PERSONALITY OF GOD

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 18, 1861

PERSONALITY OF GOD.

Man was made in the image of God. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him." Gen. i, 26, 27.

Those who deny the personality of God say that "image" here does not mean physical form, but moral image, and they make this the grand starting point to prove the immortality of all men. The argument stands thus:

1. Man was made in God's moral image.

2. God is an immortal being.

3. Therefore all men are immortal.

But this mode of reasoning proves too much. Let us see.

1. Man was made in God's moral image.

2. God is an omnipotent being.

3. Therefore, man is omnipotent.

And so we might prove man omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent as well as immortal, and clothe him with all the attributes of the Deity. That which proves too much, proves nothing to the point, therefore the premise that the image of God means his moral image is false.

As proof that God is a person, hear his own words to Moses: "And the Lord said, Behold there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock; and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by. And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts; but my face shall not be seen." Ex. xxxiii, 21-23.

Here God tells Moses that he shall see his form. To say that God made it appear to Moses that he saw his form when he has no form, is charging God with adding to falsehood a sort of juggling deception upon his servant Moses.

The skeptic thinks he sees a contradiction between verse 11, which says that the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, and verse 20, which states that Moses could not see his face. But let Num. xii, 5-8 remove the difficulty. "And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words. If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful to all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently."

The great and dreadful God came down, wrapped in a cloud of glory. This cloud could be seen, but not that face which possesses more dazzling brightness than a thousand suns. Under these circumstances Moses was permitted to draw near and converse with God face to face, or mouth to mouth, even apparently.

Says the prophet Daniel, "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hairs of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire." Chap. vii, 9.

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him, and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom." Verses 13, 14.

Here is a sublime description of the action of two personages; viz., God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ. Deny their personality, and there is not a distinct idea in these quotations from Daniel. In connection with this quotation read the Apostle's declaration that the Son was in the express image of his Father's person.

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person." Heb. i, 1-3.

We here add the testimony of Christ on this subject. "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape." John v, 37. To say that the Father has not a personal shape seems the most pointed contradiction of plain Scripture terms.

Objection. "God is a Spirit." Answer. Angels are also spirits , yet those that visited Abram and Lot, lay down, ate, and took hold of Lot's hand. They were spirit beings. So is God a Spirit being.

Obj. God is everywhere. Proof. Ps. cxxxix, 1-8. He is as much in every place as in any one place.

Ans. 1. God is everywhere by virtue of his omniscience, as will be seen by the very words of David referred to above. Verses 1-6. "O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising; thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high; I cannot attain unto it."

2. God is everywhere by virtue of his Spirit, which is his representative, and is manifested wherever he pleases, as will be seen by the very words the objector claims, referred to above. Verses 7-10. "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."

God is in heaven. This we are taught in the Lord's prayer. "Our Father which art in heaven." Matt. vi, 9; Luke xi, 2. But if God, who is in heaven, is as much in every place as he is in any one place, then heaven is also as much in every place as it is in any one place, and the idea of going to heaven is all a mistake. We see all in heaven. And the Lord's prayer according to this foggy theology simply means, Our Father which art everywhere, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is everywhere, &c.

(To be continued.)