Day 1485 – Trust Is Earned – Wisdom Unplugged

September 29, 2020 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Welcome to Day 1485 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Trust Is Earned – Wisdom Unplugged

Today’s quote is from Zig Ziglar, and it is: If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.

Trust is Earned

If you desire for people to like you, then you need to be likable. In other words, you need to practice the golden rule Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. Once you do that, you will have their confidence to listen to what you have to say. That in itself is good, because if what you have to say is worthwhile, then a person will like you. Gaining someone’s trust goes much deeper. If you wish to partner with someone, or do transact any business, you must be trustworthy. Trust cannot be demanded and should not be initially expected. Trust is earned over time, by keeping your word, your commitments, and loyalty. Trust must be earned over time, but can be lost in an instant if you prove yourself untrustworthy. So make sure all of your interactions with others are built on integrity, honesty, and truth. So like others and treat them right, and over time you will be considered trustworthy.

Here is a passage of what type of a person a church leader needs to be, but it also applies to all areas of life.

1 Timothy 3:1-5

This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.” So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1484 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Worldview Wednesday!

Day 1484 – Bible Study – Five Minutes and A Sermon – Meditation Monday

September 28, 2020 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Welcome to Day 1484 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Bible Study – Five Minutes and A Sermon – Meditation Monday

We are continuing our series this week on Meditation Monday as we focus on Mastering Bible Study through a series of brief insights from Hebrew Scholar, Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Our current insights are focusing on study habits to build a strong foundation. Today let us meditate on:

Bible Study – Five Minutes and A Sermon

· Insight Twenty-Three: Five Minutes Is A Long Time

Let’s start this segment with another story from Dr. Heiser that focuses on how important it is to invest in each moment we have. Here is his story: Growing up, no one taught me the Bible. My first exposure to the Bible that I can remember happened when I was about ten years old. My best friend’s mom had a devotional time with her kids. If I was there, I was invited to stay. I was amazed that kids my age and younger knew the names of Bible characters and stories. About all I knew was Adam, Eve, and Jesus (at least the names).

There were times I’d sit in that little Bible study feeling like the dumbest person in the room. I guess I was when it came to the Bible. I wanted to know more, but it felt like an impossible task. Today, I’m a Bible scholar with advanced degrees who studies Scripture in the original languages. I’m light-years from where I started.

Trust me; it didn’t happen overnight. What I know now is the cumulative result of thousands of incremental sessions of studying Scripture and hundreds of resources related to it. It had to be that way, since I worked full time through fifteen years of graduate school, and most of my time in college before that.

One of the most helpful things I’ve ever heard was something a professor told us during freshman orientation at college. One of our orientation sessions was about time management. The professor looked out over the auditorium and then changed my life when she said five minutes is a long time. If you’ve ever had to wait five minutes for something (a favorite show, an appointment, the bathroom!), you know it’s true.

I took her advice to heart. If I had five minutes to read or review something, I took it. It’s incredible how much data can pile up in your brain in small bits. I got through college and graduate school and did well. I still can’t stand to be idle. I’m always trying to learn about something.

I understand what it means to be pressed for time. Making time for Bible study is a legitimate challenge, especially if you’re an adult with a job, kids, and a string of responsibilities. If you only have five minutes for careful Bible study, take it. It will add up. I’m living proof that it works.

· Insight Twenty-Four: Listening to a Sermon Is Not Bible Study

It seems like one of the rituals in church life is complaining about sermons. I sort of feel sorry for the pastor! It isn’t an easy task to capture people’s attention with the Bible. To many people in church, it’s a foreign book that they don’t believe they can understand. Others think they’ve heard everything already, so their minds are prone to wander.

Since you’re listening to this podcast or reading the journal notes, it’s a sure bet the above doesn’t describe you. You want to learn Scripture and don’t think you’ve absorbed all that there is to see in Scripture. You come to church expecting to learn something. That’s all very good. I don’t want to see you fall into the trap (or pattern) of substituting the Sunday sermon for Bible study.

If you’re the kind of person that takes notes during a sermon, you may wonder about where I’m going here. I’m primarily talking about the person who doesn’t take notes, a completely passive listener. I’ve known many people that, when asked if they study the Bible, think that’s what they’re doing when they talk about the sermon in a small group. That isn’t Bible study. It’s sharing opinions about what someone else thinks about a Bible passage. Bible study isn’t an opinion survey.

