The Human Trinity – Made in God's Image

August 15, 2004

"God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.'" Genesis 1:26

Id, Ego and Superego
The following indented text is copied from Freud's Division of the Mind by David B. Stevenson ('96, Brown University). I have made slight changes in wording as well as for spelling and grammar. Wording changes are indicated by the use of brackets [ ].

Freud understood the mind as constantly in conflict with itself, and understood this conflict as the primary cause of human anxiety and unhappiness. … Freud's investigations into internal conflicts such as this led him to an eventual division of the mind into three parts, three conflicting internal tendencies, the id, ego, and superego. … Id As [a newborn child enters] into the reality of life, he wants only to [have his physical needs satisfied and to experience] pleasure. [The] urges are the demands of the id, the most primitive motivational force. In pursuit of these ends, the id demands immediate gratification: it is ruled by the pleasure principle, demanding satisfaction now, regardless of circumstances and possible undesirable effects. If a young child was ruled entirely by his id, he would steal and eat a piece of chocolate from a store regardless of the menacing owner watching above him or even his parents scolding beside him. The id will not stand for a delay in gratification. For some urges, such as [eating], this is easily satisfied. However, if the urge is not immediately discharged, the id will form a memory of [past experiences that brought about a satisfaction of the urge]. This act of wish-fulfillment satisfies the id's desire for the moment, though obviously it does not reduce the tension of the unfulfilled urge. Ego The eventual understanding that immediate gratification is usually impossible (and often unwise) comes with the formation of the ego, which is ruled by the reality principle. The ego acts as a go-between in the id's relations with reality, often suppressing the id's urges until an appropriate situation arises. This repression of inappropriate desires and urges represents the greatest strain on, and the most important function of, the mind. The ego often utilizes defense mechanisms to achieve and aid this repression. Where the id may have an urge and form a picture [that] satisfies this urge, the ego engages in a strategy to actually fulfill the urge. [One] now not only identifies [the source of fulfillment] of his urge, but [also] forms a plan to obtain [satisfaction]. While the ego is still in the service of the id, it borrows some of its psychic energy in an effort to control the urge until it is feasibly satisfied. The ego's effort at pragmatic satisfaction of urges eventually builds a great number of skills and memories and becomes aware of itself as an entity. With the formation of the ego, the individual becomes a self, instead of an amalgamation of urges and needs. Superego While the ego may temporarily repress certain urges of the id in fear of punishment, eventually these external sources of punishment are internalized, and the [person will not behave improperly], even unwatched, because he has taken punishment, right, and wrong into himself. The superego uses guilt and self-reproach as its primary means of enforcement for these rules. But if a person does something [that] is acceptable to the superego, he experiences pride and self-satisfaction. The superego is sub-dividable into two parts: conscience and ego ideal. Conscience tells what is right and wrong, and forces the ego to inhibit the id in pursuit of morally acceptable, not pleasurable or even realistic, goals. The ego ideal aims the individual's path of life toward the ideal, perfect goals instilled by society. In the pursuit, the mind attempts to make up for the loss of the perfect life experienced as a baby.

While Freud's conclusions had some basis, his division of the mind did not account for the spirit. Furthermore, his thoughts about the id being pleasure seeking do not separate true physical needs from selfish pleasure seeking. He did not seem to recognize that true conflict and anxiety are due to the war between good and evil, mind vs. spirit, flesh vs. spirit, Satan vs. God, man vs. God, our own will vs. the will of God. We are at war within ourselves: the id (flesh) vs. the ego (soul — mind, emotions and will) vs. superego (spirit). The superego/spirit seeking satisfaction from a higher Life form, from God, spirit seeking satisfaction from Spirit; and our id, which is actually our desires that are described in the Bible as our "flesh", seeking satisfaction anywhere we can get it outside of God and His Spirit.

For me, "id, ego and superego" are best understood as "body, soul and spirit," and in the case of God as the Trinity of "Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit."

Why I have such a hard time with christians (lowercase "c" intended ^{endnote 2}), is not that the uppercase "C" Christ is not a part of their lives, because in most cases He is, and they are saved. Church leadership, pastors, teachers, etc. have failed God by failing His people. They just don't know any better. It's a heavy burden to have to carry isn't it? Anyway, people perish for the lack of knowledge. With itching ears they look for someone, anyone to confirm they are right — and will go to any lengths to feel good about it — sounds familiar doesn't it. There is a tendency, on the part of many, to go to the Bible with preconceived beliefs and then find passages to prove the particular belief. However, many beliefs can be refuted using that same unacceptable method.

The problem is not that there is no connection to God. It's not that they (I/we) are not saved. For many the chasm between human spirit and God's Spirit has been spanned (although for some that connection or bridge has never been accomplished).

The problem is not that there is no connection within self. The connection with one's own body (id) and spirit (superego) usually exists. More problematic is the connection (mental acceptance of oneself) with the soul (ego). That may require the help of another.

