Saturday, August 4, 2012

In His Image: Reflecting the Trinity



The Triune God created man in His image (Genesis 1:26-27), with mind, body and spirit corresponding to God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus the Son is the express image of God the Father (Hebrews 1:3). We are made in His image for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11), so it is not surprising that our three-part nature is captured in so many different facets of our being.

Our physical body consists of three main elements: the head, body, and limbs. The head is the seat of our mind, representing God the Father Who is the Originator of the divine plan. Our body contains all our vital organs needed to maintain life, corresponding to Jesus the Son, Who is the Embodiment of the plan: the Word wrapped Himself in human flesh (John 1:14) and came to earth as the perfect sacrifice to pay our sin debt through His shed blood (1 John 1:7). 

And our limbs carry out the plans we devise in our mind, much as the Holy Spirit empowers the plans of God the Father (Genesis 1:2). Our hands can build or destroy; heal or harm; steal, or work and give to those in need (Ephesians 4:28). Our feet can be beautiful if they lead us to spread the Gospel (Romans 10:15); they can reach high places if He sets us there (2 Samuel 22:34; Psalm 18:33; Habakkuk 3:19); or they can lead us into sin. Psalm 1:1 warns us not to sit, stand, or walk in places or with people who will get us into trouble.

Our brain, which is the seat of our mind and which governs our body and limbs, can be divided into three main substructures: forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. The forebrain includes the cerebral hemispheres responsible for conscious thought; the midbrain regulates our bodily functions, emotions, and arousal; and the hindbrain controls movement. Although this is an oversimplification because the whole brain works in concert, we can see that the forebrain to a large extent governs our mind, the midbrain regulates our body, and the hindbrain controls our limbs (which carry out actions motivated by our spirit).

The indwelling Holy Spirit empowers us to glorify God in all we think, say, and do (Colossians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 10:31) for He has given us the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), and in Him we live, move, and have our being.( Acts 17:28).

Below the realm of conscious thought, our brain processes sensory input providing information about our environment that allows us to respond in ways that ensure our survival.  The three senses involved in a newborn’s obtaining nourishment through nursing are touch, smell, and taste. The mother stroking the baby’s cheek causes him to turn his head toward her; the scent of her skin and milk cause him to open his mouth and suck; and the taste of the milk keeps him feeding.

The same three senses continue to be highly involved in eating, which is why food seems tasteless when we have a cold, and why we often crave food with a meaty or crunchy texture. The unique body chemistry of a loved one’s scent helps us to recognize them (Genesis 27:27).

Because of connections in the brain between areas responsible for smell, emotion, and memory, a distinct aroma may release a flood of memories and emotions surrounding a particular person or event. The scent of gingerbread baking may take you back to the love and joy of a childhood Christmas. Incense or sacrifices burned during worship (Numbers 29:36; Ezra 6:10) may remind the believer of God’s love and greatness, and He even experiences the faithful as a “sweet savour” reminding Him of the sacrifice of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15; Ephesians 5:2).

Smell, taste and touch heighten intimacy with our spouse, and even with God Himself (Song of Solomon 2:3; 3:6,4:10-11,5:5,13,16,7:8). His words are sweet as honey (Psalm 119:103; Ezekiel 3:3), and He urges us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

The loving touch of the angel of the Lord comforted Elijah (1 Kings 19:5-7), the Lord Himself touched young Jeremiah’s lips to give him the words to speak (Jeremiah 1:9), and Jesus healed the blind, mute and sick with a single touch (e.g. Matthew 8:3,15; 9:29).

God gave us three special abilities with which to communicate ideas: speech, hearing and vision, using our mouth, ears, and eyes. James warns us to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. (James 1:19). A study at UCLA showed that up to 93 percent of how we perceive what others say is based not on words, but on nonverbal cues including the tone of their voice, facial expression and gestures. 

Yet God also intends for us to use our words wisely, refraining from “corrupt communication” and to speak only “that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). All verbal communication, spoken or written, is based on sentences composed of subject, verb, and object. To compare different things using adjectives, language uses three degrees of qualities – for example, good, better, and best.

To be in God’s will, the main focus of our communication should be to bring others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and to encourage believers to live for Him. Before He ascended into Heaven, our risen Lord commanded us to go (spread the Gospel), teach (instruct others in His Word), and baptize all nations (facilitate their obedience to God’s will; Matthew 28:19-20).

Because the unsaved will be born again only through faith (Romans 10:17), they must hear God’s Word; evangelists must preach the Word; and believers must send forth preachers to lost people (Romans 10:14-15), Salvation has three parts: the lost hear the Word, they trust it in their heart, and they speak aloud their confession of faith (Romans 10:9-10), in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only way to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15).

