Christians are taught that they are made in the image of God. In Genesis 1:26b, God said, “‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.'” We understand this when looking at Jesus who, although lived without sin, also ate food, felt tired, experienced emotions, suffered from pain and exhibited many other human functions.
But our likeness to Christ goes deeper than also having ten fingers and ten toes. There is a much more fundamental parallel and, as Damon Davis writes in his book God Cures; 21 Days to Look Good, Live Great, and Love Well, Christians who overlook this similarity might not fully grasp who they are or how they are to live their lives.
Davis reflects on how he used to merely attend church, murmur a prayer and then stroll right back to the life from which he came. Now he realizes how the place where one finds truth, “where you can stare into the mirror and see yourself for who you really are,” is the Bible. He points to what Scripture says about the total composition of us.
In the same way that God is made up in three persons, we are composed of three parts: body, soul and spirit. And understanding how to order these three parts is key to leading a Christlike life.
“When we study the Scriptures, we find that God is triune, which means that He is made up of three persons, three separate entities, who are one—the Father, the Son and the Spirit. While we often address them uniquely and separately, together they represent God, the triune Godhead. In the same way, as we are created in their image and likeness, it reveals man as a triune being, consisting of three parts that make up our total composition,” Davis says.
The Body
The Bible teaches us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. However, plenty of Christians neglect to treat their bodies as temples. Many view science, medicine and technology as the enemy. The believer is held responsible for their own illness and must then exert some force of faith to overcome it.
“We have dodged exercise, good nutrition and other healthy habits only to find church leaders and laypeople alike with disease-ridden lives stemming from poor lifestyles, bad eating decisions, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, lack of hydration and sugared diets, all leading to addictions, mental illness, abuse of the body and cellular decay,” Davis says.
While contending that, indeed, God does cure—sometimes miraculously—Davis also encourages us to embrace what medical science has proven to us about how our bodies function. Freedom from sickness is available to us through both the power of God and what He reveals to us through science.
The Soul and Spirit
The late Bible teacher and theologian Derek Prince believed the soul is the ego: the emotions, the intellect and the will. Our souls beat out our desires, feelings and opinions in the same way our hearts pump blood through our bodies.
The problem is, however, that we were not designed to be led by our souls. God created us to be led by His Spirit—to have fellowship with Him. As fallen people, we are constantly pulled by our soul’s desires.
Davis says, “Adam and Eve’s disobedience caused a tidal wave of problems, including what I believe was the first fracture in the total composition of man—soul decay, soul disruption. But it did not stop there. Each of the three parts of their composition was disrupted. Their bodies began to age, and sin caused them to be spiritually separated from God.”
Understanding this condition of the human experience would not be helpful without recognizing our need to submit to the Holy Spirit. Only when we deny ourselves, submit to the Holy Spirit in us, and seek God’s will for our lives will we finally realize the life God intended for us.
As God Cures details, this is when you find “your pathway to healing and to finally becoming cured.” Abandon the soul-led life and allow yourself to be led by the Spirit. Only then does God fully restore you.
About Damon Davis: Damon Davis, chairman and CEO of Legacy Worldwide, is recognized as a global leader in production and media services among nonprofit groups, humanitarian organizations, and ministries around the world. Davis has dedicated himself to building on a family heritage of helping ministries and organizations. Through his nationally broadcast 1onONE interview program Davis continues to pursue opportunities to promote health and personal development that will lead to better and brighter futures for everyone.
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