Made In The Image Of GOD

[William]

Many individuals seem confused as to how GOD should be accurately defined. The confusion stems from the Abrahamic organized religion's many and varied sects which don't altogether agree on the definition, or terminology of definitions.

This has evolved, at least in regards to Christianity, as an image of male being upon a throne, situated somewhere in the sky of whom we are all 'made in the image of' but many think that this imagery is more about something being made in the image of man, and some aspects of Christianity agree that the imagery is false, or metaphorical at best, because "GOD is Spirit" and as such, does not even have gender, let alone form.

However, this stance often seems to contradict other ideas strongly held by Christians, including referring to the GOD as 'He' as well as Jesus being 'The Christ' and male and sitting on a throne as a representative of their idea of GOD - in form.

Furthermore, the idea of human beings being 'made in the image of GOD' helps fortify the imagery of GOD having a human form, contradicting the idea that 'GOD is Spirit', something else which really requires suitable defining.

Made In The Image Of GOD

Q: What exactly must that mean?

[William]

Nature of God

[JehovahsWitness]

Made In The Image Of GOD

Q: What exactly must that mean?

That Adam was made in God's image cannot mean that humans resemble God in their physical characteristics; the bible states God is a spirit. Spirits are non-physical beings with bodies that are not made of flesh and blood.

However Merriam Webster's widens the word "image" to mean "exact likeness"..."a person strikingly like another person".

To illustrate: Two people can be "alike" in physical appearance or in character. Thus a mother might say to her daughter (who doesn't resemble her father physically) "You're just like your father!" In that both father and daughter share a similar character, they have the same outlook and react in similar ways to various people and situations.

In the same way, while spirits and humans do not share physicality, Adam (the first human) shared certain qualities and capacities with his maker, namely that they are bith free moral agents with a highly developed sense of self, an ability to express qualities such a love, compassion to a higher degree than animals (regarding which the statement was not made) , higher intelligence, an innate creativity, language and a degree of spirituality. All this and more that made Adam "Just like his father"!

JW


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To learn more please go to posts related to ...

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS ARTWORK , APPEARANCE OF JESUS and ...DEPICTIONS OF YHWH

NOTE The above reflects my beliefs as one of Jehovah's Witnesses

[William]

[Replying to post 32 by JehovahsWitness]

That Adam was made in God's image cannot mean that humans resemble God in their physical characteristics; the bible states God is a spirit. Spirits are non-physical beings with bodies that are not made of flesh and blood.

NOTE The above reflects my beliefs as one of Jehovah's Witnesses

Well lets look at some of the imagery which the JWOrg promote to do with spirits being 'non-physical beings with bodies' representing 'the image of GOD'.






Yes, all very human-like in their portrayal of the image of GOD.

Perhaps spirits are capable of shifting the images of their forms to represent whatever a species with a highly developed sense of self expect to see?

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 32:

...
In the same way, while spirits and humans do not share physicality, Adam (the first human) shared certain qualities with his maker, namely a highly developed sense of self, an ability to express qualities such a love, compassion to a higher degree than animals (regarding which the statement was not made) , higher intelligence, an innate creativity, language and a degree of spirituality. All this and more that made Adam "Just like his father"!
...

I challenge you to show you speak truth regarding these various claims.

1st challenge.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 34 by JoeyKnothead]

Thank you for your challenge, I respectfully decline your offer.

Please note the last line in my post at the bottom.


Have a most excellent day,


JW

[JoeyKnothead]

[Replying to post 34 by JoeyKnothead]

Thank you for your challenge, I respectfully decline your offer.

Please note the last line in my post at the bottom.


Have a most excellent day,


JW

You made claims, I challenged those claims.

Now all you can do is refuse to show you speak truth regarding your claims?

The liar lies and the preacher preaches!

[JoeyKnothead]

[Replying to post 34 by JoeyKnothead]

Thank you for your challenge, I respectfully decline your offer.

Please note the last line in my post at the bottom.


Have a most excellent day,


JW

This is the fraud we have to put up with from so many Christians who enter into these 'debates'.

"I'll make me my claims, and you can kiss you a frog on the lips before I'll be bothered to lift me the first finger to show I speak truth" is, I contend, the result of belief without evidence, and claim without honor. Just don't let that frog be it the same sex as you when it is ya do kiss it!

