"..In The Image And Likeness Of God."

[remoat]

this phrase always turned me inside-out… was i made to resemble god? is everyone? how could all of use resemble god? i thought maybe all human faces arranged as a collage, or superimposed, could be what god would look like, which has philosphical undertones of its own… the truth is, our likeness to god has no relation to our human persona… god is a spirit, the supreme spirit, but a spirit first… the baltimore catechism notwithstanding, god has never had a human shape… he did send his son to earth to activate christianity, but the father never considered visiting us like “E.T.”… the likeness we bear to god stems from our soul… our souls are made in the image and likeness of god… thus, we have expressions such as, “god is in all of us”… we are all a part of god’s consciousness, and we bear the imprint of his soul on our own… therefore, he made us (our soul) in his image to offer us a glimpse of how he reveres us, evan as we lowly human-beings violate his word, fall short of following his commandments and ignore his son’s admonitions… our soul made in his likeness reminds us he holds humans as his most admirable achievement in his universe… he gives his 2 most incredible gifts imaginable: a soul virtually indistinguishable from his own, and his only son to walk beside us, as he instructs and counsels us in our daily lives, the better to light the way to heaven…

 

[LilyM]

God doesn’t revere us, any more than I would revere my children, much as I might love them. Reverence is for your equals or superiors (of which God has none), not your creatures.

And you’re right, we weren’t made physically in His likeness, as He had no fixed physical form before the Incarnation, rather Jesus condescended to adopt OUR likeness - and He has ennobled it beyond belief by so doing.

 

[remoat]

God doesn’t revere us, any more than I would revere my children…

im sorry for you if you believe that god doesn’t revere you… do you actually believe god, as a supreme being, has no greater capacity to revere a human soul than youreslf? why would he give us souls? why would he offer adam and eve the garden of eden? why would he send us his son in human form, who faced the cruelest of treatment at the hands of torturous men, if he didn’t revere us? even so, jesus asked his father to forgive them and god would do so, if they showed remorse and contrition… how do you show reverence for someone you care for? is it a frfiendly visit? a special gift for their birthday? a flower arrangement for no reason, other than just being who they are? it’s none of my business, but im curious as to what your children would say if interviewed about your feelings for them and their feelings for you… im thinking everyone would be greatly surprised…

 

[LilyM]

God doesn’t revere us, any more than I would revere my children…

im sorry for you if you believe that god doesn’t revere you… do you actually believe god, as a supreme being, has no greater capacity to revere a human soul than youreslf? why would he give us souls? why would he offer adam and eve the garden of eden? why would he send us his son in human form, who faced the cruelest of treatment at the hands of torturous men, if he didn’t revere us? even so, jesus asked his father to forgive them and god would do so, if they showed remorse and contrition… how do you show reverence for someone you care for? is it a frfiendly visit? a special gift for their birthday? a flower arrangement for no reason, other than just being who they are? it’s none of my business, but im curious as to what your children would say if interviewed about your feelings for them and their feelings for you… im thinking everyone would be greatly surprised…

No - all the behaviours you have stated are about showing love, not reverence. I do them all, and do them out of LOVE, not reverence, which is due only to God.

The dictionary definition of reverence shows what I mean:

:re·vere 1 (r-vîr)
tr.v. re·vered, re·ver·ing, re·veres
To regard with awe, deference, and devotion.

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[French révérer, from Old French reverer, from Latin reverr : re-, re- + verr, to respect; see wer-3 in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms (words that mean the same thing): revere1, worship, venerate, adore, idolize

These verbs mean to regard with the deepest respect, deference, and esteem. Revere suggests awe coupled with profound honor: “At least one third of the population … reveres every sort of holy man” Rudyard Kipling.
**Worship implies reverent love and homage rendered to God or a god: **The ancient Egyptians worshiped a number of gods.
In a more general sense worship connotes an often uncritical devotion: “She had worshiped intellect” Charles Kingsley.
Venerate connotes reverence accorded by virtue, especially of dignity or age: “I venerate the memory of my grandfather” Horace Walpole.
To adore is to worship with deep, often rapturous love: The students adored their caring teacher.
**Idolize implies worship like that accorded an object of religious devotion: **He idolizes his wife.

I certainly do NOT worship or make an idol of any human being whatsoever, I only worship God. So neither do I revere them, only Him.

 

[thistle]

No - all the behaviours you have stated are about showing love, not reverence. I do them all, and do them out of LOVE, not reverence, which is due only to God.

The dictionary definition of reverence shows what I mean:

:re·vere 1 (r-vîr)
tr.v. re·vered, re·ver·ing, re·veres
To regard with awe, deference, and devotion.

