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

Don't Gild the Lily!

Isn’t Jesus enough? Why do some feel they have to gild the Lily of the Valley for others to appreciate Him?

Several years ago, we were blessed by visiting the Holy Land Experience Park in Orlando when it was run by Marvin Rosenthal, a Jewish-born Baptist minister, of Zion’s Fire. The love of Christ shone in every face, from ticket takers to those who told inspiring messages in drama, song, and praise dance. The Gospel message – salvation by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Son of God Who paid our sin debt in full (1 Corinthians 15) – was evident in every exhibit, witness, and dramatic or musical presentation. Attention to detail and historical accuracy gave the visitor a true sense of living where and when Jesus walked the earth.

So what went wrong?

We were so looking forward to our return visit a few weeks ago, as we knew many exhibits had been added. Our first experience that day was positive – a tasteful yet dramatic fountain display synchronized to Sandi Patty singing “We Shall Behold Him.” Sadly, it was all downhill from there.

Our first clue to the very different perspective since Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) took over the park in 2007 was “Christus Gardens,” a wax museum allegedly depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The infant Jesus lay in a manger (Luke 2:7-16) filled not with hay, but with tinsel!!

The next scene confused me. At first I thought it was supposed to represent Jesus eating with the publicans and sinners (Matthew 9:10-11), because His dinner companions were all decked out in glitzy crowns and fine brocade robes. Sadly, I realized from the number around the table and the seating arrangement that it was the made-for-TV version of the Last Supper (Matthew 26:20-30), where apparently the itinerant apostles who were told not even to carry an extra coat (Matthew 10:10) had rented kings’ attire for this special occasion!

Other details at Christus Gardens were also less than Biblical – “Jesus” handing golden keys to Mary Magdalene as he appeared to her on Resurrection Sunday, and a white horse waiting by the tomb, as if He needed transportation!

We shook our heads, but made our way toward the new Church of All Nations, a 2,000 seat auditorium used for the theme park dramas as well as for broadcasting Sunday church services. The opulence was overwhelming, far from tasteful, and even sickening. Ornate gold plaster moldings, huge crystals bedecking crowns, sequined silver lamais adorning the curved balustrades, and a Disney-style sculpted panorama encircling the ceiling, with lit-up replicas of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Coliseum, the Statue of Liberty, and other national landmarks.

I do appreciate that the temple in Jesus’ day was God’s house, and that no expense was spared in decorating Solomon’s temple with taste and symbolism honoring God (1 Kings 6). Since Jesus ascended into heaven and the Holy Spirit indwelled each believer (2 Corinthians 1:22), the house of God has been within the heart of everyone who placed their faith in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) as the only way to heaven (John 14:6). Early Christian churches met in the homes of believers (Acts 16:15,40; 20:20; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19), and there is no Biblical mandate to build ornately decorated, large sanctuary buildings.  

Nonetheless, centuries later, the majestic cathedrals of early and later Christendom drew the eye heavenward with their lofty architecture, and their costly statuary and stained glass served as a Bible depicting scenes and characters that parishioners could not read otherwise, as most were illiterate and had no access to printed Scripture.

In contrast, The Church of All Nations is in my opinion tacky, tasteless, and honoring the world rather than the Creator. The lavish extravagance continued into the ladies’ room, where every stall was completely mirrored on three sides so that you had a full frontal view of yourself perched on the porcelain throne and side reflections echoing ad infinitum! The highly polished black granite on the back wall and floor added to the mirror effect, prompting many women to giggle and one to exclaim, “There’s a message here – nothing is hidden!”

I thought rather that a church that would use mirrors as such a pervasive theme in its décor was worshiping the idol of Self, screaming: “There’s nothing more important than me!”

And speaking of thrones, they were everywhere, in the lobby, in the gift shop, beckoning visitors who wanted to play King or Queen for a Day or just to get a great photo op.  What the thrones had to do with Jesus’ earthly ministry I’m not sure, other than to remind us of Herod and Pilate while relegating Jesus to a supporting role or even to an extra. Speaking of photo-ops, these were available with cardboard statues of a hippie angel on a Harley-Davidson, and other characters from the dramas supposedly honoring Christ and the Gospel.

Ah yes, the dramas. The first one we saw was supposed to be a tribute to patriotism, but the poor quality of the acting, singing and dancing came across as cheesy and left us feeling cheated. Next came an unfunny comedy about an angel (yes, the hippie on the Harley) witnessing to a café owner about angels in the Bible. This led to a shockingly irreverent portrayal of Daniel (Daniel 6:16-23) in a den full of pompous, cowardly, inept lions, and his “rescue” by an angel whose main function was to flap her butterfly wings.

But the saddest of all was the “passion” play. It started to go south in a hurry when “Jesus” started whimpering like a scared puppy in the Garden of Gethsemane, crying about his fear of the ordeal to come. In the Bible, Jesus is described here as being “exceeding sorrowful unto death,” (Mark 14:34) not afraid, because of the cup of sin of all mankind that He would have to endure to pay the debt for all our sins. Taking on our sin would mean that during that time He would be separated from His Holy Father Who could not look on sin. But Jesus’ Godly sorrow was far from fear, for His perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18).

