9在约翰十四章八节,腓力是我们的代表,他说,『主阿,将父显给我们看,我们就知足了。』主对这请求感到惊讶,便回答说,『腓力,我与你们同在这样长久,你还不认识我么?人看见了我,就是看见了父;你怎么说,将父显给我们看?我在父里面,父在我里面,你不信么?我对你们所说的话,不是我从自已说的,乃是住在我里面的父作祂自己的事。』(约十四9~10。)这里主似乎说,『你为甚么要我将父显给你们看?你难道不知道,你们看见我就是看见父么?你们看见我,就是看见父,因为我在父里面,父在我里面。不要以为我与父是分开的,或以为父是远离我的。这是错误的观念。因为我在父里面,父在我里面,所以无论我在那里,父也在那里。』主的回答使腓力闭口无言。这给主机14:16-会进一步说下去。在约翰十四章十六至十七节祂接著说,『我要求父,祂必赐给你们另一位保惠师,叫祂永远与你们同在,就是实际的灵,乃世人不能接受的,因为不见祂,也不认识祂;你们却认识祂,因祂与你们同住,且要在你们里面。』主说这些话的时候,祂是在门徒中间,但祂还没有在他们里面。祂似乎是告诉他们:『我现今在你们中间,与你们同在。但三一神的心意乃是要进入你们里面。我与你们同在还不彀;我需要在你们里面。』因此,祂说祂要求父赐给他们另一位保惠师,就是那要在他们里面之实际的灵。在这点上,有人可能说,『你不是告诉我们,既然子在父里面,父在子里面,子与父就不能看作是分开的?但在约翰十四章十六节,子说祂要求父赐给门徒另一位保惠师。这不是指明子与父是分开的么?不,这不是指明子与父是分开的。我们已经看见,主自己说祂在父里面,父在祂里面。这是互相内在的事。因此,子求父不是分开的,乃是互相内在的。
9In John 14:8, Philip, our representative, said, “Lord, show us the Father and it suffices us.” Surprised by this request, the Lord replied, “Am I so long a time with you, and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. How is it that you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words which I speak to you, I do not speak from Myself; but the Father who abides in Me, He does His works” (vv. 9-10). Here the Lord seems to be saying, “Why do you ask Me to show you the Father? Do you not know that if you see Me, you see the Father? You see the Father when you see Me because I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me. Do not think that I am separate from the Father, or that the Father is far away from Me. This is a mistaken concept. Because I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, wherever I am, there the Father is also.” Philip was silenced by the Lord’s answer. This gave Him the opportunity to speak further. In John 17 He went on to say, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever; even the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him; but you know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you.” When the Lord spoke these words, He was among the disciples, but He was not yet in them. He seemed to be telling them, “Now I am among you and with you. But the intention of the Triune God is in that He would enter into you. It is not adequate that I be with you—I need to be in you.” Therefore, He said that He would ask the Father to give them another Comforter, the Spirit of reality, who would be in them. At this point some might say, “Have you not told us that since the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son, the Son and the Father cannot be regarded as separate? But in John 14:16 the Son says that He would ask the Father to give them another Comforter. Does this not indicate that the Son and the Father are separate?” No, this does not indicate that the Son and the Father are separate. We have already seen that the Lord Himself said that He is in the Father and that the Father is in Him. This is a matter of coinherence. Therefore, what we have in the Son’s asking of the Father is not separation but coinherence.