How the Cell Mirrors the Trinity
What follows is an example of “natural revelation.” What is natural revelation?
Matt Slick defines it as "the revelation of God in nature."
I would elaborate on that to give, "Examples from nature that serve as metaphors for God's Spiritual
Truths."
Why do these revelations exist? I suppose there are two (decidedly not necessarily mutually exclusive)
explanations:
1. God is both the author of the Word and the World, thus we should expect to find indications of
the former in the latter much as an author’s writing styles and ideas permeate his works.
2. The mind of man is adept at finding patterns and connections.
Elsewhere, David McCorkle1 has elaborated on the first explanation by calling these examples “unwitting
allegory” since the authors who wrote them were ignorant of them, but the Holy Spirit who inspired
their writing was not and intended them to lie asleep until science reached the level of understanding
that it could awaken them.
So together, let’s explore an amazing example of natural revelation.
But first, I want to show you a famous symbol of Christianity and remind you of what it means. This is
the secret symbol used by early Christians to identify themselves and send messages. We need to refer
to it because of the little bit of Greek it teaches us. This Greek will be relevant in a few minutes.
http://www.seiyaku.com/customs
/fish/fish.html
Iota Chi Theta Upsilon Sigma
Iesous (Jesus) CHristos (Christ) THeou (God) Yios / hUios or (Son) Soter (Savior)
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior2
Ichthys or Ichthus Fish3
What follows will have a lot of “I,” “me” and “my” in it. I want to be perfectly clear; I am just a wire, a
conduit for what Jesus is doing. I am nothing. He is everything. I am constantly reminded of Phil 2:3-4
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” And a while ago, God
showed me one more reason why it’s not about me, but it’s about Him. Look at the first letter. What is
it? (the letter “I”) Does that stand for me? No, it stands for Jesus. God has such a great sense of humor
and a flare for unexpected detail.
My PhD thesis and subsequent work experience were focused on and above the population level of
complexity. Other than having what comes with the basic knowledge of a biologist, I knew little of what
goes on in the cell and especially the body. Of course, God, in His infinite wisdom, knew this was a
serious void in my knowledge. So, as I left government service to begin a college teaching career, He
ensured that my bread and butter course for 28 years would be Human Anatomy and Physiology. The
examples below were revealed to me as I taught this course.
Before we can explore the spiritual metaphor, I need to teach you a little biology of the human cell. All
our cells in our body except red blood cells operate in the manner I’m going to describe. “Our cells” is
necessary, because microbial cells in our body outnumber our cells ten to one. Our cells are what we call
“eukaryotic” cells; microbial cells are what we call “prokaryotic cells.” What follows is descriptive of
eukaryotic cells and only, broadly speaking, of a few types of prokaryotic cells. Each red blood cell is
essentially a bag of 300 million hemoglobin molecules (more about them later) and very little else,
hence what follows does not apply to them either, even though they start out as eukaryotic cells.
Here is a simplified version of what goes on in a eukaryotic cell:
Let’s try to understand it. We have about 200 different types of specialized cells in our body and all of
these but RBC’s carry on tens of thousands of different chemical reactions. Each unique set of these tens
of thousands of chemical reactions determines cell function and hence, cell type.
Cell function depends upon a unique set of structural proteins and enzymes. Enzymes, it turns out, are
also proteins. So the complicated process of the production of proteins is summarized by the term,
“synthesis.” Synthesis, as you may surmise from the diagram, requires building blocks and energy. Let’s
follow the building blocks path first, since it is the shorter of the two. The technical name for the
chemical reactions involved in synthesis is “anabolism.” Anabolism occurs when two building blocks are
joined by removing hydrogen from one of the building blocks and hydrogen and oxygen (known as a
hydroxyl group) from the other building block and joining the two remnants by a chemical bond known
technically as a covalent bond. The hydrogen and hydroxyl are joined to form water, which is secreted
from the cell. Where do the building blocks come from? They are in the nutrients we ingest.
