Gen. 1:26
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
"Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,
Hi All,, I am filling in for our sunday school leader this sunday and the lesson is on the first part of chapter 1,,,as I have been studying ,,I feel a big part I need too convey is just how special we are to be made in Gods image as I 've been thinking what is the image of God in us????
The fact that we can Love ,,",For God So Loved The World" or that we have an eternal spirit sothat we can worship and fellowship with God forever or the fact that we can enjoy the things God has created,,Just as God saw that it was good..
I would love to hear what everybody thinks about this,,,what is the image of God in us???
__________________
"God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the ONE I can change, and the wisdmon to know that it's ME"
I love this verse because it points out the trinity.
IT does?? Which of the three separate and distinct images of the fore mentioned "Trinity", are we made in? Lets not take the "convienent" approach, just the exactly as it is written approach, and start reading the scripture.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God. The first four words introduces mankind to his creator, "God" singular. That is the theme through out the bible, "one God". The scripture "conviently" fails to say one time that God is three, "persons", three "spirits", "three seperate and distinct beings". It denies that God is divided. It always says that there is but one God, who created all things by himself, and alone. The bible declares there is no other, none beside him, and we are forbidden to know or worship any other. He stretcheth forth the heavens ALONE, and spreadeth the earth by himself.
V:2 The Spirit of God moved. Singular
V3 and God said. Singular
V4 God saw & God divided. Singular
V5 And God called. Singular
V6And God said. Singular
V7 And God made. Singular
Gen 2:2 And on the 7th day God ended HIS (not their) work which HE, (not they) had made, and HE rested
John 1:3 All things were made by HIM; and without him was not anything made that was made.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by HIM, and the world knew HIM not.
Is9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Councellor, The mighty God, (how many Mighty Gods do we have?)The Everlasting Father, (the Son given is also the Everlasting Father?)The Prince of Peace.
Col 1:15-19 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature
V:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible, and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: V:17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. V18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstbornfrom the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. V:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should ALL FULNESS dwell.
Since ALL FULNESS dwells in Jesus, there is nothing left to dwell in another? Since the Son given is called The Mighty God, If there would be another contrary to what the scripture teaches, What would he be called?
Since Jesus is the fulness, (completeness) of the Godhead in a bodily form, Is it any great mystery that Jesus would say, "He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father"? That he would say, "I and my Father are one"? Doesn't that explain plainly why the scripture says that John saw "a throne" an "one" sat upon the throne?
Let's see what else I can add to this. Look at what I just said. Let's means, let us. Frank, there isn't another person sitting here typing this post! There is Just one, Old trouble maker Snooky. I am a father, I am also a son, and a husband, but I am not three seperate and distinct persons. Because God has different ways he has dealt with man, doesn't create another being every time he assumes another role or manifestation to men. He remains the ONE God that he was in the beginning. There is no Trinity mentioned in the scripture, that is "convienient" gospel.
I'm not talking about the trinity. my question is,,what is the image of God in us?
Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,
__________________
"God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the ONE I can change, and the wisdmon to know that it's ME"
not that we look like him but that our attributes are like him. we have the ability to love, the other animals dont love , we have a conscience not one of the other animal has a conscience , we think or ponder over matters ,etc.etc.that is what makes us like god
Okie, I agree with your assessment of how we are made in God's image. However, I could'nt possible go into it any deeper without including my thoughts on the oneness of God. The verse you quoted, and the question you ask, to me as a oneness believer takes me to a oneness perspective of it.
But in a limited sense we are created as part of his love with the ability to not only love one another but to love God in spirit , to love ideals, and to seek higher than ourself. It's a good point you make in that we were made to be eternal as God is eternal.
__________________ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
1. And there I saw One who had a head of days,
And His head was white like wool,
And with Him was another being whose countenance had the appearance of a man,
And his face was full of graciousness, like one of the holy angels.
2. And I asked the angel who went with me and showed me all the hidden things, concerning that Son of Man, who he was, and whence he was, (and)
why he went with the Head of Days? And he answered and said unto me:
This is the son of Man who hath righteousness,
With whom dwelleth righteousness,
And who revealeth all the treasures of that which is hidden,
Because the Lord of Spirits hath chosen him,
And whose lot hath the pre-eminence before the Lord of Spirits in uprightness for ever.
4, And this Son of Man whom thou hast seen
Shall "*raise up"* the kings and the mighty from their seats,
[And the strong from their thrones]
And shall loosen the reins of the strong,
And break the teeth of the sinners.
