CHAPTER II.—That the saints have this communion distinctly with the Father, Son, and Spirit
CHAPTER II
The Saints' Distinct Communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit— Understanding 1 John 5:7, 1 Corinthians 12:4–6, and Ephesians 2:18
—Joint Communion with the Father and Son; Sole Communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—Respective Regard in Worship—
Faith in the Father, Love towards Him—Prayer and Praise—The Son's Communion—Our Communion with the Holy Spirit—Further
Confirmation of the Truth.
In the previous chapter, I established that the saints have communion with God and explained the nature of communion in general. Now, I will discuss how this communion is carried out and what it entails. In terms of the distinct persons of the Godhead with whom they have fellowship, the saints have either distinct and particular communion or joint and common communion. It is important to understand that the saints have distinct communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (specifically with each of them individually), and we must first explore the unique aspects of this distinct communion with each person.
In 1 John 5:7, the apostle informs us that "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost." They exist in heaven and bear witness to us. What is their testimony? It testifies to the sonship of Christ and the salvation of believers through His blood. The apostle discusses the ongoing process of salvation, involving both the shedding of blood and purification with water, which represent justification and sanctification. Now, how do they bear witness to this? As three distinct witnesses. When God testifies about our salvation, it is our duty to receive His testimony.
And as He bears witness, we are to receive it. This receiving is done distinctly. The Father bears witness, the Son bears witness, and the Holy Spirit bears witness; they are three distinct witnesses. Thus, we are to receive their respective testimonies, and in doing so, we have communion with each of them individually. For our fellowship with God, the act of giving and receiving testimony is a significant component. The nature of their distinct witness will be explained later.
In 1 Corinthians 12:4–6, the apostle discusses the distribution of gifts and graces among the saints and attributes them distinctly to the respective persons who are the source of these blessings. "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit"—referring to the Holy Spirit in verse 11. "And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord"—referring to the Lord Jesus in verse 5. "And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God"—referring to the Father in Ephesians 4:6. Therefore, graces and gifts are bestowed and received accordingly.
Moreover, the same distinction is observed not only in the emanation of grace from God and the workings of the Spirit within us but also in all our approaches to God. "For through Christ we have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Ephesians 2:18). Our access to God, which involves communion with Him, is through Christ, in the Spirit, and unto the Father. In this context, the persons are considered as individually engaged in accomplishing God's revealed will in the gospel.
At times, only the Father and the Son are explicitly mentioned, such as in 1 John 1:3: "Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son
Jesus Christ." The conjunction "and" both distinguishes and unites them. Additionally, John 14:23 states, "If a man love me, he will keep
my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." It is in this communion that the Father and the Son abide with the soul.
Sometimes, the Son alone is mentioned for this purpose. For example, 1 Corinthians 1:9 states, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." And in Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me"— which I will discuss later.
Sometimes, only the Holy Spirit is mentioned. In 2 Corinthians 13:14, it says, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all." This distinct communion of the saints with the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit is clearly evident in the Scriptures, but it can still be further demonstrated. However, I must caution that whatever is affirmed in the pursuit of this truth is done in relation to the explanation that follows at the beginning of the next chapter.
The means by which the saints enjoy communion with God in Christ are all the spiritual and holy acts and outpourings of their souls in those virtues and ways that encompass both the moral and prescribed worship of God. Faith, love, obedience, and other such virtues are the natural or moral worship of God, through which those who possess them have communion with Him. These acts can either be directly focused on God, without any outward means of manifestation, or they can be further expressed through solemn prayer and praise in the manner that He has appointed. The Scriptures clearly assign all these acts to the Father, Son, and Spirit, indicating that the saints, in all their expressions of worship, both purely moral and in accordance with prescribed forms, have regard
for each person respectively. This will be further illustrated through specific instances to shed light on the assertion at hand.
Regarding the FATHER, the saints yield faith, love, obedience, and more to Him in a distinct and specific manner. He is uniquely revealed in these ways as acting particularly towards them, which should motivate and stir them to respond accordingly. He testifies to and bears witness of His Son, as stated in 1 John 5:9, "This is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son." In His testimony,
He becomes an object of belief. When He testifies (as the Father, because it pertains to the Son), His testimony is to be received by faith. This is affirmed in verse 10, "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." To believe in the Son of God in this context means to receive the Lord Christ as the Son, the Son given to us for all the purposes of the Father's love, based on the credibility of the Father's testimony. Therefore, faith is immediately directed towards the Father in this act. The following words support this notion: "He that believeth not God" (referring to the Father who testifies to the Son) "hath made him a liar." Our Savior also says, "Ye believe in God" (meaning the Father as such), in John 14:1, followed by "Believe also in me" or "Believe in God; believe also in me." God, as the ultimate truth upon whose authority all divine faith is ultimately grounded, should not be considered in a specific personal sense, but rather comprehensively as the entire Deity. However, in this specific context, we speak of the testimony and authority of the Father (as such), which faith is distinctly fixed upon. This is further supported by the fact that the Son could not say, "Believe also in me" if it were not so.
