Anthropomorphism

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Category: Theology

Published on Thursday, 26 March 2009 06:47

Written by Ryan Hicks

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics, bodily parts, attributes, and passions to God. In reality God gave us characteristics, bodily parts, attributes, and passions that He had when man was created in His image and after His likeness. In this course we are dealing specifically with the attribution of human characteristics, bodily parts, attributes, and passions to God. Many people will object to the fact that God has a body based on their misunderstanding of His omnipresence. According to religionists God's omnipresence means that He is bodily present everywhere. That is to say that He is locationally everywhere at the same time. Such a belief contradicts the very meaning of omnipresence which means that God's presence or influence is everywhere, not that His body is everywhere or that He is omnibody (everywhere bodily).

Most theologians explain away God's plain statements about Himself by saying that He is just speaking figuratively about having body parts. Anyone who knows God knows that He has a body and is not just a cloud, force, or presence without a body. Many Trinitarians rightly define the members of the Godhead as three distinct persons, but they fail to correctly define personhood. They make the Father, Son, and Spirit into forces floating around in nothingness rather than real persons with spirit bodily forms. Over the years many have speculated that God has a spirit body for His dealings with His creation and does not have one by nature, but we can only go by what the Scripture teaches us. If God chooses to interact with men with a real bodily form then He can and no man should try to over-spiritualize Him into just being some mere force that is in everything and part of everything. God is the Creator and is not a part of the creation. He is the Almighty and is above His creation and over it, not a mere part of it.

EXPLANATION AND HISTORY OF TRUE AND FALSE TEACHINGS OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM

The first and second century Christians as well as Jews believed in an anthropomorphic God, as is evident in the early Christian writings and in both Talmud and Hekhalot literatures. In the fourth century in Syria and extending even into Scythia, a sect of people called "Audians" arose. They were called Audians after their founder, Audius. Their main error was in taking Genesis 1:27 incorrectly. Many historians count their error as taking Genesis 1:27 literally, but their error was a fundamental misunderstanding of the text, and not due to them taking the text literally. We ought to always take the Bible literally whenever it is possible. There is nothing figurative, symbolic, or otherwise in Genesis 1:27 or the surrounding verses to suggest that one do anything but take it literally.

Genesis 1:27
27   So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

The error of the Audians or "Anthropomorphites" (as they were later called) was that of holding to the teaching that God has a human form. This is quite distinct and apart from true Anthropomorphism in that true, Bible-based Anthropomorphism says that God is a Spirit (John 4:24), not that He is a human or has human form. This can be a subtle error, but it is a fatal error to claim humanity for the Deity.

Does God have an image to create man in? Yes, it is specifically said to be His own image. The only people debating whether this is true or not are religionists who would rather hold to the traditions of men which make the word of God of none effect (Mark 7:9-13), than to admit that their favorite theologians were in error and that the Bible is true. They choose to compromise the word in honor of their favorite writer or pastor.

Jewish teachers like Maimonides (born Moses ben Maimon, 1135-1204), the rabbi, philosopher, and physician in Egypt, taught that anyone who believes that God has a body is a heretic. Among claimed Christians, the list of teachers who have believed that those who teach God has a body are heretics is huge, and is to numerous to note. It seems many of their objections are based on an improper view of God and their thinking that He is infinite in all aspects of His being. Though He has revealed Himself to be a personable God with feelings, thoughts, desires, love, hate, wrath, etc. All these aspects require limitations on the being of God. When it comes to His form, He has revealed that He has a body and bodily parts, and thus is limited to some degree in that respect. None of these limitations change Who God is or His attributes which are infinite, and without them He would be impersonal and uncaring like the agnostics and many others teach.

As we shall see in this treatise, there are numerous verses of holy Scripture that teach a belief in an anthropomorphic God. These verses are clear and without contradiction. They plainly teach that the members of the Godhead have bodily shapes, which both can and have been seen by men.

GOD IS A PERSON

"Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God" (Job 13:8)? "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, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:1-3).

EACH MEMBER OF THE GODHEAD HAS A BODILY PRESENCE

For God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to each have a bodily presence does not mean that they are physical beings, because clearly "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24). God is a Spirit Being and His body is of spiritual material, not physical material. The fact that there is spiritual material is proven by the Father having a house or dwelling place (John 14:2), "many mansions" in the Father's dwelling place (John 14:2), trees in heaven (Revelation 2:7; 22:1-3), angel's having food (Psalm 78:25), heavenly bread (Exodus 16:4; Psalm 78:24), spiritual animals (2 Kings 2:11; 6:17; Zechariah 1:8, 10; 6:1-5; Revelation 19:11-21), and many other material things just like our earthly things, only made of spiritual substance (Romans 1:20; Philippians 2:10; Colossians 3:2). Paul made it clear that there is such a thing as a spirit body (1 Corinthians 15:44).

Exodus 33:8-11
8   And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.
9   And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle and the LORD talked with Moses.
10   And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.
11   And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

God descended in a cloudy pillar of glory "and stood at the door of the tabernacle." The Lord then spoke to "Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." God has to have a face to be able to speak with Moses face to face.

