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To “hell” with God’s Image?

Free2bHeretical4Him!

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No argument from me brother …
Sorry, I never questioned God’s perfection … not sure from my thread or any of my replies, where you gleaned such an idea?

Thank you for replying to my thread and “May the Lord our God bless you and keep you and shine HIS face upon you. In the mighty holy holy holy and precious name of Jesus. Amen, amen.”

blessings
 
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Free2bHeretical4Him!

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Hey again brother .. so much of what you have written I agree. But I’m not sure how to apply everything you have written to the questions in my thread? Regardless, it seems we only disagree if The Christ was truly man or just appeared as a man. That is for another discussio.

blessings
 
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First off: What "image" of God have we taken on? It seems to be in contrast to other animals.
Could God take His image in us back, before our being destined to hell?
Hi bling and thanks for chiming in on the discussion. The truth of man being created in the image of God is simply undisputed. Look up the word image and a plethora of verses, in both old and New Testament, will solidify this biblical, but not extremely well understood truth.
I’m really sorry man but I’m just not able to understand what all you are saying above and how it relates to my two original questions? But again, thank you for taking your time to share your thoughts with me.

blessings
 
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Clare73

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1). If God made man in His own image, why would He send any of His Image bearers to
Among other things (immortal spirit, rationality, morality), the image of God included righteousness, holiness and knowledge of him (Eph 4:24, Col 3:10), which last three man lost.

Now he is left with a human nature contrary to God, as well as a desire to be sovereign.

Only by faith in the person and atoning work of his Son Jesus Christ for the remission of one's sin are those things restored and man brought to peace with God again.
 
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bling

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I am not questioning man being created in God's image, but what does that mean. I feel it expresses the idea of: Humans having some limited free will ability (this is different from all other animals), so man can truly be like God in that man can have Godly type Love and fulfill man's earthly objective, but what do you think it means?
I’m really sorry man but I’m just not able to understand what all you are saying above and how it relates to my two original questions? But again, thank you for taking your time to share your thoughts with me.

blessings
Just answer the questions, they relate to what Christ did.
 
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Hi Clare73. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Exactly what ”all” is encompassed in our being created in the image of God, I am not sure. However, we know that it was good. Unquestionably, that image was marred. To what degree? Only God truly knows. But I don’t believe that image was completely eradicated by sin.

Now, I’m pretty sure you would agree with me that our Lord Jesus, according to Hebrews 1:3: “His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance (substance poor choice, God IS Spirit, not substance) and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself made purification for our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

Nevertheless, I believe image bearers we are in our placement in Adam; and with that image a Name is represented/reflected by that image. The command to not make any graven image is for their own protection and more importantly they carry/reflect the Name of God. He will not share His glory with another …

This is why I cannot see God eternally condemning His image bearers to hell, if there were a hell. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11:7 refers to man as “the image and glory of God. As God’s Name is embedded in His image and man is, at least in part, I cannot see Him allowing His Name being glorified by His image bearers in hell.

My other question, concerning The Christ suffering the consequences of man’s disobedience, is designed to clarify what was suffered, by our Lord Jesus on our behalf. At this point and time in my walk of faith, I am persuaded He endured the full force of what it meant in God’s warning to Adam. Physical death and spiritual separation from God. It seems to me, as long as man remains in an unregenerate state, he is and will remain physically and spiritually dead until the resurrection. After which, all those who are not under the protection of the blood, will need to experience for himself the sufferings The Christ endured. I’m interested in your take on the atonement and the sufferings endured to procure man’s salvation.
 
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Ace777

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Because He has the keys.
You mean like when science tells us bacon is bad for us, then tells us bacon is good for us, then tells us bacon is bad for us, then ...
They did that with eggs not bacon.
1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial
That is fine, I have no problem with KJV only. But how can you pass up the watered down NIV that says Eli’s sons were scoundrels? You do not like the cute translations of the Bible?
If we listened to today's science, we'd all be atheists.
Science is agnostic by definition. Scientists can have personal beliefs if they want. The Godless scientists usually end up getting proven they were wrong. I got in a lot of trouble with that guy that had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) when I said his thinking was as messed up as his body was.

In 1975, cosmologist Stephen Hawking bet fellow cosmologist Kip Thorne a subscription to Penthouse for Thorne against four years of Private Eye for him that Cygnus X-1 would turn out to not be a black hole. In 1990, Hawking acknowledged that he had lost the bet.

He used to make guest appearances on popular TV programs. Like everyone else he just wants to sell his books so he can stuff money in his pocket. I should write books but maybe no one would want to read them.
 
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Free2bHeretical4Him!

