Man was created as a vessel meant to contain God.
It was never God's intention that man, as wonderful as he was made, would merely be innocent, good, but empty. Rather the good, innocent, and neutral man God created to contain and be filled up with God.
This thread will concentrate on proof from the Bible that God created us to be a living vessel, a living container, that He as the uncreated Divine Person would come into this vessel.
God created man and placed man before the tree of life. By looking at Genesis alone we could not easily see the significance of this. But by the time we come to the New Testament we can more and more clearly see that the tree of life represented God Himself to come INTO man.
So, let's pick up some hints along the way to show that God created man a vessel to contain God on the "inside".
First we have man created and placed before "the tree of life". It was in the midst of the garden. And so I say God created man and placed man before the tree of life.
" And Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there He put the man whom He had formed.
And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Gen. 2:8,9)
"Good for FOOD" was the tree of life. This means God as life was to be taken INTO man to constituted man's whole being with the divine nature of God.
God made man to take God INTO himself as his inner content. Does this mean that man without God on the inside was sinful, evil, fallen ? No. not at first. Man was created -
1.) very good
2.) innocent
3.) neutral between God and anyone other than God.
The very good, innocent, and neutral man was placed before two principles of existence represented by the two trees -
One source - the tree of life stood for God as life to man's vessel.
The other source was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented independence from God.
Man was a vessel; a container. Man was a vessel created in the image of God.
Thinking of this helps us - As a glove is made in the image of a hand, so man was made in the image of God. This was so that God fits comfortably within man even as a living hand fits comfortably within a glove shaped in its image.
This wonderful "very good" (Genesis 3:31) was made a good living vessel meant to take into himself the uncreated divine Person of God.
Here is my ground to state that man was created not sinful and not evil but "very good"
Genesis 1:31
"And God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."
See? God created man as something "very good".
Now some dear Christian brothers and sisters think man needs to be born again only because he is sinful. But this is not so. Even if man was not sinful, not fallen, not a transgressor, man would still need to be completed by receiving into his being the divine and eternal life of God.
No doubt the fallen sinful man must be born again. But even the very good innocent man, the neutral man, in order to fulfill the meaning of his creation, needed to be indwelt by God in a kind of birth in his innermost being.
Originally posted by Ghost of a DukeSure, read your Bible and see how Satan acted the deceiver at Ge 3:-5 and then how Eve became a deceiver at Ge 3:6.
Care to substantiate that?
Or if you want something more contemporary, consider the politicians of almost any country.
Originally posted by roigamActually Eve was beguiled and acted accordingly. It may be true that she also deliberately deceived Adam, but I don't think that is explicit in the text.
Sure, read your Bible and see how Satan acted the deceiver at Ge 3:-5 and then how Eve became a deceiver at Ge 3:6.
Or if you want something more contemporary, consider the politicians of almost any country.
Originally posted by divegeesterNo doubt you would agree that self deception is the hardest to see the truth through.
Well I'm absolutely100% convinced you are deceived.
That's why we have help, God's Word of truth, the Bible.
(1 Corinthians 13:12) For now we see in hazy outline by means of a metal mirror, but then it will be face-to-face. At present I know partially, but then I will know accurately, just as I am accurately known.
Have you looked in the mirror lately?
Originally posted by divegeesterBefore I retire, Adam allowed himself to be deceived eventho he was perfect and could have handled the situation. He just loved Eve more than His Creator.
Actually Eve was beguiled and acted accordingly. It may be true that she also deliberately deceived Adam, but I don't think that is explicit in the text.
(1 John 5:3) For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome,
Adam could have obeyed God out of love for Him but Eve won out.
Technically he was not deceived but he didn't know the trouble he caused by his sin.
It's a good thing Adam won't be resurrected.
There would be a line around the Earth of people waiting to wring his neck.
Talk about a traffic jam!
Originally posted by roigamIt's funny reading you talking about me being deceived when I'm not the one who is a member of a religious cult insisting on temporal membership of it as a prerequisite for salvation, propagating dangerous anti-medicine ideas, practicing religious bullying of internal dissenters, depriving your children of the joy of seasonal festive and birthday celebrations, covering up and discouraging the reporting of child sex abuse by your leaders and teaching that Jesus was an angel...while at he same time claiming your organisation and its members are the sole voice of God's truth on earth.
No doubt you would agree that self deception is the hardest to see the truth through.
That's why we have help, God's Word of truth, the Bible.
(1 Corinthians 13:12) For now we see in hazy outline by means of a metal mirror, but then it will be face-to-face. At present I know partially, but then I will know accurately, just as I am accurately known.
Have you looked in the mirror lately?
Yeah I "look in the mirror" a lot actually, that's partly why I'm not a member of your cult.
Good night 🙂
Originally posted by roigamYou have zero scriptures supporting your claim, or should I say your churches claim as you didn't come to that conclusion yourself, that Adam won't be resurrected.
Before I retire, Adam allowed himself to be deceived eventho he was perfect and could have handled the situation. He just loved Eve more than His Creator.
(1 John 5:3) For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome,
Adam could have obeyed God out of love for Him but Eve won out.
Technic ...[text shortened]... would be a line around the Earth of people waiting to wring his neck.
Talk about a traffic jam!
I not with interest that you frequently post a load of blurb just before conveniently disappearing to bed so you don't have to engage any reply.
Sleep tight.