Tracing the Amazing Wonders of the Personhood of God, Pt. 10
Study Guide, March 15, 2026
Pastor Clay Olsen
There are some things in this world that are so amazing that they absorb both your attention and your admiration. Some examples come from our wondrous world itself. And we have both discovered and experienced getting absorbed in that attention and admiration, and more, in tracing some of the amazing wonders of the Personhood of our God. But even more than just being more and more absorbed in the attention and admiration of the Person of our Creator and Redeemer, this discovery…this knowledge, is meant to take us even further. It is as A.W. Tozer put it: “The knowledge of the triune God is not something that we merely possess, but something that possesses us.”
It is one thing to be caught up with something, as in something we admire and appreciate, like these wonders of our world, or with the works of our fellow-man, or even with the ways of our God and Savior. But it’s something else to be possessed by them…controlled by them…to be guided and even driven by them, as in…the central driving force of your life. You see what we are driving at here, right? It is as Tozer said…essentially, it’s one thing to possess knowledge of even these amazing wonders of the Personhood of God, that we have been exploring these past many studies. but it is then quite another to re-center our lives upon it all in such a way that it possesses us…or better…that Someone other than us possesses us…that is, the Person of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Could it be that our day-to-day life comes down to this central tenet of ‘Who’ or ‘What’ we choose to be in control of us each day? How would you answer this? “So, who or what is in control of you today?” Oh, be sure of this: It is going to be someone…or it is going to be something…or maybe it’s going to be several someone’s or several something’s. Realize this: most people have never determined ‘Who’ will be the central controller of their life. But until the ‘Who’ is discovered and decided upon, then people, even Christians, are left vulnerable to being controlled by the human default-control- settings of being controlled by their circumstances upon them, and controlled by conformity to others around them, and most dangerous of all…controlled by the sin-nature within them.
Fortunately for all of us, the Apostle Paul gave us the key to the answer of ‘Who’ it is that is to be in control of you and me day after day. 2 Cor. 5:14-17 – “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore, from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” NASB
Note two things carefully: One is that central to our redeemed relationship with God is that the Person of God is now central in our life, particularly in this change of ‘Who’ we are now instructed to live our lives for…as in… ‘no longer for ourselves, but for Christ.’ Which also magnifies the Personhood of God beyond measure. For we now have one Person in our life above all for whom we are to live…, and again…it is not ourselves, it is the Person of our Lord and Savior, ‘who died and rose again on our behalf.’
Which means that the first question of each day is no longer – “What am I going to do today?”…but rather… “Who am I going to live for today?” And for every redeemed child of God the only holy answer is: “I am going to live today for my Redeemer, Jesus Christ!” And one warning here: If you do not choose that holy answer…then understand this…it will be answered for you by those default settings we just identified.
The second thing to note is: Anyone who is ‘in Christ’ is a ‘new creature’…a ‘new creation.’ And central to being this ‘new creation’ is that you and I now have a ‘new Controller.’ And that ‘Controller’ is not us…it is the Spirit of Christ, of whom we are now ‘IN’, and Who now lives within us!
To emphasize that even more…we point to a passage we should all know as well as we know anything…and that is: 1 Cor. 9:16-19 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
That should be a motto of ours, and we should remind ourselves with it every day: “I am not my own, for I am owned by my God.” Therefore, since God alone owns you, Who then alone has the right to control you? Answer? ‘Not you…and not someone else…and not something else…No, no one else nor anything else has the right to control you save the Owner and Redeemer of your life, who is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ alone!’
The Apostle is trying to teach us all that in our salvation the role of the Self has changed! It has changed from wrongly serving as this false master of your house and life to now rightly serving as a Steward and Guardian of the true Lord and Master of our house and life…our Lord Jesus Christ.
This change in the ‘role of the Self’ that comes with our salvation is not readily understood apart from these instructions of the Scriptures, nor, sadly, much taught in the general teachings to the Church. Also realize that, apart from the revelation about the natural self as uncovered in the Scriptures, the natural self will not reveal itself as to who it really is. Only through the mirror of the Word of God and the Gospel of Christ can a person truly see themselves…see ‘the Self’ for who and what it really is…a sinner already dead in trespasses and sin and in desperate need of a Savior. And only through the revelation of our God and of our one true Master, whom we are to worship and serve, can a person discover that natural human ‘Self’ is a false master. Plus, most people, even many Christians, do not understand that this false master of the self is actually being controlled by powerful influences from their old sin-nature…and by powerful influences from the world around them…and even by powerful influences of the devil and his cohorts. Therefore, only the one rightful Master, the Spirit of Christ, has the power to properly rule and control your life and has the power to defeat the powerful influences of the sin-nature, the world, and the devil.
