I do not care how some twist this verse or how they interpret the word Father—as the everlasting Father, the Father of eternity, the eternal Father, the Father that begot eternity, the Father of creation, the Father of Israel, the Father of some invention, or the Father of the age to come, as indicated by the footnote in a version of the Septuagint—He is the Father, and no one can deny that He is the Father. Do you believe that besides the divine Father of the Godhead there is another divine Father? Because the critics cannot keep away from this verse, they do their best to twist it. But no matter how much they twist it, they cannot eliminate the word Father.
In this universe there is just one divine Father. How can there be two divine Fathers? The critics say, “The Father in Isaiah 9:6 is not the Holy Father with the Son and the Holy Spirit. This Father is the Father of the age to come, the Father of Israel, or the Father of something else.” But do you believe that the Father in Isaiah 9:6 is separate from the unique Father of the Godhead? We need to put out a booklet entitled, “What Heresy—Two Divine Fathers, Two Life-giving Spirits, and Three Gods!”
Nearly every truth in the Bible has more than one verse to substantiate it. Isaiah 9:6 is confirmed and strengthened by John 14:7-11, where the Lord makes it clear to the disciples that He and the Father are one. In John 10:30 He told the Jews the same thing. Who can deny that according to the pure revelation of the Bible the Son is the Father? Do not listen to the traditional talk. Others may care for their tradition, but we only care for the pure revelation according to the Bible.
Concerning the Lord’s being the Spirit, let us turn to 1 Corinthians 15:45 which says, “The first man Adam became a living soul; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit”(Gk.). Undoubtedly, the last Adam here was Christ in the flesh. This last Adam became the life-giving Spirit through the process of resurrection. First Corinthians 15 deals with resurrection. Because Christ as the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit through resurrection, He is now the life-giving Spirit. Who can deny this? The pure, clear word says that Christ today is the life-giving Spirit. The critics and opposers also twist this verse. Some of them say, “The spirit here is not the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is the human spirit of Jesus.” Certainly, this is not Christ’s human spirit, for before He died He had a human spirit already. There was no need for Him to become the human spirit through death and resurrection. Praise the Lord that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul had the wisdom to say that the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. Do you believe that besides the Holy Spirit there is another Spirit who gives life? Who would dare say this? No matter how you interpret the word “Spirit” in 1 Corinthians 15:45, you must admit that the Bible says that this Spirit is the life-giving Spirit. According to the New Testament, only the Holy Spirit is the Spirit who gives life (2 Cor. 3:6; John 6:63). There cannot be two life-giving Spirits. The opposers’ not believing that Christ today is the Holy Spirit implies that, for them, there are two life-giving Spirits. They say that the life-giving Spirit in 1 Corinthians 15:45 is another Spirit besides the Holy Spirit. According to their interpretation, there are two life-giving Spirits. This is more than heresy! I appeal to your conscience and ask you to be fair. Who is heretical—a man who believes the pure word according to 1 Corinthians 15:45, saying that Christ today is the life-giving Spirit, or those who twist this verse and thereby imply there are two life-giving Spirits?
As I considered the possibility of putting out a booklet on the heresy of two divine Fathers, two life-giving Spirits, and three Gods, I prayed regarding the title. I was concerned that I might condemn others unfairly. But the more I prayed and considered, the more I realized that this title would not be unfair. Many unconsciously believe that there are two divine Fathers and two life-giving Spirits, and some, although not all, have three Gods. And they dare to say that I and the churches are heretical! Because of all the lies and rumors, we have been forced to issue a refutation. The critics base their talk upon the Nicene Creed. Actually, their talk is their interpretation of the Nicene Creed. I do not care for that creed—I only care for the pure word of the Bible. As long as I stand with the Bible, no one has the ground to accuse me of being heretical.
Some have advised me not to say that the Son is the Father and that the Lord is the Spirit. But the more they advised me, the stronger I became in speaking what the Bible says. According to the Bible, I said that today our Christ, who is the Son, who became a man, who died on the cross for our sins, and who resurrected from the dead, is not only the Son but also the Father and the Spirit. When we have Him, we have the Father, and when we call on Him, we receive the Spirit. First John 2:23 says, “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.” If the Son were not the Father, how then could we have the Father whenever we acknowledge the Son? Furthermore, Acts 2:17 and 21 show that if we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, we receive the Spirit. This is not a matter of doctrine, but of experience. If you consider your experience, you will realize that when you believed in the Lord Jesus and received Him, you received the Father, and that when you call on the name of the Lord Jesus, you receive the Spirit. In this message I am stressing the facts in the Bible to prove that whatever the Lord has shown us through the years and whatever we minister is absolutely according to the pure word of the Bible. Do not approach me with your traditional knowledge. I do not care for that. Do not use your concept to argue with me. You must point out the verses in the Bible that correspond to your concept.
I would ask you all to study the book Concerning the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In this book I quote a number of great Christian teachers who have said that Christ, the Lord, is the Spirit. The foremost among them is Andrew Murray. Church history testifies that many great teachers, especially from ancient times, have said that in our experience Christ is equal to the Spirit.
Second Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is that Spirit.” Who can twist this? Recently, I heard of someone who twisted this verse by saying that the Lord here is God, not Jesus Christ. But no matter how the critics attempt to twist the truth in the Bible, the Bible remains the Bible. It is ridiculous and even stupid to deny that Christ today is the Spirit. If you deny this, it means that you do not believe the Bible. If you believe the Bible, then you must say, “Lord, thank You for being the Spirit.”
Some of the critics say, “Matthew 3:16-17 says that the Son was standing there, that the Father was speaking from heaven, and that the Spirit was descending upon the Son. All three took action at the same time. Surely by the way you speak you don’t believe this.” Our answer is that we believe it more than our critics do, for we believe the Bible according to the pure word. We believe whatever the Bible says. I can point out many verses which say that the Father, Son, and Spirit are there at the same time. Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (Gk.). All three, the Son, the Father, and the Spirit, are here. In Ephesians 3:14-17 Paul bowed his knees to the Father, praying that He would strengthen the saints by His Spirit so that Christ might make His home in their hearts. Here we see the Father, the Spirit, and Christ. This is the Triune God.
What is the error in modalism? Modalism teaches that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not all eternal and do not all exist at the same time. Rather, it claims that the revelation of the Son ended with the ascension and that after the ascension the Son ceased to exist. Modalism has gone too far, not believing in the co-inherence and co-existence of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Unlike the modalists, we believe in the co-inherence and co-existence of the three of the Godhead, that is, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all exist at the same time and under the same conditions. We also believe that all three are eternal. Isaiah 9:6 says that the Father is eternal, Hebrews 1:12 and 7:3 indicate that the Son is eternal, and Hebrews 9:14 speaks of the eternal Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not temporary, but are eternal.