God The Father – God The Son 

Their Vital Oneness And Vital Distinction 

    Although the Father and Son have no discord, and are wondrously one in all their manners and attributes, nevertheless without a meaningful distinction they could have no genuine relation. An association or relationship cannot exist between that or those which have no distinction! Every time a Bible verse in some way speaks of both the Father and the Son, it not only is showing a meaningful relation but also a meaningful distinction.  The New Testament speaks of both the Father and Son as unique identities hundreds of times, as well as repeatedly speaking of the vital manners in which they relate! Jesus wanted His disciples to know that His relationship with the Father was close, genuine, and without discord, and thus often spoke of their oneness and how He dwelt in the Father and the Father in Him.  He seeking to show his intimate relation with the Father said that He who seen Him had also seen the Father.  Jesus was the perfect representation of His Father to humanity!  It might be said the Father gave the Son the power of Attorney.  

    Amazingly much of Christianity seeing how Jesus repeatedly advocated His oneness with the Father have thus concluded that the Son is actually, technically, literally, and fully God the Father!  If so, why not then give them only one name (some combination of Jesus and God such as Jod), and forget all the Scriptures that declare their relation!   Actually such  a conclusion would greatly infringe on the hundreds of Scriptures which speak of both the Father and the Son, and speak of their special and harmonious union!  The principles of the Father and Son being one, and yet distinct Persons is not some great inconceivable mystery as some religious ones might claim, rather than admitting any errors on the subject.  It is simple! God the Father and God the Son certainly have no discord and are wondrously one in all their ways and attributes, nevertheless they certainly still are distinct providing the needed foundation for a genuine relationship as the Bible so often speaks of! JESUS SPEAKING OF THIS RELATION SAID He came forth from the Father, does the will of His Father, and does what He sees His Father do.  Jesus speaking of this meaningful and genuine relation said His Father was greater than He, spoke of His Father knowing what He did not know, spoke of the Father revealing things to Him, spoke of being loved of the Father, and Himself being pleasing to the Father.  Every time Jesus spoke of the oneness of Him and His Father and how they dwelled in each other, He was seeking to show a very special relation between Him and the Father which association is completely voided by those who advocate that the Son is actually, technically, literally, and fully God the Father.  Thus those who fully make the Son, to be God the Father, not only miss grasping the distinction of the Father and Son, but neither grasp the meaningful and real oneness Jesus so passionately tried to show exists between Him and His Father, as He declared their oneness. Yes, Jesus pleased the Father, heard him, was subject to Him, prayed to Him, came from Him and returned to Him. No, He did not simply pray to Himself, please Himself, hear Himself speak, submit to and obey Himself, and the list could go on and on. These things were vital associations with His Father who He declared was greater than He! 

    Although the Father and Son certainly are distinct, nevertheless the Son may rightly be called God as He is God’s special manifestation to humanity in the flesh, and is part of what might be called the Godhead. Regarding worshiping our one God, certainly our one God can be worshiped through worshiping the Son, as the Father ordained the Son to such honor. The Bible greatly emphasized only worshiping the Lord God in the context of idols not in the context of His Son who God ordained to be worshiped and while even further the Son can be described as God. Following is a simple parable on the subject which I wrote many years ago; 

    There once was a great King who had a very obedient and like minded son whom he sent to a far country to teach a barbarous people his ways. The son who perfectly carried his father's emphasis after fully showing his father's ways to the barbarous people, told them that they in seeing him were seeing his father. The son in describing to the people how closely knit he and his father were also said he dwelt in his father and his father dwelt in him. Yet the King's son rather than telling these barbarians that he and his father were the one and same person, had clearly told them that his father was greater than he, and that he was subject to his father. The son also showed these barbarians it was not up to him to choose those who should sit with him on his throne but rather said the choice was up to his father (Matt 20:23). The King's son also spoke of his father knowing future happenings better than he did (Mark 13:32). The son in some situations pleaded with his father to be merciful to these barbarous people (Luke 23:34). One time the son even complained of his father having forsaken him, which happened because the son for a moment bore all the guilt of these barbarous people (Matt 27:46). Although the people in hearing the son tell how he was one with the father, should have known the son meant he was one with his father with regards to his father's ways, emphasis and purpose rather than actually claiming to be his father, nevertheless some of these barbarians began to foolishly think that the son and his father were the one and same person insomuch that many of the son's clear teachings about his relation to the father were made meaningless because the son was actually made to be the father. 

    Erring religious teachers often seek to hide old errors behind supposed complex mysteries, explanations, and big words and might say this parable is foolishly simple. Isaiah rather speaks of a little child leading them, while if something cannot be explained with simple words it likely is not true. Jesus in His most vital prayer said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, AND Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3). Jesus did not say eternal life is to know some singular Jod, as a singular Spiritual Person replacing and fully fulfilling both Jesus and God. The greatest mystery regarding this subject is not that it is such an obscure subject, but is what really has caused so many Christians to not see or to refuse to see the simple principles about the Father and Son as included in this verse as well as many others in our Bibles.