How on God's green earth can we have a 'debate' when one side declares, from the git go, they will not be burdened with the truth?

How on God's green earth can we ever get to the truth, when the Christian claimant can't be bothered to show they speak it?

How on God's green earth can the Christian be trusted, when they refuse to show they's worthy of it?

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 32:

...
...
NOTE The above reflects my beliefs as one of Jehovah's Witnesses

I respect you wanna dodge responsibility for your claims, but here we sit, you made claims, and I did me challenge 'em

As you declare yourself one of "Jehovah's witnesses", I challenge you to show you speak truth in that regard.

What did you witness about ol' Jehovah there, and what evidence can you present you witnessed you whatever the heck it is you witnessed ol' Jehovah there to do?

Do you have any mote of honor, that you'd support you your claims, or do you prefer to hide behind your own religious text as folks hurl them challenges to you your claims?

What Christian in these debates is immune to supporting tier claims?

You?

Why?

You made claims, I challenged 'em.

You'll either show you speak truth, or just keep on Christianin'!!!

[1213]

....
Made In The Image Of GOD

Q: What exactly must that mean?

If we are image of God, we are image of spirit and love, because:

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
John 4:24
He who doesn't love doesn't know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:8

If we take image of a house that is made of bricks, the image is not bricks as you probably understand. Image is usually something that is printed on paper. Similarly, perhaps we should think, body is like paper and the image of God is printed on/in body, or soul.

Spirit seems to be like attitude, will and power to imagine and make ideas true. Perhaps that we are image of God, it means spiritually and in that we have similar abilities and attributes.

[jeremiah1five]

Many individuals seem confused as to how GOD should be accurately defined. The confusion stems from the Abrahamic organized religion's many and varied sects which don't altogether agree on the definition, or terminology of definitions.

This has evolved, at least in regards to Christianity, as an image of male being upon a throne, situated somewhere in the sky of whom we are all 'made in the image of' but many think that this imagery is more about something being made in the image of man, and some aspects of Christianity agree that the imagery is false, or metaphorical at best, because "GOD is Spirit" and as such, does not even have gender, let alone form.

However, this stance often seems to contradict other ideas strongly held by Christians, including referring to the GOD as 'He' as well as Jesus being 'The Christ' and male and sitting on a throne as a representative of their idea of GOD - in form.

Furthermore, the idea of human beings being 'made in the image of GOD' helps fortify the imagery of GOD having a human form, contradicting the idea that 'GOD is Spirit', something else which really requires suitable defining.

Made In The Image Of GOD

Q: What exactly must that mean?

Hello William. If I may...
Well, I don't hold to several positions on "what is the image of God" is that are similarly held by most mainline Christian denominations of the Protestant persuasion, but I have studied this from the King James Version using a Strong's Greek and Hebrew Concordance and Dictionary, along with the Spirit of God helping me understand your question and others like it and this is my understanding:

God created man/Adam sin-ful, or as the word is defined by Strong as "missing the mark" (think Archery).

It helps to identify what is the "mark" by which the Holy Spirit who Authored the Scripture - all of them - from which these copies of the originals supplied the writings that made up and are contained in the 1611 KJV (of course there have been revisions to the KJV since then, the last being, I think, 1759), uses the Greek "hamartia" which means "missing the mark."

The "mark" is the bullseye. The area of the target at which hitting that mark with an arrow is considered a "[perfect] shot." Hitting the "mark" is also synonymous with perfection. This is the application with regard to the creation of man (and woman) held by Christian churches that God created man holy, or righteous, or sin-less, or innocent. A perfect human being "made in the image of God," who is Perfect in His own right in the Person, character, and nature of God.

But man/Adam was not "made in the image of God."

Christ was - n the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph and Mary's first-born Son.

"Christ" is the English translation from the Greek "Christos" transliterated from the Hebrew "Messias" which means "Anointed."

The Prophecy of Messiah was made in Genesis 3:15 -

Genesis 3:15 (KJV)
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

To the Hebrew mind this Prophecy describes the Promised One - Messiah - would be born both God and man.

There is only One God. This is Bible.
The Bible/Scripture describes this God in many ways but primarily as Spirit. He is also identified as Creator of the universe - heaven, earth, and man ("heaven" being the expanse that surrounds our planet called the atmosphere and "first-heaven" from the ground to where outer-space begins. Second "heaven" is outer-space where the moon, the planets, the stars reside.)