THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES SIX
THE TRIUNE GOD
Message One
The Pure Revelation of the Triune God
Matt. 3:16 And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him.
Isa. 9:6 For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
The Son Being the Father
Isaiah 9:6. This verse first says that a child is born to us and that His name is the mighty God. Then it also says that a Son is given to us and that His name is the eternal Father. Oh, Jesus is both! …He was not only the child but also the Son. This is wonderful. As you believe that the child is the mighty God, do you also believe that, according to Isaiah 9:6, the Son is the Father? …You must say, “Isaiah 9:6 tells me that the Son is the Father.” This is not modalism. It is the pure revelation in the Bible.
The Lord’s Being the Spirit
Concerning the Lord’s being the Spirit, let us turn to 1 Corinthians 15:45, which says, “‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul’; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” Undoubtedly, the last Adam here was Christ in the flesh. This last Adam became the life-giving Spirit through the process of resurrection.…Who can deny this? The pure, clear word says that Christ today is the life-giving Spirit. The critics and opposers also twist this verse. Some of them say, “The spirit here is not the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is the human spirit of Jesus.” Certainly, this is not Christ’s human spirit, for before He died, He had a human spirit already. There was no need for Him to become the human spirit through death and resurrection. Praise the Lord that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul had the wisdom to say that the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.
Believing in the Coinherence and Coexistence
of the Three of the Godhead,
and Believing That All Three Are Eternal
We believe the Bible according to the pure word.…We believe in the coinherence and coexistence of the three of the Godhead; that is, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all exist at the same time and under the same conditions. We also believe that all three are eternal.…We believe whatever the Bible says.…In Ephesians 3:14-17 Paul bowed his knees unto the Father, praying that He would strengthen the saints through His Spirit so that Christ might make His home in their hearts. Here we see the Father, the Spirit, and Christ. This is the Triune God.…Isaiah 9:6 says that the Father is eternal, Hebrews 1:12 and 7:3 indicate that the Son is eternal, and Hebrews 9:14 speaks of the eternal Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not temporary but are eternal.
The Divine Existence of the Divine Trinity Remaining Intact
and Not Being Jeopardized
While the Divine Economy
of the Divine Trinity Is Being Carried Out
While the divine economy of the Divine Trinity is being carried out, the divine existence of the Divine Trinity, His eternal coexistence and coinherence, remains intact and is not jeopardized.
Further Reading: Young People’s Training, msg. 6; CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “The Spirit with Our Spirit,” ch. 1
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
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THE TRIUNE GOD
Message Two
The Balanced Truth of the Triune God
Isa. 9:6 For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
2 Cor. 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Both Modalism and Tritheism Going an Extreme
Modalism stresses the side of God being one to a heretical extreme by denying the coexistence and coinherence of the three of the Godhead. Tritheism, on the other hand, stresses the side of God being three to a heretical extreme by teaching that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three Gods. The Bible is not at either of these extremes; it stands in the center, testifying of the twofoldness of the truth of the Divine Trinity. Regarding the truth of the Triune God, we also should be balanced and avoid the heretical extremes of both modalism and tritheism.
The Scriptures Clearly, Definitely,
and Repeatedly Saying That There Is Only One God
It is a great heresy to say that there are three Gods. The Scriptures clearly, definitely, and repeatedly say that there is only one God (1 Cor. 8:4; Isa. 44:6, 8; 45:5-6, 21-22; 46:9; Psa. 86:10). The tritheists say, “If the Father, Son, and Spirit are not three Gods, then how can They be three persons?”…Because the tritheists hold the side of the three and neglect the side of the one, they have no balance or safeguard.
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit All Existing
at the Same Time and under the Same Conditions,
That All Three Are Eternal
We need to be very clear concerning the error in modalism.…Modalism claims that the revelation of the Son ended with the ascension and that after the ascension the Son ceased to exist. Modalism has gone too far, not believing in the coinherence and coexistence of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Unlike the modalists, we believe in the coinherence and coexistence of the three of the Godhead; that is, we believe that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all exist at the same time and under the same conditions. We also believe that all three are eternal. Isaiah 9:6 says that the Father is eternal, Hebrews 1:12 and 7:3 indicate that the Son is eternal, and Hebrews 9:14 speaks of the eternal Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not temporary but eternal.
