The Nature of God for Christians - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Write about"The Nature of God for Christians". Answer: God has been described in some different ways both Christians, and non-Christians have a different view on how they describe God. However, the bible clearly describes God in some different ways. The Bible describes God as the creator. God is eternal, he was there from the beginning, and he will live to the end of time. God is described in some ways including; Omnipresent, this means that God is everywhere. He also all knows, God is a powerful God. However, people have ended worshiping other gods and claiming that it's the same God.in (Romans 1:25) those who worship other gods are condemned. The aspect of the Trinity also defines God has been in the form of three forms which is God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit (Bushnell, 2012). According to (Luke 24:29), God is described to be in the form of spirit and invisible. God has been described to be invisible. Malachi also describes God has been immutable and did not change. His ways are always pure. He is the God of love, truth, patience, holiness, light, mercy, gentleness, righteousness, godliness, perfection, justice, faithfulness and many other good attributes of God (Schreiber Media., 2011). The Bible, therefore, has no any intention of defining God but it only gives His nature in four ways which are that God is the spirit, God is the light and is bright over the day and night. God is also described as the God of Love and finally the God of consuming fire. What does it mean to be made in God's Image? According to the Bible in Genesis, it clearly states that every single one of us was created in the image and likeliness of God. We are therefore going to work toward the understanding of this statement and how we possess the image of God. Christians have always come to argue about this aspect when it comes to issues of mistreatment in the society ranging from child labor and abandonment, slavery, and oppression of the weak in the society. Everyone is seen as being equal in the eyes of God(Lossky Erickson, 2001). The term "image of God" has become so ubiquitous in most books and literature by Christians and has become a center of controversy in the recent years. The Bible states clearly that we are all made in the image and likeliness of God but does not elaborate deeply into the understanding of this context. Perhaps this has resulted from the fact that there is a lack of agreement clearly on what is it that contributes to the image of God. Does the fact that we are created in God's image affect how we view God? To some extent how we do our work as Christians could impact a lot in how people see God? Christians should always be an example to the rest, and their good deeds should always be something worth immolating. We should, therefore, endeavor to define this theory biblically and act according to what the Bible say about us as the image of God (Moyers, Films Media Group, (Firm), 2003). Different Understandings of the Image of God There is a different understanding of the image of God which is seen as a theological concept. This has raised debates on what image this is. The fact that man is different from the rest of the creation could be seen to imply that man is created in the image of God. The qualities that man possess such as cognitive capacity and rationality could be seen in the view of the of man's ontology. Early elders of the church like Augustine and John Calvin held different views and variations concerning this(Growing into God: Exploring our call to grow into God's image and likeness, 2003). Other Christians held a different view on the image of God and defined it regarding the relationship between God and man. Emil Brunner advocated the fact that being made in the image of God is simply the fact that entails us Christians maintaining that relationship with God and other people. The Image of God and Cultural Engagement The problem facing man this day is that he has fallen out of the image of God simply due to the sin that has gotten into the world. Man no longer images God in the right way, the relationship between man and God is broken due to the inability of man to honor and obey God. However, through our repentance in (Col 1:15), our image can be able to be renewed to match that of Christ. We are just not only created in God's image, but we are given the authority to rule over Gods creation and the Universe. We all yearn for the day when we will see God and as we wait we should, therefore, do things according to the will of God by treating others with love, dignity irrespective of gender, age, race, tribe, economic status or nationality as we are all the image of God as we will be charged according to (Matt 25:40)(Gittoes, Green, Heard, Mobsby, 2013). The Church and the Kingdom of God The relationship that exists between the Kingdom of God and the Church has always been misunderstood. Some Christian describes the kingdom of God to be related to the church in a way which is much different from each other. The kingdom of God is much superior to the church. As per some understanding, Jesus came to earth to establish the kingdom of God. This has been a major reason for the misunderstanding of the two. But Jesus made it very clear that the kingdom is not here on earth according to (Mark 1:15) but stated clearly that the kingdom is near and we only need to believe the Good News (Gittoes, Green, Heard, Mobsby, 2013). Jesus constantly taught on the Kingdom of God. Everywhere he preached he never missed to mention on the Kingdom of God. According to (Luke 9:1,2) the disciples of Jesus were always send out to teach about the kingdom of God and what it entails to inherit this Kingdom. According to the Bible, the church is defined from the Greek word ecclesia. Ecclesia is defined to mean the assembly and company(Jobes, 2011). However, in the Bible, it is used to refer to people (Acts 19:30) and also defined as the children of Israel according to (Acts 7:38). The church is also defined as the body Christ according to (Ephesians 1:22; 