Why does god have human traits

Keith Ward. Philip Clayton. Michael Rea. Neil N. Varadaraja V. God's Nature? God's Essence? God's Powers? God and Time? What is God Like? In the ancient Mesopotamian world, kings were the representative rulers of the gods; they ruled the people on behalf of the gods. Look at Psalm 2. The heart of the psalm is v. It also has some implications for understanding Jesus, which we will get to next week.

Unlike the other nations, Israelite kings were never worshipped. Israel even had a skeptical attitude toward kingship e. But they still were anointed to embody the royal image-bearing role. Unique to Israel, the role of royal image-bearer was conferred not only on a line of kings but also on all people—a striking notion in the ancient world. It must be talking about Jesus. Rather, read this psalm in light of Genesis This psalm speaks of the high status of humanity.

Humans are one step below God and his divine council. Either way, the point is that being human is a big deal. This psalm is a great summary of what image of God means.

There is nothing in all of creation that has a higher status than humanity. There is nothing in all of creation that is more god-like than humanity. The psalm is picked up by the author of Hebrews to speak of Jesus. One of the portraits the New Testament paints of Jesus is that of ultimate image-bearer of God.

No one embodies more fully this truly human quality. We can begin where we left off previously, with Psalm 8. This psalm praises God for how he has exalted humanity: man is a little lower than God, crowned with glory and honor, and everything has been placed under his feet.

Humankind, in other words, is one step below God, given authority to rule creation. In Hebrews , the anonymous author cites Psalm 8 for a reason that might not be obvious at first glance: Jesus ranks higher than angels, a topic he began in Moses, the high priest, and the tabernacle.

Psalm 8 supports his argument. Creation was not subject to angels, but humankind. What we do see, however, is Jesus who is now crowned with glory and honor because of his death v. It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. You made him a little[a] lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

It is fully realized in Jesus as, paradoxically, the crucified and resurrected Son of God. Jesus is the true image-bearer. You might say that Jesus is the only truly and fully human figure who has ever lived. Colossians see side-bar makes the same point in a different way. For first time sign in, find your account now. Call us at if you need assistance. In the hills of northern Burundi, Joseph and Genesita rely on subsistence agriculture to feed their family.

Unfortunately, the land has not always been kind. They have seen years where their harvest did not adequately feed their family, and their children would go hungry. What changed?

In fact, we are convinced that by looking at God and His Creation, we can discover principles that inform all of our development efforts. The earth belongs to God.

God cannot be described better than by referring to Himself. He is completely unique. In His generous and loving character, God has created us and all that we see out of His own imagination and power in order to share His existence with us.

God cares for His creation and made it to reflect His glory. Why is this important to our work? We have the challenge and privilege of prayerfully discovering His will for any place we are called. Our battleground is that of rational consistency. Abstract : Ten arguments for the nonexistence of God are formulated and discussed briefly. Each of them ascribes to God a pair of properties from the following list of divine attributes: a perfect, b immutable, c transcendent, d nonphysical, e omniscient, f omnipresent, g personal, h free, i all-loving, j all-just, k all-merciful, and 1 the creator of the universe.

Each argument aims to demonstrate an incompatibility between the two properties ascribed. The pairs considered are: 1. Along the way, several other possible pairs are also mentioned and commented upon.

How is it even possible for a deity that is everywhere and at all times to be conscious of anything and to think? Here is an examination of that issue. Abstract: It has been argued that God is omnipresent, that is, present in all places and in all times. Omnipresence is also implied by God's knowledge, power, and perfection. A Kantian argument shows that in order to be self-aware, apply concepts, and form judgments, in short, to have a mind, there must be objects that are external to a being that it can become aware of and grasp itself in relationship to.

There can be no external objects for an omnipresent God, so he cannot have a mind. Abstract: When God is conceived of as an all-powerful and all-loving deity, many arguments for his nonexistence can be raised. In what follows, I shall provide precise formulations of those two arguments, make some comments about them, and then try to refute the main defenses of God's existence that might be put forward against ANB, which I consider the stronger of the two.

I take ANB to be a sound argument establishing the proposition that God conceived of in a certain way does not exist. There are those thinkers who hold that it is not possible for the human mind to comprehend the nature of a deity, let alone a single Supreme Being. Even within theology there are those who think it presumptuous of humans to believe that the human mind could capture the nature of a divine being. This Ultimate Concern could be expressed in a variety of ways, including that of a Supreme Being.

These ideas will be revisited as this examination moves deeper into the examination of religious beliefs. Additionally, faith in and surrender to the Ultimate promises total completion regardless of what must be sacrificed in the name of faith. God, asserts Tillich, is present as the subject and object of ultimate faith while at the same time is transcendent beyond both subject and object.

Tillich warns that there are finite things that claim infinity, such as the nation or state. For instance, a stop sign points to the command to stop the movement of a vehicle. Similarly letters refer to sounds and meanings. However, unlike signs, symbols play a part in that which they represent and cannot be easily replaced.

Tillich also asserts that symbols allow us to experience other levels of reality that are normally off limits to us. For instance art creates a symbol for a plane that we cannot move toward by science alone. Another characteristic of a symbol is that it cannot be manufactured.

Symbols arise from the unconscious and must be accepted on that level before conscious acceptance. Finally, since symbols cannot be intentionally produced, they come about and cease to exist in due time. In essence, they are borne out of a need and they perish when they no longer generate a reaction within the group that originally used them for expressive purposes. Tillich then goes on to assert that anything that achieves ultimate concern for man is elevated to the status of god.

However, when things like a nation or success become elevated to the level of ultimacy, they are merely false or idolatrous symbols of ultimate concern. Tillich also discusses that myths are an integral part of our ultimate concern. While a myth must be recognized as a myth much like how a symbol must be recognized as a symbol , Tillich argues that any attempt to remove the mythological from our consciousness will be unsuccessful because myths signify a collection of symbols which stand for our ultimate concern.

However, Tillich also warns that one cannot simply accept myths as literal truths because they then loose their symbolic meaning and rob God of his standing as the ultimate.