Being in the Middle and Being Balanced
Both modalism and tritheism go to an extreme, but we are in the middle and are balanced. When we say that the Son is the Father (Isa. 9:6) and the Lord is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17), we are simply quoting the Bible.…We believe all the verses in the Bible which reveal the eternal coexistence and coinherence of the three of the Godhead.…We believe that God is uniquely one for eternity, yet He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Some may ask, “How can the Father, the Son, and the Spirit be three and at the same time still be one?” My answer is, “I do not know. I cannot tell you.’” The Divine Trinity is a mystery which far transcends our mental apprehension.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “The Crucial Points of the Major Items of the Lord’s Recovery Today”; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 232
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THE TRIUNE GOD
Message Three
One Name Yet Three Persons
Matt. 28:19 Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor. 3:18 But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.
There Being One Name for the Divine Trinity
Which Refers to Three Persons
The revelation of the Triune God can be found throughout the New Testament. In Matthew 28:19, the Lord Jesus charged the disciples to baptize the nations “into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In this verse, name is singular in number, yet the one name refers to three persons. This shows that there is one name for the divine Trinity (see notes 5 and 6 on Matthew 28:19 in the Recovery Version). The word person is often used to describe the Three of the divine Trinity, yet we must be careful in using such a term. Speaking of the term person, Griffith Thomas, one of the founders of Dallas Theological Seminary and a highly respected student of the Bible, said in his book The Principles of Theology (p. 31), “Like all human language, it is liable to be accused of inadequacy and even positive error. It certainly must not be pressed too far, or it will lead to Tritheism….While we are compelled to use terms like ‘substance’ and ‘Person,’ we are not to think of them as identical with what we understand as human substance and personality.”
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit
Not Being Three Separate Persons or Three Gods
but Being One God, One Reality, One Person
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not three separate persons or three Gods; they are one God, one reality, one person. Hence, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are denoted by one name. The name denotes the person, and the person is the reality of the name. The name of the divine Trinity is the sum total of the divine Being, equivalent to His person. God is triune; that is, He is three-one. In some theological writings, the preposition in is added between three and one to make three-in-one. However, it is more accurate to say that God is three-one. Being three-one, He is one God, with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit as His reality, His person. Thus, the name of the Triune God is Father, Son, and Spirit. Father, Son, and Spirit are not three different names; they are the unique name of the divine Trinity. Such a name is a compound title. Many of the divine titles in the Bible, such as “God the Father,” “the Lord Jesus,” and “the Lord Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18), are compound titles. The compound name in Matthew 28:19 is composed of three parts—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 1, “The Triune God to be Life to the Tripartite Man,” ch. 5
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THE TRIUNE GOD
Message Four
Hypostasis and Persona
2 Cor. 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
The Three of the Trinity as Three Hypostases
In His economy, God is three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The great theologians of the fourth and fifth centuries referred to the Three of the Trinity as three hypostases. The primary sense of the Greek word for hypostasis is something which stands underneath, that is, a support or a foundation. To illustrate, one table has four legs supporting it, and the four legs of the table are its four hypostases. Likewise, there is one God, but He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. These three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are the three divine hypostases. The word hypostasis, which was used in the theological writings that appeared in the Greek language, can also be translated substance. Later, when theology entered into the Latin language, the word persona was used. Then, in the English language, the term became person. Thus, it is said that the Father, Son, and Spirit are three persons. However, we should not understand this to mean that They are three separate persons according to the common understanding of the word person.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Certainly Not Being Three Gods
The God who is dispensing Himself into us is the Triune God-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit certainly are not three Gods. God is one, yet He is triune.
Another verse that reveals the Triune God is 2 Corinthians 13:14: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” The grace of the Lord is the Lord Himself as life to us for our enjoyment (John 1:17; 1 Cor. 15:10), the love of God is God Himself (1 John 4:8, 16) as the source of the grace of the Lord, and the fellowship of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself as the transmission of the grace of the Lord with the love of God for our participation. These are not three separate matters but three aspects of one thing, just as the Lord, God, and the Holy Spirit are not three separate Gods but three “hypostases…of the one same undivided and indivisible” God (Philip Schaff)
Having Only One God Who Is Triune
Some Christians have believed that the Father is one Person and that the Son is another Person, but the Spirit is merely a power. Others believe that the Three of the Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Spirit-are three separate Gods. These concepts are heretical. According to the divine revelation of the holy Word, we believe that our God is uniquely one. We have only one God, who is triune.
Because our mentality is limited, we are not able to explain the Triune God thoroughly. Actually we cannot even define ourselves very well. How, then, could we define the Triune God adequately and thoroughly? This is impossible. We can only believe what is clearly revealed in the New Testment: God is one but triune.