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Hi d Taylor I’m sorry I forget to reply to your question. I highlighted “Through” … it should be “by” man through His death. Sorry,
I was trying to say I can’t separate the Life Giver (Jesus) from the means (death/resurrection) by which the Life Giver obtained our redemption. I see them as inseparable from one another just as I see the image of God and the Name of God the image reflects are inseparable. Hope that clarifies my statement.

I completely agree with everything you have written above. Why do you think I believed differently?

blessings
 
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Clare73

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"Substance" = that which constitutes (forms or makes up) anything that it is.
The constitution of spirit is spiritual substance, not material substance.

So "the Son is. . .the very image of God's substance." (In the Greek it reads: "the representation of his reality," where "reality" is substance.)
Then you are in disagreement with Jesus Christ in Jn 3:18, and your issue is simply unbelief.

"Whoever believes in the Son is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already."
 
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Free2bHeretical4Him!

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"Substance" = that which constitutes (to form or make up) anything that it is.
The constitution of spirit is spiritual substance, not material substance.
Well, seems like YLT begs to differ:
”who being the brightness of the glory, and the impress of His subsistence, bearing up also the all things by the saying of his might — through himself having made a cleansing of our sins, sat down at the right hand of the greatness in the highest,“
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭YLT98‬‬

As does the ESV:
”He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,“
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Also the NKJV:
”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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high,“
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

One more RSV:
”He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,“
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭RSV‬‬

In theology terms the difference between substance and subsistence​

is that substance is hypostasis while subsistence is a person, specifically the person of Christ or of another part of the Trinity; hypostasis.As nouns the difference between substance and subsistence is that substance is physical matter; material while subsistence is real being; existence.

Now, read these verses and tell me that substance makes more sense than the other translations: 2 Cor 9:4, 11:7, Hebrews 1:3, 3:14 and 11:1. I’m no scholar brother, but after reading the other four verses and how the same word is used … I most definitely would opt for any of the other translations. Is it not obvious that substance pertains to matter and subsistence pertains to that which makes up the person? My little brain thinks it to be quite foolish and one heck of a leap, to translate substance with so many other accurate options. Substance just seems silly … unless of course there is some underlying need to validate/defend one’s systematic theological persuasion. Dunno …

ὑπόστασις {hoop-os'-tas-is} from a compound of ὑπό and ἵστημι; a setting under (support), i.e. (figuratively) concretely, essence, or abstractly, assurance (objectively or subjectively): confidence, confident, person, substance.5
So "the Son is. . .the very image of God's substance."

Then you are in disagreement with Jesus Christ in Jn 3:18, and your issue is simply unbelief.
I’m just grateful my God given faith in Jesus and His completed work on the cross makes your assessment of my ”issue” just that, your assessment. Hmmmmmmm, I wonder whose assessment matters; yours or the Holy Spirit?

"Whoever believes in the Son is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already."
You see Clare73, you prefer to assign the sentence of the unbeliever, based on your personal bias and theological position; no surprise there. The literal translation of John 3:18 is properly rendered “judgment“ which of course simply means a verdict is rendered either in favor or against the accused. It doesn’t assign the sentence which makes “you” nervous; as well as the judge rather than God. Hope He agrees with your sentence …

blessings
 
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Free2bHeretical4Him!

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I am not questioning man being created in God's image, but what does that mean. I feel it expresses the idea of: Humans having some limited free will ability (this is different from all other animals), so man can truly be like God in that man can have Godly type Love and fulfill man's earthly objective, but what do you think it means?

Hi brother, I apologize for the late reply. I’m also sorry I didn’t get what you were asking. I see the image of God, in mans pre-fall condition, created in wholeness and pronounced good in the following ways:
1). possessing an uncorrupted and unbiased will,
2). possessing a mind in union and harmony with God’s purpose
3). authority over creation with specific rolls and functions within the Garden
4). Reflecting oneness/completeness with his wife like the oneness/completeness of the unity of God.

Note: post fall image is corrupted/marred in all the above with the added responsibility of knowing good from evil but without the knowledge of God. Thus, I see the redemption of mans corrupted image of God only restored in the perfect and completed work of The Christ; restoring man to a unique oneness with God while ensuring His image bearers reflect the Glory of God through all creation.
I’m really sorry man but I’m just not able to understand what all you are saying above and how it relates to my two original questions? But again, thank you for taking your time to share your thoughts with me.

blessings
Just answer the questions, they relate to what Christ did.

As an introduction:
Could you say: “If a person continues to rejects Jesus Christ and Him Crucified a child is kept from entering the Kingdom and being with his Father?” YES.

