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6/15/2015 Discovering Your Identity (Understanding the trichotomy of man)

http://www.wholepersoncounseling.org/id/trichotomy.html 1/15

Discovering Your Identity (Understanding the trichotomy of man)

Note: This is not meant to be a real deep comprehensive study, but a basic outline for further study. Thereader also should

understand that the enemy would have you to disregard the truth. There are many spiritual, mental, and social problems that develop through the misunderstanding of the nature of man.

Some are addressed in this article.

I. We should understand something of the creation of man.A. Who created man?

1. God, the creator created man. "Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is hethat hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of hispasture" (Psalms 100:3).

2. The triune God (one God manifest in three persons) created man.

a. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over thefowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and overevery creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26). Note the plural pronoun "us" is used.

b. "And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they haveall one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will berestrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, letus go down, and there confound their language, that they may notunderstand one another's speech" (Genesis 11:67). Note again theplural pronoun "us" is used.



c. "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secretfrom the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and nowthe Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me" (Isaiah 48:16). In thisprophecy the "I" is the Son, but it also speaks of the Lord GOD, andHis Spirit. Isaiah 61:1 gives a similar account.

d. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in onehope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, OneGod and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in youall" (Ephesians 4:46). Here we see the Spirit, the Lord (Jesus),and the Father.

f. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in thename of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19). We are to baptize in the name of the Trinity(Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit).

g. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Fatherwill send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring allthings to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26). Again, we see the three persons of the godhead.

h. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and thecommunion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen" (IICorinthians 13:14).

i. "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, theWord, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one" (I John 5:7). The "Word" as defined by John in John 1:1ff is the Lord Jesus, theSon.

B. How was man created?

1. Man's body was formed from the dust of the earth. "And theLORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathedinto his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7).

2. God breathed into man the breath of lives. "And the LORD Godformed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrilsthe breath of life (the word is in the plural form = LIVES); and manbecame a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). Man was to have a physicallife, a soulish life, and a spiritual life.

3. Man became a whole person, "a living soul." He was a wholeperson having three parts: spirit, soul, and body.

C. What were some characteristics of man.

1. He was the only creature that was created by divine counsel. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:



and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over thefowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and overevery creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26).

2. He was the last creature to be created on the last day of creation. (Genesis 1:2431). Why? It was because everything else wascreated for man's benefit.

3. Man is the apex of God's creation. "For ask now of the days thatare past, which were before thee, since the day that God createdman upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto theother, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is,or hath been heard like it?" (Deuteronomy 4:32). The context isthat of man.

4. Man was to have dominion over all that God created.

a. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, afterour likeness: and let them have dominion over the fishof the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over thecattle, and over all the earth, and over every creepingthing that creepeth upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26).

b. "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and theson of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hastmade him a little lower than the angels, and hastcrowned him with glory and honour. Thou madesthim to have dominion over the works of thy hands;thou hast put all things under his feet" (Psalms 8:46). Note the word translated "angels" is the plural form forthe word god, "elohim". It is normally translated"GOD", actually almost 2,000 times.

5. Man was created distinctive from the animals.

a. "Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward,and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to theearth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:21). "All flesh is not the sameflesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, anotherflesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds"(I Corinthians 15:39).

b. "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: andthe spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This refers to man. "We areconfident, I say, and willing rather to be absent fromthe body, and to be present with the Lord" (IICorinthians 5:8).

6. Man was made for God's pleasure. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, toreceive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all



things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation4:11).

7. Man was made in the image and likeness of God. "And Godsaid, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let themhave dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creepingthing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his ownimage, in the image of God created he him; male and femalecreated he them" (Genesis 1:2627). This description is unique toman alone.

II. We should understand that man is a three dimensional being.A. We can clearly see man a being defined as a trichotomy in Scripture.

1. The revelation of Scripture. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless untothe coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:23). Here is thedefinition of man being a whole person: spirit, soul, and body. We should alsoremember that God sees us from the inside out.

