三、创世前并无三一，道成肉身后方在主内成全三一
170# 在世界被造以前，并无此三一；乃是在世界被造以后，当上帝成肉身时，此三一才被预备并成就，并且是在主上帝、救赎者与救主耶稣基督里面。
今日基督教会承认一种世界被造以前的神性三一；其说乃谓：耶和华上帝自永恒生出子，又谓圣灵遂由二者而出，并且此三者各自凭自身、分别皆为上帝，因为每一位都是由自身而独立存在的一个位格。然而，此说既不能落入任何理性，便被称为奥秘；而人进入此奥秘，惟有借此一说，即三者共有一个神性本质；所谓这一本质，乃指永恒、无量、全能，并由此而有同等的神性、荣耀与威严。但此三一实为三位上帝，因而根本不是神性三一，这将在下文证明。
然而，真正的三一，同样是父、子与圣灵之三一；此三一乃在上帝成肉身以后，也就是在世界被造以后，被预备并成就的。此乃神性三一，因为它是一位上帝的三一；这一点由前文所述一切已显然可知。此神性三一在主上帝、救赎者与救主耶稣基督里面；因为构成一个本质的一位上帝之三样本质要素，皆在祂里面。
按照保罗所言，神性一切的丰盛都在祂里面；这一点亦由主自己的话显明：父所有的一切都是祂的；圣灵并非凭自己说话，乃是由祂而说。并且，祂复活时从坟墓中取回了祂全部的人性身体，无论肉与骨皆然，这与一切其他人不同（太28:1-8；可16:5-6；路24:1-3；约20:11-15）。祂又当面向门徒明证此事，说：“你们看我的手、我的脚，便知实在是我；摸我看看，因为灵没有肉和骨，正如你们看见我是有的。”（路24:39）
由此，凡人若愿意，皆可确信：主的人性乃是神性；因此，在祂里面，上帝是人，人也是上帝。
170# （3）在创世之前，这三位一体并不存在；而是在创造之后，就是当神道成肉身时，它才被提供并存在，然后出现在主神救赎主和救主耶稣基督里面。当今基督教会承认一个神性三位一体存在于创世之前；也就是说，耶和华神自永恒生下了一个儿子，然后圣灵从这两者出来，这三者中的每一个都独自或单独为神，因为每一个都是一个自存的位格。然而，这一点并不符合理性，所以被称为一个奥秘，这个奥秘只能以这种方式被参透：这三者拥有一个神性本质，这个神性本质是指永恒、无限、全能，因而是同等的神性、荣耀和威严。但下文将说明，这个三位一体是三个神的三位一体，因而绝不是一个神性三位一体。此外，从前文明显可知，当神道成肉身时，因而创世之后所提供并存在的三位一体，也就是父、子、圣灵的三位一体，是一个神性三位一体，因为它是一位神里面的一个三位一体。这个神性三位一体在主神救赎主和救主耶稣基督里面，因为构成一个本质的一位神的三个要素在祂里面。如保罗所说，神本性一切的丰盛都居住在祂里面，这一点从主自己的话也明显看出来，即：凡父所有的，都是祂的；圣灵不是凭自己说话，而是从祂说话；最后当祂复活时，祂从坟墓中取走了祂的整个人体，包括肉和骨（马太福音28:1-8; 马可福音16:5，6; 路加福音24:1-3; 约翰福音20:11-15），这与其他所有人都不同。祂为此向门徒作了活生生的见证，说：
你们看我的手，我的脚，是我自己；摸我看看；灵无肉无骨，你们看，我是有的。（路加福音24:39）
若愿意，每个人由此都可以确信，主的人身或人性是神性；因此，在祂里面，神为人，人为神。
170. 3. This Trinity did not exist before the world was created. It developed after the world was created, when God became flesh. It came into existence in the Lord God the Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ. Nowadays the Christian church asserts that the divine Trinity came into existence before the world was created: Before time, Jehovah God bore a Son. Then the Holy Spirit went out from them both. Each of the three is a God all by himself, in that each is a single self-sufficient person.
Because this concept does not square with any type of reasoning, it is called a mystery. The only way to grasp the concept is to think that the three share one divine essence - an essential eternity, immensity, and omnipotence and therefore equal divinity, glory, and majesty.
