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NASB | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, "Can it really be that God has said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" [Rev 12:9-11] |
Bible Question:
Although this discussion is now quite old, with only a couple of additional repsonses in the last several years, I would like to propose a different point of view for your response. I do not think that this concept is "mine" (unique to my way of thinking), but I did not see it in this discussion and I think it would be worthy of consideration. I do believe that angelic beings and human beings are to be considered as distinct from the rest of the animated beings that God has created. Angelic beings and human beings do have at least one characteristic that makes them different than the animals, but it is not their "rationality." I think it is their "will" (the ability to make choices of right and wrong). It is this unique God-given ability that makes humans and angels morally accountable and which keeps the rest of the animal kingdom outside of that accountability. It is this unique God-given ability that makes humans and angels fall into the category of "persons" and which disqualifies the rest of the animal kingdom from being thought of this way. It is this unique God-given ability that makes humans (and angels?) to be uniquely created "in the image of God." Does this point of view not fit better with both the larger picture presented in Scripture and with the reality of the world in which we live? |
Bible Answer: Dear RWC, Great question! I like Lionstrong's answer. However -- and I hope he will forgive my presumption -- I think that his statement at the end of his post falls short. He wrote, "So, the image of God is not the will, but rationality." In Genesis 1:26 we see God's statement of what He is about to do. He says, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness." The Hebrew words for image and likeness refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing of which it is a representation. Consequently, God is saying that He is going to make a creature that is similar to Himself. (Furthermore, because of this statement, we can conclude that nothing else in creation has these characteristics to the degree that God intended when creating man.) The word "image" (Hebrew: tslem) means an object similar to something else, often representing the original object. The word is used of statues or replicas (1 Sam 6:5); of painted pictures (Eze 23:14); and of idols (Num 33:42; 2 Kings 11:18; Eze 7:20; 16;17). The word "likeness" (Hebrew: demut) also means an object similar to something else. However, it is usually used in a context where similarity is emphasized rather than representation (2 Kings 16:10; 2 Chr 4:3-4; Eze 23:15; Psalm 58:4). From what I can tell, the English words "image" and "likeness" are pretty good translations of the Hebrew. Of course, I'm no Hebrew scholar. Nevertheless, I rather think that the original Hebrew reader of Genesis 1:26 would have read something like, "Let Us make man to be like Us and to represent Us." I want to be quick to point out that much of what human beings were, in terms of the image of God has been lost or distorted by the fall. We know that God's work was perfect (Genesis 1:31). We also know that men generally, not just believers, are made in God's image (James 3:9). Nevertheless, Ecclesiastes 7:29 says that men were made upright, but they have sought out alien ways to be knowledgeable and wise. I believe that the more we understand God and who He is and what He does, the more we will see similarities in man. Also, the more we will see how we fail to live as appropriate representatives of the Lord. Consequently, I would suggest that some specific aspects of our likeness to God include moral, spiritual, mental, and relational aspects. (With great care, we might even see something of God in our physical attributes. Again, we must be very careful in this respect (Exodus 20:4; Psalm 115:3-8; Romans 1:23).) I believe that many have erred when they speak too narrowly of how man is created in the image of God. If you're interested, we could go into further details. In Him, Doc |