Does God use ANTHROPOMORPHISM in the Scriptures?

[JesusFan]

Does God use anthropomorphism in the Scriptures?

What can be legitimately inferred by the notion that God does use anthropomorphisms when speaking to us?

What other words are more suitable instead of "anthropomorphism"? What differences of meaning do they hold from "anthropomorphism"?

A) Please give examples of anthropomorphisms (or whatever you call them) in scripture —particularly where God uses them (for eg, in prophecy, not just statements in scripture where Joe Ginosko uses them).

B) For whatever word(s) you come up with as more suitable, can you proffer scripture to support their suitability? Is there support for the implications those words produce?

Notice that (A) is a general thing, while (B) asks for specifics. It is to be understood that the different examples found are each going to have to be dealt with according to their own parameters —context, meaning, intention of the passage in which they are found, other similar passages and uses of the same or similar words, etc.




—A corollary issue, legitimately part of this thread: Does God always and everywhere in Scripture speak with absolute clarity to mankind? How about to the regenerate? If you see scripture that seems to say one way, and other scripture that seems to say the other, please post both. Is it possible that God does both —speaking with absolute clarity and truth, with comprehensive meaning, while also hiding the truth/ portions or depth of the truth, from some people? I do not intend this thread to be about debate as such, to win an argument, but apologetics as mere reasoning together.—

@John Bauer has suggested what I refer to as, "anthropomorphisms", be called, "analogies", i.e. these things attributed to God are analogous to what we see in this temporal existence (or maybe vice versa).

@Josheb has protested, because the term, "anthropomorphism", hasn't been shown (in another thread) to be a legitimate thing. Is it a legitimate thing? Is it a legitimate thing as described by other terms?

Times when it appears that He changed his mind, or did not know beforehand

 

[makesends]

Times when it appears that He changed his mind, or did not know beforehand

Yes, definitely. I saw a chart somewhere, of three (or more(?)) different kinds of anthropomorphisms, I think one of which was physical characteristics (by a technical name), one was actions (by another technical name), one was thoughts.

 

[Paul]

What I heard from you to begin with was faith, without mention of the Scriptures.

But, subjective interpretation is suspect when it doesn't fit orthodoxy. And it's worse than suspect when it runs afoul of other Scripture. In other words, faith is not the interpreter.

Consider it the other way around, perhaps. Not "form" in the usual sense of the word. The present order of things will be past. We are made in HIS image and not he in ours. Even that ('the other way around') I shouldn't teach as fact, but only as something to think about when we get too humanocentric. Again, God is not like us.

From the testimony I believe God has form. We have His form. The angels have His form. The Son of Man will return on the clouds of heaven. We don't know what our raised spiritual bodies will be like but we will be like Him in regard to the raised body.

No man may see God's face and live as I read.

I shouldn't have to point that out to a people of faith either.

 

[makesends]

From the testimony I believe God has form. We have His form. The angels have His form. The Son of Man will return on the clouds of heaven. We don't know what our raised spiritual bodies will be like but we will be like Him in regard to the raised body.

No man may see God's face and live as I read.

I shouldn't have to point that out to a people of faith either.

Mod Hat: What does "I shouldn't have to point that out to a people of faith either" have to do with making your argument for "form"? Does that imply that we should have gone with a good surface read of relevant scriptures? Or what? —because moral remonstrance is not appropriate debate here.

1) Do you think this 'form' is what is referred by 'made in the image of God'?
2) Do you think angels are made in the image of God the same way that man is?

3) By 'form', do you mean, physical, as our bodies are material. Or something else, and more than material?

4) Does the church being "The Body of Christ" refer to this?

 

[JesusFan]

Yes, definitely. I saw a chart somewhere, of three (or more(?)) different kinds of anthropomorphisms, I think one of which was physical characteristics (by a technical name), one was actions (by another technical name), one was thoughts.

When people refuse to see God speaking of Himself in human terms so that we can understand Him, they get into tangents such as open Theism

 

[JesusFan]

From the testimony I believe God has form. We have His form. The angels have His form. The Son of Man will return on the clouds of heaven. We don't know what our raised spiritual bodies will be like but we will be like Him in regard to the raised body.

No man may see God's face and live as I read.

I shouldn't have to point that out to a people of faith either.

God is Spirit though