Biblical God, physical body or merely a spirit?

Originally posted by debbiejo
While the words El, Elohim, and eloah are clearly related, with the word El being the stem, it is uncertain whether the word Elohim is derived from El through eloah. Moreover, the word eloah is arguably feminine. If this is true, some have suggested that the word Elohim is the masculine plural of a feminine noun, used as a singular. This would imply indeterminacy in both number and gender. However, this is speculative and confusing, although consistent with many Christian views of the Godhead.

The meaning of Elohim is further complicated by the fact that it is used to describe the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel, raised by Saul in 1 Samuel 28:13. The witch of Endor tells Saul that she sees 'gods' (elohim) coming up out of the earth; this seems to indicate that the term was indeed used simply to mean something like 'divine beings' in ancient Israel.

The Hebrews had three common names of God, El, Elohim, and Eloah; besides, they had the proper name Yahweh. Nestle is authority for the statement that Yahweh occurs about six thousand times in the Old Testament, while all the common names of God taken together do not occur half as often. The name Elohim is found 2570 times; Eloah, 57 times

Actually gods name in the bible is EL...

Also, this does not address the question, is God the Father a reference to Elohim or not?

It seems you are a NT Christian. So let's throw out the OT ok.....

To answer your question...I did.......It can mean papa, mom or us.......masculine, feminine, or plural.

Originally posted by Regret
God in the Biblical sense is not entirely the same as God's power. To compare Biblical religions with Buddhism is fairly simple.

Buddhism believes in an energy/force/law, something anyway, exactly what is irrelevant to the comparison, that is the essence of existence. For Biblical religions this is the power of God, in my religion, the Priesthood, Biblical belief merely has a source from which this essence flows, where to my understanding Buddhism has this essence as self existing and without a source. If there were a single source of the essence of existence in Buddhism that would be the equivalent to God. God is merely a variable that does not exist in the Buddhist belief. In Buddhism, without this central direction, man must learn how to live in harmony with the essence of existence without aid from a divine source of instruction, Biblical religion has a divine being that instructs on how to achieve harmony with this essence.

The ultimate and all-abiding law(truth) that the Buddha perceived may be another name for some people's concept of God. On the other hand, a person who cannot believe in an anthropomorphic God can see an underlying energy to the universe. The breadth of Buddhism encompasses both views and focuses on the individual.

There is no one to blame - and no one to implore for salvation. In Buddhism, no God or supernatural entity plans and shapes our fates. In Western religion, you can bring yourself closer to God through your faith, but you can never become God. In Buddhism, one could never be separate from the wisdom of God, because the ultimate wisdom already exists in the heart of every person. Through Buddhist practice, we seek to call forth that portion of the universal life force existing originally and eternally within - what we call Buddhahood - and manifest it by becoming a Buddha. Buddhists become aware of the existence, in their innermost depths, of the eternal law(truth) that permeates both the universe and the individual human being. They aim to live every day in accordance with that law. In so doing, they discover a way of living that redirects all things toward hope, value and harmony. It is the discovery of this objective law itself, as it manifests within the individual, that creates spiritual value, NOT some exterior power or being.

As my great teacher Nichiren, 13th century japanese reformist monk, stated in a famous letter titled "On Attaining Buddhahood[a.k.a Salvation] In This Lifetime":

..."Your practice of the teachings will not relieve you of the sufferings of birth and death in the least unless you perceive the true nature of your life. If you seek enlightenment[i.e. salvation] outside yourself, then your performing even ten thousand practices and ten thousand good deeds will be in vain. It is like the case of a poor man who spends night and day counting his neighbor's wealth but gains not even half a coin..."

This idea that the power to achieve happiness lies totally within can be disconcerting. It entails a radical sense of responsibility. My mentor Daisaku Ikeda has written: "Society is complex and harsh, demanding that you struggle hard to survive. No one can make you happy. Everything depends on you as to whether or not you attain happiness·. A human being is destined to a life of great suffering if he is weak and vulnerable to his external surroundings."

In the OT we can find places that imply that God has no shape or form, and thus no physical body.

Deuteronomy 4:15
"You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire..."