---

[French révérer, from Old French reverer, from Latin reverr : re-, re- + verr, to respect; see wer-3 in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms (words that mean the same thing): revere1, worship, venerate, adore, idolize

These verbs mean to regard with the deepest respect, deference, and esteem. Revere suggests awe coupled with profound honor: “At least one third of the population … reveres every sort of holy man” Rudyard Kipling.
**Worship implies reverent love and homage rendered to God or a god: **The ancient Egyptians worshiped a number of gods.
In a more general sense worship connotes an often uncritical devotion: “She had worshiped intellect” Charles Kingsley.
Venerate connotes reverence accorded by virtue, especially of dignity or age: “I venerate the memory of my grandfather” Horace Walpole.
To adore is to worship with deep, often rapturous love: The students adored their caring teacher.
**Idolize implies worship like that accorded an object of religious devotion: **He idolizes his wife.

I certainly do NOT worship or make an idol of any human being whatsoever, I only worship God. So neither do I revere them, only Him.

I agree with you. God certainly loves us but does not revere us.

 

[remoat]

so, god does not revere us? its so sad that your beliefs and experiences, which are confined to a small part of the world for such an infinitesimally brief time period so easily short-change god on how he feels about us… how could he possibly not revere anything he created? how could he not revere something in which he placed “an image and likeness of” himself? if our soul is in his image and likeness, and we lack his reverence, then god does not revere himself… does he not value, or revere, his creations, which he brought into existence out of nothing? does he not revere his human children for following his word, doing his will, embracing his salvation, and grieving, with him, the loss of his only son? maybe there’s a confusion of meaning or semantics… i cannot distinguish to a great degree between love, reverence, respect, admiration, etc… there is my family for whom i hold all these things… for teachers and a few politicians, maybe 3 out of 4… if i thought god did not revere (or value) my soul as he reveres his own, i couldnt see the point of believing his word or following his commandments… i would continue to believe in him and his control of the universe, i just wouldnt care about any of it; what would be my motivation? if god did not revere my soul and my body as his greatest works, then why would he care to admit me to stand by his throne? why would i ask him to reward me with a place at his right hand? why have a heaven at all?

 

[thistle]

so, god does not revere us? its so sad that your beliefs and experiences, which are confined to a small part of the world for such an infinitesimally brief time period so easily short-change god on how he feels about us… how could he possibly not revere anything he created? how could he not revere something in which he placed “an image and likeness of” himself? if our soul is in his image and likeness, and we lack his reverence, then god does not revere himself… does he not value, or revere, his creations, which he brought into existence out of nothing? does he not revere his human children for following his word, doing his will, embracing his salvation, and grieving, with him, the loss of his only son? maybe there’s a confusion of meaning or semantics… i cannot distinguish to a great degree between love, reverence, respect, admiration, etc… there is my family for whom i hold all these things… for teachers and a few politicians, maybe 3 out of 4… if i thought god did not revere (or value) my soul as he reveres his own, i couldnt see the point of believing his word or following his commandments… i would continue to believe in him and his control of the universe, i just wouldnt care about any of it; what would be my motivation? if god did not revere my soul and my body as his greatest works, then why would he care to admit me to stand by his throne? why would i ask him to reward me with a place at his right hand? why have a heaven at all?

You should sit down with someone who can teach you what “revere” actually means!!

 

[remoat]

QUOTE: You should sit down with someone who can teach you what “revere” actually means!!

if you want to make an impression beyond merely occupying space in a forum, try being specific in your admonitions and those reasons wherefore… why do i need instruction on the term “revere”, it has served me well for many years… maybe you could take the first step… what do i lack in understanding the context lof “revere”, as used in revering those who warrant it? is there something im not getting, besides your view of the concept? “reverend” comes from “revere”… do we not “revere” those who are accorded the title? why souldn’t god revere everything he made, especially humans? doesn’t the phrase “god is in all things” derive from the bible? do we not revere the bible? shouldn’t we revere everything in it?

 

[Walking_Home]

Originally Posted by LilyM View Post
No - all the behaviours you have stated are about showing love, not reverence. I do them all, and do them out of LOVE, not reverence, which is due only to God.

The dictionary definition of reverence shows what I mean:

:re·vere 1 (r-vîr)
tr.v. re·vered, re·ver·ing, re·veres
To regard with awe, deference, and devotion.

---

[French révérer, from Old French reverer, from Latin reverr : re-, re- + verr, to respect; see wer-3 in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms (words that mean the same thing): revere1, worship, venerate, adore, idolize

These verbs mean to regard with the deepest respect, deference, and esteem. Revere suggests awe coupled with profound honor: “At least one third of the population … reveres every sort of holy man” Rudyard Kipling.
Worship implies reverent love and homage rendered to God or a god: The ancient Egyptians worshiped a number of gods.
In a more general sense worship connotes an often uncritical devotion: “She had worshiped intellect” Charles Kingsley.
Venerate connotes reverence accorded by virtue, especially of dignity or age: “I venerate the memory of my grandfather” Horace Walpole.
To adore is to worship with deep, often rapturous love: The students adored their caring teacher.
Idolize implies worship like that accorded an object of religious devotion: He idolizes his wife.

I certainly do NOT worship or make an idol of any human being whatsoever, I only worship God. So neither do I revere them, only Him.

I agree with you. God certainly loves us but does not revere us.

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I agree with the both of you.