The same is also said about love. In 1 John 2:15, it states, "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Here, it refers to the love that we have for Him, not the love that we receive from Him.
The Father is presented as the object of our love, in contrast to the world which captures our affections—the love of the Father. The term "Father" denotes the subject and object, not the effective cause, of the love in question. And this love for Him as a Father is what He calls His "honour" in Malachi 1:6.
Furthermore, when these virtues are expressed in prayer and praise, and when they are clothed with prescribed worship, they are specifically directed towards Him. In 1 Peter 1:17 and Ephesians
3:14-15, it is stated, "Ye call on the Father," and "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Bowing the knee encompasses the entire act of worship, both the moral aspect of universal obedience that God requires and the particular ways in which it is carried out as appointed by Him. In Isaiah 45:23, it says,
"Unto me," says the Lord, "every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." In verses 24 and 25, it explains that this consists of acknowledging Him as righteousness and strength. Moreover, it sometimes encompasses the orderly submission of the entire creation to His sovereignty. However, in this passage by the apostle, it has a more limited meaning and is a figurative expression of prayer, derived from the most expressive bodily posture used in that duty. The apostle further clarifies this in Ephesians 3:16-17, explaining his intention and focus during that act of bowing his knees. The workings of the Spirit of grace in that duty are specifically directed to the Father as the source of the Deity and all good things in Christ—the "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Therefore, the same apostle, in another instance, explicitly combines and yet distinguishes the Father and the Son in directing his supplications in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, "God himself even our Father, and our Lord
Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you." A similar example is found in Ephesians 1:3-4, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ." I won't list all the many places where the various aspects of divine worship, which cannot be shared with anyone not God by nature without idolatry, and in which the saints have communion with God, are distinctly directed to the person of the Father.
2. The same is true in relation to the SON. In John 14:1, Christ says, "Ye believe in God...believe also in me." He urges them to believe specifically in Him, to have faith that is divine and supernatural—the faith by which they believe in God, that is, the Father. There is a belief in Christ, namely, that He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Neglecting this belief is what our
Savior threatened to the Pharisees in John 8:24, "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." In this sense, faith is not directly focused on the Son, as it is simply acknowledging
Him (that is, the Christ) by accepting the testimony of the Father concerning Him. However, there is also a belief in Him, known as "Believing on the name of the Son of God" in 1 John
5:13 and John 9:36. It involves placing distinct faith, trust, and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the Son of God, which is frequently emphasized. In John 3:16, it says,
"God so loved the world...that whosoever believeth in him" (that is, the Son) "should not perish." The Son, who is given by the Father, is the object of belief. "He that believeth on him is not condemned" (verse 18). "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (verse 36). "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:29, 40; 1 John 5:10).
The foundation for all of this is established in John 5:23, "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.
He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him." However, I have extensively discussed this honor and worship of the Son elsewhere and will not delve into it again. As for love, I will only add the apostolic benediction
found in Ephesians 6:24, "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity," referring to divine love, the love of religious worship, which is the only pure Love of the Lord
Jesus.
Furthermore, it is abundantly clear that faith, hope, and love, expressed through obedience and appointed worship, are distinctly owed by the saints and specifically directed to the Son. In Revelation
1:5-6, it states, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
This is further illustrated in Revelation 5:8, where it says, "The four living creatures, and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." In verses 13 and 14, it continues, "Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." The Father and the Son (He who sits upon the throne and the Lamb) are presented jointly yet distinctly as the appropriate object of all divine worship and honor forever and ever. Therefore, in his final invocation before his martyrdom, Stephen directs his faith and hope specifically to Him in Acts 7:59-60, saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" and "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." He knew that the Son of Man also had the power to forgive sins. The apostle also identifies this worship of the Lord Jesus as the distinguishing characteristic of the saints in 1 Corinthians 1:2, saying, "With all...that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours," referring to all the saints of God. Invocation generally encompasses the entirety of God's worship. This, then, is
the rightful due of our Mediator, not only as God but also as the Son —not solely as Mediator.
3. This is also true in relation to the HOLY SPIRIT of grace. The rejection of the Holy Spirit is still described as opposing and resisting Him. There is also a distinct mention of the love of the Spirit in Romans 15:30. The apostle specifically directs his supplication to the Spirit in the solemn benediction of 2
Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." Such benedictions are essentially prayers. Additionally, the Holy Spirit is entitled to all appointed worship, starting from the institution of baptism in His name as stated in Matthew 28:19.
