God-- Shouldn't we be curious?

If you were to say something like-- “God help us!” -in conversation with some acquaintance and they responded with-- “God? Who is God? -What is God anyway?”

How would you frame an answer?

Well friend… First of all, to understand who, or what God is, you will likely have to dump whatever you think He is… because it’s probably mostly wrong, and certainly not big enough.

He can be like that stranger that shows up in an old Western movie, who wanders into town alone on the back of a horse, and people start shutting windows and closing blinds as he dismounts and ties up. -Someone says-- “What is going on?” -and another responds with incredulity— “Don’t you know who that is? That’s Billy the Kid!”

Now, you’ve never met Billy and never really even wanted to… but you’ve heard the stories. You know he’s mean and ornery and dangerous and a killer. He’d just as soon shoot or cut you, rather than get to know you.

Maybe that’s the God you think you know.

But you don’t know Him at all. You’ve just heard stories, and you just have a bunch of ideas in your head about Him.

Or maybe you have some other concept of Him. Whatever you think- it’s mostly wrong, and certainly not big enough.

With many, or most folks- the tendency is to try to personify God. To make Him like us, is to diminish Him, as God is not a man (that He should lie).

I am God, and not a man. (Hosea 11:9)

1 Samuel 15:29 says clearly-- God is not a person, that He should repent.

So what is He?

God is spirit. And of the spirit… we know little.

Here are something I keep for quick reference. These verses describe God’s nature:
John 4:24: God is spirit and cannot be represented by anything created.
Malachi 3:6: God is unchanging.
1 John 3:20: God is all-knowing.
Psalm 139:7-13: God is all-present.
Isaiah 6:3: God is holy and glorious.
Psalm 86:15: God is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and faithful.
Jeremiah 29:11: God has plans for people’s welfare, not evil.
1 John 1:5: God is light and there is no darkness in him.
1 John 4:8: God is love.
Psalms 18:30: God’s way is perfect, his word is flawless, and he shields those who take refuge in him.
Psalms 50:6: The heavens proclaim God’s righteousness.
Psalms 116:5: God is gracious, righteous, and full of compassion.
Psalm 19:1: The heavens declare God’s glory, and the firmament shows his handiwork.
Isaiah 43:4: God sees people as precious and honored.
Psalms 113:4-6: God is high above all nations and his glory is above the heavens.

Let’s not forget Genesis 1:1. God is the creator of all that was made. An attribute also given to Jesus in John 1:1-3.

I hope this helps. Blessings

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Joe-- that’s a lot of fun facts about God. But ‘what’ is He?

He’s not a man, but spirit. Scripture says that God sent His son-- and the spirit (word) became flesh, like putting on a covering.

Have you ever thought about it like that?

We can know that we are his “image-bearers”.

I do understand what you are saying, yet-- what is your scriptural basis for saying this?

It’s likely an offshoot of the principle established in Genesis 1, where vs 27 says- So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

I don’t think you will find humans called “image bearers” anywhere in scripture, but it’s not wrong in a conceptual sense.

The son is the image of the invisible God. Col 1:15.

Hebrews 1 puts it like this-- (God) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Again-- no where is “image bearer” mentioned. The text references “image” or “likeness” in the way that we would talk about a statue is sculpted and carved to be a representation or copy of someone, yet is of course not that someone— being a likeness and not the original. It’s a concept lost on most Trinitarians.

But I do like the idea of image “bearer” — one who carries the image and I think that’s a much more accurate presentation of what it means to be a Christian-- a person with Christ-in, and one who carries the spirit/son of God who himself that image of God. If you bear the son of God within you, you are indeed an image bearer.

Mr E.

Jesus is fully human fully God.

That might be something you’ve heard and been taught, so it sounds good when repeated, but scripture says God is not a man. Jesus is referenced as the son of God in scripture, never God, the son. To be human is to be less than God, never equal to Him. That’s a lie from the beginning, as presented to Adam and Eve.

Folks can differ on this, – that’s the nature of beliefs.

Sorry for the late reply.

