FOR HIS GLORY, Chap. 1, B
Man
God is a spirit, and He formed man as body, soul and spirit.* The word “soul” comes from the Greek psyche (Strong’s G5590). It speaks of our mind, will and emotions and is where our desires and affections reside.
Our spirit is the part of us that is made in God’s image and sets man apart from the rest of creation. Satan is also a spirit, and this shared spirit aspect facilitates interaction between God, Satan and man.
Man’s Need
By creation’s design, humans are incomplete in ourselves. God made us with a soul-hunger – an irresistible inner need for relationship with one greater than and outside of ourselves. A god. Can you feel that?
We MUST have a god to give us value, purpose in life, personal security, and a sense of belonging. See Psa. 42:1-2! We call that “identity,” and it tells us who we are individually and in relation to others.
This identity cannot come from within us, from another person or from anything on the earth. It must come from a spirit, who then becomes our god. God and Satan are our only two options (Rom. 6:16).
The act of giving ourselves to our god, to satisfy our soul-hunger, is called worship.
In the Garden, Creator God was man’s default god, and through their unhindered spirit-to-spirit communion His Life flowed into man through HIS spirit, and every human need and desire was met perfectly.
The earth was God’s Kingdom. He is good and the earth fully displayed His character and His rule. Man reflected God’s nature, and it was innate in him to please God, but that was about to change. (Continued)
Ken Stoltzfus
Kidron, Ohio USA
March 19, 2022
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