GERLEYS DAVID CAUSIL CASTRO.

ASSIGNMENT 79

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy
Spirit be with you all. Amen ”(2 Corinthians 13:14).

The divine Trinity is the basis of all the teaching of the New Testament… The “only true
God” is revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and is made known in Jesus Christ and
through him, the only Mediator That the revelation of the Triune God constitutes the
doctrinal foundation of Christianity is something that can be easily demonstrated.
First, as we have said in the previous paragraph, the true God subsists 65 in three
persons of the same essence and equally eternal. Therefore, he who worships what is
not the Triune God, does nothing more than pay homage to a product of his own
imagination. He who denies the personality and absolute deity, both of the Father and of
the Son or of the Spirit, cannot be an authentic Christian.
Second, no salvation is possible for any sinner, that salvation of which the Triune God
is the Author. To consider the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, excluding the saving
operations of both the Father and the Spirit, is a grave error. For all eternity, the Father
had the purpose of saving his elect in Christ (Eph. 1: 3-6). Father, Son and Holy Spirit
made an everlasting covenant with each other, that the Son incarnate to redeem
sinners.
The salvation of the Church is awarded to the Father: "who saved us and called us
with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his purpose and the
grace that was given to us in Christ Jesus before the time of the ages" ( 2 Tim 1: 9). The
Father was our Savior, long before Christ died to be Him, and for this he deserves our
thanks. Equally necessary are the operations of the Spirit to apply to the hearts of God's
chosen ones the good that Christ did for them. It is the Spirit who convicts men of sin
and imparts saving faith to them. Therefore, our salvation is also awarded to Him: “But
we must always give thanks to God regarding you, brothers loved by the Lord, that God
has chosen you from the beginning for salvation, through sanctification by the Spirit and
faith in the truth ”(2 Thess. 2:13). A careful reading of Titus 3: 4-6 shows that they are
three people united in this bond, because “God our Savior” is clearly the Father, who
“saved us, not because of works of justice that we had done, but because of his mercy.
, by the washing of regeneration and by the renewal in the Holy Spirit, who poured out
in us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior ”(Tit. 3: 5-6).
Third, the doctrine of the Trinity is a fundamental doctrine because it is through the
different operations of the Three Holy Ones that our various needs are satisfied. Don't
we need "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ"? Isn't it our most urgent real requirement
to constantly turn to Him and draw from the fullness of grace stored up for us in Him
(John 1:16)? If we are to "find grace for timely help" we have to go to the throne on which
the Mediator is seated. And don't we also need "the love of God", that is, new
manifestations of that love and understanding of them? Don't we have the advice to stay
"in the love of God"? (Judges 21). Don't we also need "the communion of the Holy
Spirit"? Where would we end up if the Spirit did not renew the inner man day by
day? (See 2 Cor. 4:16; Eph. 3:16). What would our prayer life be if He no longer helped
us “in our weakness”, if “according to the will of God” He did not intercede “for the
saints? (Rom. 8: 26-27).
The Holy Trinity: Like the virgin birth of Christ and the resurrection of our body, the
doctrine of the Holy Trinity is one of the mysteries of faith. The first truth presented to faith
is the Being of the true and living God, and we discover this, not by our own reasoning, but
because He has revealed it in His Word. The next wonderful truth is that the true and living
God has made himself known to us under the triple relationship of Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, and we know this by the same authority as the first ... when we try to dialogue about
the revelation that God has made of three people, we must do so with sloping foreheads
and reverent hearts because the ground beneath our feet is ineffably saint. The subject is
of sacred significance because it is about the One who is infinitely majestic and
glorious. We acquire the totality of our knowledge on this subject, solely because of what
God has been pleased to reveal about himself in his oracles. Neither science, philosophy,
experience, observation, nor speculation can increase our knowledge of this higher sphere
one iota.
Trinity in unity: The divine Trinity is a Trinity in unity; that is, there are not three Gods ,
but three persons exist continuously by an essential union in the divine nature of the one
true God. These three people share equality and glory, so that no one is more or less than
the others, no one greater or less than the others. It is in and through the offices of his
covenant, that they are manifested to us, and it is a privilege and responsibility to believe
and know how these three people are fully committed to us and interested in us by the
everlasting covenant; although it is impossible for us to understand the mystery of their
subsistence . Any teaching that does not honor all Deity persons equally, distinctively and
harmoniously, is of no value to the soul. As someone said: “There are not even vestiges
of Christianity where the truth of the Trinity is not known, accepted and honored. Not a
vestige of holiness in the heart of any son of Adam where the Father, the Son and the
Spirit do not officially dwell. There is no clear concept that can be obtained from any
doctrine of God's grace, unless it is through the "telescope", so to speak of the doctrine of
the Trinity, applied to the eye of faith and contemplating everything from there you
see...