Could you also say: “If a person accepts Jesus Christ and Him crucified a child is set free to enter the Kingdom and be with his father?” YES.

Since “Christ gave His Life as a ransom for many”, can you say: “Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the “ransom payment”?

YES.
Note: if the many you are referring to, is the many found in Roman’s chapter 5, then the many is not being used in a limited sense, but equates to the totality of mankind who died in Adam, thus the same many is applied to the redemptive work of The Christ and thus the totality the many for is applied for whom The Christ died.

Deity is making a huge sacrificial “ransom payment” as Peter would say, “much greater than silver or gold”, to release a child to enter the Kingdom, but not all children enter the Kingdom, so who or what is holding them back?

The “who“ holding them back is God and the “what“ God is using to hold them back? His will concerning the timing and order of mankind’s oneness in The Christ and the Father.

Some people say and think, what holds a person back out of the kingdom is: Satan, God, death, sin, evil, or really nothing, but do not put the blame where it belongs, on the person themselves. If you do not choose to accept the ransom, how could you enter the Kingdom? You can’t until you are made willing to do so.

PS thank you for the link you provided in your earlier reply; it was interesting, informative and presented in humility.

blessings
 
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bling

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Thank you for your response, but this will take me lots of words to address:

Man was made “very good”, but that is not “perfect” like Christ is perfect, so why did God not just make perfect clones of Christ?

Christ is not a made being so it is impossible to make a being that is unmade, there are just some things that even God cannot do, since they are truly impossible to do.

What is man lacking which keeps man from starting out “perfect”, like God, since God is Love (totally unselfish, unconditional, compelled by Love), can it be this unique “Love”?

Adam and Eve’s and everyone else’s “objective”:

God is Love, but how do we define this Love and measure this Love?

This Godly type Love is defined by Jesus’ words and deeds (you can also use 1 Cor 13 and 1 John 4), so what is that?

Can we measure the “love” one being has for another being by the amount the first being is willing to unselfishly sacrifice for the other being?

Is God this ultimate Lover? Would that “Love” compel even God to make beings that could Love like He Loves (this “Love of God” is totally unselfish [a measure of pure Love] and thus is not for God’s sake at all but is totally for the sake of others)?

So if God is not doing anything for His own sake and everything for the sake of others, would he be expecting or needing anything from man or would God just be trying to give the greatest gift He could give to man?

The reason this “Love” is the most powerful force in all universes is because it compels even God. So to have this Love would make us like God Himself, so why does God not just make us with this Love and place us in heaven?

Could God place this Godly type Love in a person at his/her creation (an instinctive love) or would an instinctive love be like a robotic love and not like God’s Love?

Could God just force His Love on man against the “will” of man or would that be like a shotgun wedding with God holding the shotgun?

Has God given man a mission statement? (this is always good to have)

Would “Loving God and secondly others with all our heart, soul, mind, and energy” be our Mission statement?

What does man need that he does not have instinctively in order for man to fulfill this Mission?

Man’s objective seems to be to obtain and grow this Godly type Love to fulfill the mission (statement) of Love God and secondly others with all our heart, soul, mind, and energy.

Our “objective” while here on earth is to just accept God’s gift as it was given as pure charity.

God is not trying to get you to do something, but is trying to give you something.

The problem is not sin (unforgiven sin is a huge problem), because God will forgive our sins which helps us to Love (…he that is forgiven much will Love much….) God hates sin, but does allow it so we can more easily accept His Love (in the form of forgiveness the easiest way for us to accept His charity). The problem is always our fulfilling our objective.

There are some things that God just cannot do like create a being that was never created and the one important to us is instinctively create us with Godly type Love since that would be robotic type Love. God will also not force his love on us (a shotgun wedding) since that would be unloving on God’s part (there has to be reasonable alternatives to make it a choice [the perceived pleasures of sin]). The easiest way for us to get this Love is through accepting it as a pure charitable gift. The problem being humans (due in part to the needed survival instinct) do not like accepting Charity from a Giver that paid a huge price for the gift.

The easiest way for humans to accept God’s charity (Love) is out of a huge need and that need is the relief from the burden of hurting others in the past (sin). By accepting God’s forgiveness we accept God’s Love (mercy/grace/charity) and thus we will Love much since Jesus has taught us (we also see this in our own lives) “…he that is forgiven much will Love much…” Will we know people do not like to accept charity especially from a giver that paid a huge price? People will try to earn the gift, pay back the gift, be more deserving of the gift than the next person or just say they got the gift without having to accept it.

Once we accept Godly type Love, we can truly Love and have the privilege and honor of Loving God (the forgiver) and others (God’s children) with all our heart, soul, mind, and energy.