If you take notes during a sermon, you’ve already moved beyond the passive act of listening. Taking notes during sermons can convert sermon time into Bible study time. I recommend it as a starting point for Bible study. I’ve known some people that say it’s a sin because “sermons are spiritual exhortations, not lectures.” A pious false dichotomy is still a false dichotomy. Shutting off your brain in church isn’t a virtue.

Taking notes during sermons can prepare you for Bible study. If you happen to be working through the same passage in your Bible study, you can look up cross-references while you listen or jot down questions the sermon raises in your mind. Even if you aren’t in that passage, if you take careful notes, you’ll be able to pick up your thoughts in the future when you study that passage. You’re way ahead of the curve if your notes are digital; those things are searchable!

So go ahead—make the sermon a time to sharpen some Bible study skills. God won’t mind.

Joshua 1:8

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

That is a wrap for today’s Meditation. Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’ If you would like to listen to any of the past 1483 daily treks or read the daily Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and Journal.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow!

Day 1483 – 3D Printing – Ask Gramps

September 25, 2020 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Welcome to Day 1483 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

3-D Printing – Ask Gramps

To keep with our theme of “Ask Gramps,” I will put our weekly topics in the form of a question to get us on track. This week’s question is, Hey Gramps, I hear a fair bit about 3-D printing today. Can you explain why it will be so crucial for our future?

3-D Printing

Last week we learned how superfast transportation and avatars would change how we work with others. This week our focus will be on the 3-D printing revolution. I am using some of the information mentioned in Peter Diamandis’s blogs and book “The Future is Faster Than You Think.”

3D printing is about to transform manufacturing as we know it, decimating waste, multiplying speed to market, and harnessing never-before-used materials.

It has already hit $15.8 billion in value in 2020. 3-D printing as manufacturing of products and services is projected to more than double to $35.6 billion by 2025—just five years from today.

Not only will 3D printing turn supply chains on their head here on Earth, shifting how and who manufactures our products, but it will also be a vital catalyst for making space colonies (and their infrastructure) possible.

Welcome to the 2030 era of tailor-made, rapid-fire, ultra-cheap, and zero-waste product creation on our planet and far beyond.

3D printing on the ISS

Today, the most expensive supply chain in the known universe extends only 241 miles. Jutting straight up from mission control down here on Earth, this resupply network extends directly to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (or the ISS).

Yet the supply chain’s hefty expense is due almost entirely to weight. Why? It costs $10,000 per pound to get an object out of the Earth’s gravity well. Because it takes months for that object to reach the Space Station, the storage of replacement parts takes up a significant portion of the ISS’s precious real estate.

In other words, the most expensive supply chain in history leads to the most exotic junkyard in the cosmos. The first-ever company seeking to solve these problems, ‘Made in Space,’ had the ambitious goal to build a 3D printer that works in zero gravity. A few years later, Made in Space is now in space. For this reason, on a 2018 ISS mission, when an astronaut broke his finger, the team no longer needed to order a splint from Earth and wait months for its arrival. Instead, they flipped on their 3D printer, loaded in some feedstock, found “splint” in their blueprint archive, and created what they needed, when they needed it. Successes like that of Made in Space represent a level of on-demand manufacturing capability, unlike anything we’ve seen before.

‘Made In Space’ is pushing the envelope on what can be made in space with its next mission – which is set to launch aboard a Northrop Grumman International Space Station (ISS) resupply mission set on September 29^th. Aboard that launch will be Made In Space’s Turbine Ceramic Manufacturing Module (aka CMM), a commercial ceramic turbine blisk manufacturing device that uses 3D-printing technology to produce intricate parts the require a high degree of production accuracy.

But how did we get here…?

The original 3D printers showed up back in the 80s. They were clunky, slow, hard to program, easy to break, and worked with only one material: Plastic.

Today, these machines have colonized most of the periodic table. We can now print in over 500 different materials, in full color, in metals, rubber, plastic, glass, concrete, and even organic materials, such as cells, leather, and chocolate.The interfaces are nearly plug-and-play simple—meaning if you can learn to use Facebook, you can probably learn how to 3D print. What we can now print is astounding. From jet engines to apartment complexes to circuit boards to prosthetic limbs, 3D printers can fabricate enormously complex devices in ever-shorter timeframes.

Moreover, because objects are being built one layer at a time, customization requires nothing more than altering a digital file. Design complexity, what was once one of the most expensive components of the manufacturing process, now comes for free.

In a big win for our planet, 3D printing also cleans up the process. In comparison, traditional manufacturing is about turning more into less. Start with a big chunk of whatever, then you carve, shave, and shred your way down to the desired object. Most of what you’re producing along the way is waste.

