The saints have distinct communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit

Posted : 12 Dec, 2013 02:11 AM

The saints have communion with God. What this communion consists of in general was declared in the

first chapter. How this communion is carried on, and what it consists of specifically, comes next. In

respect to the distinct persons of the Godhead with whom the saints have this fellowship, it is either a

distinct and unique relationship with each, or it is obtained and exercised jointly and in common. It must

be made clear that the saints have distinct and separate communions each with the Father, and the Son,

and the Holy Spirit. It must be made clear how distinct communion with the several persons of the

godhead is uniquely appropriated for each.



In 1 John 5:7, the apostle tells us, �There are three that bear record in heaven: the Father, the Word, and

the Holy Spirit.� They are in heaven and bear witness to us. What is it that they bear witness to? To the

sonship of Christ, and the salvation of believers in his blood. He discusses how that is carried on, both by

blood and water, which is our justification and sanctification. And how do they distinctly bear witness to

this? When God witnesses concerning our salvation, surely it is incumbent on us to accept his testimony.

As he bears witness, so we are to receive it. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each bear witness

distinctly, because they are three distinct witnesses. That, then, is how we are to receive their several

testimonies: distinctly. In doing so, we have communion with them severally, because this giving and

receiving of testimony is no small part of our fellowship with God. What their distinct witnessing consists

of will be declared later.



In 1 Cor. 12:4-6, the apostle distinctly ascribes to the several persons of the godhead the distribution of

gifts and graces to the saints. �There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit,� �that one and the self

same Spirit;� that is, the Holy Spirit in verse 11. �And there are differences of administrations, but the

same Lord,� that is, the same Lord Jesus in verse 5. �And there are diversities of operations, but it is the

same God...,� which is the Father, Eph. 4:6. So graces and gifts are bestowed distinctly, and that is how

they are received.



The same distinction applies not only in the emanation of grace from God, and the passing of the Spirit to

us, but also in our access to God. �For through Christ we have access by one Spirit to the Father,� Eph.

2:18. Our access to God (in which we have communion with him) is �dia Christou,� �through Christ,� �en

Pneumati,� �in the Spirit,� and �pros ton Patera,� �to the Father.� The persons of the godhead are

distinctively engaged in accomplishing the will of God as revealed in the gospel.



Sometimes express mention is made only of the Father and the Son, as in John 1:3, �Our fellowship is

with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.� The particle �and� is both distinguishing and uniting.

Also in John 14:23, �If a man loves me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will

come to him, and make our abode with him.� It is in this fellowship, or communion, that the Father and

Son make their abode with the soul.



Sometimes only the Son is mentioned in this communion. 1 Cor. 1:9, �God is faithful, by whom you were

called to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.� And in Rev. 3:20, �If any man hears my voice,

and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.�



Sometimes the Spirit alone is mentioned. �The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and

the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all,� 2 Cor. 13:14. This distinct communion, then, of the

saints with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, is very plain in the Scripture. Even so, it can be

demonstrated further. I must give this caution beforehand: whatever is affirmed in pursuit of this truth, is

done in relation to the explanation given in the beginning of the next chapter.



Their spiritual and holy activities are the means by which the saints enjoy communion with God in Christ.

It is found in the exercise of those graces that comprise the moral and instituted worship of God. Faith,

love, trust, joy, etc., are what comprise the natural or moral worship of God. These are the means by

which the saints have communion with him. These either act on God immediately, untied to any outward

display, or else they are visibly displayed in solemn prayer and praise, according to what God has

appointed. In all of these graces, the Scripture distinctly assigns the saints� acts to each person

respectively: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. This is true whether the acts are purely moral, or they are

part of instituted worship. I will give further light to this assertion using particular examples:



