THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Divine Trinity
Message Two
The Essential Trinity and the Economical Trinity
Scripture Reading: Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19, Isa. 9:6, 1 Cor. 15:45b, 2 Cor. 3:17, John 14:16-18; 17:21
I. The divine Trinity has two main aspects—Matt. 28:19, John 14:16-17, Rev. 1:4-5, Matt. 3:16-17: (CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision”, msg. 7)
A. The essential Trinity refers to the essence of the Triune God for His existence—Matt. 28:19, John 14:16-17: (CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision”, msg. 7)
1. In His essence God is one, the one unique God—Isa. 45:18b, 1 Cor. 8:4. (2015 ITERO-F, msg. 2)
2. In John there is the mystical view that the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father; no doubt, They two are also in the Spirit and the Spirit is in Them; this is essential—John 14:10-11. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
3. 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—v. 16: (CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision”, msg. 7)
a. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit coexist simultaneously from eternity to eternity—vv. 16-17, Eph. 3:14-17, 2 Cor. 13:14. (2015 ITERO-F, msg. 2)
b. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit mutually indwell one another; their coinherence makes them one—John 14:10-11, 26; 15:26. (2015 ITERO-F, msg. 2)
B. The economical Trinity refers to His plan for His move—Rev. 1:4-5: (CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision”, msg. 7)
1. In God’s plan, in God’s administrative arrangement, in God’s economy, the Father takes the first step, the Son takes the second step, and the Spirit takes the third step; the Father planned, the Son accomplished, and the Spirit applies what the Son accomplished according to the Father’s plan; this is a successive procedure or a succession in God’s economy to carry out His eternal purpose—Eph. 1:4, 6-7, 13. (CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision”, msg. 7)
2. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are economically three, yet They are still one in harmony in the economical Trinity—John 10:30; 17:21, 23, Matt. 3:16-17, Eph. 1:4, 6-7, 13. (2015 ITERO-F, msg. 2)
3. While the divine economy is being carried out by the economical Trinity, the eternal coexistence and coinherence of the three in the Godhead remain intact and are not jeopardized—Matt. 3:16-17, John 17:21. (2015 ITERO-F, msg. 2)
II. The aspect of the essential Trinity—the Son is the embodiment of the Father, and the Spirit is the reality of the Son—Col. 2:9, John 14:16-18: (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
A. A Son is given to us, yet His name is called the everlasting Father—Isa. 9:6, John 10:30. (Life-study of Hebrews, msg. 4)
B. The Son as the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit—1 Cor. 15:45b, 2 Cor. 3:17: (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
1. He was the last Adam; that means that after Him, there would be no flesh; He was the ending, the closing, the concluding, of the flesh; this One in resurrection became the life-giving Spirit; thus, this One, the Son, is the Father and eventually He is the Spirit—1 Cor. 15:45b. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
2. He is the Son, yet He is the Father; He is the Son, yet He is the life-giving Spirit—Isa. 9:6, 1 Cor. 15:45b. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
C. The Lord is the Spirit and the Lord Spirit—2 Cor. 3:17-18: (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
1. The Lord Spirit is a compound divine title like the Father God—v. 18. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
2. He is both the Lord and the Spirit; they two are one in Him—Isa. 9:6, 1 Cor. 15:45b. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
D. The Son is called the Father, and the Lord is the Spirit; therefore, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one; this refers to His essence, His existence—Isa. 9:6, 2 Cor. 3:17-18. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 2, “The Proper Aggressiveness of the Lord’s Serving Ones”, msg. 6)
E. According to John’s record in the mystical view concerning Christ in His divinity, God the Father with Him and the Spirit as the Triune God are always one essentially, coexisting and even coinhering; this is what is called the essential Trinity—John 14:16-18; 17:21. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The God-man Living”, msg. 17)
F. Such words in the Scripture are strong evidence that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are essentially one—Matt. 28:19, John 10:30. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
III. The Aspect of the Economical Trinity—The Father is the Originator, making the divine economy; then the Son accomplishes the divine economy made by the Father; and the Spirit applies to God’s elect what the Son has accomplished even so, They are still one in harmony in the economical Trinity—Eph. 1:9-10; 3:9, 1 Tim. 1:4b, John 5:19; 8:28; 16:13; 10:30; 17:21, 23: (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
A. The Father spoke in heaven concerning the Son, the Son stood in the water on the earth, and the Spirit soared as the dove in the air; the three of the Trinity here are in three locations—Matt. 3:16-17: (Crystallization-Study of the Gospel of John, msg. 3)
1. The Father as the source must be in heaven—14:19. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
2. The Son in His incarnation as the course must be on the earth—John 1:14. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
3. The Spirit as the flow must be soaring in the air—v. 32. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
B. In John 17:1, after the Lord spoke to the disciples, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You”; this is the Son on earth praying to the Father in heaven; this does not refer to the essential aspect of the Trinity but to the economical aspect. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 2, “The Proper Aggressiveness of the Lord’s Serving Ones”, msg. 6)
C. According to the record of the synoptic Gospels in the physical view concerning Christ in His humanity, God the Father left Him economically when He was made sin for us on the cross; this is what is called the economical Trinity—2 Cor. 5:21, Matt. 27:46. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The God-man Living”, msg. 17)
D. The Father chose the believers before the foundation of the world, the Son redeemed them in time, and the Spirit seals them after they believe in the Son—Eph. 1:4, 6-7, 13: (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)
1. The work of selection and the work of predestination were done by the Father, not by the Son or by the Spirit, but He did not do them alone; the Father of the Triune Godhead did the choosing and the predestinating in the Son and with the Spirit—v. 4. (CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision”, msg. 7)
2. The Son came to do His all- inclusive redemptive work, which includes incarnation, human living, death, and resurrection, with the Father and by the Spirit—v. 7. (CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision”, msg. 7)
3. The Spirit is the ultimate consummation of the processed Triune God in His economy; every work that is done by the Spirit is done by the Son as the Spirit with the Father—v. 13. (CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision”, msg. 7)
E. Words like these in the Scripture are strong evidence that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are economically three; thus, God’s elect participate in what the Triune God has done and enjoy Their work with Themselves for their satisfaction—John 17:21, 23, 2 Cor. 13:14. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John”, msg. 3)