Return to the Beginning • Apr 13, 2026
Sub Heading Description • Feb 01st 1994
Debrecen Messages #4 – The Fellowship of the Godhead: Christ Before Creation
This profound teaching, given in Debrecen, Hungary, opens a window into realities before the foundation of the world—realities that define the Christian life far more deeply than methods, formulas, or religious effort. Gene Edwards explores what Scripture reveals about the fellowship of the Godhead: the life, love, speaking, beholding, and oneness shared between the Father and the Son before creation ever existed.
At the heart of this message are two of the most important words in all of Scripture: “in” and “one.” Before there was a universe, angels, or man, the Father was in the Son, the Son was in the Father, and they were one by the Holy Spirit. This divine fellowship did not originate in time—it flows from eternity and continues into the present life of every believer.
The message unfolds how all things flow from the Father: divine life, divine love, divine revelation, and divine fellowship. The Son lives entirely by the Father’s life, declaring, “Of Myself I can do nothing.” This same divine life is now given to believers. The Christian life cannot be lived by human strength, intellect, discipline, or effort—it can only be lived by divine life.
Gene Edwards explains that Christ came to earth not to introduce religious activity, but to bring believers into the same relationship He has always had with the Father. What the Father is to the Son, the Son is to us. The life that flowed into Christ before creation now flows into believers, calling them to live by Christ just as Christ lives by the Father.
A central emphasis of this teaching is beholding—a spiritual seeing that takes place not in the mind, but in the spirit. The Father beholds the Son, and the Son beholds the Father. This mutual beholding is the secret of divine fellowship and the foundation of true prayer. Prayer is not performance or formula; it is a return to fellowship with God in the spirit.
This message also confronts the dominance of intellect and religious knowledge, calling believers back to a life lived in spirit, where revelation replaces reasoning and apprehension replaces analysis. God is spirit, and all divine realities—including fellowship, oneness, love, and life—can only be experienced in spirit.
Practical guidance is given for learning to turn inward to Christ, to behold Him, love Him, and fellowship with Him in simplicity. This is not mystical abstraction but the normal Christian life as revealed in Scripture.
If you long to move beyond religious striving into living fellowship with Christ, this message offers a doorway back to the eternal realities from which the Christian life flows.
We are approaching creation. We’re not quite there. But we are approaching creation. And we are approaching the purpose of creation. And what is the purpose of creation? It will never be said in one sentence. But here is part of it: to enlarge the number of those involved in this fellowship of the Godhead. To enlarge the number of those who fellowship with the Father and the Son. To enlarge the gathering.
We have a gathering of three.
There’s a drive in you to have children. Did you know that? The sisters more than the brothers, but the brothers too. A drive in you to have children. You got that from God. There’s a drive in you as a Christian to fellowship. You got that from God. There’s a drive in you to have sons and daughters. You got that from God. And there’s a drive in you to be one with your wife. You got that from God. In fact, our sexual drive and marriage are probably the clearest indication. They certainly are our strongest feelings. Our strongest emotions. Our strongest provocations. Drive. We are made in the image of God.
God wishes to be one. With another. Now moving toward a point. And here’s the point:
It’s the nature of the Father to flow out—for His life to flow out, for His light to flow out, for His love to flow out. And He has a Son. And the Son has His life. And His light. And His love. And His fellowship.
And they behold one another. These are the instincts of divinity. These things. These are – as the dog barks by instinct – so God does these things by instinct. You have just seen the instincts of God. I want you to write that down: These are the instincts of God. These are the drives of God. He cannot stop them. He cannot control them any more than you can control love. Or breath. Or thinking. Or life.
Now, brothers, I ask you to look again at the passionate love the Father has for the Son. And the desire to glorify Him. And the Son’s passionate love for the Father. And His desire to glorify Him. And we’re getting close to creation. Now listen to me. I’ve already said to you that there’s a drive here to increase the fellowship. It will provoke creation. To increase the oneness. To increase the in—I-N. To increase the oneness. To increase the in. To increase the fellowship. To increase the beholding. The hearing. The speaking. The love. To increase the number of those who live by the life of the Father. And now this enormous drive of the Father to glorify His Son.
I’m coming to my main sentence. I’ll give you a moment because I want you to write it down.
Brothers, here is the Father flowing to the Son. Here’s the Father’s life flowing to the Son. Here’s the Father’s love flowing to the Son. Here’s the speaking flowing to the Son. By the way, there is obedience coming back. There is beholding flowing from the Father to the Son. And there is fellowship, that which flows down, and being returned, and being returned, and being returned.
Now, here comes stage two.
What the Father is to the Son – what I’m showing you right now – what the Father is to the Son, giving Him His life, giving Him His love, giving Him the beholding, giving Him the speaking, giving Him the fellowship of His Being, now the Father and the Son decide something incredible. And here’s my sentence –
What the Father is to the Son, Jesus Christ is to you.
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