I think there where other places in Exodus perhaps, but I couldn´t find right now.

Anyway, it is well know that in the hebrew culture(OT) God as viewed as a shapeless being.

Originally posted by debbiejo
It seems you are a NT Christian. So let's throw out the OT ok.....

To answer your question...I did.......It can mean papa, mom or us.......masculine, feminine, or plural.

Originally posted by mahasattva
The ultimate and all-abiding law(truth) that the Buddha perceived may be another name for some people's concept of God. On the other hand, a person who cannot believe in an anthropomorphic God can see an underlying energy to the universe. The breadth of Buddhism encompasses both views and focuses on the individual.

There is no one to blame - and no one to implore for salvation. In Buddhism, no God or supernatural entity plans and shapes our fates. In Western religion, you can bring yourself closer to God through your faith, but you can never become God. In Buddhism, one could never be separate from the wisdom of God, because the ultimate wisdom already exists in the heart of every person. Through Buddhist practice, we seek to call forth that portion of the universal life force existing originally and eternally within - what we call Buddhahood - and manifest it by becoming a Buddha. Buddhists become aware of the existence, in their innermost depths, of the eternal law(truth) that permeates both the universe and the individual human being. They aim to live every day in accordance with that law. In so doing, they discover a way of living that redirects all things toward hope, value and harmony. It is the discovery of this objective law itself, as it manifests within the individual, that creates spiritual value, [B]NOT some exterior power or being.

As my great teacher Nichiren, 13th century japanese reformist monk, stated in a famous letter titled "On Attaining Buddhahood[a.k.a Salvation] In This Lifetime":

..."Your practice of the teachings will not relieve you of the sufferings of birth and death in the least unless you perceive the true nature of your life. If you seek enlightenment[i.e. salvation] outside yourself, then your performing even ten thousand practices and ten thousand good deeds will be in vain. It is like the case of a poor man who spends night and day counting his neighbor's wealth but gains not even half a coin..."

This idea that the power to achieve happiness lies totally within can be disconcerting. It entails a radical sense of responsibility. My mentor Daisaku Ikeda has written: "Society is complex and harsh, demanding that you struggle hard to survive. No one can make you happy. Everything depends on you as to whether or not you attain happiness·. A human being is destined to a life of great suffering if he is weak and vulnerable to his external surroundings." [/B]

Originally posted by Atlantis001
In the OT we can find places that imply that God has no shape or form, and thus no physical body.

Deuteronomy 4:15
"You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire..."

I think there where other places in Exodus perhaps, but I couldn´t find right now.

Anyway, it is well know that in the hebrew culture(OT) God as viewed as a shapeless being.

Atlantis001, this verse of Scripture does not mean that God has no shape. Moses is simply letting the children of Israel know that they saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to them at Horeb out of the fire. Moses reminds them of this fact in an effort to deter them from creating an idol of God (for worship). Atlantis001 what you need to do is examine and consider the verse (or verses) that immediately precede and follow the verse that you read to get a better understanding of what that verse is talking about. In other words, you need to study the context i.e. surrounding verses of Scripture of a particular verse to fully understand what a given verse means.

I believe that the Bible reveals that God does have a shape and that His shape is the basis of our shape. We (human beings only, animals are not included) are created in the image and likeness of God. This is a reference to the spirit aspect of our three-fold nature. We are spirits, we have souls, and we live in a body. But this also includes the shape of our anatomy. Image and likeness is a reference to our three-fold nature and the anthropomorphic shape of our anatomy. So God is a Spirit, He has a soul, and He has an anthropomorphic shape or anatomy. In the Book of Exodus Moses describes that He, his brother Aaron, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel saw God's feet.

Exodus 24:10
and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.

So from this passage of Scripture we can safely deduce that God has feet and feet are normally attached to an ankle which in turn is attached to a leg. Legs are held together by a pelvic girdle which is connected to a torso/abdomen area.

Exodus 33:20
But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

Atlantis001, based on this verse of Scripture (there are others but I will just use this one) we can see that God has a face. A face is part of a head. A head has ears, eyes, a nose, a mouth, etc.