1. For the Father. The saints uniquely and distinctly yield their faith, love, obedience, etc., to the Father.

He uniquely manifests himself and responds to the saints through these graces, which should stimulate the

saints to practice them more. He bears witness of his Son, 1 John 5:9, �This is the witness of God which

he has testified of his Son.� In bearing witness, God becomes the object of our belief. And when he gives

such testimony, his testimony is received by faith. This is affirmed in verse 10, �He that believes on the

Son of God, has the witness in himself.� To believe on the Son of God in this passage, is to receive the

Lord Christ as the Son. He has been given to us for all the purposes of the Father�s love, based on the

credibility of the Father�s testimony. Therefore, in doing this, our faith immediately makes the Father the

object of our belief. So it follows in the next words, �he that does not believe God� (that is, the Father,

who bears witness to the Son) �has made him a liar.� �You believe in God,� says our Savior, John 14:1 �

that is, the Father, because he adds, �Believe also in me;� or, �Believe you in God; believe also in me.�

God, as the prima Veritas [the primary truth], is the primary object of this belief. It is founded on his

authority, in which all divine faith is ultimately resolved. Normally, faith is not considered

�hupostatikos,� distinctly expressing a specific person in the godhead. Instead, it is �ousiodos,�

comprehending the whole Deity undividedly. But in this particular case, it is the testimony and authority

of the Father that we speak of, and it is the Father on whom our faith is distinctly fixed. If this were not

so, the Son could not add, �Believe also in me.�



The same is also said of love in 1 John 2:15, �If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in

him.� This is speaking of the love we give to God, not the love we receive from him. The Father is the

object of our love here, in opposition to the world that consumes our affections. The Father denotes the

subject and object of our love, not the efficient cause of our love. And this love of him as a Father is what

he calls his �honor,� Mal. 1:6.



Furthermore, these graces that are acted out in our prayers and praises, or that are part of our instituted

worship, are uniquely directed toward the Father. �You call on the Father,� 1 Pet. 1:17. Eph. 3:14-15,

�For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in

heaven and earth is named.� Bowing the knee is the whole worship of God, whether in the universal

moral obedience that he requires, or in other ways that he appoints. Isa. 45:23, �To me,� says the Lord,

�every knee will bow, every tongue will swear.� In verses 24 and 25, he declares that this submission

consists in acknowledging him as the source of righteousness and strength. In fact, it sometimes seems to

include the orderly subjection of the whole creation to his sovereignty. In the Ephesian passage, the

apostle has a far more restrained use. It is only a figurative phrase, using the most expressive bodily

posture taken during prayer, which is kneeling. He further explains this in Eph. 3:16, 17. There he

expands on what his aim was, and what he had in mind in bowing his knees. Thus, the actions of the

Spirit in prayer are distinctly directed to the Father as the fountain of the Deity. The Father is the source

of all good things that we have in Christ, because he is the �Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.� In another

place, the apostle expressly joins, and then distinguishes, the Father and the Son in his supplications.

1Thess. 3:11, �God himself even our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.� The same

precedent is given in regard to thanksgiving. Eph. 1:3, 4, �Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ...� I will not add all the other places which agree with the particulars of this divine worship,

in which the saints hold communion with God, and distinctly direct it to the Father.



2. This is also true in reference to the Son John 14:1, �You believe in God,� says Christ, �believe also in

me.� �Believe also,� means letting our divine and supernatural faith act distinctly on the Son. It is that

faith whereby you believe in God, that is, in the Father. There is also a believing of Christ. This belief is

accepting that he is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Neglecting that belief incurs what our Savior

threatened the Pharisees with in John 8:24. �If you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.�

In this sense, faith is not immediately fixed on the Son. It only accepts Christ as the Son by believing the

testimony of the Father concerning him. But there is also a believing on him. This is called �Believing on

the name of the Son of God,� 1 John 5:13; also John 9:36. Indeed, distinctly affixing our faith,

commitment, and confidence on the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, is frequently pressed. John

3:16, �God� (that is, the Father) �so loved the world, that whoever believes in him� (that is, the Son)

�should not perish.� The Son that the Father gives must be believed on. �He that believes on him is not

condemned,� verse 18. � He that believes on the Son has everlasting life,� verse 36. �This is the work of

God, that you believe on the one whom he has sent,� John 6:29, 40; 1 John 5:10. The foundation of the

whole truth is laid down in John 5:23, �That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.

