Post-truthing God's image (part 1)
Me looking at the mirror, asked myself, "When you look at me, do you see God or do you see God's mercy?"
But what it really means to be an image of a living Christ?
That's difficult. Clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, offering water for the thirst, hospitality for strangers, visiting prisoners, and healing the sick. With my mortality, my capacity is very, very limited and most of the time, that's difficult to perform. ("For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. - Matthew 25:35-36.)
Jesus performed various miracles, demonstrating His divine power and compassion. These included healing the sick (Matthew 4:23-24), restoring sight to the blind (Matthew 9:27-31), raising the dead (John 11:1-44), and calming storms (Mark 4:35-41).
Jesus delivered profound teachings, often through parables, to convey spiritual truths and principles. His teachings covered a wide range of topics, including love, forgiveness, humility, faith, the Kingdom of God, and moral principles. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the parables of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) are well-known examples. Jesus had authority over demonic forces and liberated people from spiritual oppression. He expelled demons from individuals, freeing them from bondage (Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39).
On several occasions, Jesus miraculously multiplied a small amount of food to feed large crowds. The most well-known instance is the feeding of the 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44). Jesus' resurrection from the dead is considered the most significant deed of all. After His crucifixion and burial, He triumphantly rose from the grave, conquering sin and death, and offering salvation and eternal life to humanity (Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-18).
These deeds, among others, demonstrated Jesus' divine nature, revealed God's love and mercy, and fulfilled prophetic promises. They serve as the foundation of His ministry and continue to inspire and impact the lives of believers today.
Following Christ's example means actively serving and caring for others. It involves demonstrating compassion, empathy, and selfless love towards those in need. It involves cultivating virtues such as love, kindness, honesty, integrity, and justice, which were exemplified by Jesus. It means striving to live a life of righteousness and moral integrity. Jesus exhibited humility and selflessness throughout His life. Being an image of Christ involves putting others before oneself, being humble in attitude, and prioritizing the needs of others over personal gain or status. Christ's message also emphasized forgiveness and reconciliation which we sometimes could not do. Becoming an image of Christ entails practicing forgiveness towards others, seeking reconciliation, and promoting unity and peace.
To become an image of Christ is a lifelong process of transformation. It requires continuous self-reflection, surrender to God's guidance, and dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit. By living out the teachings and example of Christ, believers seek to reflect His image to the world and bring glory.
I read someone discussed about finding God in everything which finds its roots from Baruch Spinoza, or Benedict de Spinoza, a Dutch best known in the 17th century for his work in rationalism and metaphysics and whose philosophy is associated with naturalism which posits that everything in existence is part of nature and governed by natural laws. He proposed his pantheistic view of God, suggesting that God and nature are essentially the same thing. This is the view adhered to by most ecologists. He argued that God is not a separate being with a personal consciousness but is rather an impersonal, all-encompassing substance that manifests itself in everything. For Spinoza, God's immanence is present and inherent in all things.
But Spinoza is just one of the many theorists on the metaphysics and theological approaches to understand God to address the need of the mortals to know someone of immanence and transcendence. There are many God theories in ancient, medieval, modern, contemporary, and post-modern periods.
In the discourse of God and evil, theories have overwhelmed us. But as we relied on various theories to explain God's existence, we need to reflect too on the ontology and teleology of our diverse faiths.
Most importantly, to respect faiths.
#Philosophy #Overthinking #Wisdom #God
