Hover over Romans 1:20-22 for proof of God's existence, and over Matthew 5:27-28 for Judgment Day’s perfect standard. Then hover over John 3:16-18 for what God did, and over Acts 17:30-31 for what to do.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Perhaps for a fleeting moment...

Ray said God's 'hand' on you is anthropomorphic. What in the h...[pause] Ray, have you lost your m...[pause]. Ray, could you please explain that last thing you said? Thanks. captain howdy

The dictionary definition of anthropomorphic is "the attribution of human form or behaviour to a deity, animal, etc." The word comes from the Greek language: anthropos "human," and morphe "form." I tend to stay away from large words because my goal isn't to try and impress, it's to impart truth, and the most effective way to do that is through simplicity.

Simply stated, God is Spirit and likened to the wind. He is omnipresent and is nothing like you and me. Yet the Bible uses human words to describe Him. It speaks of His mind, His nostrils, face, hand, ear, eye, etc. Yet God doesn't have a physical hand, eye, or ear. The use of word such as "anthropomorphic" simply helps us to understand that He touches, sees, and He hears. It brings the infinitude of Almighty God (in one sense) down to the very low level of human understanding, even though we can't begin to understand the exceeding greatness of His majesty and power.

How could any Being create the universe and fill it with His presence? How could He create time? The sun? How could He make the mind of man with its independence, its personality, and its amazing ability to perceive, imagine and create? How could He form the eye, with its 137 million light sensitive cells? Or even make a tiny hummingbird?

But when our minds, for a fleeting moment, do grasp what God must be like, something else takes our breath away even further: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

The amazing consequence of such an inconceivable incarnation resulted in our justification, and that came because of the unwarranted imputation of perfect virtue.