In this chapter we will consider the matter of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—in the Gospel of John. This matter is a great subject and a great mystery. We will pay attention to three points: first, the Father is the source; second, the Son is the expression; and third, the Spirit is the realization. This does not mean that there are three Gods. Our God is uniquely one. The Bible repeatedly declares that there is only one God (Isa. 45:5; 46:9; Psa. 86:10; 1 Cor. 8:4). Although God is three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—there are not three Gods. Rather, God is one in three persons (Matt. 28:19).
In His aspect of being three, the Father is the source, the Son is the expression, and the Spirit is the realization. Please remember this sequence and these three brief statements. When the Spirit enters into us and is realized by us, the Son and the Father also enter into us, because the Father is in the Son and the Son has become the Spirit. Therefore, when the Spirit enters into us, both the Father and the Son enter into us. Although we can receive and speak of this sequence using the plain words of the Bible, it is difficult to give a detailed explanation. We cannot explain this matter thoroughly because it is a mystery. God is one yet three and three yet one. Although God is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, the three are still one God, and although there is only one God, He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
We should not be troubled when we hear that the infinite God is a mystery, because even human beings are a mystery. Humans are composed of three parts—spirit, soul, and body—which encompass both our outward visible form and our inward invisible life. It is difficult to explain the difference between the spirit and the soul and to explain life itself. For example, my moving and speaking certainly indicate that I am alive. However, without life, my body would cease to move, and this lack of movement would mean that I am dead. If a doctor inspected my body, he would not be able to say that something was missing. All he could say is that I am dead, because I am no longer moving or speaking. It is possible to examine a defective typewriter and determine that a crucial part is missing, but it is not possible to open up a dead person and determine that any specific “part” is missing. All we can say about a dead person is that he is no longer alive. This speaks of the mystery of life.
Although the Bible reveals that God is one yet three, what is the biblical basis for saying that the Father is the source, the Son is the expression, and the Spirit is the realization? This conclusion is based on many years of studying the Bible in general and on studying the Gospel of John in particular. It is also based on comparing the Word with our own experiences. In the Gospel of John, the Father is the source, the Son is the expression, and the Spirit is the realization. The Lord Jesus said, “I have come in the name of My Father” (5:43), and “the living Father has sent Me” (6:57; cf. 5:36-37). This proves that the Father is the source. The apostle John also says, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (1:18), and the Lord said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (14:9). This shows that the Son is the expression. Later, the Lord also said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, even the Spirit of reality...because He abides with you and shall be in you” (vv. 16-17). Therefore, the Spirit is the reality, the realization, of God entering into us. From the standpoint of God’s relationship with man, the Father as the source is expressed through the Son in order to be received as the Spirit. From the standpoint of man’s relationship with God, as soon as we touch the Spirit, we receive the Triune God who enters into us. Now we will look at some details concerning the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
Concerning the Father as the source (6:46; 7:29; 13:3), we need to see five points:
(1) No one has ever seen God the Father (1:18; 5:37; 6:46).
(2) All that the Father has is the Son’s (16:15), and all that the Father has is in the Son. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily (Col. 2:9).
(3) The Father sent the Son (John 1:14; 7:29; 6:57). The Lord Jesus said many times that He was sent from the Father. The meaning of the word from in John 1:14 and 7:29 differs from our common understanding. Ordinarily, when we think of someone being sent, we think that the sender remains apart from the one being sent. However, the Greek word para, translated “from,” means “by the side of,” implying “with”; hence, it is, literally, “from with.” This indicates that the Son was sent from the Father with the Father. When the Son came, the Father also came. The Son was sent by the Father, but the Father came with the Son and in the Son.
(4) The Father is expressed in the Son (14:7-11; 8:19). Hence, he who has seen the Son has seen the Father.
(5) The Father is working in the Son (14:10; 7:16). The Father is expressed in the Son so that he who has seen the Son has seen the Father; moreover, the Father is working in the Son.