MAN IN THREE PERSONS
In Genesis we are told that God said, “…Let us make man in our image…”(Genesis 1:26) and so apparently we are so made. We should, therefore, compare the image or perception of man to the similar image or perception of God. However, many people, or even religions, do not seem to want to do this. So let us compare the situation to a simple stool.
It’s possible to sit on a stool with only one leg. But if you do this for any length of time, it requires considerable effort and muscular activity to continue, with the result that one becomes irritable, anxious, and even angry at the whole situation. But many people try to live with a God of only persona or personality, aged who is the law-giver and holy, one who metes out punishment to those who disobey His rules and who remains distant from those He oversees. This can only lead to a world of discomfort, bitterness, and anger.
Then there are those who accept a God with two persons or personalities. They accept the personality above and Christ - another aspect of God. Now rather than a God who is distant and rigid, we have a persona who is close and forgiving and this presents a new facet entirely. For where “..the law was given through Moses [by God]…grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). It’s easier to become more comfortable with this second personality or person but still there can be a problem. It’s like having a stool with two legs, easier to balance but still tiring and stress producing if one has to continue as such for a long period of time. Balancing a stool on two legs still requires a considerable amount of energy and can be stress producing after a period of time.
But we don’t worship a God of only two personas or persons. Enter the Holy Spirit. It’s good to have a God who is a law giver, who provides rules and discipline, and a Son who helps provide grace and mercy, but one has to feel secure and comfortable with this as well. And so we are told of a third persona, one to teach and comfort us. Jesus told us in John 14:26: “But the Helper [Comforter], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
So to continue our analogy, we now have a stool with three legs and as you know, a three legged stool is stable. One can sit on such a device for a period of time with little stress or tension and be quite comfortable, as we should be with God as a whole. A God who is a Father who gives regulations and discipline, as a Son who gives mercy and grace, and as the Holy Spirit who provides comfort and teaching.
As humans we have a body that needs guidance and discipline, as well as a soul in need of grace and mercy, and a spirit requiring comfort and teaching. God is three persons for a person of three parts. Truly man made in God’s image.
Just some little thing to think about.
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