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I. The love of the Triune God toward sinners (Luke 15)
II. The Triune God in Acts
А. Calling on the name of the Lord
B. Baptized into the Lord
From Genesis to Revelation the Triune God is revealed to us in a progressive way. Although we see a lot about the Trinity in the Old Testament, it is not enough for our understanding. It is still rather hidden and symbolic. Beginning with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the New Testament reveals the Triune God to us in a further and clearer way. Matthew 28:19 is the first place in the Bible to mention clearly all three of the Trinity together. The Gospels are a major unveiling of the distinctions between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We see that God is economically three for the accomplishment of His purpose.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke mainly tell us about the coming of Jesus the Son and His redemptive work. The Gospel of John goes much further to show us that this Jesus is the Triune God who comes to be our life essentially. John speaks more about the divine life and shows us more about the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit than any other book of the Bible. We have already used many verses from John to describe the Triune God and our experience of Him. There is, however, a section in Luke that we ought to consider in this lesson.
Luke 15 unveils to us the love of the Triune God toward sinners. In this chapter are three parables that are wonderful pictures of God's salvation worked out by the divine Trinity. The three parables refer to the Three in the divine Trinity. The first parable is about the shepherd who goes out to seek one lost sheep (vv. 4-7); it refers to the Son. The second is about the woman who lights a lamp to search for one lost coin (vv. 8-10); it refers to the Holy Spirit. The third is about the loving father who receives back his prodigal (wasteful) son (vv. 11-32); it refers to the heavenly Father.
The sequence is not according to the Person of the Trinity, as in Matthew 28:19, but according to our access (entrance) into the Triune God, as in Ephesians 2:18. In the four Gospels the Son, portrayed as the good shepherd, comes first to accomplish redemption, the foundation of God's salvation. Then in the Acts the Spirit comes to find us. This results in our repentance. Then we come back to God the Father who is waiting to receive us.
The Son as the Shepherd came to the wilderness to seek the one lost sheep (v. 4). In the eyes of God the entire world is a wilderness, a wild and desolate place in which everyone is lost. The Son's way to seek us out is to die for us (John 10:15). The Holy Spirit came to find us, just like the woman looked for the lost coin in the house (v. 8). The house refers to our being. The "sweeping" work of the Spirit is to enlighten our mind, emotion, will, and conscience — our entire inner being — finely and carefully, until we are found. The lamp used by the woman signifies the word of God (Psa. 119:105, 130). The word is used by the Spirit to expose our position and condition. That is what it means to be "found." Then, having been enlightened, we repent; that is, we make a decision to return to the Father. The Father is waiting for us to return (v. 20), and eventually He brings us back into His house (v. 25), which is the church.
How wonderful is the divine love expressed in these parables! Have you ever considered yourself as a lost sheep in the wilderness? Read Luke 15 again while considering this lesson. You should appreciate how precious we are to the Triune God.
The Gospels record the ministry of the incarnated Jesus on the earth. Acts then records the work of the resurrected and ascended Christ in the heavens. This work is carried out on earth through the believers who have Christ living in them. This is possible because the Lord has become the life-giving Spirit. In the form of the Spirit He can get into them. All that the Lord Jesus accomplished is dispensed into and applied to the disciples that they may spread Christ and establish churches all over the earth. At the same time, Acts shows us two practices by which we can participate in and enjoy the Triune God: calling on the name of the Lord and baptism.
Although calling on the Lord is mentioned often in the Old Testament, it is first mentioned in the New Testament in Acts 2:21 as Peter was preaching the gospel. The early Christians in Acts were known by others because they called on the Lord's name (Acts 9:14, 21). Immediately after Saul of Tarsus (who became Paul) was caught by the Lord, Ananias charged him to be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).
Calling on His name is the way for us to enjoy all that the Triune God is, such as love and light, all He has accomplished, such as the forgiveness of sins, and all He has attained, such as His ascension. And we know that His name today is "Lord Jesus." The Triune God who was processed in the Gospels can now be richly and joyfully enjoyed by us when we exercise our spirit and call, "Lord Jesus!"
In Matthew 28:19 the Lord charged the disciples to baptize the believers into the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. But later, in Acts, they baptized the believers into the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:16; 19:5). Did they make a mistake? Certainly not. Here is proof again of what we have said before: the Lord Jesus is the embodiment of the Triune God. He is the Triune God. So, to be baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus is the same as being baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When you were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus you were put into the Person of the Lord, the Triune God. You are no longer in yourself or in the world but in God!
Saul hated the church and persecuted the believers until he was saved by the Lord. When he was baptized, all of his past was buried and he was put into Christ. By his calling he enjoyed the washing away of his sins. By calling he received the very Person into whom he had been baptized.
You may not feel that you are as bad as Saul who threw the believers into prison. But perhaps you always seem to get into arguments with your family members. Actually, to the Lord, this is also sinful. Suppose you just had a disagreement with your mother. One hour later you are still upset and bothered. You cannot understand why she does not see things your way. The more you think about it the more your insides boil. At such a time you are fully in yourself. You "know" you are right, yet you feel miserable so you begin to call on the Lord softly. The more you call, the more the "steam" inside cools off. Soon you realize that you have dishonored your mother; you feel shameful. So you pray, "Lord, I was wrong, forgive me." You even apologize to your mother. You then feel so released and the Lord (and your mother) seem so dear to you.
This is an experience of your calling on the Lord and of your baptism. In such a situation could you, by yourself, admit you were wrong and apologize? Probably not. Your calling brought more of the Triune God as the Spirit into you. He came as light, forgiveness, and love. As you called on Him, the Lord shined on your sinfulness. But He also came as forgiveness and love. Praise the Lord! You were brought out of your self and your feelings and were put into the Triune God. We need to remember this all the time — to call upon the name of the Lord and to realize that we are no longer in the world, our self, and our sins. We have been baptized into the Lord Jesus, and we are those who call on the dear name of our Lord.
