Assumptions we make about God.

[Cray]

Most people assume that God is a person like us. What if God is not a person with a long beard like many people imagine but a 'thing' that in these bodies we just can't fathom. All powerfull all knowing, we make assumptions based on this world and heaven and god and the soul don't probably work like this world, they could well work in ways that are very incomprihensible (how ever you spell it) too us... does anyone have any thoughs on this.

 

[savvy]

Of course God is not like us. He is both man and God. Maybe he has a body, maybe not. Humans have a perceptual problem called projection. That means that in order to understand someone else, we attribute our own ideas and similarities onto them. I think people do this with God a lot because there is just no way we can ever fathom such a being. We won't really know much about the true nature of God or Heaven until we're dead.

 

[Oblio]

Maybe he has a body, maybe not.

Holy Scripture plainly states that He (the Second Person of the Holy Trinity) became flesh and dwelt among us, suffered and was buried, and was Resurrected on the third day. A bit hard to do without having a body.

 

[Rebirth In Flames]

I’ve thought about this before. As humans with a finite mind, we do tend to relate things of infinite nature to what we can understand. We can’t comprehend an infinite God, so we thus give him the body of a finite human-body; not as a definition of what he is, but rather a symbol of his essence. Infinite essence is the thing that I can’t get my mind around, nor do I need to; although it is fun to ponder on it to develop that sense of fearful awe that helps in devotion and daily life in Christ. Whatever we can imagine, whatever definition we give to God or heaven, they are only mere words. I find joy in the fact that no words, symbols, or human-relation can possibly describe God or the after life. Too often we think something is only as good as the words that describe it; however the after life is the only thing that goes beyond any words that we can give.

 

[KagomeShuko]

Most people assume that God is a person like us. What if God is not a person with a long beard like many people imagine but a 'thing' that in these bodies we just can't fathom. All powerfull all knowing, we make assumptions based on this world and heaven and god and the soul don't probably work like this world, they could well work in ways that are very incomprihensible (how ever you spell it) too us... does anyone have any thoughs on this.

What do you mean "what if" God is not a person? God is NOT a person, but He DID become flesh. . .as Jesus the Christ, but He is NOT a person. He is a spirit. He had a body at one point as Christ, but He does not have that body now - as humans, we are limited in our sight and our ideas by what we know - we will never fully understand God.

God is a spirit, not a human. There is no "what if" about that.

Stein Auf!
Bridget

 

[Pilgrim Simon]

God is NOT a person,

I always thought that God WAS a person...in fact three persons but one God.

Cray:

It is as you begin to move to God the Father that the more transcendent qualities of God emerge...many of these are in the Old Testament...but we often use human terms to describe a God that we cannot grasp with our minds...in order to give us some sense of meaning, and in order for us to describe and communicate about God with language. But God is not a 'Big-Man-in-the-sky'.

 

[Dad Ernie]

What do you mean "what if" God is not a person? God is NOT a person, but He DID become flesh. . .as Jesus the Christ, but He is NOT a person. He is a spirit. He had a body at one point as Christ, but He does not have that body now - as humans, we are limited in our sight and our ideas by what we know - we will never fully understand God.

God is a spirit, not a human. There is no "what if" about that.

Greetings KagomeShuko,

You are only partially correct. God the FATHER is Spirit. God the SON is and remains a NEW CREATION, but still in a CORPOREAL BODY:

John 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

Although indeed the "mystery of Godliness" is great, we have been given numerous "anthropomorphic" characterizations of God so that we may relate to Him with things of this creation with which we are familiar. So the following statement is true:

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

 

[Oblio]

He had a body at one point as Christ, but He does not have that body now -

Absolutely wrong. When did Christ 'lose' His body ? While He entered His creation at a temporal point in time (that being the Annunciation of the Theotokos), He did not cease to have a human body after His Glorious Ascension.

as humans, we are limited in our sight and our ideas by what we know - we will never fully understand God.

Agreed, we can never understand God fully, if we could He would not be God.

God is a spirit, not a human. There is no "what if" about that.

Jesus is is 100% God and 100% human, any other proclamation is heresy.

