Sothat
Dear willa,
What we are talking about with God is self identity, and not the dividing of himself into separate parts. That is to say, as the Father God decides his affairs, God as the Holy Spirit God inspires us to believe in him. But in all cases, God speaks to us as Jesus the Son. This is why when God speaks to us as Jesus he uses the phrase “I Am.”
So about how Jesus prayed! I will say this as simply as I can. This is a case of God talking among himself. That is to say, within the mind of God, God as the Father talks to God as the Son. This is how God makes his decisions. We should not be surprised at this, because as people made in God’s own image, we have a similar capability of talking among ourselves. Only we cannot think as distinctively as God can, and we tend to get confused.
So what we see in Jesus' prayers in a continuation of the conversation that has always taken place in the mind of God between the Father and the Son. But as a human, Jesus was speaking to the Father in the form of a prayer to teach us humans the need for us too to pray to God. That is to say, he said the words out loud for our benefit, and not his own. Such is the mystery of Jesus being the all powerful God and a man at the same time.
Too, you must remember that Jesus as God took on a human body only to identity with those he came to save. But this human body was in no way the full extent of his existence. That is to say, while he was in a human body as a man on earth, he still existed at the same time as an everywhere present spirit being running the universe. An in this capacity, it is easy to see how he could have spoken to us in an audible voice about himself as a human being on earth.
And about Jesus saying to Mary that he had not yet ascended to the Father, this was Jesus saying in parabolic or poetic form that as a human being, he was now going back to heaven. Again the mystery of this is to understand that God made this decision in the self identity of the Father, but he came to the earth in the self identity of Jesus the Son. And he still speaks to us as the Son now as he sits on his throne. But at the same time, he is still the all powerful, everywhere present spirit being running the universe.
God bless you,
Autrey2
Greetings Brother Autrey2, To continue a moment:
Acts 7: 55 "Stephen saw two ...Jesus standing at the right hand of God" and we are made in the image of God. There are not three of me sitting at this computer. "Our Father which art in Heaven..." Two places. So if Jesus says his Father GOD is in heaven, then that is where he's at. I believe him.
Also, John 14:28 "My Father is greater than I" If you are three in one, being the same GOD, how can you be greater than yourself? John 5: 19 The "Son can do nothing but what he seethe the Father do." Now what kind of situation is that? Instead of a son observing what his Father does as separate mortal son's do their fathers, it would have to be a one in three of the same God not knowing what the other knows saying, "You go first. No, YOU go first because I don't know. I have to watch you first... If that were true all three same God should know the exact same thing. John 5: 38 - 40 "I seek not to do my own will but the will of the Father." (which is in heaven). Right there Jesus is a separate and distinct individual from his Father. He has his own will separate from his Father.
When in Gethsemane Jesus prayed to his Father, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; never the less not as I will, but as thou wilt." He was kind hearted, sensitive to the beauty of life and now he knew he would suffer so greatly that he would bleed from every pore in a way that only a God could endure to pay for us. So he was just checking in with his Father, GOD to see if there was another way, but there wasn't, so the beginning of his suffering began in the garden and finished upon the cross. Two individuals.
Jesus prays to the Father for us to be one as he and his Father are one: in purpose, unity of mission in righteousness.
That gives the meaning to "one and "in". Otherwise we would be like you believe, ALL in one being. You see that is not true. ..."as his"
You are on the absolute right path. There is just a little stitch there. I admire your love for the LORD.
The Holy Spirit, the third God, individual and remains in spirit so that he may reveal, teach and testify to our spirits, us, as our bodies are the clothing of our spirit, Quite a blessing . Those cast down with Lucifer aren't given bodies...consequences..
The Holy Spirit: "When he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come." (If you prove worthy and follow what Christ says to do in the scriptures.)