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I. The function of the Father’s house:
А. For the processed and consummated Triune God to have a mutual abode with the redeemed and regenerated believers in Christ — John 14:2-3, 23.
B. For Christ, the embodiment of the processed Triune God, to make His home in the hearts of His believers who are strengthened into their inner man by the Father, according to the riches of His glory, with power through His Spirit unto the fullness (expression) of the processed Triune God — Eph. 3:16-19.
C. For the invisible and mysterious Triune God to have:
1. A visible and solid household constituted by the children of God, the species of God, with His divine life for their growth in life and His satisfaction, rest, and manifestation — 2:19.
2. A kingdom, composed of the believers in Christ as the citizens (John 3:3, 5; Rev. 1:4, 6; Eph. 2:19; Matt. 16:18-19; Acts 1:3), in two aspects:
а. The kingdom of God as the church life in this age for the believers’ exercise and equipping in the divine authority — Rom. 14:17; Rev. 1:9; Acts 14:22; Matt. 18:18.
b. The kingdom of Christ in the kingdom age (Rev. 11:15; 2 Pet. 1:11) for the overcoming saints to reign with Christ over all the nations — Rev. 20:4, 6; 2:26.
II. The function of the true vine as a sign of the Son — John 15:1-8, 16:
А. To have an organism in the Son for His multiplication, spreading, and glorification in His divine life — v. 8.
B. Through the fruit-bearing of the believers in Christ as His grafted branches, by their faithful abiding in the organic vine — vv. 4-5, 16.
III. The function of the new child born of the Spirit — 16:13-15, 21:
А. To become the corporate new man as the increased Christ — Col. 3:10-11; John 3:30.
B. To carry out God’s eternal economy through the move and work of the consummated life-giving Spirit in building up the Body of Christ for the consummation of the New Jerusalem.
In this chapter we want to see the functions of the three aspects of the universal incorporation of the consummated God with the regenerated believers. We have seen that these three aspects are a house, a tree, and a man. Christ is the house for God to have a mutual abiding place for His rest, satisfaction, and manifestation. Christ as the vine tree is God’s enlargement for His multiplication, spreading, and glorification. Also, Christ is the new man to carry out God’s eternal economy.
God is the Owner of the entire universe, so in this universe there should be a house in which He can dwell.
The Father’s house is for the processed and consummated Triune God to have a mutual abode with the redeemed and regenerated believers in Christ (John 14:2-3, 23).
This house is also for Christ, the embodiment of the processed Triune God, to make His home in the hearts of His believers who are strengthened into their inner man by the Father, according to the riches of His glory, with power through His Spirit unto the fullness (expression) of the processed Triune God (Eph. 3:16-19).
The Father’s house is for the invisible and mysterious Triune God to have a visible and solid household constituted by the children of God, the species of God, with His divine life for their growth in life and for His rest, satisfaction, and manifestation (2:19). The house of God is the church (1 Tim. 3:15), and the church is Christ because every member of the church is Christ (1 Cor. 12:12; Col. 3:10-11). The church is the composition of all the parts of Christ.
The Father’s house is also for the invisible and mysterious Triune God to have a kingdom, composed of the believers in Christ as the citizens (John 3:3, 5; Rev. 1:4, 6; Eph. 2:19; Matt. 16:18-19; Acts 1:3), in two aspects. First, the kingdom of God as the church life in this age is for the believers’ exercise and equipping in the divine authority (Rom. 14:17; Rev. 1:9; Acts 14:22; Matt. 18:18). Second, the kingdom of Christ in the kingdom age (Rev. 11:15; 2 Pet. 1:11) is for the overcoming saints to reign with Christ over all the nations (Rev. 20:4, 6; 2:26).
The function of the true vine as a sign of the Son (John 15:1-8, 16) is for the Triune God to have an organism in the Son for His multiplication, spreading, and glorification in His divine life (v. 8).
This is through the fruit-bearing of the believers in Christ as His grafted branches, by their faithful abiding in the organic vine (vv. 4-5, 16).
The new child born of the Spirit (16:13-15, 21) becomes the corporate new man as the increased Christ (Col. 3:10-11; John 3:30).
The function of the new man is to carry out God’s eternal economy through the move and work of the consummated life-giving Spirit in building up the Body of Christ for the consummation of the New Jerusalem.
The functions of the Father’s house, the true vine, and the new man are the contents of the New Testament in its twenty-two Epistles from Romans to Revelation. The twenty-two Epistles define these functions. The outline of this chapter is actually a crystallized abstract of the twenty-two Epistles. The Lord told the disciples in John 16 that He had many things to reveal to the disciples, but they could not bear them until the Spirit of reality would come to unveil all these things to them. This prophecy was fulfilled, and the Spirit’s unveiling is recorded in the twenty-two Epistles. The contents of these Epistles are a revelation of the unique universal incorporation of the consummated God with the regenerated believers in three aspects with various functions. God needs a house for His rest, satisfaction, and manifestation; He needs a tree for His multiplication, spreading, and glorification; and He needs a man to carry out His eternal economy.
