Doors Of Perception

Originally posted by wafflehead: ↑

So in a sense you are suggesting we are equal to God.... without beginning or end. Isn't that what Satan promised Eve?

Gen 1:27 So God Created human beings in His own image. It is you and your religion who declare that they can develop qualities to become, "in God's image", or equals to God.

Clearly the Bible states that God, "Created" humans in His image. It does not say we can develop into the image of God. We are Created at the moment of conception, so the image of God is upon us at the moment of conception. That image can only be the human spirit which is of the same essence as God. This is what makes us human, causes us to flourish in the arts and sciences and stand so distinctly apart from other animals. This is our immortal aspect which we are charged to educate.

Next, this concept of satan we know is a metaphor for attachment, materialism, love of self and things over the love of God. The snake in completely attached to the earth and thus the metaphor. The tree of good and evil is this earth. We live in a relative state, good, evil / happy, sad / black, white / rich, poor, so this is a story about each of us having to overcome ourselves and dying to our materialistic natures.

with God all things are possible is beyond our understanding. We do not know or have the slightest clue what God is, His nature, or what He is capable of. But nothing can come from absolute nothingness, but this doesn't matter, because there is no such thing as absolute nothingness. There has always been something and God Created a universe with this something.

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Clearly the Bible states that God, "Created" humans in His image. It does not say we can develop into the image of God.
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The first couple were created in God's image.... but they didn't stay that way. After Adam and Eve sinned and were in a dying state they procreated producing children that inherited this terminal state.
(Genesis 5:3) Adam lived for 130 years and then became father to a son in his likeness, in his image, and he named him Seth.

All of Adam's children are more like him than like God.
(Romans 5:12) That is why, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned—.

That does not mean we should surrender to the state we're in. With God's help humans can begin to become more like God.
(Colossians 3:10) and clothe yourselves with the new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it,

(Ephesians 4:23, 24) And you should continue to be made new in your dominant mental attitude, 24 and should put on the new personality that was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.