(Col 2:10) and you are complete in Him . . .
I have a theory that I'd like to test out on you. I would like to say that a person isn't fully human unless they are born again. Now right away you know that I know that being human is being a person born into this world and who obviously is of a physical makeup and alive biologically. No one can be half human. (We have medieval pictures of centaurs and the like but that has never been seen or proven.) But I am saying that not only can someone not be half human . . . they are not fully human unless they are regenerated by the Spirit of God.
People talk a lot these days about maximizing human potential. You know, better yourself and the like. It's big in the self-help categories. There are a lot of good principles of organization and discipline and goal setting but that speaks to just the physical and the psyche. But in this day and age of modern psychology and secular humanism we have neglected the spiritual dimension of the human being. You can better your physical health by exercise and diet. You can better your mind by reading books and thinking more positively. But is man only a dichotomy of mass and mind?
The Bible says we have a spirit. That's the part of you that relates to God. It is dead due to sin but comes alive when one is born again in Christ. Ahhh, now you see where I'm going. Good! Any proof for man being a trichotomy? There are many scriptures that speak to the spirit as separate from the soul but my favorite is . . . (1 Thes 5:23) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I respect people who practice self-improvement. We all could use more refinement by challenging ourselves to personal growth. But if you take the smartest guy with the healthiest body he still in my estimation isn't fully human. He has neglected his spirit. He's losing out on the most important aspect of his being. He was born to be born again. That part of him that is inactive (but in a Bible sense spiritually dead) needs to be awakened and come to life. A whole new dimension of existence awaits him. A new experience beckons him in relation to God through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
And think about this. The body will go into the ground and the soul will cease to be as in relation to this earth. But the spirit lives forever. If that is so then why do most people neglect their spirit? Well, the Bible speaks of spiritual blindness because Satan wants that spirit in hell!
Be all that you can be. Become fully human. Be entirely alive. Be born again! Then you will become complete in Him (Jesus!).
Louie
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