2. Man is a spiritual being that has a soul and lives in a house of flesh.

a. The "spirit" of man is for a relationship and fellowship with Godwho is a Spirit. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him mustworship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

b. The "soul" is the "self" of man. It involves the mind, will, andemotions.

(1). The mind involving memory, reasoning, andimagination. (2). The will is the volition of man where he makesdecisions. (3). The emotions is where man feels (example: joy,depression, anger, or fear).



c. The "body" functions through the senses of seeing, hearing, taste,smell, and touch.

d. The "conscience" (our belief system of what we believe to betrue or false) lies between the spirit and soul.

e. The "cognizance" (associated with awareness, consciousness, andperception) lies between the soul and the body.

B. Man was made is the image of God.

1. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and letthem have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, andover the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26). "So God created man in his ownimage, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:27).

2. The picture.

3. As God has three dimensions, so does man.

C. We can also see man as being a trichotomy in the nature of Jesus being bothman and God.

1. Jesus is the Day Star or Morning Star. "We have also a more sure word ofprophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth ina dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (II Peter1:19). "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in thechurches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morningstar" (Revelation 22:16).

2. This is pictured in the Star of David. (God and man overlaid).



D. Man was to become the temple of the Holy Spirit.

1. "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which isin you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are boughtwith a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which areGod's" (I Corinthians 6:1920). "And what agreement hath the temple of Godwith idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I willdwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be mypeople" (II Corinthians 6:16).

2. We should note that the temple had three distinct parts: the Outer Court, theHoly Place, and the Holy of Holies. Man also has three parts: spirit, soul, andbody.

3. The picture.

and

E. The author of the book of Hebrews gives us a picture of man being the body.

1. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged



sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the jointsand marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

3. We should note that there the distinction between the soul and the spirit isspiritually discerned. See again Hebrews 4:12. "But the natural man receivethnot the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither canhe know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I Corinthians 2:14). This is the reason why secular psychology can not see a distinction.

3. This may also explain why the Old Testament does not emphasize thedistinction. The rebirth did not occur until the New Testament. We shouldalso realize that there is a principle of progressive revelation.

F. Jesus himself gave us another picture of man as being a lamp.

1. "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine beforemen, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is inheaven" (Matthew 5:1416). (The word "candle" could better be translated"lamp." Also see Matthew 25:113).

2. The vessel itself was made from clay as man is made from the dust of theearth.

3. The vessel had within it the wick, a fibrous material. This can be comparedto the soul (with the inner weaving of the mind, will, and emotions).

4. The vessel is filled with air until the air is replaced by olive oil. Man has hisspirit which in some sense is to be replaced with the Holy Spirit.

5. The vessel is to be filled with oil and we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The oil was to flow through the fibers of the wick to a point of ignition. TheHoly Spirit is to flow through out mind will and emotions to a place of givingoff the light of Christ.



G. Jesus also give us a picture of through the illustration of the seed.

1. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the groundand die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He thatloveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep itunto life eternal" (John 12:2425). In this passage. Jesus ties man back into theillustration of the seed. We should note that there are three basic parts to a seed.

2. Man also has three parts: body, soul, and spirit.

H. Are there any Old Testament references to distinguish between the three partsof man?

1. "My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heartand my flesh crieth out for the living God" (Psalms 84:2). Here we see threeterms: the soul, the heart, and the flesh. The soul (nephesh) refers to "the self". The heart (labe) refers to "the inner man". The flesh (basar) refers to "thebody."

2. "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thysoul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). Here the word "might" mayallude to the body.

3. The Old Testament also gives some accounts of distinguishing between thesoul and the spirit using the two words in the same sentence.

a. "And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman ofa sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, buthave poured out my soul before the LORD" (I Samuel 1:15).



b. "Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in theanguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul" (Job 7:11).

c. "With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with myspirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [are]in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness" (Isaiah 26:9).

4. The Old Testament also gives some examples of distinguishing between theheart (the inner being) and the soul. In the New Testament the "inner man" isthe spiritman. "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, tobe strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (Ephesians 3:16).