He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who has sent him.� As for the love of the Son, I

will only add that solemn apostolic benediction from Eph. 6:24, �Grace be with all those who love our

Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity,� that is, with divine love, or the love of religious worship. This is the only

proper love of the Lord Jesus.



The solemn doxology given in Rev. 1:5, 6, makes it abundantly clear that faith, hope, and love, acted out

in obedience and appointed worship, are specifically due from the saints, and distinctly directed to the

Son. �To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and

priests to God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.� This is stated with

even more glory in chap. 5:8, �The four living creatures, and the four and twenty elders fell down before

the Lamb, every one of them having harps, and golden vials full of fragrant aromas, which are the prayers

of saints.� And in verses 13 and 14, �Every creature that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the

earth, and those in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, �blessing, and honor, and glory, and

power, be to him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever.�� The Father and the Son

(he that sits upon the throne, and the Lamb) are held out jointly, yet distinctly, as the adequate object of

all divine worship and honor, forever and ever. Therefore, in his solemn, dying invocation, Stephen fixes

his faith and hope distinctly on Jesus, Acts 7:59, 60, �Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;� and, �Lord, lay not

this sin to their charge.� He knew that the son of man had the power to forgive sins. The apostle makes

this worship of the Lord Jesus the discriminating character of the saints in 1 Cor. 1:2, �With all that in

every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours,� that is, with all the saints

of God. Invocation generally comprises the whole worship of God. This, then, is what is due Christ as our

God and as the Son, though not as Mediator.



3. This is also true in reference to the Holy Spirit of grace. The great sin of unbelief is still described as

opposing and resisting the Holy Spirit. You have the love of the Spirit distinctly mentioned in Rom.

15:30. The apostle specifically directs his supplication to him in that solemn benediction found in 2Cor.

13:14, �The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit,

be with you all.� Such benedictions were originally supplications. The Holy Spirit is also entitled to all

instituted worship. This is understood from the administration of baptism in his name, Matt. 28:19. More

will be said about this later.



Now, to sum up what has been said: There is no grace by which our souls reach out to God, no act of

divine worship that is yielded to him, no duty or obedience that is performed, that is not distinctly

directed to the Father, Son, and Spirit. By these graces and similar means, we hold communion with God,

and we have that communion distinctly with each person of the godhead, as described.



This may be clearer if we consider how the persons of the Deity act in communicating those good things

in which the saints have communion with God. In the same way that all their spiritual ascensions are

assigned to the distinct persons of the Deity, all of God�s communications to them are distinct as to their

fountain [source] and dispensations. This is declared in two ways:



(1.) It is declared when the same thing, at the same time, is ascribed jointly, distinctly, and respectively to

all the persons in the Deity. Grace and peace are jointly and severally ascribed in Rev. 1:4, 5, �Grace be to

you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits

which are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness...� The seven Spirits before

the throne are the Holy Spirit of God. He is considered the perfect fountain of every perfect gift and

dispensation. All are joined together here, and yet all are mentioned as distinguished in their

communication of grace and peace to the saints. �Grace and peace be to you, from the Father, and from...�



(2.) It is declared when the same thing is attributed severally and singly to each person of the godhead.

There is no gracious influence from above, no passing of light, life, love, or grace upon us, that does not

proceed in this distinctive dispensation. I will give only one example, which is very comprehensive, and

may include all the others. This is teaching. The teaching of God is the real communication of every

particular emanation from himself to the saints. The promise that, �They will all be taught of God,� wraps

in itself the whole mystery of grace as to its actual dispensation to us, to the extent that we may really

possess it. This is assigned,



[1.] To the Father. The accomplishment of that promise is specifically referred to the Father in John

6:45, �It is written in the prophets, �And they will be all taught of God.� Every man therefore that has

heard, and has learned of the Father, comes to me.� This teaching, by which we are translated from

death to life, and brought to Christ to participate in life and love in him, is of and from the Father.

