I. THE RECOVERY OF THE DIVINE REVELATION
CONCERNING GOD
The first item of the Lord’s recovery is the recovery of the divine revelation concerning God. There is no need to recover God Himself; but among Christians the revelation concerning God has been lost, missed, put aside, and even given up. Thus, there is a need to recover the divine revelation concerning God.
A. In His Essence
In His essence, God is essentially one, the one unique God, that is, the one Spirit (Isa. 45:18b; 1 Cor. 8:6a).
B. In His Economy
In His economy, God is economically three. Essentially, God is one, but economically, He is three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). An illustration of this principle can be seen in the lampstand. In the Old Testament, the lampstand was placed in both the tabernacle and the temple (Exo. 26:35; 1 Kings 7:49). In the New Testament, the lampstand is seen in Revelation 1:11-13 and 20. The lampstand is one stand, but it has seven lamps. The seven lamps do not refer to the essence of the lampstand; rather, they refer to its function. Function is a matter of economy. Hence, economically speaking, the lampstand has seven lamps for shining, and the shining of the lamps is to fulfill the function of the lampstand, that is, to carry out the economy of the lampstand. In essence, the lampstand itself is one, but in economy, it is seven. This is a very good illustration of our God’s divine being.
In His economy, God is three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The great theologians of the fourth and fifth centuries referred to the Three of the Trinity as three hypostases. The primary sense of the Greek word for hypostasis is something which stands underneath, that is, a support or a foundation. To illustrate, one table has four legs supporting it, and the four legs of the table are its four hypostases. Likewise, there is one God, but He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. These three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are the three divine hypostases. The word hypostasis, which was used in the theological writings that appeared in the Greek language, can also be translated substance. Later, when theology entered into the Latin language, the word persona was used. Then, in the English language, the term became person. Thus, it is said that the Father, Son, and Spirit are three persons. However, we should not understand this to mean that They are three separate persons according to the common understanding of the word person.
(A Brief Presentation of the Lord's Recovery, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)
