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I am thinking again about kingdom principles. I am rethinking, reviewing, restudying. Everything begins with God. Who is God? What must we know, say, share about God?
When one begins “in the beginning” (Genesis 1), the Bible introduces human beings as the capstone of God’s creation. Who are we? We are “image of God” (Gen. 1:26-27) and living beings (Gen. 2:7). As human beings we have a dual nature. We were made with the ability to exist in this biological world: thus we are living beings. This is communicated in the phrase “living souls” (KJV), but it is what we share with the animate world. We are biological beings. Here “soul” is not a reference to our eternal nature.
We are also created “in his image.” We are spiritual, eternal–space does not permit an expansion of all this means. This is God within us, from the beginning. With the created image torqued or twisted, re-creation became necessary. The gospel is a story of creation, marring, and re-creation. We are called to live lives that balance this duality. Only one person has ever perfectly balanced the physical and spiritual–Jesus Christ.
This dual nature Satan uses. Sin is possible in two ways–we can think we are gods, we can think we are no more than animals and adopt the morals of the barnyard.
Paul Hegstrom’s work in Genesis 1-2 maintains that God created human beings with seven primary needs. Each of us has a need for 1) dignity, 2) authority, 3) blessing and provision, 4) security, 5) purpose and meaning, 6) freedom and boundaries, 7) intimate love and companionship.
Are these aspects of the physical creation or the spiritual? How do these reflect God? What do they say about us?