Understanding the Relationship Between God and Man

Introduction

Welcome, everyone. I'm Christian Turkey, and today I want to quickly talk to you and illustrate something on the board. When attending church, often the pastor will read from the Bible, teaching concepts through the words of the scriptures. Growing up, I found that sometimes diagrams helped me understand things better than just words alone. While nothing can replace the spoken word of God, sometimes visual aids can greatly help in understanding. If you are seeking truth and a deeper relationship with God, I encourage you to open up the Bible, start reading the New Testament, and see what the Spirit has to say through the words.

The Power of Symbols

As you may notice, the tattoos I have are all symbols with significant meaning. I've shared some of these meanings before, but today I'm going to explain the relationship between God and man through a diagram.

The Diagram

Let's head over to the board with Mary and Lindy and try to diagram this out. We'll see if I can do it without messing it up too much. I'd like to begin with a symbol: let's call it a "V". You can think of it however you like, but for our purposes, this symbol represents God. The "V" symbolizes the cosmos, the entire universe, with everything funneling down through Him. God is above everything, so automatically we have a symbol to represent God.

Creation of Man

In the book of Genesis, God creates man, which I will represent with an "X". This symbol is something I actually have tattooed on my arm, and it has a purpose. This "X" symbolizes man at the time of creation. Within the Garden of Eden, a relationship was intended between God and man. God said to man, "You will have dominion over the world," and thus there was a connection, an intersection, which represented the intended relationship.

The Fall

However, man eventually decided not to listen to God, choosing instead to think for himself. Man decided to do something God had instructed him not to do, leading to what is known as the fall—a separation between God and man. God remained in His place, above and over everything, but man flipped. Man began to think the world revolved around him, believing himself to be over everything. This resulted in a disconnection between God and man. In this fall, man flipped himself around, whereas he was supposed to have everything pointing up to God. This is reminiscent of how some people today think they don't need God.

The Need for Reconciliation

This disconnection created a problem where the "X" needed to be returned. How does this work? At the fall, man became divided. Instead of being one holistic being, man became differentiated into body, soul (suka), and spirit. To restore the relationship, God sent His only begotten Son to Earth and later sent His Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to reach out to man.

This diagram, though simple, can help illustrate the complexities and shifts in the intended relationship between God and man.

The Journey from Division to Spiritual Rebirth

Understanding the Division

In the beginning, man was divided in his essence. Instead of being a cohesive whole, he was fragmented into body, soul, and spirit, each expressing different desires. This division led to conflict, disease, emotional issues, and other challenges.

The Religion Model

Imagine superimposing God onto man in this fragmented state, with God imposing rules and expectations. This is often what religion looks like—a system where God, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is placed over man without a true relationship. In this scenario, individuals feel pressured to follow a set of guidelines without the essence of understanding or a genuine connection.

The Need for Change

For a true transformation, man needs to turn away from this divided state. When man realizes his lostness and sinfulness and calls out for Jesus, the Holy Spirit regenerates his heart. This pivotal moment marks a spiritual rebirth.

Spiritual Rebirth: A New Beginning

This spiritual rebirth is a transformation where God, through His Son and the Holy Spirit, converges with the body, spirit, and soul of man. This convergence leads to a genuine relationship with God. In this model, individuals are united with God just as originally intended, developing a deep relationship through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Becoming a Babe in Christ

At rebirth, one is considered a "babe in Christ." Having realized their previous state of sinfulness and alienation, they have been converted by the Holy Spirit and are now united with God. This is the fresh start from which God performs miraculous transformations.

Self-Reflection and Growth

There's an important question to ponder: Have you been born again? Have you invited God into your life, recognizing your need for a relationship with Him? If you haven't, consider reaching out to God, asking for a deeper understanding. As you're born again, an incredible transformation occurs, initiating a personal relationship with God.

The Process of Growth

Initially, as a new believer, everything revolves around this newfound relationship with God. It's a self-centered stage, as expected when one is newly born in Christ. Over time, however, growth begins.

Transitioning Outward

As time progresses and growth occurs, the focus shifts from inward to outward. What begins as a self-focused relationship expands, allowing the believer to express and share their faith with others. This transition marks the maturity of one's spiritual journey, starting a ripple effect of faith and understanding in the wider community.

Understanding the Relationship with God

Natural Expression

Expressing your relationship with God is a natural process. It doesn't occur because you're forced into it; rather, it unfolds naturally. For example, you might have once disliked people who wore green shoes, but suddenly you find that you don't really hate them as much. God begins to overcome your natural tendencies because He is within you and actively engaged with you.

Transformation Over Time

As time progresses, your relationship with God can transform through various stages. At the end of this journey, what's truly radical is that the aspects of your relationship that existed at the beginning have now intersected and come together at the center.

The Sanctified Person

On the outside of this center, we witness the fulfillment of a person sanctified, growing to their totality in God. While achieving complete sanctification might not be possible in this life, the result resembles the Star of David. Interestingly, this symbol emerged accidentally during my work, comprising three X's, illustrating the unknown factor of how God works within us.

The Mystery of the Divine Process

It's not entirely known why X is such an important unknown factor, but we do know that when God's work begins, He changes your life. This transformation takes you from being alienated and outcast to having a wonderful and thriving unity with Him—a unity unmatched by anything in this world.