Why I don't believe that God could be incarnated in a man (Jesus, Earth)

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Booko

Ah, but I don't equate "one" with "the same."

Neither do I.

My husband and I may be of one mind and purpose, but we rather obviously are not the same.

Exactly.

I can pretty easily accept that God and Jesus are "One" in the sense that Jesus, perfectingly reflecting the Will of God, was in that sense "one" with him...but not the same.

Congratulations. You just passed Mormonism 101 with flying colors. That would be our interpretation -- exactly.

If that makes any sense.

It makes total sense, but it definitely does not describe the trinitarian concept of God. I can't begin to count the number of times I've heard trinitarians explain that God is "three divine persons in one God." That is not the way you have interpreted the word "one"; it is not the way I would interpret the word "one", and it certainly isn't the way the scriptures us the word "one."

[NoahideHiker]

I don't believe G-d would/could be a human either but some religions do and that's fine. I find that no more insulting than someone who says G-d is in a tree. As long as they don't tell me and faith we're wrong because we don't agree we'll all get along fine.

[dbakerman76]

Originally Posted by Godlike

I think God is incarnate in YOU. And me, and everyone else too. When does a thing stop being a matter of belief and become a fact?

Even I can agree with this.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

Congratulations. You just passed Mormonism 101 with flying colors. That would be our interpretation -- exactly.

Like I've said before, we have a lot more in common than one might suspect.

It makes total sense, but it definitely does not describe the trinitarian concept of God. I can't begin to count the number of times I've heard trinitarians explain that God is "three divine persons in one God." That is not the way you have interpreted the word "one"; it is not the way I would interpret the word "one", and it certainly isn't the way the scriptures us the word "one."

I was raised in a Trinitarian denomination (Calvinist - Reformed) and never did understand the idea. I've read and read and talked with people about the idea and I still can't make heads or tails of it.

Well, that's not entirely true. That is, I can see how the early Church grappled with the paradox presented by Christ, and they came up with the Trinity. It's not an idea that's without merit or anything.

I just don't see how it's the best understanding of the texts we have to hand. And I've never understood the reason for the departure from the pure monotheism of Judaism, the religion that Jesus came from. It seems kinda odd.

[krashlocke]

Is it at all ironic that when I first read the thread title, I thought that it said "incarcerated"?

[Terrywoodenpic]

Originally Posted by Booko

I was raised in a Trinitarian denomination (Calvinist - Reformed) and never did understand the idea. I've read and read and talked with people about the idea and I still can't make heads or tails of it.

Well, that's not entirely true. That is, I can see how the early Church grappled with the paradox presented by Christ, and they came up with the Trinity. It's not an idea that's without merit or anything.

I just don't see how it's the best understanding of the texts we have to hand. And I've never understood the reason for the departure from the pure monotheism of Judaism, the religion that Jesus came from. It seems kinda odd.

I agree with that entirely.
I think the Early church had real problems coming to terms with the new situation Jesus presented.
For the sake of unity they came up with a form of words that covered the three... God, Jesus and the holy spirit. and still be able to maintain they were monotheistic.

This has caused problems for very many churches and people ever since.
It can be looked at in so many ways... I am coming down more and more on the side that the detail is actually unimportant... it all falls within the power and love of God.

This also opens the can of worms of what is required of us, in belief terms, to belong to a given religion.
I cover this by calling myself an Anglican heretic.
Almost every one I speak to, does not believe the entire canon of their church. some on small points and some on more critical ones.

Some Churches when they know of this apply sanctions to you, like with holding communion, or in the extreme, excommunicating you.

All this gets very legalistic; No Church is likely to have every detail in its canon exactly right; do you suppose God will get all Legalistic and say "there are a number of points you have not got quite right, so you are all out of my club"
Not likely... so should the churches follow God's example and be equally accommodating.
If they had been, we might have had a far less fragmented church.

[Kay]

As long as God is viewed as a being "out there" that sent a piece of Godself "over here," then yeah, the idea of incarnation makes no sense.

[joeboonda]

Originally Posted by Ori

It's pretty simple really, the body is subject to decay and eventually succumbs to old age.

So how could a God who is infinite, omnipotent, and beyond the laws of time become one of us?

I don't believe God could.

A prophecy in Psalms states that the Holy One (Jesus) would not see corruption. You see, this was fulfilled at the ressurrection, Jesus is alive! His body is alive! And how can you question the infinite, almighty God, can he not do what he will? God indeed became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth. The truth is that he loved us so much that he did die to pay for all the sins of the world, past, present, and future. He is God he can and did do it, it is finished. He did all he could to give us eternal life freely, but the one thing we must do is accept the truth of the goodnews, the very thing you say you do not accept. Well Jesus walked on the water and many other things hard for us to fathom, but that does not mean he did not or could not do it! He is God for crying out loud, he can do anything, anything but force people to believe in him, that is our freewill and something we must address in our life, what will we do with Jesus, accept him, or deny him? I choose to accept him, cuz I am definetely NOT God, and NOT sinless, and can in no way go to Heaven except through the shed blood of Christ on my behalf. Jesus is God, its only hard to accept when people don't want to.

[doppelgänger]

Originally Posted by Booko

Ah, but if you change the analogy to be a reflection in the mirror...that is, suppose God is the sun, and Jesus the perfect mirror reflecting the light of God.

If you look in the mirror and see the reflection, both of these statements are true:

"Look! It's the sun!"
"That's not the sun...just an image of it."

But, of course, the above logic would apply to God incarnating in any human being and not just Jesus.