Spiritual Needs Pyramid

     Mankind has needs! They all do. Physical needs are presented as Maslow's Hierarchy of needs on a "Needs Pyramid", the most basic needs at the bottom, and the more discreet ones at the top. I'm not a big fan of his needs hierarchy because (1) they are all about the self, and (2) self-esteem is in conflict with Christ-esteem. I hate to admit it but eternal life is all about what happens to the self! Because of that, the thought was implanted that since mankind has spiritual needs, there must be a hierarchy. The figure below are some of the spiritual needs of everyone. That is not to say that everyone has the needs met but everyone has that potential.

Herrin Spiritual Needs Pyramid

     Hidden within the hierarchy is reception of the Holy Ghost. That need to have a spiritual side is at the time of transformation. I don't like to scare people with the Pentecostal use of "Holy Ghost" but that usage is from the Greek pneuma after Jesus died: His own Spirit transformed from Spirit to Ghost since the Son of Man has just experienced death on the cross and "gave up the ghost" (Mark 15:37). Because Jesus gave up his Ghost, mankind has the potential of receiving Him (in reference to the Holy Ghost as Him).
     The transformation could have been nearer the top. However, there are spiritual needs that even those not transformed desire. Mankind's ultimate desire is the spiritual "peak experience" - glorification. That is when mankind is perfected by God to be in His presence. Physical men have worldly flesh which is corrupt and corruptible, but spiritual men shall have incorruptible and pure flesh. Mankind's spiritual goal should be to have the prize - that peak experience. That is glorification:

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Cor 15:52)