1. "But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thoushalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thysoul" (Deuteronomy 4:29).

2. "And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of theirfathers with all their heart and with all their soul" (II Chronicles15:12).

5. Jesus himself experienced a three fold suffering. "But he was wounded forour transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of ourpeace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Weshould also note that the phrase "the chastisement of our peace was upon him"seems to be summary statement. We should also note that these may overlap.

1. Wounded for our transgressions= 2. Bruised for our iniquities = 3. With his stripes we are healed =

1. spirit 2. soul 3. body

III. The ProblemA. It all started in the Garden of Eden with Adam.

1. When God finished creation, He declared it all to be good. "And God sawevery thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the eveningand the morning were the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31).

2. However, God gave man a strong warning. "And the LORD Godcommanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freelyeat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:1617). Literally the Hebrew is "in dying you shall die." In other words, God told Adamthat if he disobeyed Him, the he would done on the inside and that death wouldalso effect the soul and body.



3. We know from Scripture that Adam disobeyed God by eating of the tree ofknowledge of good and evil. "And when the woman saw that the tree was goodfor food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to makeone wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto herhusband with her; and he did eat" (Genesis 3:6).

4. We also know that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden sothat they would not eat of the Tree of Life. "And the LORD God said, Behold,the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he putforth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till theground from whence he was taken" (Genesis 3:2223).

5. However, we also see that Adam lived physically for a number of years afterthat. He lived physically to be 930 years old. Now again, remember that Godsaid, "For in the day that thou eastest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis2:17b). This did not mean that his spirit became nonexistent, but that it could nolonger function in a relationship the God of life as it had previously. Adam wasspiritually dead.

B. We must understand that man today is faced with the same problem.

1. We must understand that every child which comes to the age of knowing thedifference between good and evil, will choose evil. It is a matter of fact. "As itis written, There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). No one hasdone right in the eyes of God. "For all have sinned, and come short of the gloryof God" (Romans 3:23).

2. We should also understand that the same consequence of spiritual deathremains today as it did for Adam. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered intothe world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all havesinned" (Romans 5:12). "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God iseternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

3. We should also understand that those who are dead spiritually at the point oftheir physical death must also face the "second death" which is the lake of fire. "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books wereopened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the deadwere judged out of those things which were written in the books, according totheir works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and helldelivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every manaccording to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book oflife was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:1215).

IV. The Good News.A. The Good News is that God loved man so much that He sent Jesus, His Son, tolive a perfect life that he might die on the cross for all of man's sin. "But Godcommendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"



(Romans 5:8). "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his ownway; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). The "him" isJesus, the substitute for man's sin. Jesus also spent three days in "hades" (a place of torment)before he was raised from the dead. He suffered the full consequence for man's sin andovercame all the powers of darkness that he might offer to man eternal life. SEE:

B. However, for man to receive this wonderful gift of salvation, man must receiveJesus as his Lord (ruler, king, or boss). "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth theLord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thoushalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouthconfession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:910).

C. When a person makes a faith commitment to Jesus as his Lord, God gives thatperson a new spiritual life that lasts for eternity. "For as in Adam all die, even so inChrist shall all be made alive" (I Corinthians 15:22). "And I give unto them eternal life; andthey shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My Father,which gave them me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck them out of myFather's hand" (John 10:2829).

D. Ezekiel prophesied that God would put His Spirit within man. "A new heart alsowill I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heartout of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).

F. Paul wrote of the fulfillment of the event of man becoming the temple of God. "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, whichye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (I Corinthians 6:19). He also told of manbecoming an entirely new person in the spiritman. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he isa new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (IICorinthians 5:17).

V. Your invitation.A. The Scriptural basis. "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlastingdoors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strongand mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up,ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? TheLORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah" (Psalms 24:710).