Exodus 33:22-23
So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

God reveals to Moses that He has a hand, a back, and a face. This is proof positive that God has a shape and it dispels the fallacy that God is formless. What I believe that some people erroneously do is confuse the glory of God (which is relatively formless) with the shape or anatomy of God. God's glory is an expression of His magnificence, greatness, splendor, and beauty. God is so wonderful and sublime that glory, which has effulgence (i.e. radiant splendor and brilliance), emanates and issues from Him. The apostle John, who history records had been exiled to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, relates in his experience that He saw a throne set in Heaven. John states that He Who sat on the throne was like a jasper and sardius stone in appearance.

Revelation 4:2-3
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

We can infer from this passage of Scripture that John saw the Father God seated on His throne in Heaven. Thus far Atlantis 001 we have learned that God has a face, a back, a hand, and feet. This coincides with my belief (which is wholly based on Scripture and nothing else) that God has an anthropomorphic anatomy. We are created in God's image and likeness so that is why we bear the shape of God in terms of our anatomy (i.e. a face, back, hands, feet, etc.). I could go on detailing and expounding this subject but I am satisfied that I have shown from the Word of God that God does in fact have a body, but it is a "spiritual" body and not a physical body.

Originally posted by Regret
Your explanation is merely an expounding of what I would term the power of God. Everything you have stated I wholly believe. The aspects of Christian belief that you do not agree with are as to the concept of God, which is the source of the essence of existence. The ultimate and all-abiding law(truth) that the Buddha perceived is only the perception of the laws of existence, not necessarily the end of existence. He perceived existence and how it works, but not everything, imo.

Yes, but buddhism takes radically on different path....."There is no one to blame - and no one to implore for salvation and that no God or supernatural entity plans and shapes our fates....."

The idea that something other than ourselves controls our destiny can in one sense be seen as a form of avoidance—a rationalization to escape facing and challenging real problems and suffering. It may also be an expression of a deep, subconscious sense of helplessness.

Buddhism teaches the solution to human suffering and provides a way to overcome or transform this sense of helplessness. Ultimately, it teaches that the cause of misery lies not with any external force/being or circumstance, but with ourselves. Buddhism looks nowhere beyond the sufferer for both the cause and the solution to suffering.

Originally posted by mahasattva
Yes, but buddhism takes radically on different path....."There is no one to blame - and no one to implore for salvation and that no God or supernatural entity plans and shapes our fates....."

The idea that something other than ourselves controls our destiny can in one sense be seen as a form of avoidance—a rationalization to escape facing and challenging real problems and suffering. It may also be an expression of a deep, subconscious sense of helplessness.

Buddhism teaches the solution to human suffering and provides a way to overcome or transform this sense of helplessness. Ultimately, it teaches that the cause of misery lies [B]not with any external force/being or circumstance, but with ourselves. Buddhism looks nowhere beyond the sufferer for both the cause and the solution to suffering. [/B]

You throw terms around without understanding: avoidance, rationalization, escape, subconscious. These terms are only valid in some individuals, not in all of Christianity. Also, the subconscious has never been shown to exist, we [Behavior Analysts] highly doubt the probability of it existing.

Man is wholly responsible for his own actions and no other's. God does not "control" or "shape" man's destiny or fate, he is merely the loving Father waiting for the Graduation. We "control" or "shape" our destiny and our fate.

Originally posted by Regret
So you are not fated to grow and learn and become an adult? Life has a plan for you regardless of your desire otherwise. Your nature is your nature, there is no escaping that. Christian belief does not tie man to any specific destiny, etc. It just claims that man's nature is more than the limited existence here in this realm. Nothing shapes your path but you, God does not do this. Ultimately, Christianity teaches that the cause of misery lies [B]not with any external force/being or circumstance, but with ourselves. Christianity looks nowhere beyond the sufferer for both the cause and the solution to suffering. Christianity teaches that man must behave in a loving manner, in part to diminish ones own suffering, but mainly to aid others by relieving the suffering we might have caused had we behaved differently. Claims beyond this are lies and falsehoods, anything not in line with the teaching of "love thy neighbor" is a falsehood.

