Image of God and Disability – What about the imago trinitas? Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

My favorite painting, The Monk by the Sea by Caspar David Friedrich.  As a very young girl my first glance was soul penetrating; it related to my own image of God; expansive, incomprehensible, powerful, beautiful and creation working as an inseparable whole.  The atmosphere, sky, weather, ocean and land all seemly working together respecting their distinctive roles in a living earth.  Most of all I related to the figure of the monk who is a small insignificant part, almost swallowed up in the totality of creation, yet seeing the invisible triune God in all of it.   What do you see in this painting?  Do you see darkness or light, calmness or turbulence?  Is this encouraging or discouraging?  What would you be feeling if you were the one on that beach?

Ask yourself – is the artist showing it as morning, mid-day or dusk?  Is it before a storm or after, or neither?  Does it even matter?  If focusing or debating those questions, do we miss out on what the artist is inviting us to know?  I’m going with the bigger truth and not going to debate or get distracted by what I think was intentionally left open to interpretation.  My bigger understanding of the painting is that God is invisible and visible at the same time.  Not limited to this list, but He is Eternal, Holy, Infinite, Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Creator, Unifier, Person, Diverse, and is Glory itself; being the sum total of all His attributes.  The little inferior monk/person/self is but a mere speck of sand or dust in comparison to God.  Though created in the image of God that speck can’t possibly come close to being God in a meager human form.  

Was the artist thinking about scripture, perhaps Romans 1:19-20?

Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  NIV

This painting personally reminds me of the scripture reference to Jesus, John 3:30 

He must become greater, but I must become less important. –  NASB

This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines. – MSG

Last week we talked about Christianity being unique for the belief in a triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  A commonly held view, regardless of Christian denomination, is the person of Jesus Christ is the most practical and forensic revelation of God.   

But though we may enjoy the thought of the physical image of Jesus, I want to focus you away to Jesus’s own words in John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.”  

Now read the next two texts and note what are the essential qualities credited to Jesus:

• Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
• Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.  

What if any physical traits are given to Jesus?  

What now do we know about the three part image of God in the Bible and disability?  First I would like to propose that for the remainder of our time the Image of God will be the Divine Nature and Spirit held by three parts; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  I suggest that when humankind was made in their image; it was the evidence of divine nature and spirit that is the bigger truth.  

Okay I hear some of you saying “but wait, I was taught that Jesus was God in the flesh, unblemished and frankly the human standard we hold.”  “Isn’t Jesus’s physical suffering important?”.  You will say throughout the history of the church disability was taught as a blemish, caused by sin, unwanted … etc…  To that I say-  yes, we can all agree on all of the above.  The truth in scripture has been used by man to oppress, ostracize and stigmatize those with disabilities. Jesus’s suffering and temptations are important.  There is a need to address those thoughts and questions in the weeks to come.  For today, our question on the image of God, that is not the big picture.  If you are still struggling not to use human physical attributes in your thoughts?  Here is why it is important to focus on the nature and spirit rather than the physical image of God or Jesus.  I offer this …

In our image, the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  If Jesus is both God and Human, neither compromising the other nature, without the ability to be only one without the other.  Then let’s follow logic.  We believe that God is God the Father (1), God the Son [Divine (0.5) and Human (0.5)], God the Holy Spirit (1).  3/3=1

Just follow two false logic debates ….

• If we accept the triune God then it would follow we are created in their image.  Then the human image can’t possibly be any more than 1/6 of the the image of God.  Logic continues to say we must then be 1/12 male and 1/12 female made in His image.  If we continue to follow this physical image of God, the conclusion might follow that God is both male and female, neither, or asexual.  (If doing fractions didn’t make some of you uncomfortable, seeing God asexual surely might). Believe this is what is known as a Slippery Slope Argument.  Not the big picture. 
  
  Or another “physical image” logic might be …
  
• If humans are made in God’s image and God is the triune God, and we accept Jesus is God and human.  Then humans are partially made in the image of ourselves (human image from a human image).  Its “which came first the chicken or the egg” logic.  It’s a circular argument that doesn’t get us closer to understanding His image or disability.  Something for debate, yes.  But for our purposes yet another distraction? Absolutely!
  