After the crucifixion, a centurion swaggered toward the audience to intimidate everyone into being saved. “Close your eyes!” he roared. “You must believe! Ask Jesus into your heart right now!”

The scene then dramatically changed to a boxing match, staged as a battle of cosmic proportions, complete with music and lighting effects reminiscent of Star Wars. “Jesus” was dressed in what I assume was supposed to be grave clothes, but this looked like a muu-muu made of many layers of gauze with a big blood stain over his chest. In his corner were Elijah, Moses and an unidentified angel/prophet- type being, while Satan was supported by Pharaoah, Hitler, and Al Capone(?)

The two began duking it out, and about half the audience roared in delight (the rest of us were too embarrassed and sickened to even watch) when “Jesus” growled, “Go ahead, Satan, make my day!”

“Jesus” then died, then arose, then miraculously appeared at the back of the auditorium, wearing a huge sparkling crystal crown and a 40-foot long bejeweled purple velvet train. As he marched down the center aisle and shook hands with those who cheered him on, more angels with butterfly wings threw their tiaras on his train (wait a minute, I thought it was believers, not angels, who witness (Matthew 28:19) and who cast their crowns at Jesus’ feet (Revelation 4:10).

It made me wonder if “Jesus” would be signing autographs in the lobby, but according to the printed schedule, I guess he had to get ready for an event described as “Have communion with Jesus!” We opted to skip that, along with “get your miracle” at the fountain of prayer consecrated by Benny Hinn.

In fairness, it was not all bad  – the grounds were immaculately kept and beautifully landscaped, and there were some interesting artifacts including a replica of the excavated boat thought to be the one in which the apostles sailed the Sea of Galilee when Jesus walked on the water. A drama called “Four Women Who Loved Jesus” was actually Scripture-based and quite moving once you got over the fact that these women, including Jesus’ mother, were dressed in costly sparkling gowns. 

And thankfully, the Scriptorium, an extensive collection of rare historical Bibles and Scripture parchments assembled by the previous owners, is still there so we ended our day on a positive note based on God’s Word.

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Jesus Christ is my Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Lord, Saviour, Master, Friend Who sticks closer than a brother. I don’t need and I don’t want man’s fancy trappings and worldly ideas of dressing Him up with entertainment, Hollywood fanfare, wardrobe, pagan temples and special effects.

He is all I need. Just give me Jesus.

© 2012 Laurie Collett

The Mind of Christ

As we saw in the previous post, God designed us to know Him and to communicate with Him! Brain imaging during the heights of spiritual experience in prayer reflects a pattern of activity in which the sense of self disappears (1).

More recent research (2) has looked at brain activity during improvised prayers (from the heart, as opposed to memorized prayers) in people who consider God to be a real entity with Whom they interact. Not surprisingly, activity increases in brain areas typically involved in social recognition and interaction exchange – i.e., “fellowship” with God. The involved regions include the temporoparietal junction, the temporopolar region, and the anterior medial prefrontal cortex.

But God’s Word promises not only that we will find Him if we seek Him, but that He will reward us for diligently seeking Him (Hebrews 11:6). These rewards include life (Psalm 69:32), joy (Psalm 105:3), blessings (Psalm 119:2), peace (Philippians 4:6-7), and answered prayer (Jeremiah 29:11-13). Sometimes the blessings we receive from prayer are tangible, and sometimes they are intangible but equally real. We should pray not because we expect God to immediately fulfill our wish list, but because prayer pleases Him and changes us. The peace, joy and fellowship with Him we receive through prayer is its own reward.

Once again, neurotheology is just beginning to reflect what the Bible has shown us all along. Silently praying the Model (Lord’s) Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) or other memorized prayers is associated with activation of the reward system in the brain known as the mesolimbic dopamine reward system, or ventral tegmental area- nucleus accumbens pathways (3). Once these pathways are activated, the rewards perceived by the mind, including pleasure and relief of pain, tend to encourage repetition of the experience. Establishing the daily practice of prayer therefore makes it easier for us to “pray without ceasing”(1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Similar activation of this reward system occurs with feelings of romantic love, but how much better to be blessed by loving prayers to One Who will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Just as the natural use of our body, intended for sexual pleasure in marriage, can be perverted to fulfill sinful lusts, the mesolimbic dopamine reward system can be misused by drug addiction or by other compulsive and risk-taking behaviors such as gambling. God’s Word warns us not to seek rewards from mind-altering substances such as alcohol, but to be Spirit-filled by uplifting one another, thanking God and singing to Him in our hearts (Ephesians 5: 18-20).

Jesus asks us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30) and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27). We can selflessly love one another only because we have the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ enables us to refrain from sin (Romans 7:25) and removes our fear, replacing it with power, love, and wisdom (2 Timothy 1:7). As we pray and give thanks, the mind of Christ allows us to focus on God’s truth, justice, purity, beauty and holiness, which brings us joy and peace (Philippians 4:4-9).