You throw terms around without understanding: avoidance, rationalization, escape, subconscious. These terms are only valid in some individuals, not in all of Christianity. Also, the subconscious has never been shown to exist, we [Behavior Analysts] highly doubt the probability of it existing.

Man is wholly responsible for his own actions and no other's. God does not "control" or "shape" man's destiny or fate, he is merely the loving Father waiting for the Graduation. We "control" or "shape" our destiny and our fate. [/B]

Not really. In certain areas there might be parallels. But to see them as equal is to gloss over some key differences. For one thing, in Buddhism we have to work out our own salvation. We don’t expect a savior(i.e. Christ) to do it for us.

With regard to karma, as I understand it, Christians don’t believe that every volitional action has a consequence. Instead, they ask for forgiveness so as to erase the previous error. This, as I see it, can lead to immorality as there are no actual consequences for inappropriate actions.

Originally posted by JesusIsAlive
Atlantis001, this verse of Scripture does not mean that God has no shape. Moses is simply letting the children of Israel know that they saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to them at Horeb out of the fire. Moses reminds them of this fact in an effort to deter them from creating an idol of God (for worship). Atlantis001 what you need to do is examine and consider the verse (or verses) that immediately precede and follow the verse that you read to get a better understanding of what that verse is talking about. In other words, you need to study the context i.e. surrounding verses of Scripture of a particular verse to fully understand what a given verse means.

I believe that the Bible reveals that God does have a shape and that His shape is the basis of our shape. We (human beings only, animals are not included) are created in the image and likeness of God. This is a reference to the spirit aspect of our three-fold nature. We are spirits, we have souls, and we live in a body. But this also includes the shape of our anatomy. Image and likeness is a reference to our three-fold nature and the anthropomorphic shape of our anatomy. So God is a Spirit, He has a soul, and He has an anthropomorphic shape or anatomy. In the Book of Exodus Moses describes that He, his brother Aaron, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel saw God's feet.

[B]Exodus 24:10
and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.

So from this passage of Scripture we can safely deduce that God has feet and feet are normally attached to an ankle which in turn is attached to a leg. Legs are held together by a pelvic girdle which is connected to a torso/abdomen area.

Exodus 33:20
But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

Atlantis001, based on this verse of Scripture (there are others but I will just use this one) we can see that God has a face. A face is part of a head. A head has ears, eyes, a nose, a mouth, etc.

Exodus 33:22-23
So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

God reveals to Moses that He has a hand, a back, and a face. This is proof positive that God has a shape and it dispels the fallacy that God is formless. What I believe that some people erroneously do is confuse the glory of God (which is relatively formless) with the shape or anatomy of God. God's glory is an expression of His magnificence, greatness, splendor, and beauty. God is so wonderful and sublime that glory, which has effulgence (i.e. radiant splendor and brilliance), emanates and issues from Him. The apostle John, who history records had been exiled to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, relates in his experience that He saw a throne set in Heaven. John states that He Who sat on the throne was like a jasper and sardius stone in appearance.

Revelation 4:2-3
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

We can infer from this passage of Scripture that John saw the Father God seated on His throne in Heaven. Thus far Atlantis 001 we have learned that God has a face, a back, a hand, and feet. This coincides with my belief (which is wholly based on Scripture and nothing else) that God has an anthropomorphic anatomy. We are created in God's image and likeness so that is why we bear the shape of God in terms of our anatomy (i.e. a face, back, hands, feet, etc.). I could go on detailing and expounding this subject but I am satisfied that I have shown from the Word of God that God does in fact have a body, but it is a "spiritual" body and not a physical body. [/B]

"Since our mind is in itself unable to behold God as he is, it knows the Father of the universe from the beauty of his works and from the elegance of his creatures. God, therefore, is not to be thought of as being either a body or as existing in a body, but as a simple intellectual being, admitting within himself no addition of any kind" (Fundamental Doctrines 1:1:6 [A.D. 225]).

"John says in the gospel, ‘No one has at any time seen God,’ clearly declaring to all who are able to understand, that there is no nature to which God is visible, not as if he were indeed visible by nature, and merely escaped or baffled the view of a frailer creature, but because he is by nature impossible to be seen"

Didymus the Blind

"God is simple and of an incomposite and spiritual nature, having neither ears nor organs of speech. A solitary essence and illimitable, he is composed of no numbers and parts" (The Holy Spirit 35 [A.D. 362]).