  Debating the tiny or specific human physical traits we will lose out on the bigger truth.  I suggest just like The Monk by the Sea we seek the bigger truth and go back to the image of God being found in his divine attributes and nature through the image of God; Parent/Child (Divine/Human) and Spirit.  The image of God known before Jesus was physically born.  Knowing that God does not oppress, ostracize or stigmatize but is Love.  Re-reading Romans 1:20 now in the King James Version

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead [triune]; so that they are without excuse.  KJV

So that is settled, in all my writings going forward we will use the image of God as the invisible things known since creation, his divine nature and attributes.  I offer that scripture not only tells us that we are created in His nature, but all of mankind has evidence and can acknowledge to a small degree within their own nature.  

We can’t know what we do not know ourselves.  Because God wants to be known and glorified, he made known within our own-self evidence of his nature.  Careful to recognize, like the tiny monk, we are diminutive in the presence of God, not coming close to the Glory of God.  Mankind was made to have microscopic amounts of His nature so to know God.  

If you can, remember your list of attributes of God from our previous posts.  Can you remember the divine nature and attributes you saw reflected in your child?  In your loved one with a disability?  In yourself?  Can you recognize some evidence within? Keep those in mind as we go forward today.

Now let us look at some of the attributes and nature of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  As you read the next three scriptures take a mental note or write down the nature or attributes you see of Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  

Colossians 2:2-3  My goal is that they [you] may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full richest of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

What was your list?  I found the following.  Heart, Love, Understanding, Knowledge, Christ, Wisdom, Joy, Peace, Forbearance, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control, Grace, Fellowship.   That is quite a list of attributes that we are made to have within us to a degree.  To have love is how we can better recognize God’s love, to have some understanding we can better recognize the great understanding of God, etc….   Go ahead and fill in the blank with anyone of those attributes.  

To have _____________ is too better know God’s perfect _____________.

Consider if this is from three scriptures, just think of the entirety of the Bible.  Our next question to tackle is what is the reflection of image of God in disability.   

If you are someone with a disability, like me, do you see evidence of the image of God, Father/Son/Holy Spirit (Parent/Child/Spirit) within you?  Which one(s) or all?  What is your ability to perfect any one of those attributes?  Which ones do you enjoy today, and which ones are you working to be better?  When have you experienced one of those attributes from someone that helped your better understanding that attribute?  What about grace?  When have you experienced grace and how has that grown your faith and understanding of God’s grace; Jesus as grace personified?  What does it feel like to receive the grace of God?

Looking at your beloved child or loved one with a disability, what evidence of the image of God do you see? What attributes do they have or need to work on? Do they know love? Do they know joy? Do they have patience, or working to have more? Do they have goodness within? Now which of all the attributes do they minister to you, helping you to perfect and know more? Is it love, wisdom, joy, forbearance, fellowship? Does living with a disability take away or make them less whole? Does it diminish the traits they have? My child with a dis/ability has been my most practical teacher on earth. He continues helping me see, know and understand the nature of God both from my child’s reflection and from my own. If my love for my son is only a microscopic fraction of the Love of God, I am overwhelmed in the best way possible. Know you and your child/loved one are loved with the immeasurable perfect love of God.

Next Post we wrap up the question of the Image of God by looking more at the life of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Join me with a mother’s heart and disability perspective.  

Assignment: Don’t get distracted, focus on the big picture of the Image of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Ask your trusted family and friends the questions from this post.  Ask them especially what attributes they see in your beloved child and within you.  

Reflection:  Genesis 22:7 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.  

Prayer. Oh God, you are awesome, powerful, incomprehensible for our tiny minds.  You are the infinite perfection of your nature which you have made known since creation.  Thank you that we became living creatures made from the dust on the ground and you gave us all without exception the breath of life.  Without a doubt we are created in your image.  Especially grateful Lord that you made yourself known through my child and their existence, their nature and in/abilities.  We pray as your children in Galatians 4:6 “You have “sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  We cry out to you each day to make us more in your image, more like Christ.  We cry out -help us see your image in all humanity, especially my child.  Humbly all reading this ask for your blessing and to have our days be filled with joy.  

Next post brings the last five together to wrap up the Image of God.  We introduce a new question – Why God, Why is my child suffering with a disability?  Did you God cause or allow my child to have the disability? Is it my fault? What do I do with my shame and guilt?