Are we really created in God's image

[syo]

Who saves the animals' souls?

Humans are animals, but they are unique among the animal kingdom in having been given dominion over all the others--after all, we're the ones running the zoos. We have the cranial capacity for complex, abstract thought (although you wouldn't necessarily discern this from reading internet forums) which allows us to develop an individual mind, persona, or soul far beyond the ability of lesser species to do so.

this is the destruction of the human nature. we dig our own graves.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

In general, I agree with all of this, although I don't believe that it's rational to think that Adam was a real person as the first human being, so it's nonsensical to talk about what happened to his body, soul and spirit when he died--you might as well ask the same questions about Forrest Gump.
I don't think of spirit as being owned by us, the way a person owns a house; more like it's being rented from God. God provides the life force that makes inanimate matter alive (for all living things), and he breathed it into Adam, but it's always really just an impersonal manifestation of God that returns to its source upon the death of the body.
But yes, when you're dead, you're dead, until the resurrection.

If Adam was Not the first human, then who was__________
In Scripture, a Forrest Gump would not be a real person, but does that have to mean Adam was Not a real person.
Yes, God breathed the breath of life into a lifeless Adam.
In other words, life-less Adam did Not come to life before God breathed the 'breath of life' into life-less Adam.
Yes, one's spirit is impersonal just as God's spirit is impersonal neuter "it" according to Scripture.
So, the unconscious dead are dead asleep until Resurrection Day aka the coming 1,000-year rule by Christ.
Christ Jesus being the ' last Adam ' meaning Jesus as Messiah balanced the Scales of Justice for us.
Both Adam and Jesus had the same non-human to father them.
Both started with the same perfect human health being of sound heart, mind and body.
Both had the same choice to either obey God or disobey God.
Unlike Adam, Jesus chose to obey and be faithful to God.
Even in our imperfect state we are all free to be responsible toward God.
Thus, like both Job and Jesus, even under present adverse conditions, we can be faithful in obeying God.
Our faithfulness, our obedience, proves Satan is a liar that No one would serve God under adverse conditions.

 

[dfnj]

If you believe Genesis we are.

My God is far above my understanding. Considering man is imperfect, I doubt I am even close to his image.

Jesus was the son of man. Christ was Son of God. If we have any connection to God, it is spirit, not flesh.

You ignored everything I said. If we were created in God's image we would have God's omnipotent powers so we can choose what our moral choices will be. Since we have no control over our choices free-will is a delusion.

 

[dfnj]

I don' believe in any of the revealed religions, but much of Genesis is well done when understood as allegory. We and God (if It exists) are all fully self-aware spiritual beings. I refer to God as an It because an omnipotent creator would have no need for reproduction. In fact, it would be impossible for there to be two omnipotent gods--by definition.

Nothing prevents and omnipotent God from giving out omnipotent powers. You make it sound like our omnipotent God has limitations.

 

[dfnj]

If Adam was Not the first human, then who was__________
In Scripture, a Forrest Gump would not be a real person, but does that have to mean Adam was Not a real person.
Yes, God breathed the breath of life into a lifeless Adam.
In other words, life-less Adam did Not come to life before God breathed the 'breath of life' into life-less Adam.
Yes, one's spirit is impersonal just as God's spirit is impersonal neuter "it" according to Scripture.
So, the unconscious dead are dead asleep until Resurrection Day aka the coming 1,000-year rule by Christ.
Christ Jesus being the ' last Adam ' meaning Jesus as Messiah balanced the Scales of Justice for us.
Both Adam and Jesus had the same non-human to father them.
Both started with the same perfect human health being of sound heart, mind and body.
Both had the same choice to either obey God or disobey God.
Unlike Adam, Jesus chose to obey and be faithful to God.
Even in our imperfect state we are all free to be responsible toward God.
Thus, like both Job and Jesus, even under present adverse conditions, we can be faithful in obeying God.
Our faithfulness, our obedience, proves Satan is a liar that No one would serve God under adverse conditions.

Oh come on. Stop being so naive. Do you really think our omnipotent God did not know exactly what was going to happen to the apple in the garden with a naked woman prancing about! Of course God knew exactly what was going to happen. God is responsible for every facet of His creation.

The purpose of religion is not obedience to authority. Anyone who tells you obedience is the purpose of religion is trying to trick you into being a member of their cult or to leverage you for power.

 

[ThePainefulTruth]

Nothing prevents and omnipotent God from giving out omnipotent powers. You make it sound like our omnipotent God has limitations.

Self-imposed limitations, yeah--as necessary for our free will.

 

[dfnj]

Self-imposed limitations, yeah--as necessary for our free will.

Free will is a delusion.

 

[ThePainefulTruth]

Free will is a delusion.

You received that information through divine revelation no doubt.

 

[Phantasman]

You ignored everything I said. If we were created in God's image we would have God's omnipotent powers so we can choose what our moral choices will be. Since we have no control over our choices free-will is a delusion.

You have NO control over your choices? Interesting.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Nothing prevents and omnipotent God from giving out omnipotent powers. You make it sound like our omnipotent God has limitations.

Sure, the God of the Bible has limits or limitations:
Such as Titus 1:2 the limit or limitation is that > God can Not lie.
The gift of free-will choices also places limits on God.
Meaning God does Not interfere with our choices.
But God does forewarn us that wicked people will be ' destroyed forever ' at Psalms 92:7.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Free will is a delusion.

When a person makes a voluntary choice how is that a delusion.
God forces No one to follow or Not follow him.