“The image of God” would thus be the ability to fulfill the objective.
God holding His own children back (being the virtual undeserving criminal kidnapper) makes no scene and takes the fault totally away from man himself (we get to blame God?).
That again makes no sense. God can just as easily make all humans “willing”, while the person themselves is not willing to humbly accept God’s charity as charity, but the blame on man and not God.
 
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Free2bHeretical4Him!

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Bling said “God holding His own children back (being the virtual undeserving criminal kidnapper) makes no scene and takes the fault totally away from man himself (we get to blame God?).”

My reply: I’m not sure how you equate what I said with blaming God?

“The “who“ holding them back is God and the “what“ God is using to hold them back? His will concerning the timing and order of mankind’s oneness in The Christ and the Father.”

By the way … the words in the box below containing my name are not my words my friend, they are yours.
 
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Free2bHeretical4Him!

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Thank you for your response, but this will take me lots of words to address:

Man was made “very good”, but that is not “perfect” like Christ is perfect, so why did God not just make perfect clones of Christ?
Agreed on the perfection of Christ … Because there is only one begotten Son of God
Christ is not a made being so it is impossible to make a being that is unmade, there are just some things that even God cannot do, since they are truly impossible to do.
Agreed … I think?
What is man lacking which keeps man from starting out “perfect”, like God, since God is Love (totally unselfish, unconditional, compelled by Love), can it be this unique “Love”?
Man is created and God is the Self Existing One who IS LOVE … LIGHT … and SPIRIT, all of which we, His mage bearers receive from Him when He imparts to us His Spirit.
Adam and Eve’s and everyone else’s “objective”:

God is Love, but how do we define this Love and measure this Love?
I’m going with 1st Corinthians 13 for LOVE defined and measured by the Person of Jesus Christ; demonstrated through His Life, death and resurrection.
I think I understand your heart in this statement above but Colossions 1:6 informs us differently, “For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him.
I don’t agree … Jesus stated the following in Mark 4:11-12

”And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.”“
‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭RSV‬‬

Again, it is about the Lords will as He directs the perfect timing and order in mankind’s redemption. See 1st Corinthians 15.
That again makes no sense. God can just as easily make all humans “willing”, while the person themselves is not willing to humbly accept God’s charity as charity, but the blame on man and not God.
I know you are communicating with your heart and you obviously love the Lord. I just can’t follow your train of thought completely. Love IS the greatest of faith, hope and love because faith and hope are resolved in God’s Kingdom but love is eternal because God IS LOVE.

blessings
 
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Clare73

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The Greek word in Heb 1:3 is hupostasis (substance).
"Substance" and "subsistence" are not the same word.
 
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Free2bHeretical4Him!

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The Greek word in Heb 1:3 is hupostasis (substance).
"Substance" and "subsistence" are not the same word.
I’m not disputing the Greek word just the translation. I’m fairly certain Professor Young and the many other translators who chose to translate differently, as I have shown you, also know the Greek word. Their translations, at least to me, make more sense as the word is used in the other pages of Scriptur.

No biggie … we just disagree on the translation of one Greek word.

blessings
 
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Clare73

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The translation of a word can be Biblical or contra-Biblical. . .and that can be a biggie.
 
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bling

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Again, it is about the Lords will as He directs the perfect timing and order in mankind’s redemption. See 1st Corinthians 15.
First off: Mark 4:11-12

There is a timing issue here, but it is with the time in Jesus’ ministry prior to the cross. Jesus in a very brilliant move uses parable to address the masses about the Kingdom, these are very entertaining, poetic stories, with tons of information about the Kingdom with few words. Those listening could easily remember these stories and would likely retell the story to family and others, thus unwittingly conveying tons of information about the Kingdom. These parables with a hidden parallel Spiritual meaning that at the time would be extremely hard to understand, but after the Kingdom does come on Pentecost and maybe after the person is a part of the kingdom will he/she be able to relate the Parable to the Kingdom they are now a part of.

Jesus did give the Spiritual meaning of the parable to His enter circle, but they did not seem to understand at the time.

1 Cor. 15 is a long chapter and I do not know what point you are making.
Love continues in heaven, since there is nothing left for us to “hope” for and faith is replaced by knowledge, we do not just believe, but know. Loving is the media of exchange and the measure of wealth in heaven, God being the wealthiest (LOVE itself).
 
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Der Alte

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According to the Eastern Greek Orthodox translation. I wonder if they got it wrong. Greek has always been their language.
Heb 1:3 *His Son is the radiance of his glory, the exact counterpart* of his person,’ upholding all things by the word of his power. When he had by himself# made purification for our sins,° he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, *having become much better than the angels as the Name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
 
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