Are we all God’s?

All Questions, Other Questions You always wanted to ask

Are we all Gods?

Category

Other Questions, All Questions

Post Date

Nov 12, 2020

Reading Time ‘Minutes’

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Genesis 1:26 (NIV)

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Reading the above verse, some people have questioned that if God has made us in His image then does that mean we are in essence ‘little Gods’? If this were true, it would also imply that humanity was created in the same class as God. The Bible in no means implies this.

What Genesis is teaching here is that we are made in Gods image/likeness in the sense that we have a rational, moral nature and that we have dominion over creation.

God’s image comprises of the above natures, and we are just a finite/limited reflection of that nature.

This verse has nothing to do with human beings becoming God or being in God’s “class.”

If it were true that human beings are “little gods,” then one would expect them to display qualities that are similar to those known to be true of God.

When the Bible compares the attributes of mankind with that of God, it states that we always ‘fall short of the glory of God’.

Romans 3:23 (NIV)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

In addition, let’s look at the following attributes of God as Compared to man.

we are just a finite/limited reflection of God's nature.

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John 11:35 (NKJV)
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What is idol worship?

All Questions, Other Questions You always wanted to ask

What is Idol worship?

Category

Other Questions, All Questions

Post Date

Aug 11, 2021

Reading Time ‘Minutes’

Word Count

Exodus 20:4-6 (NKJV)

4. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;

5. you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

6. but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

An idol is a substitute for God – when something or someone becomes more important to us than God.

What are the things in your life that have taken the place of God? What are the things to which we devote our energy, time or for which you make sacrifices?

When there is a distinction in our adoration / desire for God and something else – you can be certain that you have idolized something.

John Calvin said our “heart is an idol factory. In a fallen world, people constantly seek things they can worship, even though the Creator is before us in plain view.”

Physical Idol

Why is the worship of a physical idol wrong?

Jesus explained the rationale behind the second commandment when he said…

John 4:24 (NKJV)

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Attempting to create a visible representation of the invisible God will always lead to misrepresenting Him. No matter how beautiful the picture we might make, it is no substitute for reality. All they do is arouse God’s jealousy.

Furthermore, people are easily tempted to attribute power to various objects / idols to capture the power and use it. Therefore, it reduces God to something we could manage for our own self-satisfaction.

The essence of idolatry is where we ask the gods (we create) to help us get all we want (for our own personal yet selfish desires); this contrasts with the heart of Christianity, which is to live for God’s glory.

You could be an idol

Paul mentions several sinful desires in Colossians, which he links to idolatry.

Colossians 3:5 (NKJV)

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

When people engage in either greed or the sexual sins that Paul has mentioned, they follow their desires rather than God’s, in essence worshiping themselves which is idolatry.

Man as an idol.

Paul in the book of Romans reminded us of the danger and futility of trying to make God into our own image:

Romans 1:22-23 (NKJV)

22. Professing to be wise, they became fools,

23. and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

The first warning in Paul’s list is the “corruptible or mortal man.” You have made a person an idol when you start thinking of someone as your primary source of blessings and contentment. This could be your boss, pastor, leader, spouse, children, etc.

The legitimate image we can worship.

There is only one legitimate representation of God and therefore only one legitimate means of accessing him. – Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15). So if you want a representation of God – look at Christ, learn Christ, read Christ and think about Christ.

Colossians 1:15 (NKJV)

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Conclusion

Not everyone is going to live a 100% idol-free life. But this is more for us to remember how easily we can fall victim to it. We should ask ourselves questions like the following to verify if we have created an idol;

Where Do I Spend My Time? Where Do I Spend My Money? Where Do I Get My Joy? What’s Always on My Mind?

We are not saying that you should not have a fun-filled life, but question yourself: Is there a difference in your devotion to the idol and towards God? Do you find yourself more drawn closer towards this idol?

idolatry is self-glory; the aim of Christianity is God's glory

SEE SIMILAR QUESTIONS

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Why did Jesus weep at the death of Lazarus?

John 11:35 (NKJV)
Jesus wept.

Is it okay to consult a horoscope?

All Questions, Other Questions You always wanted to ask

Is it okay to consult a Horoscope?

Category

Other Questions, All Questions

Post Date

Feb 05, 2022

Reading Time ‘Minutes’

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The use of horoscopes has increased in line with media growth (newspapers, magazines and social media).

Some people are so consumed in consulting their horoscopes that it has become a routine governing their daily plans and motives.

There is even a Christian movement called the “New Age”, which claims that since God has made the stars, we should look at them for guidance.

However, this is an incorrect interpretation of the scriptures and consulting horoscopes is not something God expects or intended for us to do.

God created the stars and everything else in the universe with the intention of it being a witness to His power and glory and not as a means to guide us or to foretell the future. God alone knows and holds the future in His hands.

The Bible also explicitly commands us not to look to the stars for guidance. In the ancient world, people would often attempt to discern the future by using all kinds of mediums, not just through astrology but also magic, omens, idol worship, sorcery, communion with the dead, and so forth.

