There seems to be a lot of controversy within the Christian community concerning whether God is three parts, one whole, or somehow both at the same time. I honestly don't understand why this is such an issue for some. I've talked to people who believe it is imperative that God be viewed as one rather than three. I've talked to people who believe the exact opposite. I've talked to people with theories that require a degree in calculus and an abacus to understand. There are all sorts of ideas out there, so we certainly are not lacking in viewpoints. But God gave me a simple illustration which I believe will bring some light to this subject.

When I dedicated myself to The Lord I of course had many questions about God and the system He has put in place. Two questions I sort of flipped back and forth between were "How are we made in God's image?" and "How is God three yet one?" These are fairly standard questions for any new believer. The Bible says...

Genesis 1:26 - Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

I've heard it said that the image of God in which we were made has to do with physical attributes. In other words, God has two hands so we have two hands, God has two feet so we have two feet, God has a head so we have a head, etc. I'm sure many have heard and believe this, but I theorized that this could not be so. Many times in The Bible angelic beings are depicted as appearing in human-like form. Believing that angelic beings were not created in God's image as mankind was, angels would not be able to appear in human-like form. Of course some people debate the belief that angelic beings are not created in God's image. But one could further reason that if the physical attributes theory is true, those born without a hand or a leg are not made in the image of God. But where would we draw the line? The number of digits on each hand? Hair color? Height? No, that is a gray area. With God it either is or isn't, there are no gray areas. So I often wondered how exactly we were made in God's image.

I also wondered how God was three yet one. In The Bible Jesus said...

Matthew 28:19 - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Here Jesus shows a definite distinction between the three "parts" of God, yet in other scripture He also states how united they are.

John 10:30 - I and the Father are one.

How these parts are linked is what has caused so much controversy. A key to understanding this is found in the passage I quoted from Genesis. God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." Some translations say "according to our likeness." This phrase is not redundant and plays a role in understanding how God is three yet one.

Time passed as I pondered these things in my heart and asked God for understanding. But true understanding did not come until The Lord Himself revealed it to me. And the simplicity of His explanation left me wondering why I hadn't seen it earlier.

God said, "To understand how I am three yet one, you need to understand how you were created in my image." He went on with an illustration. "You have a physical body. I have a physical body, God the Son. You have a spiritual body. I have a spiritual body, God the Holy Spirit. You have a mind/soul. I have a mind/soul, God the Father."

This is the image in which God has created us, according to their likeness. As God is mind, body and spirit, so are we. As our mind, body and spirit relate to one another, so do the three parts of God. This is the likeness to God in which we have been made. He is three yet one, just as we are three yet one. This is the signature of Almighty God. No other creation has all three parts, and if any other creation did, they too would be made in the image of God.

I've heard some say that believing mankind has been made in the image of God is an issue of pride. Perhaps it is for some, but I find it to be very humbling. To think that Almighty God chose to create us as a representation of Himself inspires an awe in me then I cannot describe. It shows how special we are to Him; how loved and adored and adorned we are. Its no wonder why the enemy has injected such confusion into this issue keeping us from seeing just how special each and everyone of us are to our Father in Heaven.



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