II. THE BASIC REVELATION CONCERNING
GOD AND MAN IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
The Bible is a book on both God and man. We need to see the basic revelation concerning God and man in the Holy Scriptures.
A. Concerning God:
1. "God Is Spirit,"
Denoting God’s Essence, Substance
John 4:24 says that "God is Spirit." Saying that God is Spirit is similar to saying that a chair is wood. Wood refers to the essence, the substance, of the chair. Thus, God is Spirit does not refer to the person of God but denotes God’s essence, substance. This was spoken by the Lord in John 4 to the Samaritan woman concerning the worship of God. In order to worship God, we have to realize that the One whom we are worshipping is Spirit in essence, in substance.
2. "The Spirit of God,"
Denoting That the Spirit Is God
The Spirit of God denotes that the Spirit is God (Gen. 1:2b). Phrases like the Spirit of God, the light of God, and the life of God are in apposition. This means that the Spirit is God, the light is God, and the life is God. In God’s creation, the creating God was the moving Spirit. Without being the Spirit, God could not do anything and would not do anything. He does everything as the Spirit. In the Bible, God’s move in every step is the Spirit’s moving.
3. "The Name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit," Denoting the Divine Trinity
and Indicating That God Is Triune
Matthew 28:19 says that we need to go and baptize people "into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit denotes the Divine Trinity and indicates that God is triune. He is one God yet three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
a. The Three of the Divine Trinity
Coexist and Coinhere as One God
The three of the Divine Trinity coexist and coinhere as one God from eternity to eternity (John 14:10-11, 26; 15:26; 10:30). Hence, He is the eternal God (Psa. 90:1-2). To coexist is to exist together at the same time. To coinhere is to mutually indwell one another. The Father exists in the Son and the Spirit; the Son exists in the Father and the Spirit; and the Spirit exists in the Father and the Son. This is coinherence. In John 14, the Lord Jesus Himself told us that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him (vv. 10-11). The Lord also said that when He came from the Father, He came with the Father (John 8:16, 29; 16:32b). This means that when He comes, the Father comes in Him. Christ comes with the Father, and the Spirit comes with Christ (John 14:26; 15:26). The three are coinhering. The Lord Jesus also revealed that His speaking is the Father’s working (John 14:10). Thus, the Son’s speaking is the Father’s working, and the Spirit’s moving is the Son’s moving and the Father’s moving. The three do not only coexist but also coinhere.
(The Spirit with Our Spirit, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)
