Expert: Scott Talbot - 5/25/2007

Question
Who has more authority God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?  How are they all One, yet different?  Are they all the Alpha and the Omega or did God create Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

In John, Jesus says the following...
* He is God Son sent by God.
* He is "I AM".  
* He was around when the earth was created.

He also says (I'm not sure where) that he doesn't know the end of times but God does.  

So Jesus is God's Son and he is God.  I believe He is all He says he is, however, how is this to be understood, explained?

Answer
Hi, Ann,

You ask a good question. It's important to know and understand God. Yet, the more we know Him, the more complex He seems.

God exists in three persons--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All are God. And God is one. (This is confusing--that God is both three and one. But this is what the Bible tells us.) All three were present at creation. In fact, it seems as though Jesus is credited for having formed the universe, and for holding it together. No person of the Trinity was created by another. They are all coexistent, they are all eternal, they are all Alpha and Omega, and they are all fully God.

They do, however, play different roles. When God became a man, He came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ, the Son. The Holy Spirit conceived Him. By becoming a man, He voluntarily laid aside the independent use of His divine attributes and made Himself subservient to the Father. He didn't become inferior to the Father. He didn't become any less God. He just took on a different role in order to fulfill His purposes. He became a servant. (What an awesome thought--to give up so much to reach down to us, and to ultimately surrender His life so that we can live, and so that we can have a personal relationship with Him.)

The Holy Spirit has a number of roles. One of these is to act as Jesus' alter ego, living in the life of each believer, providing God's personal presence following Jesus' ascension into heaven. He is called a Comforter and an Advocate, "one called alongside." He convicts of sin, opens our eyes to truth, and produces fruit in the life of the submissive believer.

I hope this helps. Feel free to write back with more questions.

Scott