Observations On The Nature Of The Father, The Son, And The Holy Spirit
by Rev. Steven B. Harris, Ph.D.
Presented by Saint Luke Evangelical School Of Biblical Studies
http://ficotw.org/school.html

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me.
John 14:6

It seems to be the way of man, that we continually seek and strive to find the hidden meanings in all, and the ultimate answers to the questions about everything in our lives, in our world around us and inside ourselves. We see this reflected in many great works of art, from the soothing, lovely strains of an opera by Puccini or Beethoven, to the feelings of determination and sadness evoked by a Dylan Thomas poem, to the images brought to mind by the writing of Kipling or the surreal visions of a painting by Rene Magritte. The common thread that connects all of these appears to be a driving compulsion to find some ultimate truth, and by finding and displaying this truth, to reflect its beauty in a way that others can behold and appreciate. It is this search for truth and its relationship to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that I wish to explore today.

Regarding the Father,

God gives us life. This is manifest from the very beginning. Having created man in his image, He then gave us life:

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:7

This fact is brought forth twice in the book of Job. The first instance being when Job is acknowledging this during his times of trouble and thanks the Lord for these things:

Thou has granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.
Job 10:12

The second being when Elihu chides Job and his three friends for the attitudes they display toward both God and Job:

The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Job 33:4

And the Son,

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Ephesians 1:7

The preceding verse says it all for me, he bought a way to the Father with his blood sacrifice. He made this path available to all of us. The following verse just confirms that Jesus is truly the way.

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Hebrews 9:12

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit...

It is certain that an analysis of the gifts of the Holy Spirit clarify for, and bring to us a better understanding of its true nature.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1Corinthians 12:8-11

A basic analysis of the preceding verse gives us these definitions concerning the gifts of the Spirit. These definitions are verbatim from the Random House Webster's College Dictionary. The italics are my own, and have been added to emphasize certain points. The discussion following each category is entirely my own interpretation.

A. Wisdom: the quality or state of being wise; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
In this definition we find the words discernment and insight highlighted. These words essentially mean the ability to cut through extraneous issues and perceive the truth.

B. Knowledge: acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles; general erudition.
Here the word "truths" is highlighted. This speaks for itself.

C. Faith: the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.
Fidelity is highlighted here, and this word itself means truth as translated from the Latin root word fidelis.

D. Healing: to make healthy, whole, or sound: to restore to health; free from ailment.
The phrase highlighted here indicates a return to a state of physical completeness, or physical "truth".

E. Miracles: an extraordinary occurrence that surpasses all known human powers or natural forces and is ascribed to a divine or supernatural cause.
In simple terms, this phrase refers to the creation of a truth.

F. Prophecy: the foretelling or prediction of what is to come.
This obviously means that this gift is the ability to speak a truth that hasn't yet happened.

G. Discern: to perceive by the sight or other sence or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend.
Here the word "perceive" is highlighted, and to perceive means to be able to see past extraneous issues to the truth.

H. Tongues: speech, often incomprehensible, typically uttered during moments of religious ecstasy; believed to be divinely inspired.
Divinely inspired speech or words of truth from God.

I. Interpretation: the act of interpreting; elucidation; explication.
True clarification and translation of divinely inspired speech.

By this time it has become clear that the Holy Spirit is very much the Spirit of Truth. This is not surprising and it is a direct reflection of the "three in one" nature of our many faceted God. This is re-confirmed by the following verse, where in fact the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth:

Howbeit, 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.
John 16:13

Referring back to the passage quoted at the beginning of this article; Jesus Christ is the way; the Holy Spirit is the truth; and the Father is the life.

Remembering the true name of God:

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Isreal, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exodus 3:1

To close I would like to paraphrase the verse of John 14:6 in this way, which I feel will not detract from the truth of the statement, but will serve to clarify and enhance the truth:

"I AM." The way, the truth, and the life.

copyright 1998 Rev. Steven B. Harris, Ph.D.
Used by permission.