True, while there are no verses that use that exact term the idea of being an image-bearer or someone made in the image of is consistent with Scripture:

  1. Genesis 1:26-27
    “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

  2. Genesis 5:1-2
    “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.”

  3. Genesis 9:6
    “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

  4. Psalm 8:4-6
    “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.”

  5. James 3:9
    “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.”

For the sake of discussion… I found this on the web:

An image-bearer refers to a person who reflects or represents the image and likeness of God, as described in the Bible. This concept is rooted in Genesis 1:26-27, where humanity is created “in the image of God.” Being an image-bearer means that humans are designed to reflect aspects of God’s character and attributes, such as:

  1. Rationality and Intelligence: The ability to think, reason, and make decisions.
  2. Morality: A sense of right and wrong, reflecting God’s holiness and justice.
  3. Creativity: The capacity to create, innovate, and steward the earth, mirroring God’s creative nature.
  4. Relational Capacity: The ability to love and build relationships, as God is relational within the Trinity.
  5. Dominion and Stewardship: The responsibility to care for and rule over creation as representatives of God.

Being an image-bearer gives every human life inherent value, dignity, and purpose. It also implies a responsibility to live in a way that honors God and reflects His character to the world. While the fall into sin has distorted this image (Genesis 3), believers are called to be renewed in Christ, restoring that image through faith and obedience (Colossians 3:10).

In the Gospel of John, John writes that God and Jesus are one and the same.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it. John 1:1-5, NIV

It is taught by many theologians that the Word is referring to Jesus, so this could be read as " In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

Hi,
If you are trying to explain the immaterial? Anything said will not fully answer your question.
When Moses, at the bush that would not burn, ask, whom should I say sent me, how did God answer? “I am that I am.” God did not attempt a material explanation. Why should we?
It is the first attribute I listed.

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. KJV

Blessings

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You said it all, right there.

This is common. “It doesn’t actually say, what I said it says, but it means what I say it does…” :wink:

It’s what we might call ‘a coined term.’ Are you familiar with that?

A coined term is>>>
a word or phrase that has been invented or created to describe a new concept, idea, or invention.

And people do it all the time, particularly when it comes to theological discussions. They often replace what the text actually says, with things they’d prefer it says. No arrows directed at you personally. It’s common.

I could write the identical response to you that I replied to @Fritzpw_Admin with, but I won’t bother.

Except he doesn’t. If he (John) did write what you said he wrote, you could simply quote him… but you can’t, because that’s not what he said. For the sake of an intellectually honest discussion, it would be nice if you’d start with that simple admission-- John did not write that God and Jesus are one and the same.

Thanks Joe, and I agree. But I’m not ‘trying to explain the immaterial.’ To your point— attempting to do so is like trying to describe colors to a man blind since birth.

Being curious about God is fine.
Trying to figure out who God is, doing research about God and all that stuff are all okay.
But God is also curious about you and why you still don’t know him despite all the hints given to humanity.
To derive something meaning from your curiosity is to spend time with God.

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I agree bridegroom. Paul speaks of ‘the mystery of Christ’ and speaks of this in terms of people who don’t understand, because it has not been revealed to them. The revelation comes by spirit and not by ‘figuring and research.’

And yet-- if you discovered something so remarkable and life-changing, wouldn’t you want others to discover it too?

Home Shopping Network says---- of course you would.

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Thanks for the fun facts. The enlarged font is quite unnecessary in my opinion.

Did you have a point?

Did you know that Ezekiel was called Son of Man 90 times?

Curiosity about God can deepen our understanding of life’s purpose and meaning. Exploring the divine invites us to ponder fundamental questions about existence, morality, and the nature of reality. It can help us cultivate a sense of awe and wonder, inspiring spiritual growth and compassion. Curiosity encourages us to seek answers to life’s mysteries, offering opportunities for reflection, self-discovery, and a connection to something greater than ourselves. By being curious about God, we open ourselves to the possibility of transformation and a deeper sense of peace, guided by a greater understanding of the divine and its influence in our lives.

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