5. [And he shall put down the kings from their thrones and kingdoms]
Because they do not extol and praise Him,
Nor humbly acknowledge whence the kingdom was bestowed upon them.
6. And he shall put down the countenance of the strong,
And shall fill them with shame.
And darkness shall be their dwelling,
And worms shall be their bed,
And they shall have no hope of rising from their beds,
Because they do not extol the name of the Lord of Spirits.
Quote:
2. And at that hour that Son of Man was named In the presence of the Lord of Spirits,
And his name before the Head of Days.
3. Yea, before the sun and the signs were created,
Before the stars of the heaven were made,
His name was named before the Lord of Spirits.
4. He shall be a staff to the righteous whereon to stay themselves and not fall,
And he shall be the light of the Gentiles,
And the hope of those who are troubled of heart.
5. All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him,
And will praise and bless and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits.
6. And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him, Before the creation of the world and for evermore.
From the Book of Enoch. Written in the second century B.C.
There are several verses in the Old Testament where God speaks as a plurality. Many trinitarians quote these verses to help support the Trinity doctrine because they strongly suggest that there is more than one person in the godhead.
"Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth," (Gen. 1:26, NASB). "Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever," (Gen. 3:22, NASB). "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another"s speech," (Gen. 11:7, NASB). "Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8, NASB) [/ul]
Those opposed to the doctrine of the Trinity say that God is speaking of Himself in any "royal" sense, in a "plural of majesty." They can say this, but biblically there is never any account of a king or a ruler speaking of himself in a plural sense or in the third person. So, there is no biblical support for God using it of Himself in this way.
In regards to Gen. 1:26, those who deny the Trinity say that God when God says, "Let Us make..." He is speaking with the angels in mind. The problem with this is that angels do not create. There is absolutely no biblical evidence that angels created anything at all. We see in Isaiah 44:24, "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone." God made all things alone. Therefore, the "us" in "Let Us make man in our image" cannot be the angels. Furthermore, people are not created in the image of angels, but of God.
The three verses in Genesis do not prove that the Trinity is true. However, they cannot be dismissed by the assumption that God is speaking of himself in a type of third person way.
Furthermore, notice in the force verse above, Isaiah 6:8, that's God is speaking in the singular and then switches to the plural. He says, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" This is on the unusual construction. The singular speaker refers to himself in the plural
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness" Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him " Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb"
Trinitarians and others claim that the Hebrew noun "Elohim", rendered "God" (Strong"s #430) in the first clause of Genesis 1:26, denotes more than one God Person (typically thought of or explained as "3 in 1" or "2 in 1" as in "one" family). In support they point to the second clause of verse 26, "Let us make man in our image", being plural. It is true that in both English and Hebrew this second clause contains the plural subject "us" and that this governs the plural verb "make"- But these are not governed by "Elohim" (God) of the first clause. What is not realized, or otherwise mentioned in this issue is that in the first clause, "And God said", "Elohim" governs the singular Hebrew verb ""amer" (Strong"s # 559), which is rendered "said" in English. So linguistically there is no basis for claiming that "Elohim" denotes, represents, or contains more than one God Person (entity).
It is also claimed that the Hebrew "Elohim" is a uniplural or collective noun and that such nouns (e.g. the English noun "crowd") often govern singular verbs. This claim contradicts leading Hebrew grammars, which claim that throughout the OT and when referring to the true God, the Hebrew noun 'Elohim' behaves as a singular noun, and governs only[/i] singular verbs, singular adjectives and singular pronouns. And only when 'elohim' refers to a number of pagan gods or humans (e.g. judges), that it behaves as a plural noun; and then governs plural verbs, plural adjectives and plural pronouns. So grammatically "Elohim" is never[/i] a collective (uniplural) noun. That in reference to the true God, the noun "Elohim" is singular, is well illustrated in Genesis 1:29, where this noun governs the singular pronoun "I".
Here follows a selection of Hebrew grammars from which these claims may be further verified: Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar[/i] edited and enlarged by E. Kautzsch, 2nd English edition by A.E. Cowley, paragraph 124 (g); Weingreen's Hebrew Grammar[/i] under 'God' in its English-Hebrew vocabulary; C.L Seow's A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew[/i], 1992 printing, the vocabulary on page 19; James D Martin's Davidson's Introductory Grammar[/i], 27th edition, 1995 reprint, page 52.
So grammatically, too, there is no justification for claiming that in Genesis 1:26 'God' (Elohim) denotes more than one God Person. Indeed throughout the OT "Elohim" always denotes just one God Person. Let"s now examine the claim that in Genesis 1:26 "Elohim" denotes more than one God Person from a biblical basis.
