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The Upper Room Discource recorded in the book of John contains some of the most enigmatic statements in the entire Bible. John 14:23 is a great example. To be sure, Jesus is not saying that two divine beings would come to those who love Him and keep His word. This would contradict the doctrine that 'God is one' (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29; Galatians 3:20).
We must understand that when Jesus spoke of the Father, He was speaking of the Spirit that conceived His humanity in the womb of Mary. The Son, who was born of Mary, is described as 'God manifested in the flesh' (1 Timothy 3:16). The Bible says that 'in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily' (Colossians 2:9). This tells us that when we receive Jesus Christ, we are receiving both the Man and the God who dwelled in the Man.
2 John 9 confirms this saying, 'He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.' The true God is the God who is manifested in the flesh. When He comes to us, He comes, not as two persons, but as both Deity and humanity, as both Spirit and flesh. If we do not have both, we do not have God. 1 John 2:23 says, 'Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.' To have the Father and the Son is to have the true God and eternal life(see 1 John 5:20).
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