Now we can shift our attention to the source of energy for anabolism. Part of the energy required ends
up stored in the chemical bond formed between the two building blocks discussed above. The common
source of energy for almost all cells is ATP, adenosine triphosphate. Let’s take a moment to understand
the need for ATP. As introduced above, energy is stored in each chemical bond between two atoms.
Since there are many different combinations of two atoms in the cell, (e.g., H-C and O-C, to name just
two), it would be inefficient to have a separate mechanism to provide that energy for each combination.
Hence, having a common molecule that is capable of providing the energy to make any covalent bond
found in the cell makes sense. Adenosine triphosphate releases its uniquely-available stored bond
energy when its terminal phosphate is broken off to form ADP, adenosine diphosphate, and phosphate,
P. That released energy is available for new bond formation.
So how is ATP made in a cell? After all, we can’t fill our car with gasoline and expect it to run forever.
Similarly, we need to constantly replenish the ATP consumed in anabolism. ATP is replenished in a very
complicated process called “cellular respiration.” Cellular respiration is an example of a process called,
“catabolism.” The point of cellular respiration is to join ADP to phosphate to make ATP. Catabolism
always requires water since hydrogen must be added to one end of the bond broken for its energy, and
hydroxyl to the other end. In some catabolic reactions, waste metabolites are produced.
Although prokaryotic cells also use cellular respiration to form ATP, in most prokaryotic cells the form of
cellular respiration used is terribly inefficient. For example, for every glucose molecule consumed by a
typical prokaryote, only 2 ATPs are produced. In our cells, we produce 36 ATP’s per glucose. How do
our cells accomplish this feat? Again by a complicated process that differs from that in most
prokaryotes, in that it requires oxygen.
So now we have gone through the diagram sufficiently to grasp its significance to natural revelation.
Look at the diagram, how many inputs does almost any cell found in fungi, plants and animals need
(indicated by the pink lines)? That’s right, three; no more, no less. How many members are there in the
Triune Godhead? Once again, three.
Nutrients
Now let’s look at each input, starting with the nutrients. Nutrients come in many forms as anyone who
loves eating knows. However, the main form of nutrients is carbohydrates, one of the four major
categories of organic compounds (organic compounds are those carbon compounds found in living
organisms) and the main form of carbohydrates in the western diet is bread.
Now isn’t that interesting? The “Bread of life” (Jn 6:33, 38, 45, and 51) is a name Jesus claims for
Himself. And Jesus also links Himself to manna, the bread that came down from heaven to sustain the
Israelites during their wilderness wanderings (Jn 6:30-35).
Both these references ultimately depend upon the Passover tradition in Exodus 12 which is the setting
for the Last Supper in Luke 22:7, “Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb
had to be sacrificed.” The bread is unleavened meaning it was to be made without yeast. Elsewhere
yeast is likened to sin (e.g., 1Co 5:6-8), thus our Bread of life is without sin.
Our Communion, based upon the Last Supper, centers on Jesus’s words in reference to the bread, “Take
and eat; this is my body” (Mt 26:26 and Mk 14:22) and “This is my body given for you; do this in
remembrance of me.” (Lk 22:19).
But nutrients in the western diet also include meat. Meat mostly consists of another of the four major
categories of organic compounds: proteins. Notice the reference to the sacrificial lamb in the above.
The meat of that sacrificial lamb was also to be consumed. The passage in First Corinthians referenced
above also teaches us that Jesus is the real Passover lamb pointed to in Exodus 12.
Thus in a sense, when we are eating bread or meat, we are ingesting our sinless Savior and the
“unintended metaphor” found in our cells is played out a million times over.
