THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE

The Divine Dispensing
Message Six—The Dispensing of the Spirit

Scripture Reading: John 14:17; 20:22; 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:14-15; 14:23; Rom. 8:9-11; John 7:38-39

I. The entire universe is focused on God, and He is triune: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit; the Triune God is not merely for teaching, but is for dispensing; doctrinally we may not fully understand the Triune God, but in experience we can testify that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are in us; this is for experience on our side, and this is for dispensing on His side—Rom. 11:36; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14:

A. The very God upon whom the entire universe is focused is not a single God; He is triune; both the Old and New Testaments use plural pronouns in referring to the Triune God—Gen. 1:26; John 14:23:

1. In Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness;” here the plural pronouns, us and our, are used.

2. Then in John 14:23 the Lord Jesus said, “We will come to him and make an abode with him;” who are the We? The Father and the Son.

3. So our God is triune; the entire universe is focused on God, and He is triune: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit—Matt. 3:16-17; Rev. 1:4-5.

B. Although God is triune, He is one; the Father is not separate from the Son, nor from the Spirit; the Spirit is not separate from the Son, nor from the Father; the Three have never been separated; the Three coexist and coinhere all the time; the Three are always one; there is no separation; this is a mystery as revealed in the Scriptures for dispensing the Triune God into us—John 15:26; 14:10; 2 Cor. 13:14.

II. The Father is the source, the initiator, the Son is the expression, the accomplisher, and the Spirit is the entering in, the applier; the Father sent the Son, and the Son came with the Father; the Son sent the Spirit, and the Spirit came from with the Father in the name of the Son—John 14:17; 8:29; 16:32, 7; 14:26; 15:26:

A. In the Father you taste love, in the Son you enjoy grace, and in the Spirit you participate in the communion, the fellowship, the flow, of the divine life; love is the source, grace is the enjoyment, and the Spirit is the communion; this is the dispensing of the Triune God—2 Cor. 13:14.

B. Today the very reaching of this Triune God into you is the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit; he is the Spirit; when the Spirit comes, He comes in the Son’s name, and He comes with the Son and with the Father—1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17.

C. The Spirit is the entering in and the applier of the Triune God; our God is not only the source and not only the expression, but also the entering in; he has entered into our being—Col. 1:27.

D. The Spirit is another Paraclete; Paraclete is the anglicized form of the Greek word paracletos; this is a very inclusive word; it means one who serves you, who is called to your side to help you in everything; it also denotes one who is taking care of your case like an attorney, or who intercedes for you like an intercessor; it also denotes a kind of patron; further, it denotes consoling and comforting—John 14:16:

1. The Spirit, the Third of the Trinity, is the total consummation of the Triune God; He is not just one third of the Godhead; He is the totality of the Godhead—1 Cor. 15:45b.

2. Such a One is your helper, your patron, your counselor, your comforter who takes care of your needs in your daily life—John 14:16.

E. The Spirit is given by the Father in answering the Son’s request; the Three of the Godhead are working together to give us the Spirit, as revealed in John 14:16.

F. The Spirit was sent by the Father in the Son’s name; when the Spirit is sent, He is sent in the Son’s name; that means He is sent as the Son; so the Son comes as the Father, and the Spirit is sent as the Son; this simply means that the Three are one—John 14:26.

G. The Spirit proceeds from with the Father; the Spirit does not come by Himself alone; He comes from the Father, and He comes with the Father—John 15:26.

H. The Spirit receives all that is of the Son; whatever the Son is and has, has been disclosed, passed on, to the Spirit; the Spirit then discloses everything He has received to us—John 16:14-15.

I. The Spirit abides with the Son and the Father in the believers—John 14:17, 23; Rom. 8:9-11:

1. In Romans 8:9-11 three divine titles are used interchangeably: the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and Christ; this indicates that Christ is the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God; these three divine titles are used interchangeably to describe the dispensing of the Trinity into our three parts to mingle Himself fully with our being.

2. The Trinity is mingled with our three parts; this is really wonderful! This is the abiding of the Triune God in His ultimate consummation, which is the life-giving Spirit.

3. First John 2:23 says, “He who confesses the Son has the Father also;” so when you have the Son, you have both the Son and the Father; because the Son comes as the Spirit, He is the pneumatic Christ—2 Cor. 3:17.

4. Eternal life is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, who come to us in the ultimate consummation of the Triune God, the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit; this Triune God is the reality of eternal life—1 John 5:20:

a. When we Christians say that we should grow in life, we mean that we should grow with the element and essence of the Triune God—Col. 2:19b.

b. Life in our Christian experience is just the Father, the Son, and the Spirit; life is the Triune God, and this life is within us—Col. 3:4.

J. Now we, the believing and baptized people, are one with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit; we participate in the Triune God and enjoy His dispensing of Himself into us—Matt. 28:19.

K. The Spirit of the resurrected Christ comes to testify concerning the Son and to glorify Him; as the transfiguration of the Son, He makes the Son real in the believers’ experience; this is to testify concerning the Son—John 15:26; 16:14:

1. When the Spirit discloses what the Son is to the believers and makes Him real to them in their life, the Son is glorified—John 16:13.

