Trinity -
Father
is Yahweh our God
Son is Yahweh our God
Holy Spirit is Yahweh our God
Therefore...
Father
is Spirit
Son is Spirit
Holy Spirit is Spirit
2 Corinthians 3:17 "The
Lord is the Spirit, for where the Lord's Spirit - liberty!"
Does Jesus ever say,
"I am God or I am Spirit"? Such statements would seem ludicrous and
self-contradictory. Yet Jesus Christ reveals Yahweh our God. He is Yahweh
incarnate. He is the promised Messiah - the Son of God. The Son of God,
however, is Spirit and must be spiritually discerned. When Peter states that
Jesus is the "Christ, the Son of the living God" this is noted as
discerned through revelation from God. It may sound like splitting hairs but
there is an important truth contained in it.
The
basic question is "What is meant by Spirit?"
The answer to this question
is not so easily isolated in Biblical statements.
The difficulty is one of
comprehension. Reality is quantifiable from a human standpoint. Some things are
accepted as real but they defy quantification - such as love, goodness, fear,
peace, hatred, etc. We generally understand them as emotional responses. Other
things may be quantifiable but not seen (e.g. energy, atomic particles, wind,
etc.). But these things should never be confused with Spirit.
I don't believe that it is
possible to adequately define "Spirit" in human terms. This
necessitates rather the condition of faith. Faith, we are taught, is "the
evidence of things not seen". (See Hebrews 11:1 KJV)
The Imago Dei
In Genesis 1:27 the Hebrew
text states that man was created "betselem Elohim" (i.e. in
the image of God). Theologians have wrestled with this truth for millennia. But
from a modern Christian perspective what could this mean? God is spirit. This
has already been clearly stated. Therefore for man to be created in the image
of God then this must refer to a spiritual nature. Only human beings were
created with a spiritual nature like God. Man was created in the beginning with
a spiritual nature like that of God. Does this mean, as some assume, that man
is "an embryonic god"? It means no such thing. It means only that
man, unlike other creatures, was created with a spiritual nature like that of
God. But what does it mean to have a spiritual nature like that of God?
I don't believe that we
can fully know this answer - at least in this present dispensation. If we knew
this answer absolutely then we would fully understand God. However, it is not
necessary for us to know this absolutely. It is enough to recognize it as a spiritual
truth. Do men by nature know God since there exists this kinship of spirit?
Obviously they do not. As a result of the fall this image (i.e. spiritual
likeness) has been obscured. The spiritual nature exists in all men but it is
essentially dead. It awaits rebirth. Rebirth can only come with "the
inborn (i.e. implanted) Logos".
This strange term is
actually a literal translation of a phrase in James 1:21. In the KJV it is
translated "the engrafted word". When one truly entrusts his life to
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, he or she is born of God (i.e. regenerated in
spirit). The faith-filled heart "receives with meekness" the
"inborn Logos". This Logos, though it is translated as
"word", refers to the purpose of God. The once dead spirit, which was
created in the image of God, is revived in the purpose of Yahweh our God. Once
more the breath of God breathes life into the human spirit. He breathed into
Adam the breath of life and he became a living soul. In regeneration he
breathes into (i.e. touches) the faith-filled heart and fallen man is born
again of God in his spirit.
What does it mean to be
"born again of God in his spirit"? There is tremendous
misunderstanding among believers in this regard. Let me state two things
without qualification regarding regeneration (i.e. being born again). First, it
is by grace through faith. All that is required for spiritual regeneration is
the grace of God and personal faith in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. Baptism is
an outward sign of this faith but it is not a requirement for regeneration. The
second thing that I want to say about regeneration is that is of the spirit.
Notice that this word "spirit" is not capitalized. The Holy Spirit is
of course involved in the regeneration but the regeneration is of the human
spirit. That which was "dead in trespasses and sins" (See Ephesians
2:1 KJV) is now born of God through faith. Our bodies are not born again, our
minds are not born again but it is a work in our spirit.
The term "saved"
is often used to complicate what in truth is a rather simple idea. Many people
refer to regeneration as "being saved". There is an element of truth
in that statement but teaching on salvation can sometimes obscure the simple
truth of regeneration. For instance, regeneration has a great deal to do with
the image of God but very little to do with being saved. Salvation is a vitally
important doctrine of the Christian faith but it must not be confused with a
doctrine of rebirth.
In rebirth (i.e.
regeneration) the spirit is reborn. The image of God, which was obscured and
made useless as the result of sin, is revived or regenerated within man. By
faith his spirit is enlivened through the presence of God in being reconciled.
This is what it means to be born again. John 3:5, 6 and 8 are often read as
though they say the Holy Spirit. However, that is an interpretation - one that
I believe is misleading. Jesus says, "Except a man be born from out of
water and of spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is
born from out of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born from out of the
spirit is spirit... The wind blows where it desires, and you hear the sound of
it but cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going; so is everyone
that is born from out of the spirit." Rebirth is "from out of the
spirit". This does not say that rebirth is from out of the Holy Spirit -
although the Holy Spirit certainly plays a part in this regeneration. This is a
misleading interpretation of these passages. It is an interpretation that has
really complicated the doctrine of the Holy Spirit's presence.
Is it possible to be
"born of God" and not receive the gift of His Holy Spirit? This
question was recently brought to my attention. At one time I would have quickly
answered "No, because we are born again through the Holy Spirit."
However, I realize now that this was only an interpretation - one that I was
taught as a fact. Rebirth has to do with the human spirit being reconciled to
God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the efficacy of His redemption.
The Holy Spirit's presence plays a vital role in this regeneration but it is
not the same thing as receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
breathes life into a once dead human spirit. It is possible that one receives
the gift of the Holy Spirit at this time of rebirth as well but this is not
always the case. This, however, is an issue that must be addressed in another
place.
The bottom line is that
the image of God (i.e. the spiritual nature of God) is revived within the human
spirit when one is "born of God". This is an immensely important
doctrine of the Christian faith. The body and mind is in turn transformed
through the influence of this re-born human spirit through the power of the
Holy Spirit. Herein lies the connection between the rebirth and the gift of the
Holy Spirit. In the gift of the Holy Spirit one receives the power that makes
this transformation possible. The body does not transform the spirit but vice
versa. The body is transformed into a sanctuary suited to the Holy Spirit that
abides in it. The mind, in the same way, does not transform the spirit but
rather the mind is transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit that abides
in the human heart. Clearly without the power of the Holy Spirit this
transformation is impossible.
In conclusion, the imago
dei or image of God is the revived spirit. Are all men made in the image of
God? Yes, but sin distorts the image and deadens the spirit. Unless one is born
anew in spirit he cannot live according to the original intent of his Creator.
This can only be accomplished in God's way - by His grace through man's faith.
God's way is a personal relationship with Yahweh our God through the Son -
Jesus Christ our Lord.