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In the last five chapters we have pointed out that in the Lord’s recovery we preach the gospel for the purpose that God might gain what He desires. God desires that a group of His chosen people would experience Christ subjectively in a full way. This experience of Christ is not for religion but for the proper church life, for the expression of Christ as the centrality and universality of God’s economy. This is the Lord’s recovery. The recovery today is of two main items: the experience of Christ and the proper church life. The recovery is not concerned with the objective knowledge of Christ for the doctrine of religion but with the subjective experience of Christ for the practical church life. This always arouses the hatred of the enemy. Satan, the devil, the subtle enemy of God, instigates religious people to oppose us, attack us, and spread rumors against us. These rumors are mainly concerned with the doctrine of the Trinity and the church. The opposers accuse us of being heretical in these two matters. The critics accuse me of teaching heresy regarding the Trinity. They say that Witness Lee teaches that the Son is the Father and the Spirit and that this teaching is modalism. A definition of modalism is found in our booklet entitled Modalism, Tritheism, or the Pure Revelation of the Triune God according to the Bible.
Throughout the past nineteen centuries, all the leading Christian teachers touched this matter of the Trinity. During the centuries, three main schools of teaching concerning the Trinity have emerged: modalism, tritheism, and the pure revelation according to the Bible. Modalism teaches that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not all eternal and do not all exist at the same time but are merely three temporary manifestations of the one God. Tritheism teaches that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three Gods. To which of these schools do you belong? Are you a modalist? I beg you to have nothing to do with modalism, for that extreme view is a heresy. It is also a great heresy to teach that there are three Gods. Probably a great many of you in the past unconsciously held the idea of three Gods. Before coming into the church life you might have held this view.
In 1965 a brother came to visit me. He had opposed me in Hong Kong because I pointed out that the Bible says that the Son is the Father and that the Lord is the Spirit. He was the first to condemn me for this. All the rumors concerning my so-called heresies came from him as the source. This brother expected that I would no longer say that the Son is the Father and that the Lord is the Spirit. When I asked him how many Gods he believed in, he definitely answered, “Three Gods!” I immediately responded, “You should never say this. This is certainly heretical.” When he asked me about Psalm 82:6, which says, “You are gods,” I pointed out that the word gods in this verse does not refer to God but to angels. I cite this example to prove that there actually was a person who told me that he believed in three Gods. Although many so-called fundamental Christians would not dare say this openly, within them they hold the concept of three Gods.
According to the natural law in God’s creation, there is the law of balance. Nothing can exist without having two sides. For example, the earth exists because of two forces: centrifugal force thrusts the earth away, and centripetal force holds it back. This is the balance of power. All the truths in the Bible also have two sides. This is even true of the matter of justification. Although many Christians have only one side of justification, the side of justification by faith, the book of James clearly says that justification is not only by faith but also by works (2:17-26). In order to hold a truth properly, we must hold both sides of it. The pure revelation of the Triune God occupies a central position between the extremes of modalism and tritheism.
In Catholicism there is the great heresy which says that the virgin Mary is the mother of God and that we must worship her. There is some scriptural ground for claiming that Mary is the mother of God because the Lord Jesus, who is God, was born of her. It is absolutely correct to say that Mary was the mother of the Lord Jesus. But to claim that because Jesus is God and because Mary is the mother of Jesus, that Mary is then the mother of God is to go too far and to reach a heretical extreme. It is scriptural to say that Mary is the mother of Jesus, but it is heretical to say that she is the mother of God. The principle is the same with respect to the Trinity. Because the truths in the Bible have two sides, there are two aspects to the Trinity: the aspect of the one-in-three and the aspect of the three-in-one. Modalism is an extreme on the side of the three-in-one. There is, of course, ground in the Scriptures for the side of the three-in-one, but modalism, going to an extreme far beyond the confines of the Bible, neglects and even annuls the side of the one-in-three. Modalism has gone beyond the confines of the Scriptures concerning the aspect of the three. Hence, it is a heresy on the extreme of the one. Tritheism is the opposite extreme. Tritheism stresses the side of the three and neglects the side of the one. It also has scriptural ground because the Father, the Son, and the Spirit certainly are three. But tritheism, like modalism, also goes beyond the confines of the Bible and becomes a heresy. Therefore, both modalism and tritheism, being extremes, are heresies. The diagram below will help us to visualize this:
The Bible is not at either of these extremes; it stands in the center, testifying the twofoldness of the truth of the Trinity. In this matter, the Scriptures are balanced. The Bible, true to the principle of balance in God’s creation, is balanced and in the center; it does not go to an extreme. Are you sure that regarding the truth of the Triune God you are in the center?
