Date

8-29-2025

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)

Chair

Dawn L. Sutherland

Keywords

Trinity, Mind, Heart, Will, Kenosis, Hypostatic Union, Imago Trinitaris, Imago Dei, Imago Similitudo, Imago Amoris, Holy Trinity, Creation, Creation narrative, Genesis, Theology, Father, Son, Spirit, Christology, theological anthropology, likeness of God, sanctification, spiritual formation, divine image, Trinitarian theology, ecclesiology, soteriology, incarnation, human identity, moral transformation, biblical theology, patristic thought, systematic theology, pneumatology, discipleship, holiness, regeneration, theological ethics, new creation, eschatology, union with Christ, theological method, scriptural interpretation, covenant theology, divine-human relationship, theological anthropology, Christian doctrine, spiritual renewal, generative, determinative, productive

Disciplines

Christianity | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

This dissertation presents a comprehensive theological and interdisciplinary examination of the Holy Trinity (i.e., Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and its influence on human creativity, ethical development, and identity, as rooted in the Genesis creation narrative. Employing exegetical analysis of Genesis 1:26-27 alongside systematic theological synthesis, lexical‐theological study of צֶלֶם (ṣélem, image) and דְּמוּת (dəmûth, likeness), and historical‐doctrinal reflection on Chalcedonian definitions of the hypostatic union and kenosis, it develops a triadic framework that aligns the divine mind, heart, and will with human cognition, emotion, and volition. The study reveals that the threefold act of divine creativity (i.e., the Father’s generative speech, the Son’s affirming delight, and the Spirit’s sustaining motion) is mirrored in human creative processes that entail conception, motivation, and execution, each bearing moral responsibility grounded in divine love and purpose.

A nuanced distinction between the Imago Dei, as the original divine blueprint imparted to humanity, and the Imago Similitudo, as the moral enactment fractured by sin, sets the stage for the Imago Amoris: the image of love fully realized in Christ’s self‐emptying union of divine and human natures. Christ’s kenotic limitation of omniscience, embodiment of compassionate love, and perfect obedience model the path of believers’ sanctification. The dissertation concludes by demonstrating how this triadic pattern informs key dimensions of Christian life and ministry (i.e., Scripture engagement, preaching, ethics, counseling, prayer, marriage, and ecclesial mission), inviting believers to renew their minds, hearts, and wills in conformity with the triune God. By integrating creation, fall, and redemption into a unified theological framework, this work contributes a comprehensive understanding of human origin, vocation, and participation in the eternal communion of divine love.

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