Exodus 33:18-23
18   And he [Moses] said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
19   And he said, I will all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20   And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
21   And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
22   And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
23   And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

God states in these verses that He has a face, hand, and back parts, proving that God has a spirit body. In verse 11 of this chapter Moses saw God face to face, but now God tells Moses "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." While this may sound like a contradiction, it isn't. Moses was asking to see God in His glory, whereas before Moses saw God's face outside of His full glory.

1 Timothy 6:16
16   Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light [glory] which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Although many have seen and approached God in a limited amount of His glory, no one has ever nor can see or approach God in His infinite glory.

Exodus 24:9-11
9   Then went up Moses, and Aaron. Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
10   And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
11   And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God and did eat and drink.

Twice these Scriptures state that "they saw" God. They saw that he had a body with feet and hands, and then they ate with God.

Genesis 32:24-30
24   And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25   And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26   And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27   And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28   And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29   And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30   And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [face of God]: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Jacob wrestled with a bodily person he thought was a man, but it turned out he wrestled bodily with God and saw Him face to face!

Acts 7:54-56
54   When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
55   But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56   And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of  man standing on the right hand of God.

Stephen saw a limited amount of the glory of God "and Jesus standing on the right hand of God" proving that God has a body and a hand for Jesus to be standing on the right hand of God the Father.

Some people try to explain away verses like this by saying that the phrase "Jesus at the right hand of God" is only a figure of speech. They say that it is only symbolic of His power and exalted position. Hopefully by now you have realized to reject all such fool theories. Stephen was not describing Jesus' power or exalted position, but was telling of what he saw while peering into the throne room of God Almighty! Let us just believe the plain reading of the text and forget man's fool theories!

Numbers 14:13-14
13   And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)
14   And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

Even the Egyptians had heard that the Lord was seen face to face many times.

Leviticus 9:23-24
23   And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
24   And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the alter the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

The fact that the fire came from before the Lord, not down from the Lord, proves God's bodily presence was before them in limited glory.

Judges 13:22
22   And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

Manoah like many today did not believe you could see God and live, but he and his wife saw God and lived just like all the other people who have ever seen the Lord.

Numbers 22:31-35
31   The LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
32   And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
33   And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
34   And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
35   And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, God with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shall speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

The fact that personal pronouns are used by the angel of the Lord in sayings that could only come from God Himself, not a angel. The angel of the Lord told Balaam "the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shall speak." That proves the angel was no One other than God Himself, because in verse 38 Balaam says "the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak."

What about Adam and Eve? Didn't they see the Lord bodily walking in the garden?

Genesis 3:8
8   And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Why would Adam and Eve hide if God is bodily everywhere? It is because He isn't bodily everywhere, but was bodily approaching them. He was walking toward their location, and they heard the voice or sound of His walking.

It must be noted that the Hebrew word paneh translated "presence" in the above verse means face or presence. In this verse it would mean face (as it is translated in Genesis 16:6, 8; 17:17; 19:13; 43:3; etc.), because they can't hide from His presence which is everywhere, but they can hide from His face which is only at one place at a time.

Ezekiel saw God's body while He was seated on His throne.

Ezekiel 1:26-27
26   And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above on it.
27   And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.


GOD HAS HAIR AND A HEAD


Daniel 7:9
9   I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.


GOD HAS A MOUTH

Numbers 12:6-9
6   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.
7   My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
8   With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
9   And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.

The Lord said that He would speak to Moses mouth to mouth. To say that this verse is not saying that God has a mouth, one would have to deny that Moses has a mouth to deny that God has a mouth. The Lord also said that Moses would see "the similitude [Heb. temunah, image, likeness, similitude, shape] of the LORD." After the Lord had spoken "he departed." How can the Lord depart if He is bodily everywhere as some teach? Could it be that tradition and false religion have a false concept of God that causes them to take plain Scriptures and makes them lies?

THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER

For God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to each have a bodily presence does not mean thatWhether God chooses to appear before men in a bodily form or He has always existed in a bodily form is not clearly stated in Scripture. Whichever the case may be does not change the truths of the Scripture and we should not try to make God more mystical and mysterious with denials of His spiritual bodily form. Our Lord Jesus Christ made it very clear that God has a bodily shape when He said, "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 5:37). From the Old Testament days until now mean have taught about Theophanies (Greek theophania, meaning "appearance of God"). Few have denied that they are visible appearances of God in a bodily form. Many have speculated that the appearances in the Old Testament were actually of God the Word, preincarnate, and they call these Christophanies. As long as one does not deny the plain teaching of Scripture or begin adding their own theories to the Scripture then these views are fine. We should never deny the Scripture because it does not fit our preconceived ideas. Let us dedicate ourselves to taking the word of God as it is plainly written and believe what it teaches us and not what another man teaches about the word of God. Let God be true, but every man a liar (Romans 3:4)!

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