Making God in your own image and likeness — why do people craft idols? Why do people who claim to worship the same God hate each other? Why does God hate all the same people you do?
This is an interesting, intense and thought-provoking talk.
We create God in our own image and likeness?
The trouble is it is just so easy and convenient to do so.
As you say, our created image of God tends to stress the aspects of God’s character that are appealing to us. The truth of God is not convenient to all of us - He makes us uncomfortable. There are truths about his character that we cannot understand (or do not wish to understand) and even worse, do not even wish to know about.
Though some of us would never create a physical image of God, as you say, all of us create a mental image of Him. We each have an image and comprehension of who God is and what He is like and we worship Him based on that understanding - and for some people it is a very comfortable understanding.
Our concept of God must go far beyond our image of Him. He is who and what He Himself says He is in His Word.
After all, when all has been said and done, God is God.
This is true we often deceive ourselves and tell ourselves God understands. We follow and serve our own thoughts and tell ourselves no, that is what God wants but we our just taking our own ideas and attributing them to God. Making God to be in our own image and likeness is something we can do very easily and may not even realise we are doing it. We can overcome this by being very honest with ourselves and sincere with God and also by analysing ourselves. This is a v. strong message I will keep with me.
This is unfortunately very true and very eye opening Bishop, many people of the world, do actually really want to worship God but they find it very difficult so they create one whom makes it easier for them, one that doesn’t really go against their wishes or their desires but one who tolerates them they way they are, so they feel they don’t need to change. This is so sad because they will then deceive themselves into thinking they are doing the write thing by making a God like themselves.
3 comments:
Bishop Renato,
This is an interesting, intense and thought-provoking talk.
We create God in our own image and likeness?
The trouble is it is just so easy and convenient to do so.
As you say, our created image of God tends to stress the aspects of God’s character that are appealing to us. The truth of God is not convenient to all of us - He makes us uncomfortable. There are truths about his character that we cannot understand (or do not wish to understand) and even worse, do not even wish to know about.
Though some of us would never create a physical image of God, as you say, all of us create a mental image of Him. We each have an image and comprehension of who God is and what He is like and we worship Him based on that understanding - and for some people it is a very comfortable understanding.
Our concept of God must go far beyond our image of Him. He is who and what He Himself says He is in His Word.
After all, when all has been said and done, God is God.
Thank you for posting.
God bless you and keep you.
This is true we often deceive ourselves and tell ourselves God understands. We follow and serve our own thoughts and tell ourselves no, that is what God wants but we our just taking our own ideas and attributing them to God. Making God to be in our own image and likeness is something we can do very easily and may not even realise we are doing it. We can overcome this by being very honest with ourselves and sincere with God and also by analysing ourselves. This is a v. strong message I will keep with me.
This is unfortunately very true and very eye opening Bishop, many people of the world, do actually really want to worship God but they find it very difficult so they create one whom makes it easier for them, one that doesn’t really go against their wishes or their desires but one who tolerates them they way they are, so they feel they don’t need to change. This is so sad because they will then deceive themselves into thinking they are doing the write thing by making a God like themselves.
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