In Deuteronomy, God warns the Israelites not to participate in any of these.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13 (NKJV)

9. “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations.

10. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,

11. or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

12. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.

13. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.

But why did God warn against this?

Because such things are not only deceptive and unreliable, they can also easily influence someone under the control of the occult spiritual powers that are hostile to God.

In addition, astrology has other problems besides these biblical warnings:

Different astrologers give various interpretations of the same horoscope chart.
Astrologers disagree on the number of signs of the zodiac. Suggestions include twelve, eight, ten, fourteen, twenty-four. The number of signs influences the interpretation of the data.
What is the basis of astrological authority? Who determines how many signs of the zodiac there are? How do we know the meanings of the various planets? All this seems arbitrary.
How do we explain the different experiences of twins?
How do we explain disasters where many people of different zodiac signs experience the same fate, such as a plane crash?
Studies show a prediction failure rate of 90 percent or worse for astrologers.

Christians should have no business in be fooling around with horoscopes. The danger of doing so just opens our minds to demonic suggestions. It isn’t that horoscopes can tell you what you are like, but their suggestions can make you into something the system wants you to be. People who often listen / read up on their horoscopes end up patterning their lives in such a manner until they are fully transformed into their horoscopes.

Act 7:43 speaks of how Israel rebelled against god by worshipping “the star of your god Remphan”, which was the worship of the stars (something completely forbidden by God). The reason is because the stars cannot tell your future, neither can they describe your present. Like the horoscopes today, such idolatry was just a means to capture people’s fancy so that the demons could persuade them towards a specific behaviours.

In conclusion, anyone using such mediums should turn to the God of truth. And even when our future is unclear, we can have hope in the promise that God would guide us through it all.

God created the stars and everything else in the universe with the intention of it being a witness to His power and glory, and not as a means to guide us or to foretell the future. God alone knows and holds the future in His hands.

SEE SIMILAR QUESTIONS

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Why did Jesus weep at the death of Lazarus?

John 11:35 (NKJV)
Jesus wept.

Did Christmas originate from pagan practices

Was Jesus really born in December? Wasn’t the 25th of December a pagan holiday? If it is true that Christmas is a pagan holiday, then are we worshiping a pagan ritual and not the actual birthday of Jesus Christ?

What does the Bible say about slavery?

we first need to understand that the Bible acknowledges the existence of slavery but never endorses or encourages it.

What is the new covenant?

At the last supper, Jesus announced to the disciples that through His blood, a new covenant would be established.

What does the Bible say about alcohol?

Here’s a quick answer to this question – “Permissible but Not Necessarily Beneficial.”

What does it mean when the Bible calls us priests

The scripture above calls all believers in Christ as having some sort of priesthood duties.

Are we all God’s?

What Genesis is teaching here is that we are made in Gods image/likeness in the sense that we have a rational, moral nature and that we have dominion over creation.

What is idol worship?

The essence of idolatry is where we ask the gods we create to help us get all we want for our own personal yet selfish desires. This contrasts with the essence of Christianity,

Is it okay to consult a horoscope?

consulting horoscopes is not something God expects or intended for us to do.

Is anger good or bad?

But then if it a sin how could a Holy God do it? And what should Christian believers do when we get angry?

What does God Bless You mean?

Like me, many of us Christians are guilty using the words without really knowing the real meaning.

Why didn’t Jesus allow the demons to reveal who He was

Mark 1:34 (NIV)
and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

What does Amen mean?

Christians end their prayers with the word Amen, however, sometimes it may seem as though some are saying it robotically as a format of prayer and not really knowing the meaning behind it.

How can false prophets be distinguished from true prophets

False Prophets were common in the Old Testament times. False teachers are just as prevalent today as it was in the days of Jesus.

what is a cult

What is a Cult? How you identify a Cult? How do i know if i am following the right religion.

Are people good by nature?

If you were to ask a group of people if they consider themselves a good person, the majority would answer by comparing themselves to others.

What does the Bible say about the age of the earth?

Whether you are a young or old earth creationist, it all comes down to how you interpret the creation days in Genesis.

Why does the Bible not talk about dinosaurs?

Every book, no matter how big/vast, cannot tell you everything. Every book leaves out a lot more than it includes. So what is the purpose of the bible?

Is anger good or bad?

All Questions, Other Questions You always wanted to ask

Is Anger good or Bad?

Category

Other Questions, All Questions

Post Date

Feb 19, 2022

Reading Time ‘Minutes’

Word Count

Much of the conflict behind this question is raised because God is often represented in the Bible as being angry. But at the same time, the Bible urges believers not to get angry because it is a sin.

So if ‘anger’ as an emotion is a sin, how could a Holy God do it? And what should Christian believers do when we get angry?

Before we answer this question, we must understand that God’s anger over sin is not the same as how we would get angry on some days.

God is angry all the time – “at sin.”