3D printing turns this process on its head. By building up objects one layer at a time, the process uses much less of the raw materials of traditional manufacturing. Nor is it just the waste that vanishes. The on-demand nature of 3D printers removes the need for inventory and everything that inventory requires. Besides the space needed for printing materials and the printer itself, 3D printing all but erases supply chains, transportation networks, stock rooms, warehouses, and other components required in traditional manufacturing.

The development and advancement of 3-D exponential technology threatens to demonetize, dematerialize, and democratize the entire $12 trillion manufacturing industry. It did not happen overnight, though; it was a long time coming.

Until the early 2000s, 3D printers were expensive toys. The industry started to shift in 2007 when what was once a several-hundred-thousand-dollar machine became available for under $10,000. Just one year later, the first 3D-printed objects hit the market: housewares, jewelry, clothing, even prosthetic limbs.

Transportation was next: 2011 saw the world’s first 3D-printed car. Jet engines soon followed, and rocket engines were not far behind. 2017 was the year that 3-D printing as manufacturing entered its disruptive phase. By then, printing speeds had increased 150-fold, the variety of materials had increased 500-fold, and printers themselves could now be purchased for under $1,000.

3D Printing Convergences

As the price dropped and performance increased, convergences began to arise—and this is what moves 3D printing from a manufacturing revolution to a society-wide force for change.

Take computing, for instance. A couple of years back, the Israeli company Nano Dimension brought the first commercial circuit board printer to market, which lets designers prototype new circuit boards in hours instead of months. Since the design of circuit boards is a brake on the speed of computer development—that is, a brake on the biggest driver of technological acceleration—this convergence doesn’t just represent a revolution in computer manufacturing; it puts the pedal to the metal on an already accelerated process.

Another convergence sits at the intersection of energy and 3D printing, wherein 3-D manufacturing is already making batteries, wind turbines, and solar cells— three of the most expensive and essential components of the renewables revolution.

Even transportation is seeing similar impacts. Engines used to be among the most complicated machines on the planet. GE’s advanced turboprop, for instance, once contained 855 individually milled components. Today, with 3D printing, it has twelve. The upside? A hundred pounds of weight reduction and a 20 percent improvement in fuel burn.

Yet another convergence involves 3D printing and biotech. The first few 3D-printed prosthetics arrived in 2010. Today, hospitals are rolling them out at scale. Just last year, for instance, a Jordanian hospital introduced a program that can fit and build a prosthetic for an amputee in only 24 hours. The price tag? Less than $20. Meanwhile, as 3D printers can now print electronics, we’re seeing innovations like the Hero Arm: the world’s first 3D-printed, multi-grip bionic prosthetic available at non-bionic prices. The next step is replacement body parts are about to become replacement organs. In 2002, scientists at Wake Forest University 3D-printed the first kidney capable of filtering blood and producing urine. In 2010, Organovo, a San Diego-based bioprinting outfit, created the first blood vessel. Now in 2020, a San Francisco-based 3D tissue printing company Prellis Biologics is achieving record speeds in its pursuit of printed human tissue with viable capillaries. In success, these 3-D manufacturing breakthroughs could forever end our shortage of donor organs.

In the realm of real estate and infrastructure, the construction industry will be downright unrecognizable within the next two decades. In 2014, the Chinese company WinSun successfully 3D-printed ten single-family homes in under 24 hours, each costing less than $5000. A few months later, WinSun was at it again, printing a 5-story apartment complex in the course of a mere weekend. In 2017, a different Chinese company combined 3D printing with modular construction to erect a 57-story skyscraper in 19 days.

Another story that might best illustrate the world-changing power of 3D printing belongs to a guy named Brett Devita. Sickened by the tent cities he saw in Haiti after the earthquake, Devita decided to find a way to use emerging technology to provide permanent shelter for people who need it most. Forming a non-profit called New Story, he raised research capital from a group of investors known only as “the Builders.” New Story created a solar-powered 3D printer that can work in the worst environments imaginable. Greatly democratizing the field, Devita’s printer erects a 400-800 square-foot home in 48 hours at the cost of about $4,000. These homes aren’t bunkers; they consist of awesome modern designs complete with wrap-around porches.

In the fall of 2019, New Story started the construction of the world’s first 3D-printed community. One hundred homes to be given or sold (using no interest, micro-repayment loans available to anyone) to people who are currently homeless.

Final Thoughts

3D printing is not a mere paradigm shift in manufacturing. It is fundamentally democratizing access to vital resources, redefining nodes of power in contemporary supply chains, and turning wasteful production processes into closed-loop economies.