Actually giving god a shape is blasphamy.... Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

If god is in Heaven, then we are not to have an image to him or IT ..Elohim.

Originally posted by mahasattva
Not really. In certain areas there might be parallels. But to see them as equal is to gloss over some key differences. For one thing, in Buddhism we have to work out our own salvation. We don’t expect a savior(i.e. Christ) to do it for us.

You do not believe that anyone can aid you in doing what you have difficulty doing, or find impossible to do yourself? Buddhists from what you have stated are rather arrogant individuals. Everyone should be aware of their shortcomings and allow others to aid them when possible and available. Expectation has nothing to do with it. If someone offers aid, you should allow them to do so, it will make the journey that much easier. Would you rather deny them the opportunity to act for the benefit of others?

Also, fact of this existence, people are not equal. Some people are more competant or capable than others in various aspects than others. Everyone can be aided by someone else.

Christianity teaches that faith without works is dead and that salvation is based on faith. Regardless of how you interpret the scripture you are not saved if the works are not present.

Originally posted by mahasattva
With regard to karma, as I understand it, Christians don’t believe that every volitional action has a consequence. Instead, they ask for forgiveness so as to erase the previous error. This, as I see it, can lead to immorality as there are no actual consequences for inappropriate actions.

Originally posted by JesusIsAlive

I suspect that this post is directed at me right Peejayd or is it addressed to someone else? In case it is meant for me I will respond accordingly.

For the umpteenth time pal you are not rightly dividing the Word of Truth. I have never seen a person so sincerely wrong in all my life. You seem to know what the Scriptures say friend but when it comes to accurately understanding it, this is where you fail--but not irreparably. Peejayd do you recall our past discussions on this very subject? Neither of us saw eye to eye on this subject. I furnished a plethora of Scriptures to substantiate what the Bible reveals (not my interpretation of what the Bible reveals). However, we do not need to fall out about this subject. This subject falls under the category of being a non-essential i.e. whether you believe that we are spirits or not will not affect your salvation (if you are saved). Peejayd I do not wish to rebut you at length so I will keep this post relatively succinct. From past experience it is evident that you do not rely 100% on what the Bible reveals about certain subjects, but instead you tenaciously hold on to your beliefs although they contradict the Bible. Regret follows in your shoes. For instance, I have provided a preponderance of Scriptures that unequivocally prove that Jesus is God and not "a" God as you assert. There are three subjects that we do not agree on. First, I have affirmed that we are spirits (this is the aspect of our three-fold nature that is created in the image and likeness of God. We are spirits, we have souls [the soul comprises the mind, will, emotions, and personality], and the spirit and our soul live in our physical earth suit [i.e. our physical body]). .

* spirits are different from humans... is that very hard to understand, my friend?

"See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have."
Luke 24:39

* Christ Himself said that spirits don't have flesh and bones... so it will follow that, if humans have flesh and bones, then humans are NOT spirits... but humans HAVE spirits...

Originally posted by JesusIsAlive
Second, I have declared that Jesus is God not a "God." I don't mean that Jesus is the Father per se, I mean that He is the Second Person in the Godhead. The Godhead consists of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These Three (Persons) are one God. So it is accurate to say that the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. I have conveyed that these Three are co-equal in every way.

* if the Holy Spirit is God, the Bible should have said so, not you and your pre-concluded ideas...

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
Ephesians 4:30

* Saint Paul said that the Holy Spirit is OF God and NOT God...

Originally posted by JesusIsAlive
Third, I have stated that we are not saved by our good moral lives. Salvation is a gift. A gift cannot be earned because that is what a gift connotes. The only thing that you can do with a gift is accept it. The Bible has a lot to say about salvation being a gift and about it being something that cannot be earned. You simply need faith in Jesus Christ for salvation to be saved. Your good moral life should be a reflection of the change that has occurred on the inside of you (if you are saved). But your works will not ever save you. Faith and works don't save you. I have already explained what James 2:14-26 means.