     Obviously "change" implies transformation. Glorification is the second transformation. So as to he transformed the second time, requires transformation the first time. Of course, the first transformation is having the same spirit which Jesus has: "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost..." (Acts 2:4). The first transformation is to have the Holy Ghost so as to be like the Flesh of Jesus at the second transformation. In order to be in the presence of God in Heaven, requires both those transformations. Therefore, receiving the Holy Ghost and obtaining the prize of glorification are the greatest spiritual needs of mankind!
     Most people fail to recognize those needs because of deception. Somehow they are convinced that they are okay without those needs being met. Glorification is consummated after death as can be seen near the top of the pyramid. We all have a need to die! Think not? Wait until you're old, sickly, and decrepit; you will someday desire death when you get old!
     Christians - those who have been transformed - tire of the corrupt flesh and have a desire for glorification. It's not death that Christians seek but eternal life which entails glorification. Everyone dreads dying but Christians look forward to living forever. Those who are not Christians are either apathetic to death or dread dying.
     Satan's role in the spiritual realm is to keep people apathetic to death or in defiance of the thoughts of death: his most profound lie will ring true in most peoples minds: "Ye shall not surely die" (Gen 3:4), Thus, sinners don't get their spiritual needs met because they are deceived.
     Transformation is imperative! Even Jesus was "transformed" in that he was transfigured. Until that time, Jesus had been seen with mankind's face. At the transfiguration, Jesus was seen as he was and will be. His appearance at the transfiguration matches well his appearance to John in Heaven. The transfiguration revealed to Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, John revealed the Presence of God in His entirety. Jesus's transfiguration brought the patriarchs and apostles together to see the same God -  how God would appear on His throne.
     Christians are transformed in like manner, if regeneration is effectual. "Regeneration" or the act of being "born-again" is the transformation. With regeneration a "new creature" is created: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: "Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor 5:17).  That happens at rebirth but is testified to at baptism. Regeneration is transformation, and baptism is the manifestation of it. It's the Christian's transfiguration manifested from inward to outward to the world. Transformation is really the beginning of living, whereas before sinners are more zombie-like - alive but dead.
     The basic need as seen on the pyramid, is "love of self". Mankind was created in God's image. God is love. Because He needs adoration, it should be clear that God loves Himself. He is a jealous God (Exod 20:5) because he wants to be loved. That "need" is for Him. He does love Himself for if not, God would self-destruct.
     Mankind was created with self-love. It is basic to our existence. The problem with self-love is if  opposition with the love of God it's bad. That degree of love is being as gods ourselves (Gen 3:5). Self-love is not the problem but is if we serve that "god" before the One True God by doing what is right in our own eyes (Deut 12:8). That attitude is holding ourselves in authority and deauthorizing God. We elevate our love of self to the amount that we should love God. Therefore, the problem with self-love is mankind's attitude - that we are gods. Think not? Just watch people for awhile. Look at yourselves. Life is all about you!
     Validating my premise is what scripture says: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Mat 22:39). God knows how much we love ourselves. Our degree of self-love is the standard for loving others. Indeed, God's command is to love others to that extent! How much is that? That they not perish because that is what people desire for themselves. (John 3:16).
     People love themselves so much that none wishes that they perish (go to Hell). Ironically, God expects that degree of love but people seek redemption for their own selfish motives - to preserve themselves! God uses our inherent love of ourselves to convince people that they need Him. Just look at John 3:16 closely: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
     God uses our self-love as a means to believe in Him. He knows that mankind desires to live forever, and never perish. Why should anyone believe in God? To save their own lesser god! Self-love is important because we must seek God to maintain ourselves. None want to not be; none want to perish (die forever). We must turn to God to preserve us because we are not really gods. God uses our godhood for us. We desire to not perish so much that sinners turn to him.
     Sin is not a spiritual need. It is an inherited desire (original sin). Mankind need not sin but desires too. Hence, iniquity is not on the pyramid because it is not truly a need but an act of self-pleasuring. Pleasuring is not a need. Mankind doesn't understand pleasure. We don't need it but want it! Our wants are what kills the soul.
     The second level of needs is one of belonging. Man(kind) was created with God as the Father. Everyone has a need for parents. Eve is the mother of all mankind. We all belong to Eve. But Eve has two natures. She is God's yet sin resided in her. On the other hand, mankind needs a father. Father God is Him! Adam was a created son of the Father, as was Jesus. However, Jesus Barabbas, meaning "son of the father" has parentage as well. He was Jesus son of his father the Devil (John 8:44).
     Fathers are our "masters"; we must choose who is our master. There are two choices of masters who we must choose (Mat 6:240). Natural born people are sinners - born Barabbas. Sinners belong to the Devil. Mankind has a longing for a better Master. As such God adopts those who are born-again as His (Ephes 1:5). "Adoption" is when sinners cry-out to God (Rom 8:15) for what? The redemption of our bodies (Rom 8:23). Adoption is at the transformation. Our sense of belonging is taken from Satan and returned to God.
     Another need on the pyramid is nourishment. Not real bread but the Bread of Life. That is beginning to know God and desiring to have Him. It results from that need to belong.
     Jesus is the Bread of Life, and all men are elected to need that bread (1 Thes 1:4). Election is God's implantation of desire for Him. All men are called by God. That response is that we need the Fathers' nourishment. How can God protect us? By bringing us to safety. The nourishment or safety sinners seek is protection from the evil one.
     Transformation brings that protection by regeneration. "We must be born again!" (Jesus said that). It is not optional if one desires to not perish. God keeps sinners safe until they have the opportunity to be transformed. Afterward, if truly transformed, they are safe from Satan and Hell.
     Holy Matrimony (marriage) is a strong need. Adam needed companionship as the animals had, so God created Eve from Adam for Adam - from man for man (Gen 2:18). Marriage is indeed a spiritual need - not to feel alone! Furthermore, Holy Matrimony is symbolic of the Church's marriage to Christ who is the bridegroom (Mat 9:15). Our need for marriage is two-fold: for a bride and the Bridegroom. As we need a spouse, there is a spiritual need inside for Christ to satisfy the longing for communion.
     With marriage, the need for companionship (next on the pyramid) is partially met but we still need a relationship with Christ. We are to demonstrate friendship by being friends. By hate, friendship is negated. In our quest for companionship with God is substitution of friendship with others. That leaves a feeling of emptiness until we can love others so much that we never want them to perish, just as God so loves us!