He is angry every hour of the day at sin because all of God’s attributes are fully operational at all times. Likewise, all His other attributes (love/mercy/grace etc.) work simultaneously.

We shouldn’t be thinking of God as a person who gets ticked off on certain mornings and decides to drown an entire nation; in fact, there is a steady reality to the wrath of God.

It is also important to understand that God’s anger is not sinful anger; instead, it is a manifestation of His holiness and righteousness.

God’s anger is over everything that violates His holiness and pollutes the universe He created.

So anger as such is not sinful; it depends on the purpose, nature, and/or object of anger. Even Jesus, our perfect moral example, was angry at sin, unbelief, and hypocrisy, and God is angry at unrighteousness and apostasy.

The problem with human anger is that even in the proper sense (for example, at sin), it is easy to carry it too far that we sin in our anger and unlike God, who is “slow to anger,” we are often quick to anger.

Here is a breakdown of the types of good and bad anger to help you better discern where you stand when your emotions take over.

We should be angry at sin, but we should not sin in being angry.

SEE SIMILAR QUESTIONS

Why take Communion?

Receiving communion is a common practice at most churches. But why do we do it? Here are 4 reasons why we should take communion;

How do we deal with the Ravi Zacharias scandal?

Many people are deeply saddened by the news of the ravi zacharias scandal. But how should we deal with this?

Why did Jesus weep at the death of Lazarus?

John 11:35 (NKJV)
Jesus wept.

What does God Bless You mean?

All Questions, Other Questions You always wanted to ask

What does it mean when someone says ‘God bless you’

Category

Other Questions, All Questions

Post Date

Nov 08, 2020

Reading Time ‘Minutes’

Word Count

If you have been in a Church, or if you sneezed in public – you would have heard this phrase ‘God Bless You.’

However, when the Bible uses this phrase what does it mean?

Like me, many of us Christians are guilty using the words without really knowing the real meaning.

A famous verse often quoted in churches is from the book of Numbers where the priestly tribe of Aaron was called to bless the Israelites saying to them;

Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

24 “‘The Lord bless you

    and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face shine on you

    and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord turn his face toward you

    and give you peace.”’

A blessing is a way of asking for God’s divine favor to rest upon others.

The above blessing can be divided into five parts conveying a message of hope that God would do the following;

(1) “Bless” and “Protect” His people;

(2) Smile on them (be pleased with them);

(3) Be Gracious (merciful and compassionate) to them;

(4) Show them his Favor (giving them his approval); and

(5) Giving them Peace

When you ask God to bless others or yourself, you are asking Him to do these five things. The blessing you offer will not only support the one receiving it, but it will also demonstrate love, encouragement, and provide a model of caring for others.

The blessing you offer will not only support the one receiving it, but it will also demonstrate love, encouragement, and provide a model of caring for others.

SEE SIMILAR QUESTIONS

Why take Communion?

Receiving communion is a common practice at most churches. But why do we do it? Here are 4 reasons why we should take communion;

How do we deal with the Ravi Zacharias scandal?

Many people are deeply saddened by the news of the ravi zacharias scandal. But how should we deal with this?

Why did Jesus weep at the death of Lazarus?

John 11:35 (NKJV)
Jesus wept.

Why didn’t Jesus allow the demons to reveal who He was

All Questions, Other Questions You always wanted to ask

Why didn’t Jesus allow the demons to reveal who he was?

Category

Other Questions, All Questions

Post Date

Sep 23, 2020

Reading Time ‘Minutes’

Word Count

Mark 1:34 (NIV)

and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Every evangelist who reads this verse would be thinking of the impact that it would have had on the people watching if the demons themselves declared that Jesus as the Messiah.

But even thou this was in front of people and could have inspired so many people? Jesus still had an ulterior motive for not allowing the demons to speak.

(1) By commanding the demons to remain silent, Jesus displayed His authority and power over them.

(2) Jesus wanted the people to believe He was the Messiah because of what He said and did, not because of the ‘demons’ words

(3) Jesus wanted to reveal His identity as the Messiah, according to His timetable, not according to ‘Satan’s schedule.

(4) Satan wanted the people to follow Jesus around for what they could get out of Him, not because He was the Son of God who could truly set them free from ‘sin’s guilt and power.

Jesus Works on His own timetable and not according to Satan's Schedule

SEE SIMILAR QUESTIONS

Next Entries »

we are just a finite/limited reflection of God's nature.

Physical Idol

You could be an idol

Man as an idol.

The legitimate image we can worship.

idolatry is self-glory; the aim of Christianity is God's glory

God created the stars and everything else in the universe with the intention of it being a witness to His power and glory, and not as a means to guide us or to foretell the future. God alone knows and holds the future in His hands.

We should be angry at sin, but we should not sin in being angry.

The blessing you offer will not only support the one receiving it, but it will also demonstrate love, encouragement, and provide a model of caring for others.

Jesus Works on His own timetable and not according to Satan's Schedule

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