The unity of the Godhead was the great doctrine of the Old Testament, and this in contrast to the plurality of the gods of the heathen. There were hints constantly given, and no doubt in measure seen to faith, that more was coming, and behind all this. But the unity of the Godhead was the subject in hand. “Hear, Israel, Jehovah our Elohim [God] is one Jehovah” (Deut. 6:44Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: (Deuteronomy 6:4) JND). “Unto thee it was shown, that thou mightest know that Jehovah, He is Elohim — there is none other besides Him” (Deut. 4:3535Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him. (Deuteronomy 4:35) JND).
The Trinity Revealed
The Trinity of the Persons was never known in the soul until the Holy Spirit was given to dwell in us. Hence, even the apostles knew not fully who it was who graciously walked with them on earth. If it had been possible for them to know that God was there — when the Son was revealing the Father on earth — it would have been possible to know God in duality; that is, that He could be known in but two persons. This could not be. The Son reveals the Father on earth, the Father dwells in Him and does the works, but the Holy Spirit was the power by which the Son cast out devils — all was presented to man. But Christ must die and rise again and go on high and give the Holy Spirit to those that obey Him, and now, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I know the Father, revealed in and by the Son. One God is thus known in the Trinity of the Persons, as a subjective truth in the consciousness of the soul. Peter might say, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and have a divinely-given revelation of this from the Father, but it was inoperative at the time, as many things are in ourselves, until known subjectively in our souls. A few verses later on in Matthew 16 he shows that flesh was not broken in him up to the height of the revelation, and indeed it never had its power until he afterwards received the Holy Spirit. The Spirit given when Jesus was glorified made all the difference.
The Fullness of the Godhead
In Jesus “all the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth bodily.” There will never be and there could not be any further revelation of God, for all has been revealed, else the Son of God has not fulfilled His mission, which is simply impossible. The Trinity of the Persons is made known, and the Son has taken manhood into the Godhead — wrought redemption and reconciled us to God by His death, and, risen with Him, we are sealed with the Spirit of God, and thus before Him in Christ Jesus, and He in us before men. The one settles our place before God; the other, our duties before men.
The Distinction of Persons
There is no confounding the Persons of the Trinity, yet there is no separating them. Each Person (as we speak) does different things, yet all work in concert and in the unity of the Godhead. The Father sends the Son; the Son does not send the Father. The Son dies for me, not the Father. The Spirit sanctifies, quickens, yet so do the Father and the Son. All this is now known in Christianity and under grace and is quite different from what was hoped for by those under Promise or felt by those under Law. Under the former, the Patriarchs knew Him as El Shaddai (God Almighty). See Genesis 17:11And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. (Genesis 17:1) and Exodus 6:33And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. (Exodus 6:3). He was the all-powerful One, to watch over the pilgrim of faith. With Israel it was Jehovah — the self-existing One, who would bring to pass all He had promised. With us it is the Father, revealed by the Son and known by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us — one God in trinity. Yet He who is such to us — the Father — tells us that He is the same who was Almighty to the Patriarchs and Jehovah to Israel. Compare 2 Corinthians 6:18 and read “Jehovah” for “Lord,” where it has this significance.
The Knowledge
of God’s Character
You ask also, “Would the knowledge of the character of God alone give certainty?” In the abstract, I would reply, Yes. But I would qualify my answer by saying, that you could not know His character fully until the cross was past, so that the work of Christ must come in, as well as God having been revealed on earth. I may be attracted to Him as a Man on earth, but the conscience must be purged by His work which rends the veil, and all God’s character must be known, perfect in grace, face to face with man at his worst. With the knowledge of such a revelation there must be certainty.
F. G. Patterson