Now we need to go on to see the difference between the Triune God and the divine Trinity. The Triune God mainly refers to God Himself, and the divine Trinity mainly refers to God’s being Triune, which is the main attribute of the Godhead. It is more correct to refer the divine dispensing to the divine Trinity rather than to the Triune God. The Triune God refers to God the Person, while the divine Trinity refers to the main attribute of the Godhead. For example, saying that someone is a faithful person is different from saying that he is faithfulness. A faithful person refers to the man. His faithfulness refers to his being faithful, his virtue. In a general way God is dispensing Himself into us, but in a particular, actual, and practical way God is dispensing His Trinity into us.
The New Testament reveals that the Father is in us, the Son is in us, the Spirit is in us, and God is in us. Ephesians 4:6 shows us that the Father is in us: “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” John 14:23 also shows us that the Father is in the believer: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him.” Second Corinthians 13:5 is one verse which reveals that the Son is in us. Romans 8:9 shows us that the Spirit dwells in us. The strongest verse showing us that God is in us is Philippians 2:13: “For it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure.” We should never forget Philippians 2:13. God is not only in us, but He is also operating or working in us. God is in us as the Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Triune God being in us, however, may be merely terminology to us. We may not have the practical experience of the Trinity of the Godhead. We are not only experiencing God but we are also experiencing the Trinity of the Godhead. The Father is in us, the Son is in us, and the Spirit is in us. These are not three persons, but these are the Trinity of the one God. In other words, this divine Trinity is the strongest attribute of the Godhead. His faithfulness, His love, His kindness, and other attributes are not above this attribute. The top attribute of the divine Person is His Trinity. His Trinity is constituted solely with His Person, and His Person is in the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
This is why the ancient theologians used a word to describe the very substance of the Trinity—hypostasis. This word comes from Greek, hupo meaning under and stasis meaning something substantial supporting from beneath. Hypostasis is singular and hypostases is plural. This anglicized Greek word means the supporting or substantial essence from beneath, and refers to the constitution of the Triune Godhead being the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In theology the denotation of the word hypostases was gradually changed to persons. This is why one of the meanings for hypostasis in Webster’s dictionary is person. This is a theological definition. We must see, however, that the divine Trinity is the constitution of the Triune God. The divine dispensing of the divine Trinity means to dispense the constitution of our Triune God into our being to make His constitution ours.
Because some brothers’ understanding of the things concerning the Lord and His interest was too superficial, I nearly had no way to help them. In 1967 in Elden hall there was a lot of talk about the way to practice the church life. I stood up to tell the saints that I had been practicing the church life for years and years and that I knew what I was doing here. I said, “I don’t like to argue with you. If you feel your way is right, go to do it. Don’t make the church in Los Angeles a lab for you. We don’t need a lab here in Los Angeles. I have practiced the church life for many years and have established many churches. In every church, I had a success. I have the full assurance that what we are doing is right and proper. We don’t need a lab. If you want to do lab work, go to another place to practice your lab. If you will be successful, come back to me and I will be the first one to follow you. But I assure you that if you go, you will have a failure. This is my word of love. It is up to you whether you take it or not.” That talk to the church stopped all the “different talks.”
I must testify that I am not afraid of today’s opposition. If some person says that 2 × 2 is 4 no one can defeat him. Even if another person says that 2 × 2 is 3.9999999, he still is not right. What I have been teaching to you I have studied thoroughly for over fifty years, not only according to the pure Word of God but also by checking with my own and others’ experiences. You do not know how much time I have spent day and night to study. Through our fellowship in this training I want to assure you that there is no need to be doubtful concerning what you have received through this ministry concerning the Lord’s recovery today. You should not be affected by others. If you take this way, you will be blessed. If you do not take this way, you will miss the blessing. This is up to you. If you feel you are right, go ahead and take another way. The years will test your way. You will come back either to repent or you will remain in that failure. Through the years we have seen some who have left and who are still remaining in their failure. It is a sad thing. I love them, but just cannot help them. Some of the opposers take my words and say that I threaten people. I say strongly that I do not threaten people and that I never threaten people. I love people. For example, the proper gospel preaching is always a word of love. If someone preaching the gospel says, “If you do not repent, you will go to hell,” is this a kind of threatening? This is not a threat, but a loving word to help the sinners to turn from their wrong way.
We must realize that the recovery today is in 1984. In 1922 the recovery was in an experimental stage, but today it is no longer that much an experimental operation. The work in the United States is my “fifth factory.” The past four factories were all successful, so I have the full assurance that this is the way. I sent out an urgent notice to call such an urgent gathering to present to you the New Testament ministry, the vision of the Lord’s recovery, and the way to carry out the vision. This is my word of love. If you like to consider this as threatening, it is up to you. I do not like to pretend. I do not like to be so mild outwardly, yet inwardly another way. I am what I am inwardly. I have no intention of threatening you or of warning you. I say this out of my love. I love you brothers, and even more I love the Lord’s recovery. I have sacrificed my entire life with my future for this. I would not like to see the recovery “cut into pieces” and damaged.