Read JOHN 16:12–15
According to theologian Peter J. Leithart, the term perichoresis, which means “mutual indwelling,” is used to describe the interrelationships and the inner life of the Trinity; that is, the love and unity that characterize the Three-in-One. He also suggests that since “created things were intended to communicate something about God . . . we might discover perichoretic fingerprints—traces of the Trinity— throughout the creation.”
Another theological term for this is circumincession, defined as “the reciprocal existence in one another of the three Persons of the Trinity.” Though impossible for us to understand completely, this doctrinal term helps us to grasp the point of today’s reading. Jesus said that when the Spirit comes, His words would not be His alone but also the words of the Father and the Son (v. 13). This again confirms the essential unity and mutual indwelling of the Three-in-One. They have one will and speak with one voice.
Specifically, the Spirit receives from the Son what He will make known to the disciples and to us (v. 14). In doing so, He glorifies the Son, which is exactly in line with the rest of His ministry. Furthermore, the Father has made all that belongs to Him the Son’s as well. Since He is the sovereign Lord, everything does belong to Him, including words (v. 15). Therefore, the words of truth from the Spirit ultimately come from the Father and the Son as well. This is why the church’s ministries of preaching and teaching the Word can be effective only by the Spirit.
As quickly as we have differentiated the three Persons of the Trinity and their respective roles in the work of salvation, just as quickly must we reaffirm their essential unity and shared divine attributes. “Who is like you, LORD God Almighty?” (Ps. 89:8). No one!
APPLY THE WORD
To help our finite minds better understand the Trinity, theologians create terminology, artists paint masterpieces, and poets craft sonnets. One powerful example is “Sonnet XIV” from the Holy Sonnets by John Donne, which begins, “Batter my heart, three-person’d God; for you / As yet but knock; breathe, shine, and seek to mend.”
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