Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is God still creating man in His image? | Gen 5:3 | Lionstrong | 16237 | ||
...continued from part one. Is God still creating man in His image? Part Two Some Christians make a mistake in thinking that because man is a sinner he is nothing. No, it is the greatness of man the image of God that makes sense of all the trouble God has gone through to save him. And it is what makes a man’s loss so tragic. “AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER?” 1 Pet 4:18 Let me close by quoting what a group of many pastors have written to summarize what the Bible teaches about man. Notice that they speak of corruption of our nature and loss of righteousness, but not obliteration of the image of God: “After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness and true holiness, after his own image, having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it; and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject unto change. Besides this law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; which while they kept, they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over the creatures. “Our first parents being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was pleased according to his wise and holy counsel to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory. “By this sin they fell form their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. “They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation. “From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions. “This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated, and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin. “Every sin, both original and natural being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth is its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal.” Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter four, section II, and chapter six. Peace, Lionstrong |
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2 | Is God still creating man in His image? | Gen 5:3 | Bill Mc | 16241 | ||
Dear Lionstrong, thanks for the reply. Thanks for taking the time to explain your viewpoint fully. I appreciate it. I do agree with many of the things you've said in these two parts. I'll reread it over the next couple of days to try to understand it better (I'm a slow learner). Please don't think, brother, that I think that unregenerated man is worthless, just an animal, or any other derogatory term that sinners are labeled. I disagree with that view. "While we were YET sinners, Christ died for us, the Godly for the ungodly." Your view (or Westminster's view) bears much consideration. The only thing that I might add, as a supplement, not a substitute, is that man's worth is really based upon the fact that God chooses to love us. Regardless of whether we agree what that 'image of God' is, we can rest assured that our value is based upon the worth that God assigns to us. How great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called 'the Children of God.' Blessings in Christ, brother Lionstrong. In Him, Bill Mc |
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3 | Is God still creating man in His image? | Gen 5:3 | Lionstrong | 16336 | ||
The Love of God and the Value of Man Dear Bill, Rom. 8:38,39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. As great as the all-powerful love of God is, it is not the basis for the worth of man. Rather it is what man is, the image of God. Ps. 8:4,5, "What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, And dost crown him with glory and majesty!" Man is made A LITTLE lower than God!! If one agrees to the truth that man did not become nothing (of no value) when he became a sinner, then he must agree that his worth is not based on how God feels about him, but rather on his inherent worth as God made him. If God loved a beautiful stallion, would that make it something for which Christ would die? Why? Because it's still a horse. Now, don't get me wrong, God does care for his creation. "His eye is on the sparrow" (Matt. 6: 26) and all creation will benefit when man's redemption is consummated (Rom 8: 19ff). But was it for them that Christ died? Christ came to save sinners (I Tim 1:15) not palominos. In I John 3:1, the great love of God has not changed our worth, it has changed our relationship from being sons of disobedience (Ehp. 2: 2) to that of children of God. Peace, Lionstrong |
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