Lesson 3 – The Spirit
Now we need to see that the Spirit is also the Triune God. The Spirit is not the last third of God, nor is He just a power, or a dove; He is the Triune God Himself. When you receive the Spirit, you receive the Triune God.
GOD BEING SPIRIT
John 4:24 tells us that “God is Spirit.” The Triune God is wholly a matter of Spirit. This refers to God’s essence. For example, the essence of a wooden table is wood, so we can say that the table is wood. God’s essence is Spirit, so we say God is Spirit. Never think that only one-third of God is Spirit, as some may think. The whole God, the Triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—is Spirit.
THE SPIRIT BEING SENT BY THE FATHER AND THE SON AND COMING “FROM-WITH” THE FATHER
In John 14:26 the Lord (the Son) said, “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name.” Also, in John 15:26 the Lord said, “But when the Comforter comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of reality Who proceeds from the Father, He will testify concerning Me.”
First in 14:26 He says that the Father will send the Spirit; later in 15:26 He says that the Son Himself will send the Spirit. Then who sent the Spirit—the Father or the Son? We must say that the Spirit was sent by both the Father and the Son because, as we saw in the last lesson, the Father and the Son are one. The Father’s sending is the Son’s sending, and the Son’s sending is the Father’s sending. The Two are one. The Holy Spirit is sent not only by the Father but also “from-with” the Father. The Greek word for “from” means “by the side of,” and often means “from-with.” When the Father sends the Spirit, He comes with the Spirit. The Spirit comes from the Father and with the Father. When the Father sends the Spirit, He comes with the Spirit. The Father is the source. The Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son, so when the Spirit comes, the Father and Son also come. The whole Triune God comes.
THE SPIRIT COMING IN THE NAME OF THE SON
In John 14:26, the Holy Spirit comes in the Son’s name to be the reality of His name. What is the meaning of “in My name”? The name is the Son Himself, and the Spirit is the person, the being, of the Son. When we call on the name of the Son, we get the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). The Son came in the Father’s name (John 5:43) because the Son and the Father are one (John 10:30). Now, the Spirit comes in the Son’s name because the Spirit and the Son also are one (2 Cor. 3:17). This is the Triune God (the Father, the Son, and the Spirit) reaching us as the Spirit.
In summary, the Father sends the Spirit with Himself. Since the Spirit comes with the Father, the Father comes together with the Spirit. The Spirit also comes in the name of the Son and as the Son. When the Spirit comes, it is the Son who comes. Thus, when the Spirit comes, all Three are present.
THE SPIRIT BEING THE ULTIMATE CONSUMMATION (FINAL EXPRESSION) OF THE TRIUNE GOD
Let us look at the following verses: John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” Isaiah prophesied, “A son is given..and his name shall be called..everlasting Father” (Isa. 9:6). As we all know, the Word that was God became flesh and that flesh is just our Lord Jesus Christ; this Jesus is also the everlasting Father. First Corinthians 15:45 reveals that the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. All good Bible students agree that the last Adam was Christ on the cross, ending the Adamic race. Christ, through death and in resurrection, became a life-giving Spirit. Hallelujah! What we see here is the Son who was with the Father and who is the Father becoming the Spirit. The Spirit is just the ultimate consummation, the final expression, of the Triune God. When we received the Spirit, we received the Triune God. All that the Father is, planned, and willed, plus all that the Son accomplished, obtained, and attained are now made real and available to us in this Spirit.
ENJOYING THE SPIRIT BY CALLING “LORD JESUS”
The name of the Spirit is “Lord Jesus,” since He came in the name of the Son. So, when we call “Lord Jesus” we get the Spirit, who is the Triune God! We need to call every day, from morning to evening. When you are sad you should call. When you are happy you should call. When you do not know what to do, you should call. When you know exactly what to do, you should call even more. When you feel you are in spirit you should call. When you feel that your friends are tempting you to do things not of the Lord, you should call more, call louder. The Spirit, the Triune God, will come to save you out of your present trouble, out of yourself, and out of your situation. Hallelujah! What a way to be saved! Praise the Lord that He went through a process to become the Spirit, and that He has given us His name, “Lord Jesus!” Now we can experience the Triune God’s full salvation easily, daily, and moment by moment. Hallelujah!
Second Corinthians 3:17 says, “The Lord is the Spirit.” The “Lord” spoken of here, of course, is the Lord Jesus; and “the Spirit,” of course, is the Holy Spirit. Does this not clearly and definitely tell us that the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit? Our Lord is the Holy Spirit. He is the Father, and He is also the Spirit. He is everything!