More on these matters will be discussed later.
Now, in summary of what has been conveyed, every grace by which our souls reach out to God, every act of divine worship offered to Him, and every duty or obedience performed, are distinctly directed to the Father, Son, and Spirit. Through these and similar means, we engage in communion with God, as described before.
Furthermore, this becomes even more apparent when we consider how distinctly the persons of the Deity are revealed to act in the communication of the blessings in which the saints have communion with God. Just as all the spiritual aspirations of their souls are attributed to them respectively, their internal reception of God's communications to them is presented in such a way that indicates distinct origins and sources (not of being in themselves, but) of dispensations to us. This is demonstrated in two ways:
(1.) When the same thing is ascribed jointly and yet distinctly to all the persons in the Deity, as well as to each of them individually. For example, grace and peace are mentioned together in Revelation 1:4-
5, "Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness," etc. The seven Spirits before the throne refer to the Holy Spirit of God, seen as the perfect source of every perfect gift and dispensation. All are mentioned together here, yet they are also distinguished in their communication of grace and peace to the saints. "Grace and peace be unto you, from the Father, and from," etc.
(2.) When the same thing is individually and separately attributed to each person. Indeed, there is no gracious influence from above, no infusion of light, life, love, or grace into our hearts that does not follow this pattern. I will provide only one comprehensive example that may be seen as encompassing all other aspects: TEACHING.
God's teaching is the actual communication of every particular emanation from Himself to the saints, allowing them to partake in it.
The promise "They shall be all taught of God" encompasses the entire mystery of grace, both in its actual dispensation to us and in our becoming true recipients of it. Now, this teaching is assigned to:
[1.] The FATHER. The fulfillment of this promise is specifically attributed to Him in John 6:45, "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." This teaching, which translates us from death to life, brings us to Christ, and enables us to participate in life and love in Him, comes from the Father. We hear from Him, we learn from Him, and He leads us to union and communion with the Lord Jesus. He is the one who draws us, regenerates us according to His will and by His own Spirit, and employs ministers of the gospel in this work, as seen in Acts 26:1718.
[2.] The SON. The Father proclaims Him from heaven as the great teacher, as heard in the solemn charge to listen to Him that resounded from the excellent glory: "This is my beloved Son; hear him." His entire prophetic role, and a significant part of His kingly office, is focused on teaching. He is said to draw people to Himself, just as the Father does through His teaching, as mentioned in John
12:32. He does so with such efficacy that "the dead hear his voice and live." The teaching of the Son imparts life, breathes the spirit—it is a powerful influence of light, shining into darkness; a communication of life that brings the dead to life; an opening of blind eyes and a transformation of hardened hearts; an outpouring of the Spirit and all its fruits. Therefore, He claims the privilege of being the sole master in Matthew 23:10, "One is your Master, even Christ."
[3.] The SPIRIT. In John 14:26, it says, "The Comforter, he shall teach you all things." The apostle also affirms in 1 John 2:27, "But the anointing which ye have received abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." This anointing of teaching, which is not only true but truth itself, refers specifically to the Holy Spirit of God. Thus, He also teaches us, having been given to us "that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Corinthians 2:12). I have chosen this particular example because, as I mentioned before, it is comprehensive and includes most of the aspects that could be enumerated—quickening, preserving, and so on.
This, then, further emphasizes the truth that is clearly demonstrated —since there is a distinct communication of grace from the different persons of the Deity, the saints must necessarily have distinct communion with them.
It remains only to briefly indicate where this distinction lies and what its basis is. Now, it is as follows: the Father does it through original authority, the Son does it through communication from a purchased treasury, and the Holy Spirit does it through immediate efficacy.
Firstly, the Father communicates all grace through original authority. He quickens whom He wills, as stated in John 5:21. It is by His own will that He has begotten us, as mentioned in James 1:18.
The power to give life is invested in the Father by way of eminence in terms of original authority. Therefore, when the quickening Spirit is sent, it is said to be done either by Christ from the Father or by the Father Himself. As seen in John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send." And in John 15:26, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father." Although it is also said that Christ sends Him Himself for another reason, as mentioned in John 16:7.
Secondly, the Son does it through making out a purchased treasury.
"Of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace," as stated in John 1:16. And from where does this fullness come? "It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell," as mentioned in Colossians 1:19. You can see the reason why He has been entrusted with the dispensation of that fullness in Philippians 2:8–11. "When thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities," as stated in Isaiah 53:10-11. And along with this fullness, He also has the authority for its communication, as seen in John 5:25–27 and Matthew 28:18.