In becoming united to God in our salvation we now share in a new nature with God, but we must not let ourselves default to the old nature that still lurks within us. Rather, we are to put off the old nature and put on the new nature every day, and thus, live as who we now are ‘in Christ.’ We are, most wondrously, His children, and we are, most fortunately, Christ’s Servants! But, and back to the point, Christ alone is to rule and reign and control our Spirit and our life!
Here is where we are going with this in our brief tracing of the amazing wonders of the Personhood of God, from His attributes to His miracles to His doctrines and more. It has all led us to and leads us to this most amazing wonder of how the Apostle identifies us in Col. 1:27 – “…Christ in you, the hope of glory…” As our Savior, Christ lives within us as our Righteousness and our Redeemer. As our Lord, Christ lives within us as our King and our Master. Christ’s rightful place as King is to reign over the world around us and reign over the world within us. And Christ’s rightful place as Master is to be sovereign over the world around us and over the world within us.
So we ask again: “Who controls you?” You and I have only one rightful Owner and Master who alone has the right to reign and control your life…that is – our Lord and Savior, the Person of Jesus Christ. And again: “So, where does that leave the ‘Self’…or what again is now the ‘role of Self’ within us? The role of Self, the work of self, the identity of Self is now not only ‘Son or Daughter’, but also ‘Servant of the Most High God.”
And along with being a Servant of our God we are also a Sentry for our God. A ‘Sentry’ you say? One of the identities the Scriptures give us is ‘Soldier’. And one of the duties of Soldiers can include at times that of a ‘Sentry’. And a Sentry’s primary duties are to maintain maximum alertness, observe their assigned area, and protect personnel and property by controlling access. They must interact with all persons approaching their post, report violations, and remain at their station until properly relieved. Their responsibilities include: Vigilance – Remaining alert, observing all activity, and securing personal property in view; Controlling Access – Interacting with all individuals on or near the post and allowing no one to pass without proper authority; Reporting and Communication – Reporting all violations, repeating calls from distant posts, and giving alarms in case of disorder; and providing Security and Defense – Reporting suspicious activity immediately, conducting, and potentially using force to defend their post.
Aha…and you see where we are going with this, right? To be sure, this ‘Soldier Sentry’ concept powerfully underscores what’s included in this ‘new role of Self’ in our life. We are responsible for such things as these:
1 Corinthians 16:13: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
Luke 12:15 “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions”.
Proverbs 4:23 (NIV): “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life”.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV): “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.
Psalm 141:3 (NIV): “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips”.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (CEV): “Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack”.
1 Timothy 6:20 (NKJV): “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust…”
1 John 5:21 (NASB): “Little children, guard yourselves from idols”.
So, yes, as we know, including in this new ‘role of self’ is that we are ambassadors for Christ, sent to proclaim the excellencies of Christ and share His saving Gospel with others around us, But at the same time, this new ‘role of self’ is also to serve as ‘Sentries’, or even as ‘Temple Guards’ of the One who is the Owner, Master, King, and Ruler of our Temple and lives.
We are Servants of the Lord within us and Sentries to the world around us, guarding our heart, our mind, and even our speech. We are to guard our actions and our faith. We are to guard against worldly philosophies, and false teachings, and anything raised up against the knowledge of Christ. And as Temple Guards, and as the Apostle instructs us: “Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.” 2 Cor. 7:1
And as we guard these things as God’s ‘Servant Sentries’, God also guards us in these ways and more:
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NASB): “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one“.
Psalm 121:5-7 (NASB): “The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand… The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul“.
Psalm 34:7 (NIV): “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them“.
So in our brief journey of tracing the amazing wonders of the Personhood of God we have come to learn more about the attributes of our God, more about the power and plans of our God, and even more about the emotions of our God. And we have especially learned more about knowing God and thinking about God as He really is…this Divine Person who loves us, and even lives within us as our Savior, and who wants to lead us as our Lord. What else can we say to Him other than, “Yes Lord, have Thine own way.”
Plus, the more that you do choose to live for Him who died and rose again on your behalf, the more you will love Him and want to live for Him. The more that you do choose to let Him be in control of you each day, the more your life will be in control, regardless of living in the midst of a world that’s out of control. And the more that you do guard the Temple of your life, the more you will enjoy the peace that passes all understanding coming from the One with whom you share your Temple…who is the Prince of Peace and the Lord of your Temple.
Choose wisely each day. Choose the blessing…rather, choose to have the Blessed One, the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ be in charge of your Temple each day. And, choose to make Jesus be the One for whom you live each day. Start today, and start over again tomorrow, and each day after!