8主是话,这话就是永远的神(约一1)。在约翰福音中,话经过了漫长的过程,至终成了气(pneuma),以进入信徒里面〔二十22〕。为着要完成神永远的定旨,祂采取了两个步骤:第一个步骤是成为肉体,成了在肉体里的人(一14),作为神的羔羊,为人成功救赎(29),将神向人表明出来(18),并将父显给祂的信徒看(十四9~11);第二个步骤是死而复活,化身成为那灵,使祂能将自己分赐到信徒里面,作他们的生命和一切,并使祂能产生神的众子,就是祂的许多弟兄,为要建造祂的身体,就是召会,神的居所,以彰显三一神,直到永远。因此,祂原初是永远的话,以后借着成为肉体,成了在肉体里的人,成功神的救赎,又借着死与复活,成了那灵,要成为一切,并作成一切,以完成神的建造。 8The Lord is the Word, and the Word is the eternal God (John 1:1). In the Gospel of John, the Word passed through a long process and eventually became the breath, the pneuma, that He might get into the believers [20:22] . For the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose, He took two steps. First, He took the step of incarnation to become a man in the flesh (1:14), to be the Lamb of God to accomplish redemption for man (v. 29), to declare God to man (v. 18), and to manifest the Father to His believers (14:9-11). Second, He took the step of death and resurrection to be transfigured into the Spirit that He might impart Himself into His believers as their life and their everything, and that He might bring forth many sons of God, His many brothers, for the building of His Body, the church, the habitation of God, to express the Triune God for eternity. Originally, He was the eternal Word. Through His incarnation He then became flesh to accomplish God’s redemption, and through His death and resurrection He became the Spirit to be everything and to do everything for the completion of God’s building.