Now we need to see the pure revelation of the Triune God in the Bible. Let us first read Isaiah 9:6. “A child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; / And the government / Is upon His shoulder; / And His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, / Mighty God, / Eternal Father, / Prince of Peace.” According to this verse, a child is born to us, and a Son is given to us. The words to us indicate that this is not a doctrine but an experience. If I give you a watch, the watch given to you is not a doctrine but a gift for your experience. In the Bible there is no such thing as the doctrine of the Trinity. There is the doctrine of justification by faith, but there is no doctrine of the Trinity. Every mention of the Triune God is for our experience. In Isaiah 9:6 the Triune God is mentioned as a child born to us and a Son given to us. Hallelujah for this “to us”! Do not twist these words. A child is simply a child, and a Son is simply a Son. When the Bible says a child, I believe a child, and when the Bible says a Son, I believe a Son. This verse also says that “His name will be called Wonderful.” He is called Wonderful because we cannot understand Him thoroughly or speak of Him adequately. He is unspeakable, ineffable. If we could understand Him fully, He would no longer be wonderful. Furthermore, this verse tells us that His name is “Counselor.” Following this, He is called “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father.”
Any healthy mind would understand that Mighty God must refer to the child and that Eternal Father must refer to the Son. As no one would twist the words child or Son, no one twists the name Mighty God. Every Christian believes that the child Jesus born in the manger at Bethlehem is the mighty God. No Christian twists this part of the verse. Anyone who does not believe that the child born in Bethlehem is the mighty God is not a genuine Christian; rather, he is an unbeliever. Although he might be a Jew, he is not a Christian. Based upon the same principle, we must also believe that the Son is the eternal Father. In brief, the child is God, and the Son is the Father. Who can twist this? One day, Martin Luther declared that as long as he stood with the Bible, no one could condemn him. Although I would not compare myself with Martin Luther, I also say the same thing. As long as I stand with the pure word of the Bible, no one can accuse me. If anyone accuses, he does not accuse me; he accuses the Bible. I do not teach about Isaiah 9:6 or interpret it—I simply quote it.
Isaiah 9:6 reveals clearly that the child is the mighty God and that the Son is the eternal Father. This is not merely a word written by Isaiah; it is an utterance inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit says that the child is called the mighty God and that the Son is called the eternal Father. Why does the Holy Spirit speak this way? The reason is that the child came for the purpose of bringing God to us. The little child Jesus came to the human race to bring God to man. Was He a child or God?
Certainly He was both, for the child and God are one. Because He is the mighty God, when people contact Him, they contact God. The child was the embodiment of God and brought God to man. The principle is the same with the Son. The Son brings the Father to us. Without the child, no one can touch God, and without the Son no one can reach the Father. The child brings God to us, and, in the same principle, the Son brings the Father to us. Do you want to contact God? You have no way except through the child Jesus. Do you want to reach the Father? You have no way except through the Son (John 14:6). When we receive the child, we have God, and when we receive the Son, we have the Father.
Here we see the basic truth that God is not only our God but also our Father. God’s being God to us is mainly a matter of His creation, but His being the Father to us is mainly in regeneration. As God’s creatures, we need to have God as our God. But as the children of God, we need God to be our Father. We are not merely God’s creatures having God as our God; we are also His children having God as our Father. Today is God only God to you and not the Father? Many times I say, “O God, my Father, I worship You.” When I say, “O God, my Father,” I imply that I am a little creature, yet I have been regenerated to be a child of the Father. I am not only a little creature of God; I am also a child of the Father. This absolutely corresponds to the basic truth in the New Testament. In the Old Testament God is rarely called the Father. The few times that this is mentioned are found mainly in Isaiah. However, in nearly every Epistle in the New Testament, the writers speak of God the Father. The apostle Paul also says, “God our Father” (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 1:2). Praise the Lord that we are not merely creatures of the creating God but also children born of the begetting Father! Today our God is not only the creating Creator; He is also the begetting Father. This is the basic truth of Isaiah 9:6, and no one can argue with it. I believe that the Lord Jesus was the child, and I believe that He was also the Son. As the child He brought God to us, and as the Son He brought us to the Father. Thus, our God today is God the Father.