Whether a bearer of infinite organ supply or trillions of sensors, 3D printing and the production materials it unlocks will permeate every industry imaginable. Even in some of the most barren of environments—think: desolate planets, disaster zones, or scattered among asteroids in space, 3-D manufacturing is one tomorrow’s most significant conduits for converting scarcity to abundance.

These exciting developments in exponential technology, including 3-D printing, have been many years in the making. Providing the basic needs to everyone in the world at a reasonable cost will also allow us as Christ-followers to reach many more nations with the Good News of Jesus Christ. These technologies will facilitate the building of God’s Kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven. Let us build on the foundations that have been laid by many others so that we can say as the Apostle Paul said.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11

Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

That is a wrap for today’s question. Join us again next Futuristic Friday as we look at another exciting exponential technology area on our ‘Ask Gramps’ episode. Our next trek is Meditation Monday, where we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’If you would like to listen to any of the past 1482 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, but most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you on Monday!

Day 1482 – I Do – Humor Unplugged

September 24, 2020 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Welcome to Day 1482 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

I Do – Humor Unplugged

I Do

Suzy and John got all dressed up for Ann’s Wedding, and they were so excited to take their four-year-old Emily with them to attend her first wedding. Ann was Suzy’s best friend and college roommate, and they adored Jim, her soon to be husband. They arrived in plenty of time and Emily was very well behaved. The wedding went off without a hitch. The bride was radiant, and the groom looked impeccable. The church was decorated elegantly, and little Emily was in awe of the entire ceremony. Afterward, they attended the reception, which was a grand event. Little Emily didn’t eat much at the reception and seemed quieter than her usual self. John and Suzy thought she just must be tied from all of the excitement. On their drive home, little Emily remained sort of solemn as she stared out the window. Suzy turned to her and said, is something wrong Emily? Emily thought for a bit and finally spoke. “Why did the lady who was supposed to get married changed her mind?.” Suzy asked, “What do you mean, Emily.” Looking sad, Emily replied, “Well, she went down the aisle with one man and came back with another one.”

I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did pass your smile onto some else, we all could use a kind smile each day. Our Thursday thought is, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, with the same person.”

Here is our verse for today:

Proverbs 18:22

The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1481 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Futuristic Friday!

Day 1481 – Family Terminology and Heavenly Host – Worldview Wednesday

September 23, 2020 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Welcome to Day 1481 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Family Terminology and Heavenly Host – Worldview Wednesday

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. Today is Day 1481 of our Trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical Worldview is essential to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must have a proper understanding of God and His Word. This week, on our Worldview Wednesday episode, we will continue our study based on a course I recently completed taught by Dr. Michael Heiser. Our study is titled “Sons and Daughters of God: The Believer’s Identity, Calling, and Destiny” Throughout this multi-week course, we will demonstrate that, in the Old Testament, “sons of God” and “holy ones” refers to supernatural beings whose Father is God and who work with God to carry out His will and that this divine family was present before humanity. By fully engaging with biblical texts such as Psalm 82; Psalm 89, and Deuteronomy 32:8–9, our study will show that this divine family functions as a template for God’s human family. God desires of humans, as His imagers, to participate in His council. This study addresses issues such as polytheism, the nature of the (little ‘g’) “gods,” and the uniqueness of Yahweh. Within this study, we will apply insights to the New Testament texts and shows how the metaphor of being in God’s family informs our sense of identity and mission as believers.

Family Terminology and Heavenly Host

· Segment 20: Family Terminology Is Intentional

Introduction

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the sons of God in the Old Testament. We had telegraphed at the beginning of the course that we are paying attention to this family terminology because it’s going to provide a useful, intentional template for us to understand how God looks at His human family, His human sons, and His human daughters. They’re going to provide the sons of God, the supernatural ones, sort of a framework for us to think well theologically about ourselves.

We have already talked about the family terminology; we’ve talked about that there is a functional or a participatory idea with these supernatural sons of God in the Old Testament, and they participate with God in carrying out His will. So we’ve already learned things about their identity, their purpose. So we’re going to learn something about our identity and our purpose, our calling, and finally, our destiny. We will understand how we realize these things, how our status will lead somewhere ultimately, and how we fulfill our calling. Lastly, how we will fulfill the purpose for which we have been made in the future. Think back about the references to the sons of God in the Old Testament. We must think of them as a family and as coworkers to completely understand this point.

Yahweh Decides to Add Humans to His Family

Let’s go back to Genesis, because if we have these concepts in our mind when we read some key passages beginning in the garden of Eden, our relationship to them starts to come into focus. This concept will be part of the foundation for later as sons and daughters, children of God-language in the New Testament. Back in Genesis 1, in the very famous passage about human creation Genesis 1:26–28, we read this:

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

So God created human beings in his own image.