* we are judged according to our works and speech, plain and simple in the Bible... faith ALONE cannot save you...

Originally posted by JesusIsAlive
The Bible does not contradict itself and God is not the Author of confusion. For the Bible to say one thing in one or more verses but then say that exact opposite in other verses would constitute confusion. The Bible does not do that. l will end on this note.

* then compose yourself... your pre-concluded ideas contradict the Bible blatantly... 😉

Originally posted by Regret
"God is a Spirit" does not delimit the possibility of God having a physical form. Man is a spirit and man is a body, is he not? Or is the spirit of man in no manner a part of man? It is only interpretation that supports a conclusive stance on the subject, not the text of the Bible.

* God limits Himself...

"Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
James 1:17

* the Father cannot change Himself...

"Before the mountains were brought forth, and thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from eternity to eternity thou art God."
Psalms 90:2

* from eternity to eternity, God is God... 😉

Originally posted by JesusIsAlive
Atlantis001, this verse of Scripture does not mean that God has no shape. Moses is simply letting the children of Israel know that they saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to them at Horeb out of the fire. Moses reminds them of this fact in an effort to deter them from creating an idol of God (for worship). Atlantis001 what you need to do is examine and consider the verse (or verses) that immediately precede and follow the verse that you read to get a better understanding of what that verse is talking about. In other words, you need to study the context i.e. surrounding verses of Scripture of a particular verse to fully understand what a given verse means.

I believe that the Bible reveals that God does have a shape and that His shape is the basis of our shape. We (human beings only, animals are not included) are created in the image and likeness of God. This is a reference to the spirit aspect of our three-fold nature. We are spirits, we have souls, and we live in a body. But this also includes the shape of our anatomy. Image and likeness is a reference to our three-fold nature and the anthropomorphic shape of our anatomy. So God is a Spirit, He has a soul, and He has an anthropomorphic shape or anatomy. In the Book of Exodus Moses describes that He, his brother Aaron, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel saw God's feet.

[B]Exodus 24:10
and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.

So from this passage of Scripture we can safely deduce that God has feet and feet are normally attached to an ankle which in turn is attached to a leg. Legs are held together by a pelvic girdle which is connected to a torso/abdomen area.

Exodus 33:20
But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

Atlantis001, based on this verse of Scripture (there are others but I will just use this one) we can see that God has a face. A face is part of a head. A head has ears, eyes, a nose, a mouth, etc.

Exodus 33:22-23
So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

God reveals to Moses that He has a hand, a back, and a face. This is proof positive that God has a shape and it dispels the fallacy that God is formless. What I believe that some people erroneously do is confuse the glory of God (which is relatively formless) with the shape or anatomy of God. God's glory is an expression of His magnificence, greatness, splendor, and beauty. God is so wonderful and sublime that glory, which has effulgence (i.e. radiant splendor and brilliance), emanates and issues from Him. The apostle John, who history records had been exiled to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, relates in his experience that He saw a throne set in Heaven. John states that He Who sat on the throne was like a jasper and sardius stone in appearance.

Revelation 4:2-3
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

We can infer from this passage of Scripture that John saw the Father God seated on His throne in Heaven. Thus far Atlantis 001 we have learned that God has a face, a back, a hand, and feet. This coincides with my belief (which is wholly based on Scripture and nothing else) that God has an anthropomorphic anatomy. We are created in God's image and likeness so that is why we bear the shape of God in terms of our anatomy (i.e. a face, back, hands, feet, etc.). I could go on detailing and expounding this subject but I am satisfied that I have shown from the Word of God that God does in fact have a body, but it is a "spiritual" body and not a physical body. [/B]

"Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush."
Acts 7:30

* according to Saint Stephen, it was not God Himself who appeared in the eyes of the people in the Old Testament but an angel of God...

"No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known."
John 1:18

"Who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen."
I Timothy 6:16

* no human being ever saw the Father... 😉

Originally posted by peejayd
* spirits are different from humans... is that very hard to understand, my friend?

"See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have."
Luke 24:39

* Christ Himself said that spirits don't have flesh and bones... so it will follow that, if humans have flesh and bones, then humans are NOT spirits... but humans HAVE spirits...

