Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
The nature of the triune God is represented in three distinct persons in the Godhead:
Father (Spirit)
Son (Incarnated with Body,Soul,Spirit)
Holy Spirit (Spirit)
Man has a nature that is in the image of the second person of the trinity.
The nature of man(body, soul, spirit) can be understood better by the faculties of communication that are bestowed on each.
Nature Faculties Communicates with:
Body sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell environment
Soul intellect(mind), will, emotions other men
Spirit faith, hope, love God
The body is that part of man that communicates with its environment thru the faculties of sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell.
The soul is that part of man that communicates with other men thru the faculties of intellect, will and emotions.
The spirit is that part of man that communicates with God thru the faculties of faith, hope and love.
See “The Nature of Man” addendum below for examples of all three via their communication faculties.
Influence on fallen man vs redeemed man
Every aspect of fallen man has sinful imperatives: the body, soul, and spirit.
The disease of the fall of man is SIN.
The symptoms of the disease are manifested in the body, soul, and spirit: Hindrances
The antidote to cure/destroy each of the symptoms is the fruit of the Spirit: Aids
Until each aspect of man's nature is conformed to the image of Christ, we are not yet “mature” in this age. Further, the body will never be mature(perfect) in this age until the resurrection! So that leaves the soul and the spirit of man to be “perfect(matured)” into the image of Christ in this age to the extent His grace empowers us. However even the body plays a role in our earthly perfecting by its influence on the soul and the spirit.
In this series we will look at the specific symptoms of the disease of sin in the body,soul,and spirit. Then we will look at the antidote (the aid) of the fruit of the Spirit in destroying/curing the symptoms in the body,soul, and spirit.
End Study #1
Addendum: The Nature(s) of Man
Man is composed of three aspects in the image of God: body, soul, and spirit.
It is easy enough to recognize and define what constitutes the body but it becomes more difficult to distinguish and recognize the soul and spirit of man.
The Hebrew and Greek terms for soul and spirit offer some insights:
Soul: lebab –the inner man understanding, thinking, passions, emotions
Spirit : nephesh –the breath of life, the living being
However rather than trying to define and understand the three-part nature of man directly, there is another way of understanding these.
Think of the three aspects of man by virtue of how each communicates.
BODY
The body is that part of man that communicates with his environment through the faculties of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.
SOUL
The soul is that part of man which communicates to men through the faculties of intellect, will, and emotions.
SPIRIT
The spirit is that part of man that communicates with God through the faculties of faith, hope, and love.
Let’s consider each of these.
BODY FACULTIES
Without the five senses of the body there would be no interaction with the outside world at all.
The environment would be unable to communicate with my body through touch, taste, hearing, seeing, or smell. My body would have no experience of any physical world. It would be analogous to the movie where a disembodied brain sits in a jar unable to perceive anything. Conversely my body would also be unable to communicate with the environment. In effect, the physical world would not be aware of my physical body without those sensory interactions: I wouldn’t be touching it, or seeing it, or hearing it, or smelling it, or tasting it.
SOUL FACULTIES
Every communication we share with another person is in essence, an impartation of our intellect, will or emotions. Let’s examine each faculty.
>Intellect (knowledge and understanding)
“2+2 is equal to four.”
“It is raining outside so I would get wet if I go out now.”
Every communication that uses the faculty of intellect contains knowledge (facts) and/or understanding that resides in a person.
>Will (decision)
The will of man is communicated through directives that are to be obeyed.
“Go over to the table and bring me the glass of water.”
“Don’t go to the game tonight.”
“Vote for Joe Smith.”
Every communication that uses the faculty of the will expresses a desire/decision to be fulfilled (or not fulfilled).
>Emotions (passions)
“You don’t love me anymore!” Said in a tone of sadness or anger or disappointment…
“He’s an idiot for doing that…!” Said in a tone of surprise, anger, judgment,…
“I just love this apple pie!” Said in a tone of joy, excitement,…
Every communication that uses the faculty of emotions expresses any of the many emotions that man might experience: happiness, sadness, anger, hatred, joy,…
In summary, the soul of man communicates with other men through expressions of his intellect, will and emotions. Frequently these communications have elements of all of these simultaneously. A simple example would be a parent to his teen:
“It’s snowing outside and so the visibility for driving will be very limited. I don’t want you going out tonight because I am afraid you could have an accident and be hurt or killed.”
Can you see the faculties?
Intellect (facts, understanding) – it is snowing… therefore the visibility will be poor
Will (decision) – don’t go out driving ..
Emotions – I am afraid …
SPIRIT FACULTIES
The spirit of man is that which can actually communicate with God directly.
“God is spirit, and they must worship in spirit and truth…”.
Man and God communicate via the faculties of faith, hope, and love:
“Without faith it is impossible to please God..”
“God IS love…”
“May the God of hope fill you …”
And many other scriptures such as these make it clear that our faculties for communication to/from God reside in the spirit of man.
Therefore our communication to God is via:
Faith
“Father I believe that you care for me and that you are with me now…”.
And Hope
“You will bring me to my eternal home with you…”
And Love
“I want to please you so I subject my desires to your desire for me…”
Any prayer, petition, plea or communication to God from man contains elements of faith toward God, hope in God, and/or love toward God. If there is not the tiniest smidgeon of faith, hope or love present, there is no communication with God. Period. Even an agnostic or atheist can direct a communication to God that has some tiny bit of faith or hope or love and thus be heard, and saved by God’s mercy and grace.
Similarly, God communicates with the spirit of man via these three:
Faith
God gives you peace and assurance in your spirit (heart) that He knows you and is with you.
Hope
God places a dream/desire/vision in you for a vocation or task, and eternal life.
Love
God imparts to you a knowing that He unconditionally loves you even though you are truly not worthy.
In summary the spirit of man is that which communicates to God with the faculties of faith, hope and love. And God communicates with man’s spirit via imparting faith hope and love.
“Now abides these three: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.”
These faculties, which reside in the spirit of man, are what connect us to God.
Final thoughts
Even though God is spirit since he is omni(all) in every aspect (knowing, present, …) He totally encompasses all creation. That includes the three-part nature of man: body, soul, and spirit.
So, God is entirely able and can communicate with all aspects of a man. He can use the sensory faculties to communicate (miracles, voices, burning bushes...); he can use the intellect, will, and emotions and communicate (witness the innumerable instances in Old and New Testament); as well as the faculties of faith, hope and love.
So, God can connect to man via all the faculties in his body, soul and spirit.
Man can communicate to God through spirit via its faculties: faith, hope, and love.
