II. GOD BEING TRIUNE
IN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MAN
Often in the Old Testament the one God refers to Himself as "Us." In Genesis 1:26 He says, "Let us make man in our image." This clearly declares that God is plural; but here, in verse 26, the Hebrew word used for the "image" of God is singular. Although God is "us," plural, the "image" of "us" is singular, one. Therefore, this also means that God is three-one.
From Genesis 1, we go to Genesis 3. After man’s fall, God again uses the plural pronoun for Himself: "The Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil" (Gen. 3:22).
In Genesis 11, men had become so rebellious against God that they built the tower of Babel and the city of Babel. Then God said, "Let us go down" (Gen. 11:7). Again God uses the plural pronoun in referring to Himself.
Therefore, we can see clearly that when God uses the plural pronoun in speaking about Himself, it is always in His relation to man. When God created man, He used the plural pronoun for Himself. When God took care of fallen man, He used the plural pronoun again. And when God came to deal with rebellious man, He also used the plural pronoun. This means that the Triune God is for God’s dealing with man. In Genesis 1, when God was creating all the other things, He never used the plural pronoun for Himself though the word "God" is triple in number. It seems that to all the other creatures, God was just God Himself. But whenever God is related to man, He is Triune.
III. THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC,
AND THE GOD OF JACOB
In Exodus 3:6 the Lord said to Moses, "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." This passage reveals that God is threefold when related to His chosen people. With the God of Abraham the emphasis is on the Father; with the God of Isaac the emphasis is on the Son; with the God of Jacob the emphasis is on the Spirit. By the experiences of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we can see something of the Triune God—the Father, Son, and Spirit.
First, with Abraham we see one who was called out of a godless background to participate in God’s blessing and purpose. This reveals the Father’s calling (1 Cor. 1:9; Eph. 1:3-5). Second, Isaac was the son promised to Abraham who was later required to be offered up to God. This reveals to us the Son who was promised to us from God and was offered back to God through death and resurrection. Last, in Jacob’s experience we see the Spirit. Jacob was a person always under God’s dealing. He tried so hard to make things work the way he wanted, yet God always arranged the environment to cause Jacob to trust in God rather than in himself. This represents the transforming work of the Spirit. Hallelujah for our God! He is the One who called us into His wonderful purpose. He is the One who is our promised portion. He is the One who is transforming us into His very image. He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
(Lesson Book, Level 2: The Triune God—The Triune God and the Person and Work of Christ, Chapter 7, by Witness Lee)
