The first item of the outline says that this wonderful Person, Jesus Christ, was conceived of the Holy Spirit of God in the womb of a chaste virgin. We all know that whenever we come to the biography of a man, we have to mention his origin. The origin of Jesus Christ is, on the one hand, God, and on the other hand, man. His conception was by the Holy Spirit of God and in the womb of a chaste virgin. This is very difficult to understand and is very mysterious. According to the meaning of the Bible, the Holy Spirit of God is just God Himself. Therefore, for Him to be conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a chaste virgin is to be conceived through the coming of God Himself into a chaste virgin. Naturally, with this conception there are both the elements of God and man. With the Holy Spirit there is the element of God, and with the virgin there is the element of man. As a result, this conception produced the One who is a God-man.
Item number one of the outline continues by saying that He was born with both the nature of God and of man. This is very difficult to understand, yet it is a fact. Jesus Christ possesses not only divinity, but also humanity. He possesses both divinity and humanity at the same time. The divinity and humanity refer not only to His nature, but also to His essence. The essence of Jesus Christ is divinity as well as humanity. He is a God-man, in whom divinity was added to humanity, that is, in whom the essence of God was added to the essence of man. Hence, He is the complete God as well as the perfect Man. From God’s side He is fully God and from man’s side He is truly man. He is the God-man in whom both God and man are mingled as one. We all know that conception is a kind of mingling. How is a conception possible without the mingling? In the conception of Jesus Christ there were two essences: the essence of God and the essence of man. The two were not just added together; they were mingled together. The One produced from this mingling is a God-man.
The second item of the outline says that the Creator of the universe, the unique God of the heavens and the earth, is the Triune God. In traditional Christian theology, He is called the Trinity. In recent years we have investigated and studied the matter and have found out that the word “trinity” comes from Latin. The theological expression “three persons in one essence” in English is derived from Latin. In Latin the word used is not “person” or “persons,” but “persona” or “personae.” Here we have a fine distinction in theology. Some authorities say that the word “persona” in Latin means the mask worn by the actors in a play. The same person would at one time put on the mask of an old man and after a few minutes put on the mask of a child; then a few minutes later he may put on the mask of an old woman. After much studying we cannot agree with this kind of teaching of the trinity. For this reason we prefer not to use the phrase “three persons in one essence.” Instead, we use the term “three-one,” or “triune.” The word “triune” is a proper term in theology. Although we cannot find this term in the Bible, there is nonetheless the fact and the description. The term was invented by students of the Bible for the proper expression of the matter. Theologians throughout the ages have used this term. It is a Latin compound word “tri-une” anglicized. “Tri” means three and “une” means one. Hence, “triune” means “three-one.” What does it mean to be triune? It just means triune. One cannot explain it. This is exactly what it means. It cannot be explained. If it can be explained then it is no longer real and mysterious. Some have added the word “in” to read “three in one.” But strictly speaking it is not three in one, but three-one. Then what is the meaning of three-one? I have studied much and have read a lot of writings by others with the hope that I could explain the matter more clearly. In the end I found out that no one can explain it clearly. Someone once asked Martin Luther, “What is three-one?” He answered: “I do not know. If I knew, I would be God.” He was not God; therefore, he did not know. This is right. Do not think that we know everything. We are not even clear concerning the structure of our own human body. How then can we understand the Triune God? But the pure Word of God, which is the Bible, shows us that our God is the Triune God. He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.
Following this, item two of the outline says that this Triune God, as the Son coming from and with the Father (the word “from” in John 6:46 carries with it the meaning of “with”) and by the Spirit, became a man of flesh on earth. This word is difficult to understand. The Triune God is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. He is three, yet He is one God. This God became a man in the flesh. His coming was the Son’s coming, but the Son’s coming was from and with the Father. Hence, the Son’s coming brought with Him the Father’s coming. Moreover, this coming is by the Spirit. John 8:29 shows us clearly that the Father has not only sent the Son; He came with the Son as well. The Son was never alone on earth; the Father was with Him all the time. This Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—coexists and coinheres in the flesh of the Lord Jesus. This One is in that One, and the two are in the third One. The third One is in turn in the first and the second One. The three coinhere one in another. In John 14:10 the Lord said, “I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me.” This word “coinherence” is a special term used in theology. The night before last I was in Newton, Massachusetts. I gave a message in English using the word “coinherence.” One professor in Biblical Greek, a man over sixty years of age, was among the audience. His textbook on Greek is the second most popular one in the United States. When he heard me using the term “coinherence,” he was very surprised that an old Chinese would speak about theology in America using the word “coinherence.” He said that most theologians in America do not use this term anymore because it is too deep and is too difficult to clarify. But this is a truth in the Bible! We should not be afraid of difficulty and should not let this word go by easily. Rather, we should study this word thoroughly. We all love the Lord, but we should not love Him in a blind way. We all have to seek after a deep understanding of the Lord. The more deeply we know Him, the more thoroughly we will love Him.