In the image of God, he created them;

male and female he created them.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Now, what’s going on here? What we have is we have an announcement, a decree, a decision that has been made by God to create humans. He is now going to add humans to His family. We know from Job 38, where our course started, that He already has a family, a supernatural family, the sons of God, divine beings. This decree, though, is about something similar, but different. We are going to create embodied beings now, and that’s going to, again, inform why God is doing it and what His intentions are ultimately.

Introducing the Idea of Image

So let’s unpack some of these ideas. As we proceed, we’re going to be talking about the family relationship that God has with, not only His divine sons, His divine family, His divine children as it were, but His human children. We’re going to introduce a new term drawn from Genesis 1, that is, the idea of the image or imaging God. It’s going to be very important. It’s going to telegraph the fact that we are God’s coworkers and participants with Him.

So I hope you can see the ideas already. God already had a family. He is adding humans to the family now. The family He already had works for Him; they’ve been doing things. He’s going to add humans now, and humans are also going to (key idea) represent Him, work with Him to do a particular task. It’s a blending of divine family and an embodied family. This plan was God’s intention from the very beginning. The same Creator makes both families, and they are both going to participate with Him in doing the things He wants to be done.

· Segment 21: Heavenly Host at Creation

Plural Language Indicates Family

Genesis 1:26, the passage where humanity is created “in our image, to be like us,” telegraphs some essential ideas. Fundamentally, it informs us that humans were meant to be part of God’s divine family from the very beginning. You might say, “Well, how do we learn that?” Because as we’ve been taught to think about this scene, it’s just God, and then we have the creation of humans.

What I am suggesting to you is that God’s family, the family that already existed, the members of the heavenly host, are in the scene in Genesis 1:26. The plural language of the verse indicates this. We go back to Genesis 1:26. Just think about it: hen God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

So God created human beings in his own image.

In the image of God, he created them;

male and female he created them.

Plural Language Not a Reference to the Trinity

Most Christians, in my experience, have presumed that the plural language in Genesis 1 (“Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.”) is a reference to the Trinity. I’m suggesting to you that it’s not; the plural is not pointing to the Trinity. You could ask, “Well, why not?”

Well, first of all, if you read the passage, there is no way to limit the plurality language to three, but I would say, even more fundamentally, it makes no sense for God to inform the other members of the Trinity about something He wants to do. The other members of the Trinity are coeternal, so they would already know; there is no point for God to inform them of anything, just none at all.

Plural Language Refers to Heavenly Host

So we have sort of a theological disconnect there. What we have is God announcing His intention to a group, and that group is the heavenly host, the sons of God that were there before the foundation of the world, according to Job 38:7–8. The plural language, therefore, links God to them in some way and also to humanity. There is some linkage created by the fact that we have this plural language. We’re going to talk about that in a moment.

God Alone Creates

We also can’t lose sight of the plural language in Genesis 1:26, but then it switches back to the singular. Yes, we have “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us,” but when the creation happens in Genesis 1:27, we read,

So God created human beings in his own image.

In the image of God, he created them;

male and female he created them.

In other words, there is no sense that the rest of the members of the heavenly host help God out in human creation, that they played some role as co-creators. That is not the point of the plurality language. It has a reason (which we’re going to talk about in subsequent weeks), but it’s not that God needed help creating or that we have co-creators here.

Let me illustrate it this way: If I walked into a room—I am just one individual—and I said to everybody else in the room, “Let us go get pizza,” I have announced my intention to the group, but then we use my car. We go to the pizza place I choose. I pay for it, but everyone gets to eat. That’s essentially what’s happening here. There is one actor, God, who makes the decision, announces it to the rest of them, they participate with Him. In a certain way, they get the benefit of it. They are part of what’s going on, but they don’t do certain things. In the case of Genesis 1:26–28, they don’t co-create humanity; the text is unambiguous there. Somehow, the plural language does link God, the members that He is speaking to (the heavenly host), and us (humankind). We need to take a closer look at that, which we will do next week.^[1]

That will finish our study for this week’s Worldview Wednesday. Next week we will continue covering “Human Family As Imagers.” Tomorrow we will enjoy our 3-minute Humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer, which will help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’If you would like to listen to any of our past 1480 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most of all, your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you Tomorrow!

^[1] Heiser, M. S. (2019). Sons and Daughters of God: The Believer’s Identity, Calling, and Destiny. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

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