Main difference between man and other created beings?

Man is the only creature with a body, soul, and spirit. A triune creature in the image of a triune God.

 

Tri-unity--

"Let us make man in our image..."

God is three persons in one godhead--Father(mind), Son(body), Holy Spirit(spirit)

We can observe three aspects to Man: mind, body and spirit--all of them being in bondage to sin and separated from The Creator.

Does that make us little gods? No, just depraved lumps of clay in need of salvation.

Selah,

Bro. James

 

We are not given to know very much about angels and other possible candidates for bearers of the image of God. We know angels can fall . . . can they be redeemed? If they can, it has never been mentioned to us in Scripture, but that might be just because its none of our business.

 

One major point that has so far gone unmentioned: One of the main difference between humans and all other living creatures on earth is that we have dominion. Dominion doesn't mean "doing with as you please". It means "having responsibility over". There can be no argument that we have often been irresponsible in this area.

Further, with space exploration in its infancy, we often have the mistaken belief that space is a privilege of dominion. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have dominion over the earth, but that's it. We do not have the privileges of dominion over any other part of God's physical universe.

 

The teaching that man is a dichotomous being instead of a trichotomous being is the teaching of natural evolution. They teach that man has a body and a soul or spirit. The Bible teaches that man has a body, soul, and spirit. The Bible also tells us that animals have souls, but nowhere does it tell us they have spirits.

1 Thessalonians 5:23: And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is the failure to recognize this distinction that leads to most arguments about salvational security, as well as arguments about a license to sin.

 

We can be redeemed.

 

I lean toward a trichotomy and can't be accused of being hospitable to evolution... but I have never seen such a proposal from "natural evolution". In fact, naturalism would contend that the "immaterial" doesn't really exist but that everything that goes on within us are complex chemical reactions.

 

Sometimes, they call it a "life force" or something similar. Either way, they limit it to two parts. Generally speaking. (This is also true of most New Age stuff, and many other religions.) The teaching of man as a two part being is fairly new on the grand scale of things. I don't think that it's something that Christians intentionally brought into the church from the teachings of the world, but rarely are unbiblical principles brought in intentionally.

 

Humans were created in the image of God in that we are triune, we have a spirit, soul, and a body. We are also like God in the fact that we can make free-will decisions that are based on immaterial(thoughts,emotions,conscience,etc.) Animals make decisions that come from instincts alone. Lucifer was able to make decisions. He chose to rebel, but since he has seen God, it would be impossible for him to place faith in Christ to redeem himself. When he chose to rebel, that closed the book on where he would spend eternity. The real question is, Do all angels have the freedom to make choices on their own????

 

Well, Jose Guillen was traded to the Washington Nationals last year without being consulted, does that count?

 

That's funny stuff!!!