"The Father is in Me"

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nwink

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John 10:37-38 (ESV) "If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father"

John 14:8-11 (ESV) "Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves."

In terms of the doctrine of the Trinity (the nature of God), what are we to make of Jesus' statements in John's Gospel that "the Father is in me"? In what sense(s) was Jesus meaning this?
 
Well, we can argue from the context you've quoted that the meaning of the Father being in Jesus is that they both share the same will. What the Son does the Father does also, meaning that the Trinity never works inseparately in regards to their wills. The same thing is meant by Christ dwelling in us -- we now share in His will by nature, and therefore are also "in" God, in the same sense. Of course, this does not mean we share in His divine substance.
 
John 10:37-38 (ESV) "If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father"

John 14:8-11 (ESV) "Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves."

In terms of the doctrine of the Trinity (the nature of God), what are we to make of Jesus' statements in John's Gospel that "the Father is in me"? In what sense(s) was Jesus meaning this?

Jesus was proclaiming to be God.
 
we can argue from the context you've quoted that the meaning of the Father being in Jesus is that they both share the same will

For what it's worth, the ESV Study Bible has the following note: "Though there is a complete mutual indwelling of the Father and the Son, the Father and the Son remain distinct persons within the Trinity, as does the Holy Spirit." So whoever wrote these notes on John in this commentary seems to think Jesus was referring to "complete mutual indwelling." There are plenty of other places in John where Jesus says that his will is to do the will of his Father, but I don't think that's specifically the focus of what Jesus is saying in the context of the verses I quoted above. I don't think I've heard of this "mutual indwelling" aspect of the Trinity before and am unfamiliar with it. I'm planning to dig into some of my commentaries as time allows me, but thought I'd ask the folks on the PB for some additional insight. Thanks.
 
In terms of the doctrine of the Trinity (the nature of God), what are we to make of Jesus' statements in John's Gospel that "the Father is in me"? In what sense(s) was Jesus meaning this?

In chapter 14, "you" is plural; "thou" is singular. Christ has been with the disciples for a sufficient period so that Philip should have known by now that Christ is the One through whom the Father reveals Himself. The focus is not on His essential oneness as God but on the exclusive ordination and furnishing of Jesus to communicate God to men. At the same time, it is impossible to detach this from an ontological unity. The Gospel Prologue has prepared the reader for this ontological foundation. The terms are absolute, and can only find their ultimate explanation in the fact that the Son is one in essence with the Father.
 
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