The Godhead (Part 5)

Bishop Riggen continues a series on the Godhead, reviewing four key principles: there is only one God; God the Father is a spirit, not a person; the Son of God refers to the flesh born of Mary; and God the Spirit was in Christ the flesh. He emphasizes the need to be ready to answer questions about the Godhead, drawing from 1 Peter 3:15. Addressing common objections from Trinitarians, he first explains Genesis 1:26, where "let us make man" uses a majestic plural—a rhetorical device showing God's greatness, not multiple persons. He notes that the act of creation is described with singular pronouns and that Isaiah 44:24 confirms God created alone. Similarly, the Hebrew word Elohim is a plural of majesty, not of persons, as it is used for false gods like Baal. On Jesus's baptism, he argues that the Spirit descending as a dove and the Father's voice do not prove three persons; the signs were to identify Jesus to John the Baptist, and God's omnipresence allows Christ to be on earth and speak from heaven. For John 3:16, he clarifies that "God gave His Son" does not imply preexistence, as John the Baptist and Isaac were also "sent" or "given" without preexisting. Regarding Jesus praying in Gethsemane, Bishop Riggen contends this disproves co-equality, since the flesh was weak and needed the Spirit's empowerment, and the Father is greater than the Son. The sermon concludes with the purpose of equipping believers to confidently explain the oneness of God.