IN ETERNITY WITHOUT BEGINNING
In the Beginning
the Son Being with the Triune God
Without the Divine Trinity, there would not be eternity. The Divine Trinity is the composition of eternity. Eternity is the Triune God. Eternity comes out of and goes along with the eternal God. John 1:1 uses the phrase "in the beginning." In the beginning the Word [the Son] was with [the Triune] God. "The beginning" in this verse refers to eternity past. In eternity was the eternal Word, the eternal Son of God, and this Word was with God. The Greek word for "with" in John 1:1 is pros, and here this word is a preposition of motion, implying living, acting, in union and communion with. This preposition implies fellowship. The Word not only was with God in eternity but also was fellowshipping and moving together with God. This shows us that in eternity past the Trinity was there in a very active way. "God" in John 1:1 refers to the Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
The Father Loving the Son
before the Foundation of the World
John 17:24b says that the Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world. This was before time began. In eternity the Father loved the Son. The loving One and the loved One are two yet one and are one yet two.
The Son Being Foreordained
by the Triune God
In eternity without beginning, Christ [the Son] was foreordained by [the Triune] God (1 Pet. 1:20 with note). He was prepared by God to be His redeeming Lamb (John 1:29) before the foundation of the world.
The Spirit Being Eternal
The Spirit was also in eternity without beginning. Hebrews 9:14 speaks of the eternal Spirit. The eternal Spirit is of eternity, without any limit of time. He is the Spirit of all the ages. In eternity past when the Father and the Son were fellowshipping, when the Father loved the Son, and when the Son was foreordained by the Triune God, the Spirit was also there because He is the eternal Spirit, the Spirit of the ages.
(Living In and With the Divine Trinity, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)
