Ryan Goodwin

          Quite possibly, the most significant statement made in the Bible about the relationship between the Father and the Son is in John 10:30. “I and My Father are one.” There is nothing more simple than that, friends, when it comes to how the two interact with each other. They are unified in intent, purpose, drive, and motivation. But how, specifically, was this accomplished? Let us examine the evidence of their complete unity.

One In Creation

          Jesus was not only with the Father at the creation, but was an active participant in it. He was not a created being, as some have asserted falsely, but was a part of the creative force. “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26), says God prior to humanity’s first breath. From these verse it is clear that was more than one voice saying, “Let it be so” on that day. Paul writes, furthermore, “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; for by Him were all things created, all that is in heaven, and in the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him; and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:14-17). For those who claim that Christ is a created being, these verse offer immediate correction. He is not the firstborn of the creation in the sense that He was the first man made by God. Jesus Christ is firstborn because He holds the authority, the rule, and the power. He has the distinction of being the only begotten Son of God before we even existed, and were called to God as sons through adoption (Galatians 4:4-5).

          It was by Jesus Christ that the world was made (Hebrews 1:1-3), and there can be no doubt from these passages that Christ and the Father were together and unified in the act of creation. That is something that sets Christ apart from all others. Even in a religious sense, very few people or idols who are worshipped by man have such a supposed distinction. A lot of the gods of eastern religions or Native American religions are actually created beings and not creators. The same goes for deified false prophets, such as Muhammad, Krishna, Zoroaster, and Jim Jones. Of these men, none can say he was the impetus behind creation.

One In Works

          In the second place, Christ and the Father are one in the works they accomplished. Consider John 5:17-19, which says, “‘My Father is working until now, and I myself am also working.’ For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. Jesus 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.’” There is perfect unity between Christ and the Father in carrying out the works planned from eternity. Nobody else can claim such things, for we have all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). While we are expected to do the works of the Father, we have never attained to the perfection of always doing them.

·        We can be self-willed at times, seeking our own desires over those of God.

·        We can be self-serving, sacrificing other people to satiate ourselves.

·        We can be selfish with our time.

·        Though we try, we do fall short. Even Paul admits that his deeds in the flesh did not always match up with his sincere desire in the spirit (Romans 7:15-25).

·        Our sinful deeds require the sacrifice of Christ (1 John 2:1-6), but since He Himself is sinless, He needs no sacrifice.

          Consider a few other verses which clearly equate the deeds of Christ with the deeds of the Father. “I must work the works of Him who sent Me” (John 9:4). “If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do, though you believe not in Me, believe the works; the you may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:37-38). “But I have a greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father has given Me to do, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me” (John 5:36).

One In Will

          There is a sentiment in Psalm 40:8 that is important. “I delight to do Thy will, O God; yea, Thy law is within my heart.” But human will and divine will often are incongruent. We sin. God does not. We are selfish. God is never. We live in the flesh. God is not encumbered by its temptations (James 1:13). What separates Christ from other men is the fact that His will is exactly the same as God’s. What He wants is what the Father wants. His goals, aims, desires, and motives line up perfectly with the will of Him who sent the Son of Man.

·        “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34).

·        “For I cam down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).

·        “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; Nevertheless not my will, but Thine be done” (Matthew 26:39).

          Imagine what it would be like if you always wanted to do the will of the Father! Jesus embodies perfect obedience because He never ceased from desiring the will of God. We, however, are encumbered with our selfish wills. We may obey a commandments, but out of spite not from sincerity. This is not God’s will, for our actions are laden with improper will.

One In Revealing That Will

          According to Floyd Thompson, “Another aspect of the will of God and Christ is found in the fact that they were united in the method as to how that will would be revealed to the world. God, in His omniscience, and omnipotence, could have circulated the will, the plan, in any way He chose. He chose to reveal it through the apostles and other inspired men, earthen vessels, by means of the Holy spirit in His word” (“Jesus and His Father”, Book, Chapter & Verse, ed. Thompson, p. 135). In this sense, Jesus and the Father were unified in their plan to reveal the Word to the world. Practical applications:

·        This means that Jesus and the Father did not disagree on anything. When the plan was formulated before the beginning of time (1 Peter 1:20), they did not have conflicting views or arguments on how it would be best to spread the Gospel.

·        Also, we need to remember that the commission set forth in Matthew 28:18-20 is God-ordained. When Jesus states that the Gospel would be spread throughout the world by means of human-to-human personal contact, that is exactly how God wanted it.

·        John 17:8 states, “For I have given them the words which Thou hast given Me; and they have received them.” It was by “words” that the transmission of truth would occur. Therefore, there are no secret Bible codes, hand signals, or telepathic, kinetic, or psychic means of purveying the Word.

·        Christ never gives the impression that He stood alone in the decision to convey the message through human language. Recall Hebrews 1:1.

One In Life-Giving Power

          The will that is revealed accomplishes spiritual life in the individual who accepts it and lives by it. It has the power to change lives and renew souls. The Word can make something that was once dead be reborn into something living (John 3:5-7). We need to see that the Father and the Son are totally unified in their power to give life, for those who heed the message clearly revealed in the Bible. “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes” (John 5:21). If that is not a declaration of equal power to God, then what is? The really special idea that we need to take away from this is that when we have Christ, we have all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). Being a Christian is not a bane to the salvation-seeking soul, but the Way. Christ is sometimes seen as being baggage, and Christians viewed as encumbered with a religion of rules, regulations, and responsibilities. Yet this is not the promise made by Christ. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live” (John 5:24-25). It is not just a matter of Christ and the Father sharing the power to give life, either – it is that Christ is the only way to have life (John 14:6).

One In Omnipotence

          There is no believer in God who denies that He is all-powerful. “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongs to God” (Psalm 62:11). But does Jesus share this power? He is omnipotent also?

·        “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

·        “All power has been granted unto in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

·        Philippians 3:20-21 makes it clear that Christ has the power to subdue all things unto Himself. He is able to overpower, subject, subdue, change, and fashion all things to fulfill His will.

Christ and the Father are One – Our Example

          What a great example Jesus Christ is for us, dear friends. He was not only given equal power with God, but willingly chose the same will. He had an equal share in devising the plan of salvation. He worked tirelessly to perform the task that God had given Him. He gave His own life that the will of the Father might be done. So how will we follow His example? Can we not strive to follow Him in obedience and faithful service? If Christ is one with the Father, then we must strive to be one with Christ in all things. He prayed for our unity, our love, and our contentment in this world. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting to Him who judges righteously…” (1 Peter 2:21-23).