The Nature of God and Christ - Members Site - United Church of God

THE NATURE OF GOD AND CHRISTDoctrinal Study PaperSince there is one Spirit and as believers the very Spirit of God has made us His children,we have come out of His very being and we are indeed the sons of God. As sons of God, we areheirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17). And since the same Spirit thatabides in the Father and the Son abides in us, Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren (Romans8:17; Hebrews 2:11). Furthermore, by the same Spirit that God raised Christ from the dead Hewill raise us from the dead (Romans 8:11). The resurrection of Jesus from the dead restored theglory that He shared with the Father before He took on the form of a man. In His glorified state,He is now a “life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Those who have received the earnest ofthe Spirit and remain faithful until the cessation of human life will also share in His glory andbecome spirit beings on the God plane. “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shallalso bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Corinthians 15:49, KJV).“One” (Greek Heis/Hen) God in the New TestamentThe Greek word heis is usually translated “one” in the New Testament. However,Strong’s Concordance assigns the same number (1520) to both the masculine form heis andneuter form hen (a different number is assigned to the feminine form mia). Since these formsconvey different meanings, one must determine whether heis or hen is used in a particular verse.In John 10:30, Jesus declares, “I and my Father are one.” The Interlinear Transliterated Biblenotes that hen is used in John 10:30. 40The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible states that “the masc. heis must be distinguishedfrom the neuter hen. Heis means numerically one while hen means one in essence as in John10:30; ‘I and My Father are one,’ hen, in essence although they are two different personalities. Ifthe Greek word in this verse were heis, it would have denoted one person.” 41Barnes’ Notes states that “the word translated ‘one’ is not in the masculine, but in theneuter gender. It expresses union, but not the precise nature of the union. It may express anyunion, and the particular kind intended is to be inferred from the connection.” 42 Furthermore, inhis analysis of John 10:30 Winkie Pratney notes that the Greek word translated as “one” here is“not heis, which is masculine, but hen, which is neuter; not one person, but one substance, oneessence.” 43An erroneous application of heis could lead one to conclude that Christ and the Father arenumerically one person or being. Clearly, Jesus’ statement in John 10:30 shows that there aretwo beings unified as “one.” The Father was in heaven and Christ was on earth. The Jewsrealized the divine unity that was described—no one can be snatched out of Christ’s hand (verse28), therefore no one can be snatched out of the Father’s hand (verse 29). After He makes thesestatements, the Jews took up stones to stone Him. When He asked them why they were stoningHim, they replied, “Because You, being a Man, make Yourself God” (John 10:31-33).40 The Interlinear Transliterated Bible.41 The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible.42 Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old and New Testaments.43 Winkie Pratney, The Nature and Character of God, Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1988, p. 354.Page 36September 2005© 2005 United Church of God, an International Association