Oxygen
Now let’s look at oxygen. Well, in a sense, we can’t look at oxygen. It is invisible. Nonetheless, its role
in the cell is indispensable. Its presence there enables the cell to work at maximum energy; capable of
doing far more than it would otherwise be capable of doing. In fact, although small, prokaryotic cells
can survive without the extra energy production that oxygen enables, the larger, eukaryotic cell, just has
too many demands for energy going on inside that the absence of oxygen can lead to cellular swelling
and subsequent cell death. I need to discuss the mechanism behind this fatal cellular swelling at
another time. [no HS leads to little ATP which leads to Na- Jesus- (as per my salt metaphor)
accumulating inside the cell causing water (the father to enter in to the point the cell bursts] Moses
understood this as he penned the story of Noah and the flood. In Genesis 7:22, he relates that,
“Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.” Air and its contained oxygen, is
vital for life. As an intriguing aside, the light-scattering property of oxygen gives the sky the color blue.
Interestingly, the Holy Spirit is the invisible, indispensable partner in the Triune Godhead. We can see
the bread-Jesus; we can’t see the air-the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, any Christian who attempts to live
the new life without the indwelling (1Co 3:16, Eph 2:22, Ja 4:5) and even more importantly, the infilling
spirit (Ex 31:3,35:31; Deut 34:9; Mic 3:8; Lk 1:15,41,67; Act 2:4, 4:8,31, 9:17, 13: 9,52; Eph 5:18), is
doomed to failure. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do things we could not do otherwise.
Now for that interesting aside. Remember, the sky is blue because of the light-scattering property of
oxygen. I find it very suspicious that blue is a required color in the curtains of the tabernacle (Ex 27:16,
to name one of many references) and in the priest’s ephod, (Ex 28:6) waistband (Ex 28:8, and
breastpiece (Ex 28:15) and the only color in the robe of his ephod (Ex 28:31). These are just a few of the
references to the color blue in situations where holiness, worship and obedience is the main focus. The
subject of colors and their equivalent in the Triune Godhead is a topic I cover much more completely
elsewhere (the Trouble with the Trinity). Suffice it to say here, that this color which is the color of the
sky (sky is 21% oxygen and 78% inert nitrogen) is the same color that 4-year old Colton Burpo naively
states is the color of the Holy Spirit in his visit to heaven (Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding
Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, p 103).
Water
Now let’s examine the final input, water. The only member left of the Triune Godhead is the Father. Is
He possibly represented by the water? Let’s see.
Water is a liquid under conditions normally encountered in Vermont summertime. As such, it is a
supreme solvent capable of transporting uncharged particles (solutes), gases, and dissolving and
transporting uncharged particles. Blood, the symbol of the Son is really 50% water by volume, with a
small percent of carbohydrates and oxygen, so water is the dominant component of blood, just as the
Father is the functionally dominant member of the Triune Godhead.
Water can vaporize and become a gas (like oxygen) and it can freeze and become a solid (like bread). In
other words, it often shares important properties with oxygen and the bread, just as the Father shares
important functions with the Son and Holy Spirit. (For a whole lot more on the interconnectedness of
the Three, see my Trouble with the Trinity.) Furthermore, like the interrelatedness of the three
members of the Triune Godhead, water contains two hydrogens and oxygen, and thus all Three
members have components in common while at the same time being importantly and uniquely
different.
Water, like the Father, is life-giving (for the reasons seen in the diagram) and one of the earliest
references to water (Genesis 2:10) reflects that, “A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from
there it was separated into four headwaters.” But water, like the Father, can be life-taking (Genesis
2:20-23), “The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. 21 Every
living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm
over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
23
Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that
move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with
him in the ark.”
In this regard, notice that water plays a role in both synthesis and respiration. In the former, it is
removed only. In the latter it is added and then removed (not in equal amounts- more is removed than
is added), so in both processes, water is removed. The Father is invested in each of us from conception.
He graciously gives way to His Son and His Holy Spirit when we are ready to grow and be energized.
On the basis of these considerations, I am persuaded that the Father is symbolized by the role of water
in the cell.
Now that we understand the metaphorical equivalency of the three (and only three) essential inputs to
the cell, and we are assured that it is the blood that gets them to the cell from where they enter the
body, let’s explore in more detail how blood keeps the cell alive. When we do, we’ll be blown away by
the spiritual implications it mirrors.