I invite you to exercise your spirit and your mind over Isaiah 9:6. This verse first says that a child is born to us and that His name is the mighty God. Then it also says that a Son is given to us and that His name is the eternal Father. Oh, Jesus is both! He not only brought God to us, but He also brought us to the Father. How balanced He is! He was not only the child but also the Son. This is wonderful. As you believe that the child is the mighty God, do you also believe that, according to Isaiah 9:6, the Son is the Father? Do not say that this is Brother Lee’s teaching. It is not fair to say this. You must say, “Isaiah 9:6 tells me that the Son is the Father.” This is not modalism. It is the pure revelation in the Bible. I beg our critics to exercise their conscience concerning who is heretical. Who is heretical—a man who believes exactly according to the pure word of God or those who twist this verse? Be fair! I like to be honest and exercise my conscience. I beg you to exercise your conscience and to be fair. Can you honestly say that Witness Lee is a heretic when he points out that, according to Isaiah 9:6, the Son is the Father?
I would like now to quote a portion from the transcription of a tape recording of a discussion held regarding us. The speaker is the author of a tract against us:
Anyway, Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given...and the government shall reign upon his shoulders...his name shall be called the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father.” There Jesus is called the Father, right? So, He is the Father. That’s Isaiah 9:6. Now, we don’t normally say this because tradition is involved. Jesus is called the Father; He must be the Father.
After admitting the truth, the speaker then begins to twist this verse:
We were taught that there should be another interpretation of the Hebrew word. Instead of everlasting Father, it should be Father of eternity, the originator...a figurative term in that case, the one who begot eternity, the one who set it forth. And so...as you look at the Bible, it does reveal these two distinct persons, so Jesus can’t be the Father. Many verses they give you on this subject you have to look at very carefully. It can’t be. It is impossible this way.
Hence, the speaker concludes that it is impossible for Jesus to be the Father.
I do not care how some twist this verse or how they interpret the word Father—as the everlasting Father, the Father of eternity, the eternal Father, the Father who begot eternity, the Father of creation, the Father of Israel, the Father of some invention, or the Father of the age to come, as indicated by the footnote in a version of the Septuagint—He is the Father, and no one can deny that He is the Father. Do you believe that besides the divine Father of the Godhead there is another divine Father? Because the critics cannot keep away from this verse, they do their best to twist it. But no matter how much they twist it, they cannot eliminate the word Father.
In this universe there is just one divine Father. How can there be two divine Fathers? The critics say, “The Father in Isaiah 9:6 is not the Holy Father with the Son and the Holy Spirit. This Father is the Father of the age to come, the Father of Israel, or the Father of something else.” But do you believe that the Father in Isaiah 9:6 is separate from the unique Father of the Godhead? We need to put out a booklet entitled What a Heresy—Two Divine Fathers, Two Life-giving Spirits, and Three Gods!
Nearly every truth in the Bible has more than one verse to substantiate it. Isaiah 9:6 is confirmed and strengthened by John 14:7-11, where the Lord made it clear to the disciples that He and the Father are one. In John 10:30 He told the Jews the same thing. Who can deny that according to the pure revelation of the Bible, the Son is the Father? Do not listen to the traditional talk. Others may care for their tradition, but we only care for the pure revelation according to the Bible.
Concerning the Lord’s being the Spirit, let us turn to 1 Corinthians 15:45, which says, “‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul’; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” Undoubtedly, the last Adam here was Christ in the flesh. This last Adam became the life-giving Spirit through the process of resurrection. First Corinthians 15 deals with resurrection. Because Christ as the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit through resurrection, He is now the life-giving Spirit. Who can deny this? The pure, clear word says that Christ today is the life-giving Spirit. The critics and opposers also twist this verse. Some of them say, “The spirit here is not the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is the human spirit of Jesus.” Certainly, this is not Christ’s human spirit, for before He died, He had a human spirit already. There was no need for Him to become the human spirit through death and resurrection. Praise the Lord that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul had the wisdom to say that the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. Do you believe that besides the Holy Spirit there is another Spirit who gives life? Who would dare say this? No matter how you interpret the word Spirit in 1 Corinthians 15:45, you must admit that the Bible says that this Spirit is the life-giving Spirit. According to the New Testament, only the Holy Spirit is the Spirit who gives life (2 Cor. 3:6; John 6:63). There cannot be two life-giving Spirits. The opposers’ not believing that Christ today is the Holy Spirit implies that, for them, there are two life-giving Spirits. They say that the life-giving Spirit in 1 Corinthians 15:45 is another Spirit besides the Holy Spirit. According to their interpretation, there are two life-giving Spirits. This is more than heresy! I appeal to your conscience and ask you to be fair. Who is heretical—a man who believes the pure word according to 1 Corinthians 15:45, saying that Christ today is the life-giving Spirit, or those who twist this verse and thereby imply that there are two life-giving Spirits?
