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In the Word

    by Chuck Livermore

Jesus Defends His Self-Witness
Date Posted: November 3, 2009

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."

Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."

Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."

These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come. John 8:13-20 NKJV

Jesus tells the Pharisees that if they had known Him, they would have known His Father also. This speaks of the mystery of the trinity, the fact that God is one being who has revealed Himself in three separate but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The trinity is a difficult concept for mere men and women to grasp. Our understanding is limited and all of our analogies fall short. That is because God is unique and is not totally like anything in His creation to which we can compare Him. He is not like an egg with a yolk, white, and shell. Nor is He like water in three forms: liquid, ice, and steam. These comparisons may be helpful explanations, but we can’t comprehend two separate beings sharing the same Spirit, especially when the Spirit is a separate person in His own right. There is no other creature that shares such unity revealed in three persons. Though we see only a dark reflection now, someday we will see face to face and will know those things we now accept by faith.

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Biography Information:
Chuck Livermore's knowledge of the word is the result of a lifetime of study and reading. He is part of Galilee South Community Church, a multi-ethnic congregation in South Denver. He attended Wayland Baptist University and has participated in world evangelism through research of unreached peoples.