| Author | Message | ||
| Maryann |
Hi Guyz, This is a question that was asked of me last week. The inspector on my new job asked me this in all sincerity. Good question, I'd say as, as so many people think of Him as an angry God. Also, I think that out "little human mind" picture of God might be a surprising insight to "our" relationship to God too. When one referes to God, I think most of us generally think of God, not Jesus or the Holy Spirit, though we know that all three are fully God and One. My answer to this man was that He was a very big (16 feet tall...EGW;-) bright and happy looking fellow looking down at His entire universe. Then I told him that was just my own minds eye as according to my understanding of the Bible, He is Spirit and omni present. He then commented that we are supposed to be made in His image, so how could He be Spirit? I don't think that was a silly question. I think that most people need a picture in their mind to wrap their mind around when it comes to God and heavenly things. It may be our view of God that sparks someone's interest or kills that interest. Later today or tomorrow, I'd like to share more and my picture of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This opportunity was given to me by God and the end result was that I was privileged to give the inspector, Lee Stobel's, Case For Christ. Now it is in God's hands and I'm finding out that when God has things in His hands, it makes for a better story than a Soap Opera!!!!;-)) Well, off to unload two trucks and a trailer!;-)) Maryann....IBC=Insured By Christ | ||
| Maryann |
Hi Y'all, Hey out there! Don't any of you wonder who or what God is? Do you ever wonder what Heaven will be like. Will Jesus be the only one that has a human appearance? Will God (the Father) have a visible form or will He be a "Presence"? What will the role of the Holy Spirit be in Heaven? I asked a friend of mine of 33 years what God looked like and he could only picture an angry Being. He asked me how God could be a loving, kind God with all the pain and misery out there. He said, "Just look around!" It is hell out there and God is supposed to be a kind God?! Some of these questions are not answered in the Bible. But I'd say they are answered if the Bible is looked at as a whole rather than a collection of verses. I'd really like to see, through some of Y'alls eyes, the picture of what God and Heaven looks like! What is the Heaven that we are promised, look like? Do you really have a minds eye of it? Is your imagination alive? Maryann...DTC=Deeded To Christ | ||
| Lori |
Hi, Maryann, Well, since no one has "touched" your question--I'll give it a try!! Personally, I visualize God the Father as a Spirit only. I do not visualize him as having a body like man has. In respect to how we are made in his image, I believe that it is our spirit (that part of us which is unseen that makes us who and what we are) that is made in the image of God. It is this same part of us that returns to God when our earthly tent (body) expires. What does God "look" like? Well, Moses was "radiant" after he was in the presence of God and he was also allowed to see the "back" of God's glory in Ex. 33. The descriptions of Christ in Revelation speak of blazing flames and bright lights that come from his eyes, mouth and surround his head. I see God the Father as a tremendously bright light with many facets. Scripture says that there is no darkness in God at all. (I don't know how literal you can take that.) I've also heard the creation story-I learned it was THE creation of the earth-is actually the re-creation of the earth. It says "In the beginning, God (plural) created the heavens and the earth. BUT THE EARTH BECAME DESOLATE AND EMPTY. This says that the earth was created and THEN became desolate. It BECAME empty so it must have had something on it before. The creation spoken of in Genesis 1 IS a re-creation of the earth. This seems unrelated to "what God looks like" doesn't it? I'm telling you this because the next verse says (from the Greek) that the Spirit of God hovered over the frozen waters. Again there was heat generated just from the presence of God. My point is that God seems to radiate alot of heat which would denote a really magnificient light or flame. And that is how I picture Him. Have you ever been fascinated with the flames of a fire? All the different colors that are inside those flames--the blues, greens, oranges, yellows. If you can find fascination in a small fireplace fire imagine the fascination of God in all his perfection and glory. Perhaps this sounds frightening to think of God as a bright light or flame. But isn't light comforting and isn't fire appealing? One other thing that makes me think God doesn't have a human beings form is Christ "took" on human form to save mankind. He wouldn't have had to "take on" our form if he already was like us, right? Don't know if that helps or not but that's my picture of God---the most pure form of light that exists. So powerful is His light that it consumes everything that does not match it's perfection. God lovingly distanced Himself from man so that man could continue to live and through the Son He made a way for us to fellowship with Him safely again. The Son becomes our "filter". He is the only means by which we can safely commune with God. And one day because we trust in Christ we will be reunited with God and dwell in His perfect light forever and ever. | ||
| Maryann |
Hi Lori, Thank you for doing a great job on this thread. My computer got "sick" and has to get a shot of whatever to get it better. I am on a friends 'puter and will be glad to get back to this when my 'puter gets home. Besides, I'm still moving and am swamped. Anyway, my little pointed head figures that we need to examine "our mind's" idea of what God looks like to us as that may be a key to what our relationship to Him is. If we think of Him as this "scowling, critical" God somewhere, I think the way we relate to Him and the way we present Him to others will reflect that. On the other hand, if we think of him as this "smiling, radiant, loving" God in this wonderful place called heaven, we will relate to Him and relate Him to others in a more Christian and Biblical way. My Grandfather always told my Mom that God would drop a tongue of a hay wagon on her if she did wrong. So, starting from age 6, she has a really messed up idea of God and what He looked like. Maryann....IBC....DTC | ||
| Sherry2 |
What do I think God looks like? Well I always thought that made in the image was more about our character and personality traits then about looking like God literally. I guess I always imagined that the Brightness that Moses saw that made his face glow for days was what God looks like. We are both flesh and spirit, and therefore can look like God in our spirit form to a degree if we are looking for physical resemblance ...maybe? As for Jesus, seeing the Matthew series has been a blessing to take off that dead serious all the time look that I grew up with, plus considering the fact that if children wanted to sit on Jesus lap, there must be something loving, and soft about him that would attract them. He is the perfect balance between mercy and justice. So while we see him overturn tables at the temple, we also see children sitting on his lap, and mothers wanting him to bless them. We have permission to "fire" the "God" of our childhood I believe and chose to let the Holy Spirit teach us as we read the Bible with His lenses rather than our own. That may sound scary to some - firing God - but then consider if it's a false image of the Truth, one that is inspired by a demonic fear instead, what are you firing? A false god is all.... at least that's my opinion. :) |