From the Hebrew for verse 27 it may be seen that the Hebrew noun 'Elohim' (God) again governs a singular Hebrew verb ('created'). But even more importantly[/i], that "Elohim" also governs the Hebrew singular pronouns 'His' (that is God's) and 'He' (God). Note that verse 27 does not say that 'they' created Adam in 'their' image, but that "He" created Adam in His image! So verse 27 declares that one God created Adam and that He did so in His image. Not two or more Gods but only one God created Adam.
Verse 27, through the two singular clauses, "So God created man in His own image" and "in the image of God createdHe him", twice states that one God created Adam. From Genesis 41:32 it may be inferred that this repetition emphasizes certainty.
That only one God Person spoke in verse 26 and created Adam in verse 27, is further confirmed by verse 29. In verse 29 'God' (Elohim) uses the first person singular personal pronoun "I", in the phrase, "And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every herb"' ". Had two or more God Persons created Adam, they might have said: "We have given you every herb"". Ignoring the necessities of language rules of grammar some still say that this "God" is a family of two and that as such only "one" of the two Gods actually did the hands on creating, but at the bequest of the other- of the two Gods. Therefore, it is reasoned, the use of a singular pronoun simply reflects the overall view that there is still only "one" God, but with two distinct entities within the one. The tragedy of this is the denial of the proper use of the language- and specifically here in Genesis, along with the assumption that everything else in scripture that does not lend itself to this premise must somehow bend and be forced into compliance with this premise. There is no grammatical basis that can be produced to support this premise, which nevertheless seems to flourish in the minds of the adherents to this tenet of which I was once one, too. Without scriptural basis, other than- that is the way it must be for this premise to exist, the very premise is left to be nothing more than conjecture. If the premise is true, then the "proof" must come from elsewhere, as nothing in Genesis can provide this "proof." Equivocation may be the most culpable in the creation of this tenet, and yet be the least recognized as such.
It has now been established through the rules of language that just one God Person spoke in Gen 1:26, and that this one God Person created Adam in His own image in verse 27 and that this one God Person then spoke to Adam using the singular pronoun "I" in verse 29. So, Why does it say, "us" and "our"? The Cohortative Mood of Genesis 1:26. [/b]
From Gesenius" Hebrew Grammar[/i] § 75 l, and from Owens" Analytical Key to the Old Testament,[/i] with James D. Martin"s Davidson"s Introductory Hebrew Grammar[/i] page 76, it may be seen that the Genesis 1:26 verbal phrase, "Let us make[/i]" is, in both Hebrew and English, the Cohortative[/i] or Voluntative[/i] mood. This mood appears not understood by commentators to Genesis 1:26; and readers unfamiliar with the grammatical concept of the Cohortative Mood[/i], are referred to the explanation given at the end of this paper. (Could this be due to preconceived notions in the minds of both the translators commentators, and the affected readers?)
Suffice to say that the Cohortative [/i]mood is a verbal mood for expressing a command from the 1st person (the speaker) to the 1st person singular or plural. It is a mood related to the Imperative [/i]mood, which is the more common command mood for expressing commands from the 1st person to the 2nd person singular or plural " as in Sit down!, [/i]or Present arms![/i].
In the Cohortative [/i]mood found in Genesis 1:26, the singular speaker, God, addresses Himself jointly with those present at the time. Therefore in Genesis 1:26 God, and those present with Him, jointly make up the plurality expressed by the pronoun "us" in, "Let us make".[/i]
In particular the plurality of "us" may not be taken to infer plurality to the speaker God, or even to those God spoke to.
It has now been shown in different ways that linguistically there is no justification for inferring from "And God said, Let us make""[/i], that the plurality of "us" extends back to God. Rather the Cohortative [/i]mood demands that God, as the speaker issuing a command, is singular! This is also attested to by the singular Hebrew verb for "said" (And God said) and the singular[/i] pronouns and singular[/i] verbs in subsequent verses, which refer back to God of Genesis 1:26.
This should help clarify past confusion resulting from ungrammatical and unbiblical claims that the Hebrew 'Elohim" (Strong #430 God) of Genesis 1:26 is a uniplural or is a collective noun or in some other way points to there existing or not existing more than one God Person. In truth nothing may be concluded from Genesis 1:26 regarding the number of God Persons!
__________________
The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Zephaniah 1:14
פרץ
In The Beginning!!!