May we use our mind, body and spirit to glorify Him in all we think, say and do!


© 2012 Laurie Collett




28 comments:

Frank E. Blasi said...

The idea that a human being is a trinity spirit, soul, body - has been the centre of my belief for many years.
Thanks for the greater expansion of this idea. The thought of forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain, the eyes, ears and mouth and the head, torso and limbs - along with other examples of how man is made in the image of God, are certainly worth thinking about.

Denise said...

Thought provoking, bless you.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Frank! I appreciate your thoughtful response.
God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Denise! May you have a blessed week in Him,
Laurie

Unknown said...

I'm stopping by from Jumping Tandem today.
I truly love Sundays.

Michy (lovingourjourney.com) said...

love the reminder of james 1:19...thank u!

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks so much for your visit & comment, & God bless!
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Michy, for your visit & comment, & God bless!
Laurie

Donald Fishgrab said...

When one considers how many things about life are composed of three aspects or dimensions, it is hard to imagine a god who has only one or two dimensions, for example a God who is just love without judgment or mercy. Without judgment love would be pointless, but without mercy, it would be worthless.

Eileen said...

LOVE how all of it is connected. We are,indeed, fearfully and wonderfully made! Thanks for linking up Laurie!

Laurie Collett said...

Great point, dfish! Thanks for your thought-provoking comment, & God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Eileen! Praise God that He has made us in His image!
Love in Him,
Laurie

Leslie Monroe said...

Laurie thanks again for linking up and sharing such a thought provoking post. I really liked the verses you used for think, say, do :) We do need God's help in all three areas.

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Leslie, for your kind encouragement and for hosting the linkup! May the Holy Spirit always guide our thoughts, words and deeds.
Blessings to you,
Laurie

Anonymous said...

You always make me think - and remember to apply! Thanks for linking up to the spotLIGHT series.

Amy W Thornton said...

What a great post! A lot of food for thought here. The Trinity is such a hard concept for some to grasp. The way you present this makes it so much easier to relate to and understand. Thank you for that. And thanks for linking up with NOBH! Smiles -

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks so much for your encouraging comment and for hosting spotLIGHT, and God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

I'm so glad you enjoyed this post, Amy! Thanks so much for your kind comment, & thanks for hosting NOBH!
Love in Him,
Laurie

Jennifer Dawn McLucas said...

Wow! So much to ponder. There is great insight to Truth here. I have to read it again, lol.

Unknown said...

You amaze me at how you weave all of this together.

Thanks for linking up with WIP Wednesday!

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks so much for your encouragement, Jennifer! God's Word is always challenging, but in a good way.
God bless,
Laurie

Ms. Kathleen said...

Our Triune God is so full of GLORY! Praise Him!


http://thejoyfulservant.com

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks so much for your sweet comment and for hosting WIP Wednesday!
Blessings to you,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Ms. Kathleen! Praise, honor & glory to Him alone!
God bless,
Laurie

Joan Hall said...

Thank you, Laurie for sharing Biblical truths each week.

Blessings,
Joan

Laurie Collett said...

Thanks, Joan, for your ongoing encouragement!
Love in Him,
Laurie

Unknown said...

.
God is not a Trinity. Man is not a trinity. From Taylor's book:
.
According to the Word of God, God formed Man’s body from the dust of the ground, breathed God’s breath of life (spirit) into Man’s body, and Man came alive, became a living soul; that is, Body + Spirit = Soul. Genesis 2:7 shows that The Trinity is a false doctrine. The Trinity, or any trinity, has 3 equal parts. This equation accurately reflects Genesis 2:7, and it demonstrates that body, spirit, and soul are not 3 equal parts. This equation says that body and spirit are two parts each by itself, but the soul is not a part by itself, for the soul is dependent on the other two parts, body + spirit. Can a body exist by itself? Yes. Can a spirit exist by itself? Yes. Can a soul exist by itself? No. A soul needs both body and spirit in order to come into existence, as this verse explicitly says.
.
Copyright © 2016-2017 Arthur Rain Taylor. All Rights Reserved.
Body, Spirit, Soul - An Exposition of Genesis 2:7
ISBN-10:0-9985753-1-3; ISBN-13:978-0-9985753-1-5
20-pages essay, $2.99 at iTunes, Barnes & Noble, etc.
.

Laurie Collett said...

A body without spirit and soul is a corpse. A spirit without a body and soul is disembodied and no longer in human form. "Human" in any meaningful sense of the term requires body, soul and spirit for interaction with the physical environment, with self, and with God. God (Elohim in the Hebrew in Genesis; a plural noun) in His totality is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all working together and sharing one will.