Further Reading: Holy Bible Recovery Version, 2 Cor. 13:14, footnote 1; CWWL, 1990, vol. 2, “A Brief Presentation of the Lord’s Recovery”; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 3
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THE TRIUNE GOD
Message Five
The Triune God Being Really a Mystery
Isa. 9:6 For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
2 Cor. 3:17 And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Psa. 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell in unity!
The Trinity Being an Unfathomable Mystery
Which No One Can Explain It Adequately
Regarding the matter of the Trinity, according to the Bible we believe in the one God, the Triune God —the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. We believe exactly in what the Bible says. But some say, in their definition of the Trinity according to their concept, that the “Father, Son, and Spirit are three distinct persons in the nature of one God.” Then what about this one God? Is He not a person? As the Father is a person, the Son is a person, and the Spirit is a person, so God Himself must also be a person. If so, then there must be four persons in the one God. To talk about the Trinity with this kind of terminology causes trouble and entangles those who use it. We should not get involved in it. Griffith Thomas, famous for his exposition on Romans, says in The Principles of Theology, “The term ‘Person’… must not be pressed too far or it will lead to Tritheism. The truth and experience of the Trinity is not dependent on theological terminology.” The Trinity is an unfathomable mystery. No one can explain it adequately. We can only say that according to the Bible there is one, unique God; that He is triune, the Father, Son, and Spirit; and that Isa. 9:6 says that the Son is the Father, and 2 Cor. 3:17 tells us that the Lord is the Spirit.
Simply Believing All That the Bible Says
We simply believe all that the Bible says. We can say nothing more. Those who hold the concept of three distinct persons “in the nature of one God” may be Christian brothers, but they are divisive because of their opinion and terminology. Even if they hold that kind of concept, as long as they believe in the one, Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and in the Lord Jesus who is the Son of God incarnated to be our Savior, who died on the cross for our sins by shedding His blood for our redemption, who was resurrected on the third day, and who is now the Lord in the heavens as well as life within us, we would recognize them as brothers in Christ. We believe in the Trinity according to the pure Word of the Bible. We should not be opinionated by holding divisive theological concepts or terminology. We are here for the unity of the Body in the Lord’s recovery. Dissenting brings in the curse, but unity brings in the blessing. “How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” (Psa. 133:1, 3)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 34
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SERIES SIX
THE TRIUNE GOD
Message Six
The Essential Trinity and the Economical Trinity
2 Cor. 3:17 And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Matt. 3:16 And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him.
John 15:26 But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of reality, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify concerning Me;
The Essential Trinity Referring to the Essence
of the Triune God for His Existence
The essential Trinity refers to the essence of the Triune God for His existence. In His essence, God is one, the one unique God (Isa. 45:18b; 1 Cor. 8:6a). In the essential Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit coexist and coinhere at the same time and in the same way with no succession. There is no first, second, or third.
The Economical Trinity Referring to the Plan
of the God for His Move
Essentially, God is one, but economically He is three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). In God’s plan, God’s administrative arrangement, God’s economy, the Father takes the first step, the Son takes the second step, and the Spirit takes the third step. The Father purposed (Eph. 1:4-6), the Son accomplished (vv. 7-12), and the Spirit applies what the Son accomplished according to the Father’s purpose (vv. 13-14). This is a successive procedure or a succession in God’s economy to carry out His eternal purpose. Whereas the essential Trinity refers to the essence of the Triune God for His existence, the economical Trinity refers to His plan for His move. There is the need of the existence of the Divine Trinity, and there is also the need of the plan of the Divine Trinity.
The Divine Existence
of the Divine Trinity Remaining Intact
and Not Being Jeopardized
While the Divine Economy
of the Divine Trinity Is Being Carried Out
The Father accomplished the first step of His plan, His economy, by working to choose and predestinate us, but He did this in Christ the Son (Eph. 1:4-5) and with the Spirit. After this plan was made, the Son came to accomplish this plan, but He did this with the Father (John 8:29; 16:32) and by the Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18, 20; 12:28). Now that the Son has accomplished all that the Father has planned, the Spirit comes in the third step to apply all that He accomplished, but He does this as the Son and with the Father (John 14:26; 15:26; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17). In this way, while the divine economy of the Divine Trinity is being carried out, the divine existence of the Divine Trinity, His eternal coexistence and coinherence, remains intact and is not jeopardized.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “The Crucial Points of the Major Items of the Lord’s Recovery Today”
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THE TRIUNE GOD
Message Seven
The Mutual Indwelling of the Divine Trinity
John 14:10 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 from Myself, but the Father who abides in Me does His works.