* if the Holy Spirit is God, the Bible should have said so, not you and your pre-concluded ideas...

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
Ephesians 4:30

* Saint Paul said that the Holy Spirit is OF God and NOT God...

* we are judged according to our works and speech, plain and simple in the Bible... faith ALONE cannot save you...

* then compose yourself... your pre-concluded ideas contradict the Bible blatantly... 😉

* spirits are different from humans... is that very hard to understand, my friend?

I surmise that what you are doing is confusing the spirit aspect of man's three-fold nature with his physical side. We are spirits but we inhabit physical bodies. This is what you miserably fail to grasp.

"See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have."
Luke 24:39

Jesus was talking about His physical body here after He had risen from the dead. But on the inside of Jesus' physical body is the real Jesus, a Spirit just like you, me, and everyone else. The spirit aspect of our three-fold nature is the life source as it were. Once the spirit and soul leaves the body, the body dies.

* Christ Himself said that spirits don't have flesh and bones... so it will follow that, if humans have flesh and bones, then humans are NOT spirits... but humans HAVE spirits...

Spirits don't have flesh and bones, but Jesus is not referring to the real Him, He is talking about His physcial body. Jesus is referrencing His physical body to impress upon the mind of his disciples that He has been physically resurrected from the dead so that they don't think that they are seeing a spirit of Jesus.

I don't know why this is so difficult for you to comprehend. We are spirits, we have souls, and we live in a physical body. Your body is not the real you, it is only the house that the inner man (i.e. the spirit, the real you) occupies, lives in, and takes up residence in.

* if the Holy Spirit is God, the Bible should have said so, not you and your pre-concluded ideas...

The Bible did say so but you denied, ignored, and refused to believe it when I showed you the Scriptures.

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
Ephesians 4:30

* Saint Paul said that the Holy Spirit is OF God and NOT God...

I have provided ample (way more than you needed) Scriptures that prove incontrovertibly that the Holy Spirit (i.e. the third Person of the Godhead) is God, but you choose not to believe this.

* we are judged according to our works and speech, plain and simple in the Bible... faith ALONE cannot save you...

You are sadly mistaken or deluded. Your works don't save you. I have provided more than enough Scriptures to validated this and once again you choose not to believe this either.

* then compose yourself... your pre-concluded ideas contradict the Bible blatantly... 😉

I have no pre-concluded ideas. I support everything that I say with the Bible. I have been doing this since the inception of my posts here at KMC.

Originally posted by peejayd
"Now when forty years had passed, [B]an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush."
Acts 7:30

* according to Saint Stephen, it was not God Himself who appeared in the eyes of the people in the Old Testament but an angel of God...

"No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known."
John 1:18

"Who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen."
I Timothy 6:16

* no human being ever saw the Father... 😉 [/B]

"Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush."
Acts 7:30

* according to Saint Stephen, it was not God Himself who appeared in the eyes of the people in the Old Testament but an angel of God...

Man, you really need to just let go of your attempts at teaching the Bible because you don't have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you to teach you. I can tell that you don't.

Eyes of the people? This is not talking about people seeing God. Stephen is recounting the incident where the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses (not people) in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush.

"No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known."
John 1:18

There are people in Heaven right now who see God so the whole "no man has ever seen God" notion is false. What no man is able to see is the face of God because the glory of God is so bright (the apostle Paul refers to it as unapproachable light). No person can look upon God's face and live. You must understand that when God told Moses that he could not see Him and live, that He (i.e. God) was referring to His face.

"Who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen."
I Timothy 6:16[/I]

No person on this planet has ever seen the face of God, but there are those alive who have seen God.

* no human being ever saw the Father... 😉

There are plenty of people on this planet who have seen God. But no person has ever seen God's face. The light that issues and radiates from the Father is so intense that no one can look upon God the Father's face and live. That is why the Lord God showed Moses, his brother Aaron, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel His feet. One one occasion God the Father showed Moses His back. The prophet Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, and the apostle John saw the Lord sitting on His throne as well. What these men did not see, however, was the face of God.

error.

I must be on ignore lists......... 🙁

EVERYONE is on JIAs ignore list.