2. By this the Son becomes the believers’ life within and their expression without; this is to glorify the Son—Col. 3:4.

III. Eventually, this Spirit will fill up the believers and overflow from within them as rivers of living water in many aspects of their Christian life; this is for the believers in Christ to experience and enjoy the Triune God to the uttermost; this is the ultimate consummation of the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity into God’s chosen people—John 7:38-39.

 

Ministry Excerpts:

THE VERY GOD UPON WHOM THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE
BEING FOCUSED

The very God upon whom the entire universe is focused is not a single God; He is triune. Both the Old and New Testaments use plural pronouns in referring to the Triune God. In Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Here the plural pronouns, us and our, are used. Then in John 14:23 the Lord Jesus said, “We will come to him and make an abode with him.” Who are the We? The Father and the Son. So our God is triune. The entire universe is focused on God, and He is triune: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.

The matter of the Triune God is not merely for teaching, but is for dispensing. Doctrinally we may not fully understand the Triune God, but in experience we can testify that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are in us. This is for experience on our side, and this is for dispensing on His side.

THE ENTERING IN, THE APPLIER

The Father is the source, the initiator, the Son is the expression, the accomplisher, and the Spirit is the entering in, the applier (John 14:17). The Father sent the Son (John 8:29), and the Son came with the Father (John 16:32). The Son sent the Spirit (John 16:7), and the Spirit came from with the Father (John 15:26) in the name of the Son (John 14:26). By this you can see that the Father by Himself cannot reach us, nor can the Son by Himself enter into us. The Father is unapproachable (1 Tim. 6:16), but the Son came to tabernacle among us (John 1:14). But still He was not able to enter into us because He was blood and flesh. As a man with a physical body He was able to be among His disciples, but not within them. So He told His disciples that He had to die and to be raised up. By His death and resurrection His form was changed from a physical form into a spiritual form. He became the pneumatic Christ who was able to enter into His disciples (John 20:22). This is the reaching of the Triune God.

When the Triune God reaches His redeemed people, He is the Spirit. For example, with electricity there is both the power plant and the installation in your house. Just to have the power plant is not practical. It is only when the power is installed into your house that the electricity becomes practical in your daily life. You are a building and God is the source, the power plant, in the heavens. The Spirit, the reaching of the Triune God, has been installed into your being. When the Spirit enters into your being, He does not leave the Father and the Son far away in the heavens. That is a wrong concept. When the Spirit comes into you, He comes with both the Son and the Father. If you have the Spirit, you have the Son. If you have the Son, you also have the Father. You have all Three. In the Father you taste love, in the Son you enjoy grace, and in the Spirit you participate in the communion, the fellowship, the flow, of the divine life. Love is the source, grace is the enjoyment, and the Spirit is the communion (2 Cor. 13:14). This is the dispensing of the Triune God.

A bonafide Christian is simply one who lives a life of this reality, a life of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. To live a life of the Triune God simply means to be one with the Triune God. As He moves, you move. As He speaks, you speak. As He stays, you stay. It is not a matter of ethics or of trying to overcome sin and the world. You just need to take care of Him. You just live a life of the Triune God. If you live such a life, the world will be judged, the Devil will flee, and all sinful things will be overcome. The Triune God becomes your life, your living, your victory, your holiness, your righteousness, your love, your life, and your light. This is a bonafide Christian with the divine ethics, much higher than the human. You need to live a life of the Triune God. The Spirit is the entering in and the applier of the Triune God. Our God is not only the source and not only the expression, but also the entering in. He has entered into our being.

ANOTHER PARACLETE

The Spirit is another Paraclete (John 14:16). Paraclete is the anglicized form of the Greek word paracletos. This is a very inclusive word. It means one who serves you, who is called to your side to help you in everything. It also denotes one who is taking care of your case like an attorney, or who intercedes for you like an intercessor. It also denotes a kind of patron. Further, it denotes consoling and comforting, which is why the King James Version renders it comforter.

The Spirit, the Third of the Trinity, is the total consummation of the Triune God. He is not just one third of the Godhead; He is the totality of the Godhead. Such a One is your helper, your patron, your counselor, your comforter who takes care of your needs in your daily life. The same word is used concerning the Lord Jesus in 1 John 2:1 where it is translated advocate. These are not two; these are one. As our advocate He is with the Father, and as our paraclete He is within us. We have such a One within us taking care of all our need. If you need a helper, He is such a helper. If you need an attorney, He is such an attorney. If you need someone to pray for you, He is such an intercessor. This is the Paraclete. The first part of the word, para, is a prefix which means alongside or along with you. Someone is alongside of you, along with you, all the time. He is like a nurse taking care of a sick person. He is like an attorney taking care of your case in the heavenly court. He is everything to you.