5:25-32). The Church is therefore defined in three ways as the body of Christ and as the assembly of believers (1 Corinthians 1:2). Secondly, the Bible elaborates it to mean the body of individual living believers (Galatians 1:13) and finally to mean the universal group of believers who have trust in God. This, therefore, is a very clear indication that the Kingdom of God cannot be compared to the Church(Book, 2003). The Kingdom includes everything that is under the guidance and the rule of God. Including homes, churches, work that is run under the biblical aspect of God all forms part of God's kingdom. It also includes every activity that we do by His will. Everything that is operated on earth that is by the will of God all forms His Kingdom. We, therefore, have to give ourselves as human beings to the will of God to be part of His kingdom(DeYoung, 2011). We, therefore, have to be born of the spirit and water to inherit this Kingdom (John 3:5)(Bokedal, 2014). On the other side, everything that is the will of God and biblical aspect is also termed as forming the kingdom of Satan. The kingdom of Satan is ruled by all kind of evil including hatred, destruction of human life, bitterness, adultery, fornication, selfishness and ungodliness all this forms part of the Satan kingdom and the only way to escape this is through faith in Christ (Colossians 1:3) The church is therefore different to the kingdom of God and is used as a tool to bring people to God's Kingdom through its biblical teachings. A good and a God's church is a church that ensures that the biblical message of the Bible is followed strictly according to the will of God(silva, 1987). The Doctrine of the Trinity This is generally where the foundation of Christian faith comes to existence. It defines to us how we should relate to God and how God relates to us. However, this issue of the Trinity had brought about a lot of contradicting issues on how God can be defined in three different ways. If Jesus is God and if Holy Spirit is God then how comes Jesus prayed to God? We, therefore, have to have a clear definition of the word Trinity and what it means for God to be three in one. One God, Three Persons God exist as three distinct persons, and this is "God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit." Is each of this persons defined God? According to the Bible, the three are defined as God. The Bible defines God as the Father (Philippians 1:2), Jesus is also defined as God according to (Titus 2:13). (Acts 5:3) Also, defines the Holy Spirit to God(Hiers, 2001). This, however, is not the different ways in seeing God or however not ways of referring to how roles of God. The Bible clearly states that Father, Holy Spirit, and Jesus are very distinct persons. This is clear from (John 3:16) where God send Jesus to save us sinners, and thus God and Jesus cannot be one. Likewise, when Jesus was on earth, he received the Holy Spirit which was to be his helper while on earth. Jesus also promised us as he went to heaven that he will go and send us the Holy Spirit to be our guide (John 14:26) (Swinburne, 2004). A question, therefore, arises as to the fact that if the three aspects are distinct, does it means that the father is not the son? Is it also that son is not the father and the Holy Spirit combined and is the Holy Spirit, not the father and the son combined? This is true, and we cannot see God in the form of these three forms. However, the three aspects of Trinity have been defined to be the same. None is superior to the other. They all possess an equal portion of power and ability in influencing human life. The three, therefore, works together and it doesn't imply that there is more than one God. We only have one God who works together with the Son and the Holy Spirit as one. God, therefore, exist in these three distinct forms. To summarize this, therefore, is that the Trinity is not a form of believing in more than their gods. We only have one God, and this should never be disputed. God, however, exists in three forms that are God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All of these forms are equal to God. The Trinity is essential while conducting prayers. We have a pattern where we pray to God through the Son and the guidance of the Holy Spirit(Mclntyre, 2004). References Bokedal, T. (2014). The formation and significance of the christian canon: a study in text, ritual and interpretation. London: Bloomsbury TT Clark. Book, P. (2003). Growing into God: Exploring our call to grow into God's Image and Likeness. London: CCBI. BRADSHHAW, J. M. (2003). Growing into God: Exploring our call to grow into God's image and likeness. London: CCBI. Bushnell, H. (2012). Nature and the supernatural: as together constituting the one system of God. New York, NY: Barnes Noble Digital Library. DeYoung, K. (2011). What is the mission of the Church? Making sense of social justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission. Wheaton: Crossway. Gittoes, J., Green, B., Heard, J., Mobsby, I. (2013). Generous Ecclesiology: Church, the world and the kingdom of God. London: SCM Press. Hiers, R. H. (2001). The Trinity Guide to the Bible. Harrisburg: Trinity Press. Jobes, K. (2011). Letters to the Church: Survey of the Hebrews and the General Epistles. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Lossky, V., Erickson, J. H. (2001). In the image and likeness of God. Crestwood: St, Vladimir's Seminary Press. Mclntyre, J. (2004). The Shape of Pneumatology: Studies in the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. London, New York: T T clack international. Moyers, B. D., Films Media Group, (Firm), P. A. (2003). In God's Image / Temptation. New York, Distributed by Films Media Group. Schriemer, P., Media., C. (2011). The nature of God. Great Lakes discoveries. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. Silva, M. (1987). Has the church misread the Bible?The History of interpretation in the light of current issues. Grand Rapids: Academic Books. Swinburne, R. (2004). The existence of God. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York:: Oxford University Press.