I will show in the sections to come, however, that such a concept becomes a trinity of gods and is therefore not a divine Trinity. On the other hand, from everything I have already said it is evident that a trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that developed after God became flesh, and therefore after the world was created, is a real divine trinity because it is a trinity in one God. This divine trinity exists in the Lord God the Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ because the three essential components of the one God that go together to form one essence exist within him.
Paul's point that all the fullness of divinity dwells in Christ is clearly paralleled in the Lord's own statements that all things belonging to the Father are his and that the Holy Spirit speaks from him, not on its own. Furthermore, when the Lord rose from the tomb, he took along his entire human body, including its flesh and bones (Matthew 28:18; Mark 16:5-6; Luke 24:1-3; John 20:11-15). He did this in a way that no other human being does. He himself gave experiential proof of this to the disciples when he said,
See my hands and my feet - that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have. (Luke 24:39)
This statement has the power to convince any open-minded person that the Lord's human manifestation is divine, and therefore that in him God is human and a human is God.
170. (iii) THIS TRINITY DID NOT EXIST BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD, BUT IT WAS PROVIDED AND MADE AFTER THE CREATION OF THE WORLD, WHEN GOD BECAME INCARNATE, AND THEN WAS IN THE LORD GOD, THE REDEEMER AND SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST.
The Christian church to-day recognises a Divine Trinity existing before the creation of the world, stating that Jehovah God fathered a Son from eternity, and the Holy Spirit issued from both of them; and each of the three is by Himself or singly God, because each is one person, who exists of Himself. Since this lies beyond the grasp of reason, it is called a mystery, which is only accessible by the belief that the three share a single Divine essence; by this is meant eternity, immensity, omnipotence and so equal Divinity, glory and majesty. But it will be proved in what follows that this is a trinity of three Gods, and thus no Divine Trinity. Yet it is obvious from everything said before that the Trinity, also of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which was provided and made after God's incarnation, so after the creation of the world, is the Divine Trinity, because it consists of one God.
[2] The reason why this Divine Trinity is in the Lord God, the Redeemer and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is that the three essentials of one God, which compose a single essence, are in Him. All the fulness of the Godhead is in Him, as Paul says, and this is clear from the words of the Lord Himself, that all things of the Father's are His, and the Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself but from Him; moreover, when He rose from the dead, He took from the tomb His whole human body, flesh as well as bones (Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:5-6; Luke 24:1-3; John 20:11-15), a thing no other person can do. He gave the disciples a living proof of this when He said:
Look at my hands and my feet, as proof that it is I myself; touch me and look, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me have, Luke 24:39.
This can convince anyone, who is willing to believe, that the Lord's Human is Divine, and thus in Him God is man and man God.
170. (3) Before the world was created this Trinity was not; but after creation, when God became incarnate, it was provided and brought about, and then in the Lord God the Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ. In the Christian church at the present day a Divine trinity existing before the creation of the world is acknowledged; that is, that Jehovah God begat a Son from eternity, and that the Holy Spirit then went forth from both, and that each of these three is by Himself or singly God, because each is one person subsisting of Himself. But as this is incomprehensible to all reason it is called a mystery, which can be penetrated only in this way-that these three have one Divine essence, by which is meant eternity, immensity, omnipotence, and thus an equal Divinity, glory, and majesty. But that this trinity is a trinity of three Gods, and therefore in no sense a Divine trinity, will be shown in what follows: while from all that precedes it is evident that the trinity (which is also a trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) which was provided and brought about when God became incarnate, thus after the world was created, is a Divine trinity, because it is a trinity in one God. This divine trinity is in the Lord God the Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ, because the three essentials of the one God, which constitute one essence, are in Him. That in Him (as Paul says) dwelleth all the fullness of Divinity is evident also from the words of the Lord Himself, that all things of the Father are His, and that the Holy Spirit speaks from Him, and not of itself; and finally, that when He arose He took from the sepulchre His whole human body, both the flesh and the bones (Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:5, 6; Luke 24:1-3; John 20:11-15), unlike any other man; of which He bore living witness to His disciples, saying:
Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself handle Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have (Luke 24:39).
From this every man may be convinced, if he will, that the Lord's humanity is Divine; consequently, that in Him God is Man and Man is God.