John 14:11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; but if not, believe because of the works themselves.
John 17:23 I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one, that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.
The Three of the Divine Trinity
Coexisting and Coinhering
as One God from Eternity to Eternity
The three of the Divine Trinity coexist and coinhere as one God from eternity to eternity (John 14:10-11, 26; 15:26; 10:30). Hence, He is the eternal God (Psa. 90:1-2). To coexist is to exist together at the same time. To coinhere is to mutually indwell one another. The Father exists in the Son and the Spirit; the Son exists in the Father and the Spirit; and the Spirit exists in the Father and the Son. This is coinherence.
In John 14, the Lord Jesus Himself told us that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him (vv. 10-11). The Lord also said that when He came from the Father, He came with the Father (John 8:16, 29; 16:32b). This means that when He comes, the Father comes in Him. Christ comes with the Father, and the Spirit comes with Christ (John 14:26; 15:26). The three are coinhering. The Lord Jesus also revealed that His speaking is the Father’s working (John 14:10). Thus, the Son’s speaking is the Father’s working, and the Spirit’s moving is the Son’s moving and the Father’s moving. The three do not only coexist but also coinhere.
The Three of the Godhead Coexisting
by the Way of Coinhering with Distinction
but No Separation
The three of the Godhead are distinct, but not separate (John 8:29, 16b; 16:32b; Acts 10:38; Luke 4:1a, 18a). Since They are coinhering, They cannot be separated. They coexist by the way of coinhering. But there is still a distinction among Them. The Father is the Father, the Son is the Son, and the Spirit is the Spirit. These three titles denote that They are distinct. But when the Son speaks, that is the Father’s working. When the Spirit comes, that is really the coming of the Father and of the Son. Thus, They are one, with distinction but no separation.
What I have presented here is the most simple and brief way to speak on the Divine Trinity. What is our God? He is Spirit. Who is the Spirit? The Spirit is God. Who are the Father, the Son, and the Spirit? The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are the Divine Trinity. They are distinctly three but not separate. They are still one. They do not only coexist but also coinhere as one yet three.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “The Spirit with Our Spirit,” ch. 1
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THE TRIUNE GOD
Message Eight
The Son Being Called the Eternal Father
Isa. 9:6 For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
The Son Being Called the Everlasting Father
Isaiah 9:6 says that a child is born to us, that a Son is given to us, that the child is called the mighty God, and that this Son is called the eternal Father. To say that the Son is the Father is not an interpretation; it is a quotation. If you read this verse carefully, you will see from the context that Mighty God refers to the child and that Eternal Father refers to the Son.
There Being Only One Divine Father
In the Whole Universe
and That This Father Is of Eternity,
without Beginning or Ending
However the critics interpret this verse, they must recognize that the Son is called the Father and that in the whole universe there is only one divine Father and that this Father is of eternity, without beginning or ending, not the Father of any one age with a beginning and an ending. Regardless of how they interpret Eternal Father, whether as “the Father of eternity,” “the Father of creation,” “the Father of the age to come,” “the Father of Israel,” or the Father of something else, they cannot twist away the title Father in Isaiah 9:6. There is only one divine Father in the whole universe. Hence, “Eternal Father” in Isaiah 9:6, regardless of how people twist it, must be the unique divine Father in the Godhead. While some twist the phrase Eternal Father, they do not twist the phrase Mighty God. But if Mighty God should not be twisted, then neither should Eternal Father be twisted, for this is against the principle. We should not accept the first term according to the pure Word and then twist the second. Some twist the second phrase because they are influenced by the traditional teachings concerning the Trinity. But we do not care for traditional teaching; we only care for the pure word of the Bible. Isaiah 9:6 says that the child born to us is called Mighty God, and we believe that the child is the mighty God. This verse also says that the Son given to us is called Eternal Father, and we also believe that the Son is the eternal Father. We say this according to the Bible, but others twist this verse to fit their traditional teaching. People may twist Isaiah 9:6, but they cannot change it. This verse has two lines, and if we accept the first line without twisting it, then we must also accept the second in the same way.
Only Caring for What the Bible Says
If you twist the words of the Bible, you will suffer a loss, for you are changing the holy Word. You are either taking something away from the Word or adding something to it. This is very serious. Whether or not I understand what the Bible says, I believe whatever it says. When the Bible says that the Son is called the eternal Father, I say, “Amen, the Son is the Father.” I do not care how men interpret this verse; I only care for what the Bible says.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 3, “What a Heresy—Two Divine Fathers, Two Life-Giving Spirits, and Three Gods!”
