There is, or seems to be, a connection between human life and spiritual in that humanity becomes a parable of the nature and work of God. As mankind can rule the animals, even those running freely in nature, so mankind lives freely in the nature God gave, unless God or other persons choose to interrupt that freedom. Mankind must pass through gestation to birth from a mother, so spiritual birth must take place to gain spiritual life. (John 3 & 5:24) Mankind must eat nutritious food to maintain life, as spiritually nutritious food must be taken to sustain spiritual life. For this purpose the Christian eats (ingests) from Scripture to application (digestion). Some ingested substances are poisonous to physical life, as there are spiritual poisons that interrupt spiritual life. For natural life these substances are believed to be poisons, immediate or delayed in effect on human life. Spiritual poison is labeled sin, also with immediate or delayed effect.
Out of this context we look for right and wrong for self and society, sometimes making laws for guidance. In daily life we communicate with one another so communicate affirmative and negative belief and conduct. Spiritually we communicate with God in much the same way, not only in verbal prayer, but in emotion, faith and conduct (modeling faith in life experience). As in natural life that faith and conduct may be wrong. In human life we dream, aspire, hope, love, work toward objectives large and small. The same pattern guided and blest of God relates to spiritual life, with the first work assigned in communication of the physical and spiritual commission. (Matthew 28:19-20) The parallels continue: 1) Family of mankind, with the family of God; 2) Love prevailing to all others, with the blanket of God’s love to earth’s population; 3) Health in mankind monitored by knowledgeable authority, with spiritual health monitored by God; and, 4) Beauty recognized by mankind, with spiritual beauty offered in God; and, the listing proceeds with the conclusion that as God is identified in personhood, so is mankind.
We better understand both ourselves and God when we recognize that God is marked by personhood. He is more than a person, but it is the dimension of God that he preferred to accent to mankind, and from which he took the plan for creation. Earth was formed for the benefit of mankind, and the image of God was included in the parallels of limited human life (mortality) to unlimited spiritual life (immortality). The matter is simplified for mankind by the language used of God in his revelation of life as we know it. As there are families on earth, there is a family of God. As there is citizenship on earth, there is citizenship in the Kingdom of God. As mankind begets children, God begets children of the tribe of mankind. Nations can function righteously on earth, in miniature to heaven functioning in the light of the holiness of God. Mankind values knowledge, presence, power, work, wisdom as necessary for the good life, so we study the theology of God. Human beings declare the greatest possession they have on earth is love, and we find that God’s nature is love. The parallels found in parables are so extensive and forceful that the Christian, when yielding to God’s communication, finds a spiritual life on earth that permeates all matters related to life. The three Persons of the God-head (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) represent not only the natures of the individual we identify in mankind, but also represent the families of mankind in mother, father and child.
Christians should understand that most men and women find this scenario to be fanciful. Even when some of the disciples had heard Jesus teach and preach, had seen miracles that made a celebrity of Jesus even to the highest national leadership, had seen the resurrection of Jesus, fellowshipped with him for some days, and were about to see his ascension, it is written: And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. (Matthew 28:17) Not until his ascension did some of the Apostles believe fully – that is with no doubt at all. From that point they would all give up their lives for the gospel in execution, except for John, banished to a mountain where, by revelation, he penned the last book of the Bible in which he declared the ultimate victory of God, and immortality for Christians. His summary made clear that the canon of Scripture was closed. There is nothing more to reveal. Present expectations relate to Christ’s return. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020