From him we hear; of him we learn; by him we are brought into union and communion with the Lord

Jesus. This is him drawing us, and reproducing us of his own will, by his Spirit. It is what he employs

the ministers of the gospel to do, Acts 26:17, 18.



[2.] To the Son. The Father proclaims from heaven that Christ is the great teacher. This proclamation

is in the solemn charge to hear him, which once again came from heaven: �This is my beloved Son;

hear him.� The Son�s entire prophetical office, and a substantial part of his kingly office, consist of

this teaching. In this he is said to draw men to himself, as the Father is said to do in his teaching, John

12:32. He does this with such efficacy that �the dead hear his voice and live.� The teaching of the Son

is a life-giving, spirit-breathing teaching. It is an effectual influence of light by which he shines into

darkness. It is a communication of life that quickens the dead. It is an opening of blind eyes, and a

changing of hard hearts. It is a pouring out of the Spirit, with all its fruits. Hence, he claims it as his

privilege to be the sole master in Matt. 23:10, �One is your Master, even Christ.�



[3.] To the Spirit � In John 14:26 it says, �The Comforter will teach you all things.� �But the

anointing which you have received,� says the apostle, �abides in you, and you do not need any man to

teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it

has taught you, you will abide in him,� 1 John 2:27. That teaching unction is not only true, but it is

truth itself. It can only be the Holy Spirit of God. Being given to us, he teaches us so �that we might

know the things that are freely given to us of God,� 1 Cor. 2:12.



I have chosen this special example because, as I told you, it is comprehensive, and includes most of the

particulars that might be enumerated (such as quickening, preserving, etc.). This further drives home the

truth that is being demonstrated. Because there is such a distinct communication of grace from the several

persons of the Deity to the saints, the saints must have distinct communion with each of them. All that

remains is to intimate the basis of this distinction. It is that the Father communicates all grace by original

authority; the Son does it by communicating from a purchased treasury; and the Holy Spirit does it by

immediate efficacy.



1st. The Father communicates all grace by original authority: He quickens whom he will, John 5:21. �Of

his own will he produced us,� James 1:18. Life-giving power is invested in the Father because of his

eminence; it respects his original authority. Therefore, in sending the quickening Spirit, Christ is said to

do it from the Father, or else the Father does it himself. �But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father will send�� John 14:26. �But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you

from the Father�� John 15:26. He is also said to send the Spirit himself, in John 16:7.



2dly. The Son communicates by giving from a purchased treasury: �We have all received of his fullness,

and grace for grace,� John 1:16. And where does this fullness come from? �It pleased the Father that in

him all fullness should dwell,� Col. 1:19. The reason that this fullness has been committed to him is found

in Phil. 2:8-11. �When you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he will prolong his days, and the

pleasure of the LORD will prosper in his hand. He will see the travail of his soul, and will be satisfied: by

his knowledge will my righteous servant justify many; for he will bear their iniquities,� Isa. 53:10-11.

And with this fullness he also has the authority to communicate it, John 5:25-27; Matt. 28:18.



3dly. The Spirit communicates by immediate efficacy Rom. 8:11, �But if the Spirit of him that raised

Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead will also quicken your mortal

bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you.� Here all three persons are included, with their distinct

contribution to our quickening. Here is the Father�s authoritative quickening, �He raised Christ from the

dead, and he will quicken you;� and the Son�s mediatory quickening that is done in �the death of Christ;�

and we have the Spirit�s immediate efficacy, �He will do it by the Spirit that dwells in you.� If you want

this whole matter further explained, you may consult what I have written elsewhere on this subject. Thus

we have both proven and demonstrated this distinct communion.



Of Communion with God

By John Owen

Post Reply