Deacon Tam Tran

THE TRINITY OF MAN

Man is a triune being because he is created in the image of God. “God said, Let us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1:26). We know that God is a Trinity.

The Holy Trinity is clearly set forth in the Apostle Paul’s benediction that closed his Second Corinthian Epistle: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Our Lord Himself said, in what we call “The Great Commission”: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).

Created in the image of God, man is likewise a trinity. He has a spiritual nature that is separate and distinct from the body in which it dwells.

TRINITY

We believe in one living and true God who is the Creator of heaven and earth; who is eternal, almighty, unchangeable, infinitely powerful, wise, just and holy.

We believe that the one God eternally exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience. Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3-4; II Corinthians 13:14.

SOUL & SPIRIT

There are two words that are often used interchangeably but actually they are different. There is what we call the “Soul”, but we also have something very different which we refer to as our, “Spirit.”

The Hebrew word for soul is “nephesh” which means literally "life". It is also used for animals (Genesis 1:20-24) and man as a whole person (Joshua 2:13, Exodus 21:23). The Hebrew texts denotes the spirit as "ruach" which means “breath”. (Number 16:22).

The Greek of the New Testament makes things a little clearer the soul is “psyche” which means “life” and the spirit is “pneuma” which means “breath”.

Soul & Spirit In The Bible

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Soul & Spirit, Are They Different?

Man is not a spirit, angel is, and man has a spirit. The soul (psyche or life) is just what the Greek word implies... the makeup of man. You are different from every other person. The thing that makes Raymond Raymond is the soul. The soul is how you relate to others and how you understand yourself.

The spirit is how you relate to God. When you are reborn, you are born of spirit (John 3:5-6). Animals don't have a spirit per se – they don't seek God. Rocks and sands have a body, plants and animals have a body and soul (they are living and capable of relating to man and other animals), but only man has a spirit because man seeks God.

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

THE PHYSICAL BODY

We have been able learn a lot more about the physical body through the advances in science and medicine. Much is known about the physical body, and we don’t need to elaborate on it here.

But once we begin to study human nature and human behavior we immediately go beyond the physical level.

Everything beyond this point goes outside the scope of physical science and into the sciences of psychology or sociology, and finally religion.

This brings us to the level of the Soul or the Mind.

The Soul

In one of the youngest sciences, psychology, scholars often begin trying to explain about this concept of “the Mind.” Of course, we have a brain which is a physical entity, but when they are talking about the mind it is different than the brain. They are talking about something that is intangible. The soul is not something we can grab, touch, weigh or measure.

“Soul” is a religious term, but it might make more sense for you to think of it as the Mind. From the mind we derive our thoughts, our will, desires, our emotions, as well as our ability to reason. This goes beyond the physical level and into the mental level.

The Spiritual Body in the Bible

“There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.” – 1 Cor 15:39-40

“If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” – 1 Cor 15:44

What is The Spiritual Body or Spirit?

• Having a spirit is what separates us from the animals.
• It is our spirit that desires to know and connect with God.
• It is our spirit within us that desires to be good and to see good done for others.
• It is our spirit that is righteous or wicked and ultimately our spirit that goes to either Heaven or Hell and lives forever.
• The fate of eternity is determined by how well our spirit develops. This is why it is so vital to understand it properly.

War of the Wills

The soul is the mediator between the body and the spirit, and it constantly gets pulled in either direction. The body has its own wants and needs, and the spiritual body too has its own will and desire. The body wants to eat and sleep, but the spirit wants learn and grow. The spirit wants to go to church, but your body wants to sleep in. This is the battle for your soul where ultimately your mind must decide whether to take the physical path or the more spiritual path.

WHAT IS THE SPIRITUAL LIFE?

We can compare our physical life to a baby which forms in the womb for 9 months. If taken care of properly well, that 9 months that baby can leave the womb and live for maybe even 90 years.

This life we live in the earth is also a sort of womb for our spirit to grow. If we develop our spirits well, then it can go on to live a healthy spiritual life for all of eternity.

Our eternal fate all depends on how well we live this life. So even if it is short, how we choose to live this life is critical.

What is the Purpose of Spiritual Life?

The purpose of this life is to develop and mature our spirit. But unfortunately, most people live in complete ignorance about their spirits and live only physical lives.

If you live only physically then you will lose both your physical body, and your spiritual body will go to eternal destruction. Even in this life we can tell whether we are living lives that will lead to Heaven or if we are leading lives only to please our physical body.

The phrase, “Hell on Earth” has become quite common because many of us can feel Hell in our hearts and minds if we do not live everyday connecting with God and fulfilling our purpose.

Live for the Spirit

Ultimately everything depends on how we live this physical life. It will lead to an eternity of love and happiness, or it will lead to an eternity of suffering. Jesus wanted us to live well both physically and spiritually as he said in John 10:10, “I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”

To live without God is not true life. Even if people are enjoying their life at that moment that happiness is only temporary and will ultimately lead to suffering.

Even if people live with fame, glory, and money they will not live happy lives if they fail to live for the spirit. This is why the richest and most famous people in the world still cannot find happiness in those things.

Effect Of The Fall

Genesis 3:8, "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden."

Genesis 4:9, Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

CONCLUSION

The beautifully perceptive prayer of St. Augustine on the human condition: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you."

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”