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Questions and answers on the Godhead: Difference between revisions

Questions and answers on the Godhead (view source)

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===How was man was made?===
===How was man was made?===
God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27).  By doing this, God gave man the foundation of knowledge (i.e. experience) with him, because our image is like God himself.  The book of Genesis reveals how the first man, Adam, was created:
God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27).  By doing this, God gave man the foundation of knowledge (i.e. experience) with him, because our image is like God himself:


*God said ''"Let us make man in '''our''' image, after '''our''' likeness (Genesis 1:26). 
#Man is called a "living soul"(Genesis 2:7), and God is called a "living God" (Psalms 42:2).  This soul is a part of God.   
*'''One''' Man was created in God's image (Genesis 1:27)
*God later formed that same Man out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7)
*God called Man a ''"living soul"'' (Genesis 2:7)
 
Some connections can be made at this point:
#Man is called a "living soul", and God is called a "living God" (Psalms 42:2).  This soul is a part of God.   
#Jesus said that '''God is a spirit"'' (John 4:24).  To be in the image of God, man must have been made a spirit also.   
#Jesus said that '''God is a spirit"'' (John 4:24).  To be in the image of God, man must have been made a spirit also.   
#The soul is unique from the spirit (Hebrews 4:12).  
#The soul is unique from the spirit (Hebrews 4:12).  
#When God made man in "our" image, he made man both soul and spirit, existence and expression.   
#When God made man in "our" image (Genesis 1:26), he made man both soul and spirit, existence and expression.   
#The body is the temple of God, and is the residence of the "living God" (II Corinthians 6:16) and the "Spirit of God" (I Corinthians 3:16).
#The body is the temple of God, and is the residence of the "living God" (II Corinthians 6:16) and the "Spirit of God" (I Corinthians 3:16).


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===How was the first woman made?===
===How was the first woman made?===
After man was created, God formed a woman from the rib of man (Genesis 2:22). The woman then had a separate body, spirit and soul, and was capable of making decisions independent from man.  Both men and women are also capable of making decisions independent from God.   
"Woman" means "taken from the man" (Genesis 2:23). Similarly, man is "taken from God" (Acts 17:29) but is spirit from spirit instead of body from body.  After man was created, God formed a woman from the rib of man (Genesis 2:22). The woman then had a separate body, spirit and soul, and was capable of making decisions independent from man.  Both men and women are also capable of making decisions independent from God.   


"Woman" means "taken from the man" (Genesis 2:23). Similarly, man is "taken from God" (Acts 17:29) but is spirit from spirit instead of body from body. 
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|''For Adam was first formed, then Eve.'' (I Timothy 2:13)  
|''For Adam was first formed, then Eve.'' (I Timothy 2:13)  
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===What does it mean to be a son of man?===
===What does it mean to be a son of man?===
A child can only come after a man knows a woman (Hebrew interpretation).  While the first man and woman were created, the rest of the human race have been formed in the womb and brought forth in pain.  Regardless of whether it is a natural or a cesarean birth, a child experiences three distinct changes during birth:
The human race continues through childbirth, through which every child experiences three distinct changes:


#Water: The child is brought out of the 'water' (amniotic fluid) where it previously lived.  In a natural birth, the 'water breaks' as a sign to others that the birth process has begun.   
#Water: The child is brought out of the 'water' (amniotic fluid) where it previously lived.  In a natural birth, the 'water breaks' as a sign to others that the birth process has begun.   
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The New Testament identifies these three components of childbirth (water, blood, and spirit) as necessary ingredients for our redemption (I John 5:6).  By being born of a woman, the God of the Old Testament became a begotten son (Hebrews 1:5), and fulfilled all of the requirements to redeem mankind.   
The New Testament identifies these three components of childbirth (water, blood, and spirit) as necessary ingredients for our redemption (I John 5:6).  By being born of a woman, the God of the Old Testament became a begotten son (Hebrews 1:5), and fulfilled all of the requirements to redeem mankind.   
However, while a child will bear the image of his parents (both in features and in character), it will have none of its parents' memories or experiences - only a unique ability to learn and grow.  Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, was a son of man.  He increased in size and wisdom (Luke 2:52), and later shared in the ultimate fate of the cursed human race: death.   


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===What does it mean to be a son of God?===
===What does it mean to be a son of God?===
Because God is a Spirit (John 4:24), someone who is a child of God must be so in spirit. The scriptures say ''"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God"'' (Romans 8:14), and ''"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:"'' (I John 5:1a).  Someone who is born of God is set in the image of the creator (Colossians 3:10), and is identified by his or her obedience to the Word of God (I John 3:24).
Because God is a Spirit (John 4:24), someone who is a child of God must be so in spirit. The scriptures say ''"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God"'' (Romans 8:14), and ''"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:"'' (I John 5:1a).  Someone who is born of God is in the image of the creator (Colossians 3:10), and is identified by his or her obedience to the Word of God (I John 3:24).


Just like a natural child has a beginning, a son of God also has a beginning.  According to the scriptures, we ''"become the sons of God"'' (John 1:12) and, to those that believe, ''"now we are the sons of God" (I John 3:2).  A child of God is therefore begotten by the Word of God, and the evidence of this birth is faith and obedience in the Word of God.  
According to the scriptures, we ''"become the sons of God"'' (John 1:12) and, to those that believe, ''"now we are the sons of God" (I John 3:2).  A child of God is therefore begotten by the Word of God, and the evidence of this birth is faith and obedience in the Word of God.  


When the Spirit of God's Son (Galatians 4:6) was separated from his body at the crucifixion, Jesus was made a ''"quickening spirit"'' (I Corinthians 15:45).  "Quickening" means the ability to give life.  When Jesus told his disciples ''"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you"'', he was letting them know that he would come in the form of God (a spirit) rather than in the form of man (a body) to fulfill his promise of eternal life.
When the Spirit of God's Son (Galatians 4:6) was separated from his body at the crucifixion, Jesus was made a ''"quickening spirit"'' (I Corinthians 15:45).  "Quickening" means the ability to give life.  When Jesus told his disciples ''"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you"'', he was letting them know that he would come in the form of God (a spirit) rather than in the form of man (a body) to fulfill his promise of eternal life.
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