As I considered the possibility of putting out a booklet on the heresy of two divine Fathers, two life-giving Spirits, and three Gods, I prayed regarding the title. I was concerned that I might condemn others unfairly. But the more I prayed and considered, the more I realized that this title would not be unfair. Many unconsciously believe that there are two divine Fathers and two life-giving Spirits, and some, although not all, have three Gods. And they dare to say that I and the churches are heretical! Because of all the lies and rumors, we have been forced to issue a refutation. The critics base their talk upon the Nicene Creed. Actually, their talk is their interpretation of the Nicene Creed. I do not care for that creed—I only care for the pure word of the Bible. As long as I stand with the Bible, no one has the ground to accuse me of being heretical.
Some have advised me not to say that the Son is the Father and that the Lord is the Spirit. But the more they advised me, the stronger I became in speaking what the Bible says. According to the Bible, I said that today our Christ, who is the Son, who became a man, who died on the cross for our sins, and who resurrected from the dead, is not only the Son but also the Father and the Spirit. When we have Him, we have the Father, and when we call on Him, we receive the Spirit. First John 2:23 says, “Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who confesses the Son has the Father also.” If the Son were not the Father, how then could we have the Father whenever we confess the Son? Furthermore, Acts 2:17 and 21 show that if we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, we receive the Spirit. This is not a matter of doctrine but of experience. If you consider your experience, you will realize that when you believed in the Lord Jesus and received Him, you received the Father, and that when you call on the name of the Lord Jesus, you receive the Spirit. In this chapter I am stressing the facts in the Bible to prove that whatever the Lord has shown us through the years and whatever we minister is absolutely according to the pure word of the Bible. Do not approach me with your traditional knowledge. I do not care for that. Do not use your concept to argue with me. You must point out the verses in the Bible that correspond to your concept.
I would ask you all to study the book Concerning the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In this book I quote a number of great Christian teachers who have said that Christ, the Lord, is the Spirit. The foremost among them is Andrew Murray. Church history testifies that many great teachers, especially from ancient times, have said that in our experience Christ is equal to the Spirit.
Second Corinthians 3:17 says, “The Lord is the Spirit.” Who can twist this? Recently, I heard of someone who twisted this verse by saying that the Lord here is God, not Jesus Christ. But no matter how the critics attempt to twist the truth in the Bible, the Bible remains the Bible. It is ridiculous and even stupid to deny that Christ today is the Spirit. If you deny this, it means that you do not believe the Bible. If you believe the Bible, then you must say, “Lord, thank You for being the Spirit.”
Some of the critics say, “Matthew 3:16-17 says that the Son was standing there, that the Father was speaking from heaven, and that the Spirit was descending upon the Son. All three took action at the same time. Surely by the way you speak you don’t believe this.” Our answer is that we believe it more than our critics do, for we believe the Bible according to the pure word. We believe whatever the Bible says. I can point out many verses which say that the Father, Son, and Spirit are there at the same time. Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” All three, the Son, the Father, and the Spirit, are here. In Ephesians 3:14-17 Paul bowed his knees unto the Father, praying that He would strengthen the saints through His Spirit so that Christ might make His home in their hearts. Here we see the Father, the Spirit, and Christ. This is the Triune God.
What is the error in modalism? Modalism teaches that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not all eternal and do not all exist at the same time. Rather, it claims that the revelation of the Son ended with the ascension and that after the ascension the Son ceased to exist. Modalism has gone too far, not believing in the coinherence and coexistence of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Unlike the modalists, we believe in the coinherence and coexistence of the three of the Godhead; that is, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all exist at the same time and under the same conditions. We also believe that all three are eternal. Isaiah 9:6 says that the Father is eternal, Hebrews 1:12 and 7:3 indicate that the Son is eternal, and Hebrews 9:14 speaks of the eternal Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not temporary but are eternal.
