], even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but [born] of God.

Jesus reveals God as Father to us John 1.12: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God… John 3.16: For [the Father] so loved the world… John 3.17: For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

Jesus reveals God as Father to us John 5.19: Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. John 5.36: “…for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. John 6.32: Jesus therefore said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.

Jesus reveals God as Father to us John 6.44: “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 8.28: Jesus therefore said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” John 8.42: Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me; for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”

Jesus reveals God as Father to us John 10.18: “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” John 10.27-29: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” John 12.26: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”

Jesus reveals God as Father to us John 12.49-50: “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” John 14.9-10: Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

Jesus reveals God as Father to us John 14.16: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever…” John 14.21: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.” John 14.23: Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.

Jesus reveals God as Father to us John 16.15: “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said, that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you.” John 16.25-27: “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.” John 17

Jesus reveals God as Father to us John 20.17: Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Hebrews 1.3: And He is the radiance of [the Father’s] glory & the exact representation of His nature. Colossians 1.15: He is the image of the invisible God.

The Father’s love for Jesus is His love for us 1 John 3.1: See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. Romans 8.15-18: For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.