I
have been thinking about this for a while, searching the Scriptures,
contemplating when I am out on the ocean, and I would like to ramble if I may
about this. Feel free to add your
comments. The Bible teaches that we ought to get to know God (John 17:3). There
is no more worthy topic in all of Scripture than the topic of knowing God. We spend so much of our time hearing messages
about us – How To Be Happy? How To Be Financially Blessed? Three Steps To Add Love To Your
Marriage. How To Raise Your Kids To
Respect You? How To Forgive? How To Overcome Depression, ad
infinitum. This is why a topic on just
knowing God seems so boring and useless. Yet, knowing God is the epitome of
success and wholesome living.
The
Bible teaches that God is a Spirit (John 4:24).
Therefore, God has no form. But
then there are passages that talks about the eyes and ears of God (Ps.
34:15). The Bible mentions the mouth of
God (Matt. 4:4). It also mentions the arms of God (Isa. 53:1). And there are many others. When the Bible
uses physical characteristics about God, it is called anthropomorphisms. Anthropos = man or human; morphe = form. Thus, descriptions such as hands, eyes, ears,
mouth, etc., are merely human forms attributed to God in order to help us
understand and relate to Him better. But
remember, God’s true form is that He is a spirit. He has no form.
When
the Bible speaks of God as being a spirit, it is emphasizing WHO HE IS; when
the Bible speaks of God using anthropomorphism, it is emphasizing WHAT HE DOES.
Again, this is to help us to relate and understand Him better.
So
then, it is heretical to teach that God has a body as some do. God does not
have a body.
Now
likewise, given what the Bible tells us about the being of God (i.e. He is a
spirit), it would also be heretical to say that He has emotions that resembles
human feelings and fluctuations.
To
view that God experiences emotions like men appear to entail a number of
contradictions.
I
will share some of these in Part 2
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