God is Love? So would that mean we are all created in His image,if we can Love without being Christian?
2007-09-08 16:48:43 · 9 answers · asked by I give you the Glory Father ! 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
God is love. that is who He is. we are all created in His image, Christians and non-Christians alike. People know love. They seek it. But true and genuine love is found in God the Father.
2007-09-08 16:54:24 · answer #1 · answered by zero_or_die77 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The meaning of "image" in the context of Genesis 1:26 is a very complex question with few "SOLID FACTS" to help us understand what is meant.
"Then God said, “Let us make human beings 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.”"
OK, first I will eliminate the obvious: Jesus tells us in John 4:24, "God is Spirit." The Greek word translated "Spirit" is literally rendered "breath," it is the root from which "pneumonia," a disease which robs us of breath, is derived. The word is used to describe things which LACK PHYSICAL FORM or SUBSTANCE, thus the "old man in the sky" concept of God does not fit the teaching of scripture.
So, what IS the "image" of God?
Is modern man STILL "made in the image of God," or did the fall change that?
One of the most common suggestions for the interpretation of Gen. 1:26 involves what we have already discussed, "spirit." The scriptures teach that EVERY HUMAN possesses a spirit which lives on after our physical body dies. In its "recap" of the creation of humans, Gen. 2:7 tells us that God breathed into us "the breath of life," or it can also be translated "LIVING BREATH."
This is a perfectly plausible interpretation, though it is certainly not the only one. Another alternative stems from the Gen. 1:26 passage itself. That is, that man, like God, HAS RULE or DOMINION over his domain. The TNIV, which I posted above, indicates that this rule was at the least an EFFECT of our creation in God's image with its "...likeness, SO THAT..." language.
Now, to your proposition that "love" is the image (or at least a major component of it) in which humans are made. (I assert that this is a restatement of your question using "love" and the Genesis creation context. Such a claim would mean that all humans, without regard to any other factors, would EXHIBIT LOVE.) Well, if it is merely the capacity to love, how does that differ EXTERNALLY from the many animals that spend years nurturing and protecting weaker members of their population? "Image" was a SEPARATION or DISTINCTION between humans and other animals.
While there are individual examples of both humans and other animals that seem incapable of "love" or properly nurturing their young for example, the majority of both populations exhibit comparable BEHAVIORS to that end.
Though God is perfect love, humans certainly are not. I think that would indicate that "love," or even the capacity to love are not part of that creation image, thus, the presence or absence of love in any particular non-Christian has no relation to their "image of God" creation.
2007-09-08 23:56:19 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, you cannot love without being born again. If God is love , then if you don't have God, you don't have love.
The world tells people about how to love , but they are really talking about sex or feelings. True love goes way beyond physical touch , it is more a sacrifice and devoting your time to make the other person feel loved, than to see what you can get from the other person.
2007-09-09 01:18:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just because you don't believe in God, doesn't mean you were not created in his image.
2007-09-09 00:05:51 · answer #4 · answered by Ally... 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I guess I am evidence that I can love without being a christian.
I am an atheist and I do love my wife and children.
2007-09-09 00:14:46 · answer #5 · answered by CC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If u mean can all ppl love w/out being christian--yes!
2007-09-08 23:54:29 · answer #6 · answered by BklynNative 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are made in His image.He gave us the ability to love.
It is up to us to decide to accept Jesus.
(A christian has a better understanding of love because of Jesus).
2007-09-09 00:32:29 · answer #7 · answered by robert p 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe in Love. I do not believe in God.
I love my children and my husband and some of my relatives. I love my pets.
I don't see what god has to do with any of it.
.
2007-09-08 23:56:41 · answer #8 · answered by §αғịỳỳẩ² Ẫ†нэậ†ị 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
who? what? when? where? why? how?
2007-09-08 23:52:14 · answer #9 · answered by Sam 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