B. This is a picture of the priests bringing the Ark of the Covenant, a type ofChrist into the temple. The Ark was wood, overlaid with pure gold. The woodrepresented the humanity of Jesus, while the gold represented his deity. The gates to theOuter Court were to be opened so that the priests might carry the Ark through the OuterCourt to the Holy Place. Then the doors to the Holy Place were opened to bring the Arkthrough the Holy Place to be placed behind the Veil in the Holy of Holies. Again, we seethe three parts of the temple compared to the three parts of man: body, soul, and spirit.



Ark <=======

Jesus

C. The invitation to you today is to open the doors to your life to allow Jesus, theKing, by his Spirit to come into your spirit and give you a new spiritual life.

VI. A prayer for you if you have already committed your life to Jesusas your Lord.

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom thewhole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to theriches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; ThatChrist may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, Maybe able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, andheight; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filledwith all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly aboveall that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory inthe church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:1421). You will note that the prayer begins with the inner man (the spirit), moves to the fillingof the heart (the soul), to the work of God through us (the body).

VII. Understanding the Rebirth and Growth Process.

A. Before the fall of man.

1. Adam and Eve had fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden. 2. Adam had the capacity to name all the animals. 3. Adam could care for the garden without the sweat of his brow.



spirit soul bodyMan's spirit was alive and in control.

B. When man fell because of sin.

1. Adam and Eve died on the inside. "Wherefore, as by one man sin enteredinto the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that allhave sinned" (Romans 5:12).

2. They could no longer have a relationship or fellowship with God. " And theyheard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD Godamongst the trees of the garden" (Genesis 3:8).

3. "But the natural (soulish) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they arespiritually discerned" (I Corinthians 2:14).

spirit

mind will

emotions

soul

hearing smelling tasting feeling seeing

bodyMan's spirit died and the soul and flesh became in control

C. When the rebirth occurs.

1. The Holy Spirit makes the spirit of man alive.

2. The Holy Spirit brings about the "new birth."

3. "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as untocarnal, even as unto babes in Christ" (I Corinthians 3:1).

4. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may growthereby" (I Peter2:2).

5. "For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for



he is a babe" (Hebrews 5:13).

Holy Spirit spirit

mind will

emotions

soul

hearing smelling tasting feeling seeing

bodyThe baby / carnal Believer is made alive by the Holy Spirit in his

spirit. He receives Eternal Life, from the Father through Jesus the Son,

but the soul and flesh remain in control for the most part.

D. The growth process.

1. The Growth process begins on the inside.

2. "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried aboutwith every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Ephesians 4:14).

3. "I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for hisname's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is fromthe beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome thewicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known theFather. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that isfrom the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong,and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one" (IJohn 2:1214).

Holy Spirit /\ |

spirit

| \/ soul

| \/

bodyMan's spirit increases in strength, while the soul and flesh decreaseas the individual begins to submit his daily life to God throughprayer, the Word, obedience, and fellowship with other growing

Believers.

E. The mature Believer:

1. "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who byreason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil"(Hebrews 5:14).

2. "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son ofGod, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of



Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).

3. "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of noman" (I Corinthians 2:15).

Holy Spirit /\ | | |

spirit

| \/ soul body

The mature Believer daily submits his soul and flesh to the rule of the Holy Spirit who reigns in his spirit.

VII. Why is the understanding of the trichotomy important?

A. It gives further affirmation of the Creator being the Trinity.

B. It gives a fuller explanation of the creation of the whole person being in theimage of God (three dimensions).

C. It gives an explanation of man being made like God, a spiritual being.

D. It give a better explanation of the penalty of death (from the inside out)(Genesis 2:17).

E. It gives a more complete explanation of the suffering of Christ for sin (Isaiah53:5).

F. It gives the basis for explaining the various levels of salvation (spirit, soul, andbody).

G. It gives a basis to explain why a person can be born of the Spirit, willfully sinin his will, and still remain a child of God and go to heaven.

H. It also explains how a person who is born of the Spirit can be inhabited by anevil spirit within his soul or body.

I. Finally, it should also guard us from judging others by looking at their soul fromthe outside while God looks on the inside at man's spirit.

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