How we are like God-my opinion

[DeusExMachina]

I was meditating on the Nicene Creed when I realized something. As it says, the persons of the Trinity are of the same substance. We know likewise from the Bible that “a spirit hath not flesh and bone.” This means God cannot have a physical form, and therefore it makes little sense to say that we are literally made in His own image.

Holy writ clearly states that God is capable of anger (every passage where he punishes sinners), love (2 Peter 3:9), jealousy (Exodus 20:5), and sadness (can’t think of a passage off the top of my head). Thus, it seems to me that His mind is somewhat like ours, only without evil motivations or ability to sin. Perhaps he, like us, can feel loneliness, because literally every apologetic dealing with free will has pointed out that God gave us free will because he wants to be loved freely, as opposed to our being programmed to worship him.

Thus I feel I can say that our being described as being made in God’s image is more of an emotional matter than a physical or spiritual one. I’ve got plenty of scriptural evidence but can anyone attest any similar thoughts from any Church Fathers?

Thanks,
DeusExMachina

 

[M-Dent]

I would suggest your “scriptural evidence” is a fair example of eisegesis as opposed to exegesis.

 

[Polycarp1]

I was meditating on the Nicene Creed when I realized something. As it says, the persons of the Trinity are of the same substance. We know likewise from the Bible that “a spirit hath not flesh and bone.” This means God cannot have a physical form, and therefore it makes little sense to say that we are literally made in His own image.

Holy writ clearly states that God is capable of anger (every passage where he punishes sinners), love (2 Peter 3:9), jealousy (Exodus 20:5), and sadness (can’t think of a passage off the top of my head). Thus, it seems to me that His mind is somewhat like ours, only without evil motivations or ability to sin. Perhaps he, like us, can feel loneliness, because literally every apologetic dealing with free will has pointed out that God gave us free will because he wants to be loved freely, as opposed to our being programmed to worship him.

Thus I feel I can say that our being described as being made in God’s image is more of an emotional matter than a physical or spiritual one. I’ve got plenty of scriptural evidence but can anyone attest any similar thoughts from any Church Fathers?

Thanks,
DeusExMachina

God is infinitely perfect in all ways. Nothing can add or take away from His perfection. Being infinite, omnipotent, omniscient and immutable he lacks or needs nothing. He is perfectly happy and fulfilled in Himself. If He was lonely that would contrarily imply that He lacked companionship. As human’s and mere creation’s of God’s infinite intellect and will we are necessarily limited by our own imperfections and inability to even fully conceive, understand God or to interpret His actions. We are therefore limited by our inability to perfectly express or communicate what we see God doing. We tend to use mental equivalents to express what we see as God’s actions in Human terms or attributes in our attempt to understand what for us presently un-understandable. It is the same when we attribute emotions to God when we see things happen either in nature or in human activity that may or may not be in accordance with God’s perfect will for creation.

 

[DeusExMachina]

God is infinitely perfect in all ways. Nothing can add or take away from His perfection. Being infinite, omnipotent, omniscient and immutable he lacks or needs nothing. He is perfectly happy and fulfilled in Himself. If He was lonely that would contrarily imply that He lacked companionship. As human’s and mere creation’s of God’s infinite intellect and will we are necessarily limited by our own imperfections and inability to even fully conceive, understand God or to interpret His actions. We are therefore limited by our inability to perfectly express or communicate what we see God doing. We tend to use mental equivalents to express what we see as God’s actions in Human terms or attributes in our attempt to understand what for us presently un-understandable. It is the same when we attribute emotions to God when we see things happen either in nature or in human activity that may or may not be in accordance with God’s perfect will for creation.

Amen, that’s true

 

[FollowChrist34]

I was meditating on the Nicene Creed when I realized something. As it says, the persons of the Trinity are of the same substance. We know likewise from the Bible that “a spirit hath not flesh and bone.” This means God cannot have a physical form, and therefore it makes little sense to say that we are literally made in His own image.

Holy writ clearly states that God is capable of anger (every passage where he punishes sinners), love (2 Peter 3:9), jealousy (Exodus 20:5), and sadness (can’t think of a passage off the top of my head). Thus, it seems to me that His mind is somewhat like ours, only without evil motivations or ability to sin. Perhaps he, like us, can feel loneliness, because literally every apologetic dealing with free will has pointed out that God gave us free will because he wants to be loved freely, as opposed to our being programmed to worship him.

Thus I feel I can say that our being described as being made in God’s image is more of an emotional matter than a physical or spiritual one. I’ve got plenty of scriptural evidence but can anyone attest any similar thoughts from any Church Fathers?

Thanks,
DeusExMachina

I see it as potential, a mustard seed. Human beings have the free will to say yes to God’s grace, which in turn gives them a spark of divinity if you will. To the extent that we cooperate with God’s grace with participate in ‘divinity.’ We are not gods and we don’t achieve our own salvation through our actions, decisions.

 

[fhansen]

I was meditating on the Nicene Creed when I realized something. As it says, the persons of the Trinity are of the same substance. We know likewise from the Bible that “a spirit hath not flesh and bone.” This means God cannot have a physical form, and therefore it makes little sense to say that we are literally made in His own image.

Holy writ clearly states that God is capable of anger (every passage where he punishes sinners), love (2 Peter 3:9), jealousy (Exodus 20:5), and sadness (can’t think of a passage off the top of my head). Thus, it seems to me that His mind is somewhat like ours, only without evil motivations or ability to sin. Perhaps he, like us, can feel loneliness, because literally every apologetic dealing with free will has pointed out that God gave us free will because he wants to be loved freely, as opposed to our being programmed to worship him.

Thus I feel I can say that our being described as being made in God’s image is more of an emotional matter than a physical or spiritual one. I’ve got plenty of scriptural evidence but can anyone attest any similar thoughts from any Church Fathers?

Thanks,
DeusExMachina

Man is an incredibly noble and dignified being, even if only in potential as often as not, as others have said. Personhood, the faculty of reason, knowledge, creativity, the capacity for love are aspects of our likeness to God. Anyway, from the catechism:

**I. “IN THE IMAGE OF GOD”

356 Of all visible creatures only man is “able to know and love his creator”.219 He is “the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake”,220 and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God’s own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity:

What made you establish man in so great a dignity? Certainly the incalculable love by which you have looked on your creature in yourself! You are taken with love for her; for by love indeed you created her, by love you have given her a being capable of tasting your eternal Good.221

357 Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons. And he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator, to offer him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his stead.

358 God created everything for man,222 but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him:

What is it that is about to be created, that enjoys such honor? It is man that great and wonderful living creature, more precious in the eyes of God than all other creatures! For him the heavens and the earth, the sea and all the rest of creation exist. God attached so much importance to his salvation that he did not spare his own Son for the sake of man. Nor does he ever cease to work, trying every possible means, until he has raised man up to himself and made him sit at his right hand.223
**