GIVEN BY THE FATHER IN ANSWERING THE SON’S REQUEST

The Spirit is given by the Father in answering the Son’s request (John 14:16). Even now I cannot fully understand this point. The Son requested the Father to give the Spirit. This one act involved the Three of the Godhead. The Second requested the First to give the Third. What is this? I don’t know, but I do know the Three of the Godhead are working together to give us the Spirit, as revealed in John 14:16.

SENT BY THE FATHER IN THE SON’S NAME

The Spirit was sent by the Father in the Son’s name (John 14:26). John 14:26 is not easy to interpret. Does it mean that the Father does something in the Son’s name? Or does it mean that the Spirit is sent in the Son’s name? Regardless of which way we interpret it, the result is the same. Whether the Father sent the Spirit in the Son’s name, or whether the Father sent the Spirit and the Spirit came in the Son’s name, the coming is the same. This indicates that the Three have never been separated. When One moves, the other Two are with the One. One is sent, and the other Two join the coming. When the Son comes, He comes in the Father’s name, and He comes as the Father. When the Spirit is sent, He is sent in the Son’s name. That means He is sent as the Son. So the Son comes as the Father, and the Spirit is sent as the Son. This simply means that the Three are one. You cannot separate them. The First sent the Second, and the Second comes in the name of the First as the First; then the Second sent the Third, and the Third comes in the name of the Second. This is marvelous! Among the Three there is a definite distinction, but there is no separation at all.

PROCEEDING FROM WITH THE FATHER

The Spirit proceeds from with the Father (John 15:26). The Spirit does not come by Himself alone. He comes from the Father, and He comes with the Father. In other words, His coming brings the Father with Him. So when He comes, the Father comes also. The Two, He and the Father, are one.

RECEIVING ALL THAT IS OF THE SON,
THUS BECOMING THE SON’S TRANSFIGURATION

The Spirit receives all that is of the Son (John 16:14-15). Whatever the Son is and has, has been disclosed, passed on, to the Spirit. The Spirit then discloses everything He has received to us. So actually He is the transfiguration of the Son. Whatever the Father has is the Son’s, making the Son the very embodiment of the Father (Col. 2:9). Whatever the Son has, has been passed on to the Spirit, making the Spirit the transfiguration of the Son. So the Son is the embodiment of the Father, and the Spirit is the transfiguration of the Son.

TO ABIDE WITH THE SON AND THE FATHER IN THE BELIEVERS

The Spirit abides with the Son and the Father in the believers (John 14:17, 23; Rom. 8:9-11). In Romans 8:9-11 three divine titles are used interchangeably: the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and Christ. This indicates that Christ is the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God. These three divine titles are used interchangeably to describe the dispensing of the Trinity into our three parts to mingle Himself fully with our being. The Trinity is mingled with our three parts. This is really wonderful! This is the abiding of the Triune God in His ultimate consummation, which is the life-giving Spirit.

Why must we spend so much time on this? It is because the leavened truth still remains in our concept. This leavening element is universally common among Christians. Christians have a subconscious understanding that the Three of the Trinity are divided and separated. They think that today they have only the Holy Spirit in them; they don’t have the Father, and they don’t have the Son. This is why in our study of the holy Word concerning the Trinity we have picked up point after point which give us a clear view that first, the Son comes in the Father’s name, and the Spirit is sent in the Son’s name and second, that the Son comes with the Father, and the Spirit comes with the Father and the Son. These two points prove that the Triune God is uniquely one. Although the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, are distinct, they are one, inseparable, indivisible, and undivided. When you have one, you have all Three.

But the Father never comes first. The one who comes first is always the Spirit. When you have the Spirit, the Son is with you; when you have the Son, you also have the Father. First John 2:23 says, “He who confesses the Son has the Father also.” So when you have the Son, you have both the Son and the Father. Because the Son comes as the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17), He is the pneumatic Christ.

This is what the New Testament calls eternal life (1 John 5:20). Eternal life is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, who come to us in the ultimate consummation of the Triune God, the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit. This Triune God is the reality of eternal life. When we Christians say that we should grow in life, we mean that we should grow with the element and essence of the Triune God. When we say life, we mean the Triune God. We don’t mean something apart from the Triune God. Life in our Christian experience is just the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Life is the Triune God, and this life is within us. What a wonder! What a blessing! The Triune God is within us as our life.

TO TESTIFY CONCERNING THE SON AND GLORIFY HIM

The Spirit of the resurrected Christ comes to testify concerning the Son and to glorify Him (John 15:26; 16:14). As the transfiguration of the Son, He makes the Son real in the believers’ experience. This is to testify concerning the Son. Without the Spirit, the Son would be objective to the believers and could not be subjective to them in their experiences of Him.

TO OVERFLOW FROM WITHIN THE BELIEVERS

Eventually, this Spirit will fill up the believers and overflow from within them as rivers of living water in many aspects of their Christian life (John 7:38-39). This is for the believers in Christ to experience and enjoy the Triune God to the uttermost. This is the ultimate consummation of the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity into God’s chosen people. (The Divine Dispensing of the Divine Trinity, ch. 13)