When Paul preached in Athens, a city wholly given over to idolatry, he mentioned in his sermon something that is pertinent to our topic. "Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising." {Acts 17:29} The ASV translates "divine nature" as Godhead. Two other passages use the same term.

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." {Romans 1:20}

"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." {Colossians 2:9}

The word "Godhead" comes from the Greek word "Theios," defined as "deity, the state of being God." Godhead is deity, the divine nature, or essence, of God. When we speak of the Godhead, we are talking about those who possess the personality of God. In Deuteronomy 6:4, the text says there is ONE GOD. This passage, along with others, is used to teach the false concept that God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are ONE PERSON. In this study, we will show that the scriptures teach there are THREE distinct personalities in the Godhead. Each possesses all the attributes of the divine nature.

• The Father is GOD. "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." {1 Corinthians 1:3}
• Jesus Christ is GOD. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." {John 1:1-3}
• The Holy Spirit is GOD. "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.' " {Acts 5:3,4}

When the Bible uses the word God, the context determines the Godhead member of whom it is speaking. The Holy Spirit is ONE person in the Godhead, which consists of THREE.

Deity, as to person and personalities, is plural. "...Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." {Genesis 1:26} The word US is plural. In Psalms 110:1, we read: "The LORD said to My Lord, sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." In the first three verses of the gospel of John, the apostle John spoke of the WORD being God and with God. In verse fourteen, he clearly identified the Word: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Do these three represent three different types of gods? God is one in nature, not like the pagan concept of many differing gods. The three persons, in ONE Godhead, effected a division of labor for our salvation -- without sacrificing any Divine essence or quality.

The three are mentioned in many passages:

• Baptism of Jesus -- "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' " {Matthew 3:16,17} All three were present at the river Jordan.
• The Great Commission -- "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." {Matthew 28:19} Notice that all three are mentioned as giving authority to baptize those who come to Christ.
• Sending of the Spirit -- "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." {John 14:26} In this text, the Father is going to send the Holy Spirit in the name of Christ; all three are members of the Godhead!
• Unity of the Father and Son -- "So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.' " {John 20:21,22} Jesus spoke of His relationship with the Father; then He breathed on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Again, the text contains all three of the Godhead members.
• Promise of the Father -- "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." {Acts 1:4,5} In His parting instructions before His ascension, Jesus instructed His apostles to wait for the promise of the Father -- the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
• Paul's closing to his second letter to the Corinthians -- "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen." {2 Corinthians 13:14}
• Access to the Father -- "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." {Ephesians 2:18} All three are mentioned as part of gaining access to the Father.
• Preaching to Cornelius -- "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." {Acts 10:38}
• Peter's greeting -- "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied." {1 Peter 1:2}

In Paul's letter to the Ephesian church, he mentioned all three when he gave the seven pillars of unity -- "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." {Ephesians 4:4-6}

The Holy Spirit is one person, with one message -- "You know that you were Gentiles, carry away with these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." {1 Corinthians 12:3}. He is a true spiritual being -- the Spirit of God, Spirit of Truth, Holy Spirit -- the third person in the Godhead. He is one being in a special class of beings. This class has only three members -- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These are not just titles, or God-like manifestations; they are God. All three participated in bringing our salvation -- but that's another part of the story!