In this blessing (2 Cor. 13:14), the Apostle invokes the Trinity as the source of grace, love,
and communion . We should not overlook its unique characteristics: The order is unusual
and the names used familiarly. The Son is placed before the Father. They are not mentioned
here as the Son, the Father, and the Spirit, but as the Lord Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy
Spirit. The reason is that our text is not primarily a confession of faith (like Mt. 28:19), nor a
doxology (like Jude 24-25), but a blessing. A doxology is an expression of faith; a blessing
is a word spoken to bless, the first ascends from the heart of the saint to God, the second
descends from God to the saint ...
The doctrine of the Trinity is of great importance : The Christian blessing implies,
therefore, that the doctrine of the Trinity is of great importance for the existence and
progress of a vital consecration; which is not pure speculation, but one on which all
communication of grace and peace for the saints depends. It is an important and serious
fact that those who reject the truth of the Trinity seldom even profess to have a spiritual
communication with God, instead they treat it as a kind of enthusiasm and fanaticism 71 ,
which can be verified with a reading of the unit writings. So, the blessing summarizes the
blessings that the Trinity provides to the Christian in the three great words of the
gospel: Grace, love, fellowship . These three divine gifts are attributed to different
persons of the Godhead. Each takes precedence in its own main work, although we
cannot draw its limits and we have to be careful not to conceive of God as three Gods
instead of one. Each belongs to all. Love is of the Son and of the Spirit, as well as of the
Father. And our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, as well as with the
Spirit.
Grace —a great word of the Gospel—: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ." Why do
you specifically ascribe grace to Him, if it is from God and from the Spirit as well? Because
in the economy of redemption, all grace comes to us through Him. Grace is Paul's special
word in each epistle: eight of them conclude by saying "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
be with you", sometimes, varying the formula which says: "with your spirit". Grace is one of
the preponderant words of the gospel ...
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ." This is his designation as the Mediator God-Man. It
includes and indicates your divine nature. It is "the Lord", yes, "the Lord of lords." His human
nature: It is "Jesus". His office: He is the "Christ", the anointed one, the long promised
Messiah, the Mediator. It is the favor of his divine person clothed with our nature and made
Head of his people that Paul prays for all his fellow believers. " His grace be with you
all." Grace is mentioned first because it is the initial need. "For you already know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sakes he became poor, being rich, so that you through
his poverty were made rich" (2 Cor. 8: 9). There is his infinite condescension in submitting
to such a vile condition for our sake.
When he was incarnated, the only begotten of the Father was seen by his own as "full
of grace and truth" and, as the Apostle added: "of his fullness we all take, and grace for
grace" (Jn. 1:14, 16) . Here, the meaning of grace shifts from being an attribute of divine
character to an active energy in the soul of the redeemed. Before the throne of grace, we
find "grace for timely help" (Heb 4:16). "The heart [is established] with grace" (Heb. 13: 9)
and by that grace we can serve “God pleasing him with fear and reverence” (Heb. 12:28). It
is "in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2: 1) that we find our strength, and He
assures us of His ability to guard us in all affliction and persecution with the promise: "My
grace is sufficient for you" (2 Cor. 12: 9). Therefore, he exhorts us by saying, "Grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). All of these
passages speak of divine power in the soul as the operation of grace in relation to the Lord
Jesus Christ as his Source.
The love of God: And "the love of God." There are two reasons why this is stated in the
second place because this is the order, both in the economy of redemption and in the
Christian experience. First, it was the mediating work or grace of Christ that sought God's
love for his people, turned his wrath away from them, and reconciled them to
him. Therefore, it is not about the "love of the Father" that never changes. nor does it
diminish towards his people, but it is about the love or goodwill of God as their Governor
and Judge. Second, it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in saving us that we are
brought to the knowledge and joy of God's love. The love of the Father is, of course, the
source and originating cause of redemption, but it is not the particular love of God that we
are considering here. The death of Christ as satisfaction for our sins was essential, in order
to draw closer to God and to participate in his love. The manifestation of God's love for us,
forgiving us our sins and justifying us, was conditional on the atoning blood.
The communion of the Holy Spirit: "And the communion of the Holy Spirit." Because
the ultimate purpose of Christ's work toward God was to appease his judicial wrath and
to seek his love and favor for us, in the same way, the great effect toward the saints was
to seek the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Greek word can be translated as "communion"
and "communication." By the communication of the Holy Spirit we are regenerated, we
receive faith and holiness is wrought in us. Life, light, love and freedom are the special
benefits it gives us. Without the impartation of the Spirit, we could never enjoy, personally
and by experience, the benefits of Christ's mediation. “Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the law, becoming a curse for us… so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham
might reach the Gentiles, so that through faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit”
(Gal. 3:13; 14). Therefore, the impartation of the Spirit to his people was one of the main
objectives of Christ's death.
But the Greek word also means the communion of the Holy Spirit, a word that means
"association, fellowship." He shares with us the things of God. Grace tends to love and
love to communion. Hence we see, again, that here the order is that of the Christian
experience. Only to the extent that grace is consciously received and that God's love is
reality in the soul, can there be an intelligent and real communion through Christ with God
the Father and, through both, the abiding presence of the Comforter. . The expression "the
communion of the Holy Spirit" shows that it is a person because it makes no sense to
speak of communion with an impersonal principle or influence. Joined as it is in this verse
with "the Lord Jesus Christ and God", it evidences being a divine person. In addition, it
denotes that it is an object with which to relate and converse, so we must be careful not to
sadden it (Eph. 4:30). The separate mention of each of the Three Eternals teaches us that
they should receive from us the same honor, glory and praise.
 What does “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with you all ” mean? It cannot mean anything other than the conscious
presence of God. The Apostle was not asking for the gifts of grace, love, and fellowship
apart from the people among whom he is found. He asked that the presence of the Triune
God was in the souls of his people. The New Testament teaches that the Three Divines
equally dwell in the heart of the believer. Speaking of the Spirit, Christ said “he dwells
with you and will be in you”, and of himself and of the Father he said: “He who loves me
will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our
home with him ”(John 14:17, 23). The triune God dwells in the Christian: The Lord Jesus
dwells in him as the source of all grace, God the Father dwells in him as the source of
all love and the Holy Spirit is in communion with him and gives him the strength for all
service spiritual.