The mind of Christ allows us to communicate with the Holy Spirit, Who instructs us (1 Corinthians 2:9-16), and to have a servant’s heart, losing our sense of self (Philippians 2:5-8) and preferring to serve others in love (Romans 15: 5-7). Simply put, the mind of Christ enables us to love one another as Christ loves us.

When asked to make judgments of themselves or of others, Christians had increased activity in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), which was different from the activated region of non-religious people performing the same task (4). Even more fascinating was that activity in the dorsal MPFC in Christians was directly related to their rating scores of how important Jesus' judgment was in subjectively evaluating a person's personality!

A few weeks ago, breaking news (5) in neurotheology revealed that there is no single “God spot” as earlier researchers had thought, but that many brain regions are involved in spiritual experiences. Not surprising, since we are to love God with all our mind! (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30)

This research showed that decreased activity in the right parietal lobe (photo), which is involved in self-orientation, is associated with an increased feeling of closeness to God. Less concentration on self could also enable believers to concentrate on the well-being of others, having a servant’s heart and putting the needs of others ahead of their own needs. Being faithful to church and participating in religious practices was correlated with increased activity in the frontal lobe governing attention and concentration (5).

In no way do I intend this article to imply that brain regions and pathways could slavishly control believers’ perceived experiences of faith, love, joy and peace. Nor can our precious communion with Him in prayer be reduced to or explained by brain activity. Rather, I believe that God endowed His favorite creation with the neural circuitry, or hard-wiring, needed to fully appreciate and fellowship with Him!

1.Newberg A, D’Aquili E, Rause. V, Brain Science and the Biology of Belief: Why God Won’t Go Away. New York: Ballantine Books, 2001.

2. Schjoedt U, Stodkilde-Jorgensen H, Geertz AW, Roepstorff A. Highly religious participants recruit areas of social cognition in personal prayer. Social Cognitve and Affective Neuroscience. 2009;4:199–207.

3. Schjødt U, Stødkilde-Jørgensen H, Geertz AW, Roepstorff A. Rewarding prayers. Neuroscience Letters. 2008 Oct 10;443(3):165-8. Epub 2008 Jul 31.

4. Han S, Mao L, Gu X, Zhu Y, Ge J, Ma Y. Neural consequences of religious belief on self-referential processing. Social Neuroscience. 2008;3(1):1-15.

5. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133032/There-God-spot-new-research-claims-instead-spirituality-exists-brain.html#ixzz1ucDwfC6W

© 2012 Laurie Collett

Hard-Wired for God

Not only did God create us in His image (Genesis 1:26), He designed us to know Him!

God is a three-part Being: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we reflect that Trinity in our mind (soul), body, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). As amazing as it seems, the all-powerful, all-knowing, self-sufficient Creator designed us for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11), so that His children could have fellowship with Him (Acts 17: 24-28).

About a decade ago, evidence from the field of neuroscience began to reflect these Biblical truths, showing that brain function changes and intensifies during spiritual experiences. It is as if God hard-wired us to communicate with Him! The research used a specialized type of brain scan known as SPECT (single photon emission computerized tomography), in which injection of a radioactive tracer into a vein allows it to travel to brain cells, showing areas of increased and decreased neuronal activity and blood flow within the brain during a specific experience. The photo above shows a “slice” from front to back through the brain using a similar technology, with red indicating areas of most intense activity and blue indicating areas of reduced activity.

Dr. Andrew Newberg and colleagues (1) analyzed SPECT images of Franciscan nuns at the peak moment of their spiritual experience as they entered into deep meditation and prayer, which they later described as “a tangible sense of the closeness of God and a mingling with Him.” Dr. Newberg, who is considered a pioneer in this field of neurotheology, noted the similarities of their description to that of 13th-century Franciscan nun Angela of Folino: “How great is the mercy of the One Who realized this union…I possessed God so fully that I was no longer in my previous customary state but was led to find a peace in which I was united with God and was content with everything.”

To me, these descriptions echo Isaiah 26:3: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

So what did the SPECT scans show at this moment of perfect peace through communion with God?

There was an intense burst of activity in the attention association area (prefrontal cortex), the area of the brain associated with attention and concentration, near the front of the brain beneath the forehead. At the same time, activity fell sharply in the orientation association area (posterior superior parietal lobe), the area associated with awareness of time and orientation of the body in space, located in the top rear portion of the brain. One of the main functions of the parietal lobe is to draw the boundary between the physical body and the surrounding external world. The SPECT scan data therefore suggest to me that the mind is highly focused and concentrated on God, while the sense of self practically disappears.

At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit indwells every believer, making us His temple and dwelling place (Acts 17: 24). If we seek Him with all our heart and soul through meditating on His Word and through prayer, we will find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29), “for in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17: 28). How awesome that He designed our brain with the circuitry to experience being “in Christ” and complete in Him! (Colossians 2: 6-9).

Stayed tuned next week for Part II of this post! God endowed His favorite creation with the neural circuitry, or hard-wiring, needed to fully appreciate and fellowship with Him!

1. Newberg A, D’Aquili E, Rause. V, Brain Science and the Biology of Belief: Why God Won’t Go Away. New York: Ballantine Books, 2001.

© 2012 Laurie Collett