THE SPIRIT AS THE SON WITH THE FATHER
John 14:26 says, "But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name..." The Father sent the Spirit in the Son’s name. This one thing involves the Trinity. The Son came in the Father’s name, so He was the Son in the Father’s name. Now the Spirit was sent by the Father in the Son’s name, so He is the Spirit in the Son’s name. The Son came in the Father’s name indicating that in name He was the Father, and in person He was the Son. Now the Spirit was sent in the Son’s name, indicating that in name He was the Son and that in person He was the Spirit. In name the Son was the Father, and in name the Spirit was the Son. This is the Triune God, the three-one God. They are three yet one, and one yet three. The Son came as the Father, and the Spirit came as the Son, so the three are one. We may say that the Son is the Father (Isa. 9:6), and that the Spirit is the Son (2 Cor. 3:17).
Some traditional theologians maintain that the three persons of the Godhead should not be confused but should be kept distinct and separate all the time. But we have seen from the Holy Bible that the Son is in the name of the Father and that the Spirit is in the name of the Son. This shows that on the one hand, there is the distinction between the three, but on the other hand they are one. If they were not one, how could the Son be in the name of the Father? If they were not one, how could the Spirit be in the name of the Son? We must come back to the pure word of the Bible.
John 15:26 says, "But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from with the Father, the Spirit of reality who proceeds from with the Father, He will testify concerning Me." "From with" is the Greek preposition para. The Son sends the Spirit with the Father, and the Spirit proceeds to the disciples with the Father. This means that the Son and the Father all come with the Spirit. When the Spirit comes, He comes with the Father and the Son follows. When the Spirit comes, all three come. This is the teaching of the Lord Jesus in the Bible.
John 16:7 says, "But I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." In verses 13-15 the Lord Jesus continued, "But when He, the Spirit of reality, comes, He will guide you into all the reality; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine and shall disclose it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He receives of Mine and shall disclose it to you." All that the Father is and has is embodied in the Son (Col. 2:9), and all that the Son is and has is revealed as reality to the believers through the Spirit. These verses show us that what the Father has becomes the Son’s, what the Son has is received by the Spirit, and what the Spirit receives is disclosed to us. Whatever the Spirit reveals is the Son’s, and whatever the Son has is the Father’s. Whatever the Son has of the Father is received by the Spirit and revealed to us. This means that the Spirit reveals to us the Son with the Father. Again we see that the three in the Godhead are three-one, triune.
(The Divine Economy, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)