 

[Sleeppy]

When a person makes a voluntary choice how is that a delusion.
God forces No one to follow or Not follow him.

Where would you be following God to?

God is the source. It is blasphemy to deny this. And, when you take credit for God, i.e. righteousness, you are in denial of the reality of Creation, and the complete dominion of God.

 

[Fool]

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

So if we are created from the image of God, does that mean God is man or woman? Or both at the same time. I think an omnipotent being can be more than one thing at the same time. So I will go with both.

But gender identity is not my biggest issue with the idea we are created from God's image. If we were really created from the image of God we would all have omnipotent powers. Without omnipotent powers, we are very much NOTHING like the image of God.

No having omnipotent powers brings some interesting questions to my mind. If we do not have omnipotent powers, are we really morally responsible for what happens in our lives. It seems to me without omnipotent powers we have no control over our moral choices. If we have no choice over our choices, then what if all our choices are all immoral ones. Many times people are force to make choices that are clearly immoral choices because they have no choice but to choose the least possible evil from limit possible set of immoral choices.

So the question is without omnipotent power are any of us morally responsible for our lives if our choices prevent us from acting morally?

we are created in the image of love. when we love we are manifesting as god.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.


Only Love is perfect.


Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.


send me an angel

 

[Drizzt Do'Urden]

we are created in the image of love. when we love we are manifesting as god.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

What IS the "image of love"? I never knew love had an image before...

 

[Fool]

What IS the "image of love"? I never knew love had an image before...

the fruit of the Spirit is love. we are the fruit of the Spirit manifested, genesis 1:2. we are perfect when we are loving all as self. god is first an action, exodus 3:14, and then result, exodus 3:15

a tree is known by it's fruit. nurturing, strengthening, sustaining, loving. Galations 5:22-23

send me an angel


i'm a slave to love, a servant of allah. ALLAHU AKBAR = love is greatest

and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.

 

[Katzpur]

Who saves the animals' souls?

Humans are animals, but they are unique among the animal kingdom in having been given dominion over all the others--after all, we're the ones running the zoos. We have the cranial capacity for complex, abstract thought (although you wouldn't necessarily discern this from reading internet forums) which allows us to develop an individual mind, persona, or soul far beyond the ability of lesser species to do so.

Why not Jesus Christ?

 

[Katzpur]

Yes, I realize animals do not have souls to save. I was just being flippant in response to someone suggesting that they did.

How would you define "soul"?

 

[Axe Elf]

How would you define "soul"?

That which is commonly called the "mind" above and beyond the physiological structure of the brain. That which makes you "you" and the part of you that is either saved to live for eternity in the presence of God, or destroyed in the second death. It's your thoughts, beliefs, and personality.

I understand that animals have "personalities" too, and that not every cat responds to the same stimulus in the same way, but I do believe that with animals, "mind" is really inseparable from the physiological structure of the brain. Animals behave in the ways they do because of nature (instinct) and nurture (experience), not because of the abstract thought that characterizes a soul.

 

[Katzpur]

That which is commonly called the "mind" above and beyond the physiological structure of the brain. That which makes you "you" and the part of you that is either saved to live for eternity in the presence of God, or destroyed in the second death. It's your thoughts, beliefs, and personality.

I understand that animals have "personalities" too, and that not every cat responds to the same stimulus in the same way, but I do believe that with animals, "mind" is really inseparable from the physiological structure of the brain. Animals behave in the ways they do because of nature (instinct) and nurture (experience), not because of the abstract thought that characterizes a soul.

So do you make a distinction between the words "spirit" and "soul" or do you use them interchangeably?

 

[Axe Elf]

So do you make a distinction between the words "spirit" and "soul" or do you use them interchangeably?

I know you've been around since the first page, but let me recap for you...

God has no sex, although His traditional gender is male.

In either case, we can not ALL have been created in God's literal physical image--so "image" must mean something else here. I suggested...

We are created in God's triune "image"; with a body (Son), soul (Father) and Spirit.
Animals have bodies and spirits, but no souls, and angels/demons have spirits and souls, but no bodies. We are the only created beings to share all three with God.

Over the course of the thread, I fleshed (boom) out the three aspects of being that we share with God...

Yeah, the latter. We were created in God's triune image. God has a body, called "Jesus"; we also have a body. God has a mind/soul/personality that is called "the Father" (or usually just "God"); we also have a mind/soul/personality that we call by our given names, even when referring to the whole of us ("Dave," for instance, refers not just to Dave's personality, although that's what makes Dave "Dave"--but also to Dave's body and spirit, just as "God" tends to stand for the totality of the Trinity). And finally, God has a Spirit; we also have a spirit.

But yeah, the soul is that which makes you "you"--the part of you that needs to be saved from the second death if you were created for eternal life. Otherwise that which makes you "you" would be destroyed in the second death (the lake of fire), and it would be just like before you were born--no "you" at all. The body dies in the first death, the spirit (life force) returns to its source (God), and the the soul (your own personal identity) is either destroyed in the lake of fire or lives eternally in the presence of God.

"Then shall the dust [out of which God made man’s body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it."
--Ecclesiastes 12:7

"Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." --Revelation 20:14-15

I don't think of spirit as being owned by us, the way a person owns a house; more like it's being rented from God. God provides the life force that makes inanimate matter alive (for all living things), and he breathed it into Adam as well as all of the other animals in Genesis (the same Hebrew word is used in both instances)--but it's always really just an impersonal manifestation of God that returns to that source upon the death of the body of any living being.

I hope that will both answer your questions and save me a lot of typing, but let me know if I need to clean anything up for you.