by David Scott Robertson
(Gen 1:26 NIV) 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."
Human beings were the ingenious creation of God. The "let us" and "in our image" in the scripture above refers to, of course, the Holy Trinity. In the same way that there is one God who eternally exists in three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - similarly mankind whom He created exists in three aspects - body, soul, and spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:23, among other scriptures, proves this to be true: "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Each of these aspects of the human being must receive appropriate care and feeding and nurturing in order for proper development to occur. If this does not happen, malfunction and dysfunction result.
I have observed an interesting phenomenon in our culture. There seems to be enormous attention given to the development of two-thirds of what makes up a human being leaving one-third in a very undeveloped state. The net result of this practice is a generation comprised of incomplete persons. We see this truth manifest all the time.
A young woman is on a low-carb diet and works out 4 days per week at the health club. She is a graduate student at a local university. However, she only goes to church on Easter and Christmas. The incomplete woman.
A young college graduate lands an executive position with a Fortune 500 company. On the weekends he participates in regional triathlons. He is the picture of health poised to climb to the pinnacle of corporate success. His competitions take him away from home on Sundays so he rarely attends church. The incomplete man.
A young couple has a baby. They painstakingly feed it, clothe it, shelter it, and rear it to the point where they eventually send it off to school for 12-16 years to educate it. Tragically, the parents totally omit the spiritual rearing of their offspring. The incomplete family.
My point is that we can look at a person who is beautiful and attractive (whatever that means to you) and intelligent and successful (whatever that means to you) and ERRONEOUSLY suppose that this individual is full and complete. Wrong.
- The gold medal-winning gymnast with bulging biceps and perfect abs has an anger problem.
- The Nobel Prize winner smokes 2 packs of cigarettes a day.
- The MTV idol is working on her fourth marriage.
- The college professor drinks…a lot.
- The drop-dead gorgeous blond at the office is eaten up inside with bitterness against her father.
Incomplete persons, one and all. And you and I rub shoulders with tens of thousands of them in a lifetime. It doesn't help that we exist in a culture in America when we rate, judge, and reward people based on two-thirds of who they really are. But that's the way that a carnal culture operates.
So what if someone is incomplete? What difference does it make? If a person is pretty and smart, isn't that enough? It may well be, unless you're interested in marrying an incomplete person. Or employing one. Or electing one to public office. Personality, charisma, charm, pedigree, appearance, accomplishments, etc. all take a back seat to the fruit of the Spirit.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).
Unless you are "born of the Spirit" (saved, regenerated, a believer in/disciple of Jesus Christ) you are ineligible to receive the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, any super-model or power-executive who is not a Christian is an incomplete person.
"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (Revelation 3:17).
Natural beauty will eventually fade; time and gravity will take care of that. Earthy intelligence and reasoning will eventually prove to be inferior to godly wisdom; experience and history each testify to that. Success without God is not success at all. Kings, politicians, CEOS, and movie stars all eventually die. At that time, the only thing that matters is whether or not you are a complete person.
"If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:15).
My counsel to you who are reading this today is to eat right, exercise, drink plenty of water and read your Bible. Complete your education, exercise your mind and imagination, enjoy the arts, and spend lots of time in prayer. Plant a garden, play ball with your kids, go on vacation, and make sure you are in church as regularly as possible. Fellowship with complete persons who will help your faith in Jesus grow strong. Reach out to share the love of God with those who are not yet complete in Christ. Make sure that your spiritual life development is the top priority in your life and then the other two-thirds of who you are will follow in proper order.
DSR
4/26/04