Saturday, June 9, 2012

God’s Signature: Three in One


God is a three-part Being – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Each unique and yet All equally God and perfectly aligned in Their will (Luke 3:22). Elohim (the Hebrew word for God in Genesis 1; a plural noun referring to the Trinity) is Creator of all that ever was and that ever will be. Only the fool says there is no God (Psalm 14:1; 53:1), because His three-part signature is apparent in all we observe and know!

Although Genesis 1 describes how God spoke everything into existence with amazing order and creativity, it contains only three instances of the Hebrew word “bara,” translated in the King James Version as “create.” The first refers to God’s creation of the heaven and earth or physical material (v.1), the second to His creation of animal life (v. 21), and the third to His creation of man as a spiritual being in His image (v. 27)

To describe history, or His Story, three questions must be answered: what happened, where and when? In other words, any event throughout the course of history can be explained in terms of matter, space and time. Matter, the stuff everything is made of, exists in three states: solid, liquid and gas. So, for example, a frozen lake in winter consists of solid ice on the surface, but when warmed by the sun it melts to liquid water, and when heated even more, water molecules on the lake’s surface become vapor that enters the atmosphere as a gas.

Space consists of three dimensions: length, width and height, used to describe the size (amount of space occupied) of any solid matter, whether a box or of a building. God’s Word refers to Him using such measures (Isaiah 40:12).  Over the earth’s surface, any position can be specified using three Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates representing latitude, longitude and elevation. No matter how far from the earth one could travel in actuality or in theory, three coordinates could specify any location in space.

We generally think of time as being linear, or having only a single dimension, because it “keeps marching on” and, as of yet, we can only travel through it in a single direction. But time can be divided according to human experience as past, present, and future. As our Pastor and his daughter like to say, “Yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery; today is a gift – that’s why we call it the present.”

God’s threefold signature is evident throughout His creation. He created and aligned the earth (Genesis 1:1) and sun, and set them in motion, to give us three natural and observable divisions of time: days, months, and years. He created three sources of light: the sun, moon and stars so that we could measure time in seasons, days, and years (Genesis 1:14-18).

Man at first thought the earth was flat, even though God’s Word describes it as a circle, or globe (Isaiah 40:22). A 24-hour cycle of evening to daylight (Genesis 1:4-5) represents a single rotation of the earth on its axis, so that at any point on the globe, we experience rotation toward and away from the sun as light and darkness, respectively. A lunar month (about 29 days) represents the time between two new moons or full moons as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. As the Moon orbits the Earth, the amount of the illuminated or sunlit portion of the Earth changes according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, so the monthly lunar cycle requires these three celestial bodies.

God also set the earth in orbit around the sun, with one complete revolution taking one solar year, or about one calendar year. The tilting of the earth on its axis allows different regions on the globe to experience different seasons at different times, as some portions of the globe are tipped closer to the light and heat of the sun, and some portions are tipped further away, causing it to be colder and with less daylight.

On earth, God created three divisions of matter: heaven (sky), land, and seas (Genesis 1:6-10) to house and sustain His creatures. Remember the game of 20 questions where the first question is Animal, Vegetable or Mineral? Despite the vast variety of life and of inanimate matter on this planet, everything physical and tangible that God created can be grouped into one of these three broad categories.

“Minerals” are not elaborated on in Genesis other than the “dry land,” (Genesis 1:10), which would include that precious “dust of the ground” from which He formed man (Genesis 2:7), and the waters and seas (Genesis 1:10), which we now know contain an abundance of salts and other trace minerals that sustain life. Other minerals in the earth often mentioned in the Bible include gold, silver, iron, and precious stones (Job 28:1-2,6; 15-19).

Within the plant kingdom, God brought forth three categories of plants: “grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself.” (Genesis 1:11-12). These describe nonflowering grasses, flowering plants (including those bearing edible seeds and fruits such as corn, tomatoes and berries), and trees (including those bearing edible fruits such as apples and olives), intended by God as food sources for animals and for man  (Genesis 1:29).

Each plant carries God’s threefold signature in its life cycle: seed, growing plant, and mature plant bearing fruit containing seeds that begin a new cycle. God further subdivided the trees into three kinds: one broad category and two unique trees: every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil  (Genesis 2:9).

God described His animal creation according to their three realms of existence: (Genesis 1:20-25): fish, whales, and other marine animals brought forth in the seas; birds and other creatures flying in the sky; and cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth (note the three categories of earth-dwelling creatures)!