170. (3) BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD THIS TRINITY DID NOT EXIST; BUT AFTER THE CREATION OF THE WORLD, WHEN GOD BECAME INCARNATE, IT WAS PROVIDED FOR AND CAME INTO EXISTENCE, AND WAS THEN IN THE LORD GOD, THE REDEEMER, AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.
In the Christian world at the present day a Divine Trinity is acknowledged as existing before the creation of the world. It is based on the belief that Jehovah God from eternity begot a Son, and that the Holy Spirit then came forth from both, and that each of these three is God by Himself or separately, since each is a Person subsisting from Himself. This, however, as it is not in accordance with reason, is termed a mystery, an approach to which can only be made by supposing that to these three there pertains one Divine Essence, by which is meant eternity, immensity, omnipotence and, consequently, equal Divinity, Glory and Majesty. But this trinity is one of three gods, and thus is not a Divine Trinity, as will be shown in what follows. Moreover, the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which was provided for and came into existence after God became incarnate, and so after the creation of the world, is a Divine Trinity, because it is of one God, as is evident from all that precedes. This Divine Trinity is in the Lord God, the Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, because the three essentials of one God, which constitute one essence, are in Him. That all the fullness of the Godhead is in Him, as Paul declares, is evident also from the Lord's own words, that all that the Father hath is His, and that the Holy Spirit speaks not from itself but from Him; and further that when He rose, He took from the sepulchre His whole human body, both the flesh and the bones,
Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:5-6; Luke 24:1-3; John 20:11-15,
unlike all other men. This also He testified openly to the disciples, saying,
"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" Luke 24:39.
From this every man may be convinced, if he is willing, that the Human of the Lord is Divine, and consequently that in Him God is Man and Man is God.
170. III. QUOD ANTE MUNDUM CREATUM NON FUERIT HAEC TRINITAS, SED QUOD POST MUNDUM CREATUM, QUANDO DEUS INCARNATUS EST, PROVISA ET FACTA SIT, ET TUNC IN DOMINO DEO REDEMPTORE ET SALVATORE JESU CHRISTO. In Ecclesia Christiana hodie agnoscitur Divina Trinitas ante Mundum creatum, quae est, quod Jehovah Deus ab aeterno genuerit Filium, et quod ex utroque tunc exiverit Spiritus Sanctus, et quod quisque ex Tribus illis per se aut singulatim sit Deus, quia quisque est una Persona subsistens ex se; sed hoc, quia non cadit in ullam rationem, vocatur mysterium, in quod solum intrari potest per hoc, quod Tribus illis una Divina Essentia sit, per quam intelligitur Aeternitas, Immensitas, Omnipotentia, et inde aequalis Divinitas, Gloria et Majestas; sed quod haec Trinitas sit trium Deorum, et sic non aliqua Trinitas Divina, in sequentibus demonstrabitur; at vero quod Trinitas, quae etiam est Patris, Filii et Spiritus Sancti, quae postquam Deus incarnatus est, ita post Mundum creatum, provisa et facta est, sit Divina Trinitas, quia est unius Dei, ex cunctis quae praecedunt, evidens est.
[2] Quod Divina haec Trinitas sit in Domino Deo Redemptore et Salvatore Jesu Christo, est quia tria Essentialia unius Dei, quae unam Essentiam faciunt, in Ipso sunt: quod in Ipso omnis plenitudo Divinitatis sit, secundum Paulum, constat etiam ex Ipsius Domini verbis, quod omnia Patris sint Ipsius, et quod Spiritus Sanctus non loquatur ex se sed ex Ipso; ac insuper, quod ex sepulchro, cum resurrexit, desumserit totum Humanum suum Corpus tam quoad Carnem quam quoad Ossa, Matthaeus 28:1-8; Marcus 16:5-6; Luca 24:1-3; Johannes 20:11-15, secus ac omnis alius homo; quod etiam ad vivum testatus est Discipulis, dicens, "Videte manus meas et pedes meos, quod Ipse Ego sim; palpate Me et videte, nam Spiritus non carnem et ossa habet, sicut Me videtis habere," Luca 24:39: ex hoc omnis homo potest convinci, si vult, quod Humanum Domini sit Divinum, proinde quod in Ipso Deus sit Homo et Homo Deus.