THE UNIFYING POWER OF THE GODHEAD

THURSDAY 18 AUGUST 2022

Godhead refers to divinity existing in three persons - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If you are in Christ, you are in indivisible association with the Godhead because the Bible says, "For in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9 NKJV). And today we are going to look at the beneficial impact of our union and association with the Godhead.

Reference: 2 Corinthians 13:14 King James Version (KJV) 'The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.'

Paul prayed for these three important aspects of honourability to remain with the Corinthian church: The grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. He offered a prayer of specific blessing for them mentioning the entities that make up the Godhead. Today this is a popular verse often used as a benediction in church services, but considering the benefits of the impact, indeed, it is more than just a benediction. It speaks volume about the power of our association and identity in unison with the Godhead.

Firstly, Paul speaks of the grace of our Lord Jesus available to us. John 1:16 (ESV) says, "From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace." This means that abundant grace is possible through our faith in Christ. As a result of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for our sin and on our behalf, we have received grace in its fullness. Now that we belong to Christ Jesus, who is our Lord, we partake of His unlimited grace.

Secondly, Paul speaks of the love of God. He prays for the love of God to dwell with the Corinthian Christians, reminding them that God's love never fails! His love is unconditional and He never gives up on anyone. That's the love that motivated Him to send His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, to earth to make His atonement for sin and God's grace possible for us (See John 3:16 NIV). Also in Paul noted, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us (see also Romans 8:35,37). Beloved, the love of the God is indescribable and unfathomable and it remains unchanged in our lives, come what may.

Next, Paul speaks of the communion of the Holy Spirit. He prayed for the communion of the Spirit to be with them. Every person who comes to faith in Christ receives God's Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). The Greek phrase Paul uses translates as "the fellowship of the Holy Spirit." Previously, the Corinthians knew nothing of such fellowship, because the church was rampant with individualism. In 1 Corinthians 1:12 (NIV), Paul even noted that about them: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another says, "I follow Apollos"; and another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." And so they were not in full cooperation as Christians, thereby lacking in serving one another with their spiritual gifts.

The profound work of the Holy Spirit is much more than distributing spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for a Christian to communicate with the Father and to be in relationship with Him. 1 John 1:3 (KJV) says, 'and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.' Notice that in this verse, the Holy Spirit seems to be omitted among the participants in the fellowship. However, the word 'fellowship' already expresses the involvement of the Holy Spirit, as we know that effective fellowship with God can never be possible without the Holy Spirit. He is always present during the right fellowship in which we participate with the Father and His Son. This is because He is the spirit of God Himself. He also seeks to establish this fellowship among God's people by His unifying power (see Romans 8:23–27).

The inexhaustible grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in your life will continually yield results by your willingness to stay in constant fellowship with God. This kind of fellowship truly reveals that the grace of God is fully active in our lives, as true Christians. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - John 16:13; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Philippians 2:1-2.

Guided Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for my indivisible oneness with your Spirit. Through this union, I'm able to carry out your purpose in my life, because you are at work in me, both to do and to will of your good pleasure. By the help of the Spirit, I'm properly guided to walk in the path of fulfilling my glorious destiny in Christ, in Jesus' Name, Amen!