I conducted this study based on the Christian belief that the human characteristics shown in the special revelation of the Bible will be further revealed in psychology — a kind of general revelation. In the Bible, human beings are created in God's i...
I conducted this study based on the Christian belief that the human characteristics shown in the special revelation of the Bible will be further revealed in psychology — a kind of general revelation. In the Bible, human beings are created in God's image but have a sinful nature. I explore how these human characteristics are reflected in Winnicott's theory. I first synthesize the existing discussions on the image of God and argue that it should include both attributes and relationships. These attributes of God are classified into love and trust, righteousness, and infinity. Then, I describe how these attributes are revealed in relationships: God reveals love and trust by consistently emptying and giving himself and reveals righteousness by continuously limiting his almighty power.
I presuppose that human beings would also have such attributes in a limited way and that they would reveal them as God showed them in their relationships with others. I describe how a mother displays love, trust, and righteousness toward her child through the Winnicott theory. I argue that infinity is partially reflected in human fantasy, and that the longing for infinity drives one to attempt to realize this fantasy. I argue that if this force works positively in one’s relationship, it will contribute to expanding love and righteousness toward others. However, if it works negatively, it will suppress the freedom of others and destroy relationships with them. The latter reveals sinfulness, which I later discuss in detail. I use Winnicott's theory as a guide to reducing sinfulness and expanding love and righteousness. I briefly mention the significance of using the Winnicott theory to discuss the image of God and sinfulness.