Have you ever wondered what God meant in Genesis 1:26 when The Holy Trinity talks about making man in their image? Knowing this includes The Father, The Son, and The Spirit can be tricky as I’m looking at it from a physical realm while trying to understand the spiritual angle.

It’s intriguing.

So how am I like them?

Throughout the Old and New Testament we discover that man has three parts – just like the Holy Trinity. I used to think the three parts were – mind, spirit and soul. Perhaps my confusion came from verses like Mark 12:30 that mention heart, mind, soul and strength. But then I found 1 Thessalonians 5:23 in my research.

“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.” (NLT)

Bingo! There are the three parts. How could I forget the physical body? It contains the features that make each of us unique and identifiable. It’s what we can’t see that makes up the other two parts. Our spirit and our soul. The question now is, “What’s the difference between the spirit and soul?”

While checking the definitions of soul and spirit, I found they do have some similar meanings. The Hebrew and Greek words for soul tell us the soul comprises our mind, will and emotions. While the Greek word for spirit refers to the rational and immortal soul. Before any questions arise in your mind, check out Hebrews 4:12. There we see a dividing line does exist between soul and spirit which the Word of God is able to precisely separate.

While there can be endless discussion as to how our three parts reflect the Trinity, I encourage you to check out John 14, 12:44-45, and 17:1-23. The truth is we must go through Jesus if we are to receive the Spirit and go to the Father. (John 14:6) And when we receive the Holy Spirit, there is a completeness we experience that cannot be explained. The more we spend time in the Bible, the more we strengthen the connection with The Holy Spirit.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)

Now, here’s something for you to mull around in your mind. In John 14:20, Jesus tells us He is in His Father and we are in Jesus and Jesus is in us. So, when we ask Jesus to come dwell inside us, we receive the Triune God. They are in each other and we are in Jesus therefore we are in them. Check out these verses:

“Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NASB)

“There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.” Ephesians 4:6 (NLT)

It’s mind boggling to say the least.

So, while we are made up of three parts, our spirit isn’t complete until we ask Jesus to join our life. In other words, at salvation The Trinity enters and equips us. The Holy Spirit from then on helps us and directs us (Galatians 5) so that we can fulfill 2 Corinthians 3:16-18.

Trying to make heads or tails of this interlaced concept can make one’s head spin. But as with everything Almighty God has for us, there is hope in how He made us. Yes, it’s intricate. But know that Jesus is always with us and the Holy Spirit is always comforting and teaching us.