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Originally Posted by micah6v8
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I propose that 'image of God,' and what it is, is quite a mystery. After all, man-made gods (idols) are called by the same word it is said we're made in. And we aren't stone or wooden idols, are we?
Now just what the image of God is I won't pretend to know. But I can point to a possible candidate: the awareness reading these words at this moment. That's mysterious too. I'll grant you that. But we can point to it, or point it out, and it can't be denied ... or it can -- as humans are inclined sooner or later to deny anything and everything ... even if being buffoons -- as awareness is necessary to deny awareness.
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Originally Posted by micah
On a separate note, if one wanted to describe the "highest peak of the divine revelation" of the Bible in one sentence, one could also simply cite John 3:16.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
This verse adds a dimension in that it also introduces the idea of God's love.
LSM's version:-"God becoming a man that man may become God in life and in nature, but not in the Godhead" introduces two ideas:- (i)Incarnation/Living as a human and (ii)Transformation.
My "improved-version of LSM's version":-"God redeeming man that he may be restored to the image of God" also has two limbs:- (i) Redemption and (ii) Transformation. My intention was to (i) move from the focus from incarnation to redemption which I felt was neglected and (ii) to improve LSM's unsatisfactory expounding of "transformation"
But I think John 3:16, by also introducing the idea of love, offers a more complete picture. It has (i) love, (ii) redemption (which connotes God's righteousness) and (iii) eternal consequences. When one truly grasps God's love and righteousness and the consequences of redemption, he would ultimately be transformed.
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Glad you pointed out "love" bro. "God so loved..." Boy do I need that. I'll take any love I can eek out in this life. I need it. And need it vouchsafed.
The Bible says we're but worms (somewhere, if you must know, let me know and I'll find it. Or google it.).
So I guess we're worms made in the image of God. Anyway, it paints a picture like in these bodies we're wearing something like spacesuits, with God's image within it.
But these spacesuits are flawed, and troublesome, and don't mind the image within. At least that's the way mine is, maybe more than others.
And that's why I so need God's love. And need Paul's comment to the Roman Christians: "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Please ignore the extra-biblical comments in this post. Consider them the ramblings of a worm ... but howbeit a god worm ... perchance ... as it can be seen that way.
Maybe this material should be in lala land, or
Alternative Views. Does this "image of God" thing bring our minds into the lala land of our imaginations? If so, isn't that where Witness Lee brought us into, with his God-Men doctrine?