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THE TRIUNE GOD
Message Nine
The Eternal Father Being Our Savior
Isa. 9:6 For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
63:16 For You are our Father, Since Abraham does not know us, And Israel does not acknowledge us. You, Jehovah, are our Father; Our Redeemer from of old is Your name.
64:8 But now, Jehovah, You are our Father; We are the clay; and You, our Potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.
The Son Being Called Eternal Father
Isaiah 9:6 says that the child born to us is called Mighty God, and we believe that the child is the mighty God. This verse also says that the Son given to us is called Eternal Father, and we also believe that the Son is the eternal Father. We say this according to the Bible, but others twist this verse to fit their traditional teaching. People may twist Isaiah 9:6, but they cannot change it. This verse has two lines, and if we accept the first line without twisting it, then we must also accept the second in the same way.…If you twist the words of the Bible, you will suffer a loss, for you are changing the holy Word. You are either taking something away from the Word or adding something to it. This is very serious. Whether or not I understand what the Bible says, I believe whatever it says. When the Bible says that the Son is called the eternal Father, I say, “Amen, the Son is the Father.” I do not care how men interpret this verse; I only care for what the Bible says.
The Eternal Father Being Our Redeemer
Isaiah 63:16 says, “You, Jehovah, are our Father; / Our Redeemer from eternity is Your name,” and Isaiah 64:8 says, “Jehovah, You are our Father; / We are the clay; and You, our Potter; / And all of us are the work of Your hand.” The prophet Isaiah used these two verses as a further development of what he prophesied concerning Christ as the eternal Father in Isaiah 9:6. In 64:8 Isaiah tells us that the eternal Father in 9:6 is our Creator, and in 63:16 he tells us that the eternal Father is our Redeemer. In the whole Bible Christ is revealed as our Creator and especially as our Redeemer (John 1:3; Heb. 1:10; Rom. 3:24; Titus 2:14). The eternal Father being both our Creator and our Redeemer not only confirms but also strengthens the understanding that the Redeemer, Christ, is the eternal Father, the holy Father in the Godhead. Hence, to say that the eternal Father, or the Father of eternity, in Isaiah 9:6 is some kind of Father other than the Father in the Godhead is not according to the context of the whole book of Isaiah.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 3, “What a Heresy—Two Divine Fathers, Two Life-Giving Spirits, and Three Gods!”
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Message Ten
The Triune God in Our Experience
Eph. 3:16-19 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, May be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are And to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.
The Triune God Being Related
to His Relationship with Man
and to Man’s Experience of Him
in the Bible the Revelation
Actually, there is no doctrine of the Trinity in the Bible. In the Bible the revelation of the Triune God is related to His relationship with man and to man’s experience of Him. The first verse indicating the Triune God is Genesis 1:26, which says, “Let Us make man in Our image.” This is not a doctrine; it is a revelation of God’s relationship with man. The first time the three of the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are revealed is in Matthew 28:19. This verse says, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This also is not a doctrine but an experience. Many terms have been invented or adopted by theologians related to the Trinity: person, substance, hypostasis, and subsistence. It is better to avoid these terms as much as possible and to simply quote the Bible, for anything we say may be wrongly understood or interpreted. Nevertheless, for the sake of the experience of the Triune God, we cannot keep from telling people that eventually the Triune God today is the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit. Examine your experience. Although many of the critics are fearful of experience, our burden is that people would experience the Triune God as the all-inclusive wonderful Spirit who is God Himself—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
The Triune God Being for the Dispensing
of Himself into Man,
This Is Not a Matter of Doctrine but of Experience
The Trinity is not for doctrinal apprehension; it is absolutely for our experience. Before I came to this country, I did not give a clear word saying that the Triune God is for the dispensing of Himself into man. One day, while I was ministering the Triune God to people, I suddenly received the impression that the Triune God is for His dispensation, for the divine dispensing of Himself into man. God’s intention is to work Himself into human beings. For this purpose God created man with a human spirit. God created man with a mouth and a stomach so that he may take in, retain, digest, and assimilate food. Likewise, God created us with a spirit so that we may touch Him, contact Him, take Him in, and retain Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit (John 4:24). Throughout the years I have been more and more confirmed that the Triune God is for the dispensing of Himself into man. This is not a matter of doctrine but of experience.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 3, “What a Heresy—Two Divine Fathers, Two Life-Giving Spirits, and Three Gods!”