 

[Momzilla]

He had a body at one point as Christ, but He does not have that body now

Where did it go? He clearly still had it after the resurrection--indeed, He ate and drank with His disciples. And, neither the Bible nor any other source indicates that Jesus left His body behind at the ascension.

 

[katherine2001]

To echo what Oblio and Momzilla have said, Christ still has His body. If you remember, Thomas touched His body when He came to the apostles in the Upper Room after His resurrection. He has His glorified body. We will still have our bodies at our resurrection also--but they will be glorified. Christ still has His human nature as well. He didn't lose either His body or His human nature at His death. He is still 100% human and 100% divine.

 

[Cray]

When people die they cease too have a human body as they wait for judgement day. Its illogical that we get them back after the ressurection, humanity is too do with the soul not these bodies they are just like balls and chains. If jesus is God and vice versa in some kind of way we cannot understand why would jesus have a human body?

 

[Momzilla]

humanity is too do with the soul not these bodies they are just like balls and chains.

Not so. Take a look at Genesis. God formed Man as a creation of both body and spirit--existing on both the physical and spiritual realms at once. IOW, our physical body is an essential part of our creation in the image of God, not some "prison" that is at war with the soul. The meaning of being created in the image of God is fulfilled in the God-Man Jesus.

 

[Cray]

i think thats literal?

 

[KagomeShuko]

To echo what Oblio and Momzilla have said, Christ still has His body. If you remember, Thomas touched His body when He came to the apostles in the Upper Room after His resurrection. He has His glorified body. We will still have our bodies at our resurrection also--but they will be glorified. Christ still has His human nature as well. He didn't lose either His body or His human nature at His death. He is still 100% human and 100% divine.

He does not have his only earthly body - there was the transfiguration. . it is glorified. He does not have the exact body he had here on earth.

Stein Auf!
Bridget

 

[countrymousenc]

When people die they cease too have a human body as they wait for judgement day. Its illogical that we get them back after the ressurection, humanity is too do with the soul not these bodies they are just like balls and chains. If jesus is God and vice versa in some kind of way we cannot understand why would jesus have a human body?

Then explain to me why Christ took human flesh upon Himself in order to save us. If you're right, then His incarnation, death, and resurrection are meaningless and unecessary. Indeed, the Bible tells us we will have a resurrection like His.

 

[Crazy Liz]

When people die they cease too have a human body as they wait for judgement day. Its illogical that we get them back after the ressurection, humanity is too do with the soul not these bodies they are just like balls and chains. If jesus is God and vice versa in some kind of way we cannot understand why would jesus have a human body?

Better go back and check Rule 6.

Wait a minute I guess I was thinking of the Apostle's Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,*
creator of heaven and earth.*


I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,*
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,*
born of the Virgin Mary,*
suffered under Pontius Pilate,*
was crucified, died, and was buried;*
he descended to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;*
he ascended into heaven,*
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,*
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.*


I believe in the Holy Spirit,*
the holy catholic church,*
the communion of saints,*
the forgiveness of sins,*
the resurrection of the body,*
and the life everlasting.

This is one case in which I think the Latin creed maybe says it better than the Greek. :o

 

[countrymousenc]

This is one case in which I think the Latin creed maybe says it better than the Greek.

What this meant to all who ratified it at the first Council of Nicea is the resurrection of the body. There was no dichotomy in their minds allowing for anything but a corporeal resurrection.

 

[Oblio]

Its illogical that we get them back after the ressurection, humanity is too do with the soul not these bodies they are just like balls and chains.

Gnosticism

If jesus is God and vice versa in some kind of way we cannot understand why would jesus have a human body?

Because without it we could not be saved !

 

[CaDan]

To echo what Oblio and Momzilla have said, Christ still has His body. If you remember, Thomas touched His body when He came to the apostles in the Upper Room after His resurrection. He has His glorified body. We will still have our bodies at our resurrection also--but they will be glorified. Christ still has His human nature as well. He didn't lose either His body or His human nature at His death. He is still 100% human and 100% divine.

Then WHERE is this body?

And "in Heaven" is not a valid answer unless we can identify where Heaven is.

/me gets out his Paul Tillich and gets ready for a flurry of blows . . . .

 

[Lotar]

His body is where ever He wishes it to be.