     Companionship is a mutual relationship. We also want to be loved as well. To satisfy the need for love, it is almost instinctual that we must first love others. No one can reciprocate love if love is not there to return. People, even sinners, are often nice to people because they want love in return. God expects love in return knowing that He may not get it.  People also have unrequited love. That enables the unloved to empathize with God who also has much unrequited love.
     God needs our love as well. To get our love, God calls sinners to him. Because of an empty soul, or worse yet, one filled with iniquity, people await God's calling. They may not know that, but everyone longs for something to be within which they cannot explain. I can! They long for God, and God calls (John 6:44).
     People have a need to be called. They interpret that as a need for self-esteem but it's more about a need to be esteemed by God. He does esteem everyone because He so loves them that He calls everyone! Why do sinners inwardly need to be called? So that they can be loved by Someone important. They may not know who that Important Person is, but He Is God.
     God loves everyone. Albeit He loves them as they are (in the world), God's desire is that everyone belong to Him. God needs that sense of belonging as well, and expects His adopted children to love Him back. God's need is that His Law be followed . God's Law condenses down to loving Him with all the heart, mind, soul, and strength (Mark 12:30. In order to obtain that love, God convicts sinners of their sins. Mankind needs conviction. King David convicted himself. The best kind of conviction is when we judge ourselves to be sinners. The need to not perish drives the need to be convicted. Sinners must be convicted for sorrow, repentance, and reprieve.
     Conviction is part of being enlightened. People who are enlightened come to realize their true identity and parentage. Enlightenment is realizing that all have sinned and are undeserving (Rom 3:23). As such, those walk in partial light. Full Light is coming to realize that no one can save himself but God can (John 3). Enlightened sinners are sorrowful that they diminished God's authority by assuming it themselves. Sinners need to have emotion, to cry-out, as is written! We need to be emotional about how we have wronged God.
     Contrite sinners feel guilt because they are guilty. That guilt needs release or it will eat them up, even unto death. To annihilate guilt, convicted sinners crave forgiveness. God does that if sinners seek it! Not only can sinners obtain forgiveness but communion, friendship, and love as well. With conviction, guilt, and forgiveness needs met, transformation has been met. Regeneration has occurred as the person is born-again a new spiritual creature.
     There comes satisfaction, and even joy with that need met. God keeps us safe and provides hope (1 Thes 5:8). Despair exists before transformation, and hope afterward. People need hope in their lives. "Hope" in this case is not hoping so but seeing the prize as if already obtained. People have such hope that they say, "I am saved" when salvation comes with death! Those with hope have their eye on the prize and so much so that it is already theirs!
     Those who are transformed (regenerated) are in communion with God. We are the prodigal sons who return home to the Father (Luke 15:11-32). We need God's love... always did but pleasure deluded us. Transformation returns that communion with our Father. I say "returns' because God always loved us, we didn't love Him back. Our transformation met God's need as well, and transformation is mutually beneficial!
     Guilt is stressful. We don't need guilt. Regeneration transforms the guilt into contentment, even joy! We need contentment. It can only be obtained by having a strong relationship with God. We need God! We need communion. Having that is contentment.
     Old creatures had old vocations. Sinners are in bondage to and slaves to Satan. Transformed creatures are newly generated; they as such have new vocations. Christians are transformed from royal fools into royal priests. Our new vocations are to go into the world and bring others into God's Kingdom. With transformation, God expects that (The Great Commission), and if we were truly transformed, Christians need that. We cannot sleep knowing that our brothers are doomed! (At least that should be a need.)
     Having children is fulfilling a need. Maybe it should be lower on the pyramid because it is basic. However, as far as importance is concerned, it is placed higher. Our need to bear offspring is because we are commanded to create new little companions for God who said, "Go forth and multiply" (Gen 1:22). God needs that and transferred His need to us. The parent/child relationship is sort of feeling the type which God has for us. If parent and child cannot love each other, how can they love God? We need children to know how God feels about us!
     That relationship fulfills our need to be honored such that we can empathize with God's need for reverence! Someplace on the height of the pyramid is sanctification. For me, it came with the onset of having children. Of course, I always wanted to please God but I also wanted to set an example for my children. I set myself apart from the world to be different than the world for two reasons: to please God and to set an example for my children. Of course, sanctification can occur at anytime but whenever it is, it is the strong desire to please God!
     Part of the Great Commission- going unto the world -is being an example to the world community. We must walk the Way of Christ and be like Christ or others won't want to be like us! Even when we are sinful, the need is for the community to see us as righteous. For many, that need to be a positive example for Christianity, keeps us from sinning grievous sins. The need to be a fine Christian examples make Christians more exemplary.
     Part of true transformation is agonizing over sinners. Christians should grieve that the world is going to Hell and that our loved ones may go with them. Jesus agonized for us (Luke 22:44) by sweating blood. Christians need to agonize over the lost so as to fulfill their new vocation - go unto the world.
     Our "personal apocalypse" comes near the end of life. We know that we have sinned, by grace have been redeemed (at our transformation), but know that we don't deserve eternal life. Old Christians people are told that often by Satan's emissaries. We know it to be truth. It causes a feeling of despair inside because we know that we could have pleased God more.
     There is a need to end that apocalypse and only God can do it. In that time, Christians develop a strong need for God to battle in that war with principalities for us! If you have yet to have that insecurity, age will bring it on! However, knowing that we don't deserve eternal life is humility which the meek shall have. Just realize that God is not meek; He is Almighty!
     Part of death is the agony of it in the mind. That personal apocalypse is the agony. Even Christians can dread dying because we know that we don't deserve anything but death. Death  is strictly a transition - no more than a "sting" (1 Cor 15:56) which must happen for the final transformation from mortality to immortality which scripture calls "glorified". To obtain the prize, not only must we be born-again but for most, we must also die. (Those raptured in the end avoid the sting of death.)
     To live for ever, which is our foremost need, means that we need to die?
     The first death is dying to sin as we are born-again and continues on with physically dying. The second death is dying forever! Rather than a mere sting it goes on forever.
     The basic need throughout life is to save our own gods. To accomplish that, wise people submit their god in exchange for the One True God. We all need to do that, and all are elected to do so! Until we have the hope of eternal life, most of the spiritual needs on that pyramid must be met. I need eternal life and so do you. I need God and so do you!