(The rule of 4 minutes, days, weeks) 4 minutes without oxygen, 4 days without water, 4 weeks without
food and how this relates to the three members of the Triune Godhead captured in these three cellular
inputs.
One day about 20 years ago I was teaching the role of the respiratory and circulatory system in providing
the oxygen in the above scheme. Some of you may know that there is a molecule in our blood that
carries the oxygen and that that molecule is …. Right, hemoglobin. Each hemoglobin molecule contains
four hemes. The heme molecule looks like:
http://www.dyarrow.org/fixtures/Heme_220.gif
This is the usual way this is presented. Notice what’s in the center? Yes Iron. That’s important.
Remember it.
But not knowing that the prior slide is the way it is normally presented, I drew it on the board rotated 45
degrees.
Suddenly the Holy Spirit showed me something that blew me away:
Here, on the cross in brown, held there with Fe (the nails) is the Chi of Christ (rendered purposefully
here in red, the color of blood and thus, arguably, Jesus’ color). Furthermore, the spirit of God, the O2 is
given up by the heme when it reaches the cell to enter that cell where it is essential to empower that
cell to its fullest potential. In other words, God gives up His spirit for us, so we can live the fullest life
possible! (In this world and Eternity)
This is a perfect picture of His salvation revealed in His Creation!
In the slide presentation, the oxygen leaves the heme and drifts off to the upper right, to go to the cell.
Suddenly I saw the explanation for something that had never made sense to me. Why is it so important
that three times in Revelation, 2:27, 12:5, and 19:15, and once, prophetically in Psalm 2:9, it is made
clear that upon Christ’s return, he will rule the nations with an IRON scepter? I had long thought that it
should have been gold (Like King Xerxes in Ester), or silver, or perhaps platinum. But now I understood.
Iron points toward both 1) that critical element in the nails that held our Savior to the cross and 2) the
same element that symbolically releases his Holy Spirit to bring life to us! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!
Amen
Now let’s dig a little further. Does the hydrogen ion (H+ or a proton) have an equivalency here? The
reason oxygen is needed is to bind to and thus remove the hydrogen ions produced as a waste product
from cellular respiration (more specifically, the cytochrome transport system). If insufficient oxygen is
available, the hydrogen ion accumulates sufficiently altering the pH of the cell to denature (alter the
shape of) its enzymes. Since the function of enzymes is shape-dependent, this renders them ineffective
and the processes in the cell come to a screeching halt. One of these processes is the constant removal
of the sodium ion which is more highly concentrated outside the cell than inside and thus is constantly
diffusing down its concentration gradient into the cell. If the sodium ion is not removed, water will
follow it into the cell (this involves the process of osmosis which will be a topic for another time). As a
result, the cell will swell and eventually burst.
So the hydrogen ion poisons the cell and oxygen, if available, accepts the hydrogen ion to remove it
from the cell as harmless water that gets pumped out as a hitchhiker attached to the sodium ions. In a
similar manner, sin poisons us and if we allow it to accumulate, it will kill us. On the other hand if we
allow Him to, the Holy Spirit will enter us to remove that sin. In that sense, the hydrogen ions in our
cells can be regarded as representing sin in our bodies.
References and footnotes
1
McCorkle, David V., 2014, Why the Universe Bothers to Exist: Theistic Determinism, Evidences and
Implications - A Worldview Proposal, Strategic Book Publishing, Houston, TX.
2
Another rendition of this is Jesus, Messiah, Son of God, Savior. “Christos” is the Greek word for
“Messiah.” Because this symbol and its meaning encapsulate fundamental doctrine, it has been in use
since early in Christianity. No one knows who came up with it or when it was first used.
3
Friedman, Zaraza, 2015, Iconoclasts and Fishermen, Christian Symbols Survive, Biblical Archaeology
Review, 41 (3): 40-41.