A major problem is that there is no external human connection. What is missing is the relationship that God was talking about when He said, "It is not good for man to be alone." For many that type of connection does not exist in familial and acquaintance type relationships, where other persons may be in close proximity, but there exists no caring relationship. It is another deeper connection that is required — a spiritual (person-to-person) bond — real, not superficial, friendships.

As an aside, do you realize what occurred when God created Eve? He took the female reproductive side out of Adam to make Eve. For God to be God means that He is perfect in every way. After creating Man, God did not wake up from a nap one day and say, "Oh, We forgot to make a way to procreate, so now we'd better make Woman in Our own image." All the necessary procreative organs existed within Adam. He was a hermaphrodite. A hermaphrodite that God planned in advance would require surgery to make two from one — "the two shall be one flesh" and in this case they literally were the same flesh. The surgery was not only physical, but also in some sense, a division of the soul. Woman was made to compliment man, but not only for procreation, but also on the level of human interaction — the non-physical differences between the masculine and the feminine. But even more than that, God divided the soul so as to be left wanting. God intended man and woman to once again become one as soul mates. It is my belief that God's intention was that "the two shall become one flesh" at the very moment of first knowing the other sexually, but He also intended man and woman to know each other on a deeper level of the soul long before sexually intimacy. God created woman to be a "suitable helper" to man (Genesis 2:20). As part of His plan, God created both man and woman on the sixth day (Genesis 1:27, 31); woman was not an afterthought, but a deliberate design to make two from one in order that the two would join and once again become one.

Back to that missing human-to-human — person-to-person — relationship: Many Christians are approaching the Christian walk in error. There are two problems: we operate first, without Christ, and second, with total lack of understanding/knowledge. In telling others about God, we approach them with either only our own id or directed at only at the other's id — there is no Life in that approach — it's spiritually dead. Maybe we target the other's superego only — that's great and what's ultimately needed to bring another to repentance — but even that falls short if approached using only the id or ego to bring life to the superego of another. It simply is not enough — for others to feel the Love of God in and through us, what is required is for honest, transparent, compassionate listening, and a tender embrace in Godly affection — we become magnets drawing them to our Saviour and real Life, healing of the inner man, and peace that surpasses all understanding. We will have led them to the Satisfaction they seek, the very Source of Life.

Christians often try to do God's work with their own id — it will not achieve results in the other in the long term. We sometimes desire to know what we can do for God, instead of looking to God for what He wills to do through us. That may be self-gratifying, but it will not have the power of God to achieve His work in the individual. A message heard may be received because God is at work, but without God's Love emanating out of the person who does the ministering, all of the appeals, arguing and sermons are, at best, incomplete.

The answer is that the superego of the one trying to minister must be conscious to the needs of the one to whom they are ministering. All too often we jump right in doing God's work, without listening to God's voice. What is needed is a word of knowledge from the Master. The order of ministry must be considered. Often, ministry to the superego (salvation, Spiritual insight) should not be our first and only concern. Granted, there are times, after seeing a need, that we minister first to the id (food, clothing, etc.), with a variety of motives, some of which are even selfish. However, the ego (soul) of the other gets lost in the shuffle. They continue to walk in darkness — a flickering candle almost always within just a wisp of being blown out.

Isaiah 42:3 "A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice." Isaiah 42:6-7 "Thus says God the LORD, 'I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.'"

This is also true after the fact; we neglect those within our own circles, leaving them to die inside. We fail to minister to the whole (as in "entire") person. We sometimes feed the hungry and clothe the homeless. We preach enough of God's Word to cause other's to see their need of repentance, and often involve them in "doing" church. However, we often neglect the soul needs of the person; they never experience the "one another" principles of the New Testament; they never experience Love God's way, nor ever understand the depth of their worth to our Loving God and King. As a result, too often our example and our teaching leave others (and ourselves) thinking that the "get out of Hell free" card is all there is to Christianity. They and we don't grow. We are taught that we have eternal security, and we feel "safe". As the child who falls out of bed at night might say, "I fell asleep too close to where I got in," many Christians "fall asleep too close to where we got in." Unfortunately, some who fall asleep return to their old ways.

We don't minister to the whole person and then we wonder why he is never made "whole". Maybe that is because we ourselves are not whole, having never been ministered to as a whole person by others. Let's all get into alignment with God's plan. Let's take a deeper look into our own and others' soul needs, as well as the physical and spiritual. Let's bear one another's burdens.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (New American Standard Bible) "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life."

As we grow and mature in Christ, we come to realize that we are indeed becoming undivided and whole — our body, soul and spirit submitted as one under the control of the Holy Spirit. Our need for human connection remains, but is diminished in intensity. We have come to have true intimacy with our Source. He is our Living water — the Source of Life, Who is our all in all. He is our supply — for all we need and running over, splashing on all those with whom we come in contact. Also see: Text and image at Person — More Than Human Biology.

John 4:10 "Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.'" John 4:13-14 "Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.'" John 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"