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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] |
Subject: Distiction in "will" not "rationality" |
Bible Note: Dear Lionstrong, Thank you for the explanation. You're right that rationality is integral to many of the aspects in which we have the likeness of God. Although I would expect that Jonathan Edwards would wrangle with us over that kind of statement. In his thinking rationality was only one attribute of the mind. He'd argue that in addition to rationality (or what he'd call reason) the mind also has the inseparable components of the will and the affections. You wrote, "the image of God has nothing to do with man's body, for God is a spirit (John 4:24) and does not have a body." First, as an aside, never say that God is "a spirit." He is not "a spirit" but rather He is spirit. This is quite an important distinction. The implications associated with calling Him "a spirit" are very serious indeed. This is not a simple matter of semantic hair-splitting. We can discuss it further in another thread if you like. Second, note that I did not state that God had a body. I even pointed out the passages of Scripture where such an assumption is forbidden. What I wrote was, "With great care, we might even see something of God in our physical attributes." Since you bring it up, I'll clarify my thoughts in this respect: Human beings were created with a body, not just a spirit and a mind. Certainly this is very important and significant. After all, eventually they will be transformed (1 Cor 15:43-45, 51-55) and part of our existence forever. Even our thinking, our decisions, our prayer, our praise, and the way we express our love, concern, and compassion for one another are things done with and through the body. We see by the means of our eyes. We hear by the means of our ears. We speak by the means of our mouths. All of these are attributes that in a very simple and reduced fashion reflect attributes we know that God posses (although He does those things without a body). Even the ability to move reflects in some sense something of what God does. Other creatures also posses some of these attributes. But often these differences are exceptional in degree if not in an absolute sense. However, I'd suggest that the Scriptural admonitions to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1; 1 Peter 1:16) indicate that we are much more like God than any other creatures. Indeed, our ability as believers to become more like God throughout our lives (sanctification) are a dead giveaway of our God likeness. But I digress... I hope this clarifies my position. Honestly, from your previous posts, I doubt we really differ. However, it is often important to be more explicit in order to properly and carefully state our minds in order to avoid misunderstanding and to avail ourselves of correction if we err. In Him, Doc PS Sorry for the haste in which I've prepared these posts... I'm running behind in my studies, posting on the forum when I should be working on a paper due soon. :-( |