The Incorporation of the Triune God in Himself and with His Believers

Book excerpt: "Incorporation" refers to the joint concept of the mutual indwelling of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit and Their mutual working together as one. These two concepts are not new in Christian thought, but they are overlooked by many Christian teachers and writers today and, consequently, by many Christians in general. The effect of this omission is that many common believers (if not their teachers!) fall easily into the mistaken view that the three of the Divine Trinity exist separably, act separably, and therefore are separably three Gods, even though most know better than to say so. This book is at one level a reaction to that mistaken view, because the writers of the New Testament were very far from it in their concept and utterance. But at stake is not just the Trinity as the capital teaching of the Christian faith (if that were not enough to be concerned about). The essence of true Christian experience is also greatly affected by our understanding of how the Triune God is in Himself and how He acts in Himself, for according to the New Testament the essence of the believers' life and living is the extension of the Triune God's mutual indwelling and mutual working together as one within them. Thus, at another level this book is a reaction to a merely moral and ethical view of the Christian life, because, again, the writers of the New Testament present the Christian life more profoundly as the believers' incorporation of the Triune God, who lives and operates within them. The content of this book is a careful consideration of the incorporation of the Triune God in Himself and with His believers as evidenced textually in the New Testament, particularly the Gospel of John through the Epistle of Jude.