And that brings us to the crowning achievement of God’s creation: man, created with body, mind (soul) and spirit as a three-part being in the image of the Triune God! (Genesis 1:26-27). Be sure to stay tuned next week as we discuss the three-part nature of God, and its reflection in man.

Thanks so much to Wendy at Each Card Tells A Story for her Featured Post Award for this post!


© 2012 Laurie Collett


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29 comments:

Nadwrażliwiec said...

Last time I read one sentence, that only blind man can't see The Divine Trynity. I also read a lot of articles about Jehovah Witnesses - they don't believe that Jesus is God, like Muslims. But Bible clearly teaches about it - Jews wanted kill Jesus because He had told them that He is One with The Father. Greetings for You :)

Laurie Collett said...

Good points, Zim! Thanks so much for your comment. May you have a blessed week in Him,
Laurie

Frank E. Blasi said...

The idea that the Trinity is expressed in Creation had entered my mind before now, mainly in time, (past, present and future,) dimension (length, area, volume) and in man (spirit, body, soul).
But your article is a real eye-opener! No wonder Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans that God's majesty and glory can be seen in what he has made.
A great post. Laurie, you're a gem!

Laurie Collett said...

Dear Frank,
Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement! You are a blessing!
Have a blessed week in Him,
Laurie

Pamela said...

I love how you brought this out, Laurie. It's beautiful to think about so many threes. We serve an amazing Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Pamela! He is amazing indeed, and we are blessed to serve Him!
God bless,
Laurie

Wendy @ E-1-A said...

WoW! This is something I've never thought about. Love how you have brought out so many truths so simply and clearly for us to learn from.

Please consider linking this wonderful post with Scripture Sunday this week... it would be great to have a wider audience to read this wonderful post.

Wendy @ ECTaS

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Wendy, for your kind comment and invite! I just linked up!
Love in Him,
Laurie

Jen said...

So excited to by joining you from Laura at The Wellspring. Can't believe I have never come across your blog before. Looking forward to reading more as your newest follower.
Blessings ~ Jen
http://richfaithrising.blogspot.com/

Denise said...

Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

Loved all of your examples, Laurie. Thanks for linking this up with The Alabaster Jar!

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks so much, Jen, for your sweet comment and for following!
God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Jolene, for your comment!
May you have a blessed week in Him,
Laurie

Charlotte said...

Wow, the power of three. Thank you so much for sharing these interesting facts. There is no way this could have happened just by "accident."
Blessings,
Charlotte

Laurie Collett said...

So true, Charlotte! There are no "accidents" or "coincidences" with God.
Blessings to you,
Laurie

Amber said...

Laurie! Such a great post, how very interesting! I really have never payed much attention to how many things there are in God's creation and our lives that are 3 in one. Keep up the great work! Thanks for stopping by seasontheday.blogspot.com I am so thankful you linked up today!

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Amber, for your encouraging comment!
God bless,
Laurie

Donald Fishgrab said...

As you pointed out beautifully, everything that exists has more than one dimension or aspect. Existence requires some kind of dimensions, even though we may not be able to identify them.

Great post.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, dfish, for your encouragement and for your thought-provoking comment!
God bless,
Laurie

Brother Ollie said...

this is such a deep meditation - wonderful

Laura said...

This is fascinating, Laurie. I've never considered all these threes before. Thank you.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks so much, Old Ollie, for your visit and kind comment!
Blessings,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks for your encouragement, Laura!
God bless,
Laurie

Mommy Emily said...

Laurie, you pour such heart and depth into your posts. I so appreciate you. e.

Ms. Kathleen said...

Excellent study on the Trinity is many forms. God is just amazing and teaches us through everything he has created. Have a wonderful day!

http://theemptynestexpress.com

Laurie Collett said...

You're such a blessing, Emily, with your sweet words of encouragement!
Love in Him,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks so much, Ms. Kathleen! Reminders of His creativity and awesome power and design are all around us.
God bless,
laurie

Wendy @ E-1-A said...

Congratulations Laurie! Your post had the 'most visits' from the Scripture Sunday link up last week!

You may collect your blog award at: http://each-card-tells-a-story.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-badges.html

Hope you are enjoying the weekend... and thank you for being such an encouragement on the SS link up. :D

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks so much, Wendy! I am blessed and honored. God bless you for all you do to spread His Word.
Love in Him,
Laurie