Anthropos

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Ten Greek Words Every Christian Should Know  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  43:27
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Anthropos means man. A better understanding could help us in our wlak with God.

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What does it Anthropos Mean?

Anthrōpos 590 x’s in the N.T. 346x’s as man or man’s
Anēr
Of the Gr terms anthrōpos stands for man generally—a human being (Mt 12:12; Mk 10:27);
Matthew 12:12 ESV
12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Mark 10:27 ESV
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
though it is sometimes used to indicate man in his imperfection and weakness (1 Cor 3:3, 4), in such expressions as “to speak as a man” (Rom 3:5 AV), gospel “after man” (Gal 1:11), “after the manner of men” (1 Cor 15:32) etc; or as showing the contrast between the perishable and the imperishable (2 Cor 4:16, where the “outward man” is represented as slowly dying, while the “inward man” is being renewed from day to day). Thus Paul contrasts the “natural man” (1 Cor 2:14), the “old man,” with the “new” (Rom 6:6; Col 3:9, 10).
I. Biblical Meaning.—There are four Bib. contrasts which must be considered as opposites:
(1) the “old man” (palaiós anthrōpos) and the “new man” (neos or kainos anthrōpos);
(2) the “outward man” (éxō-anthrōpos) and the “inward man” (ésō-anthrōpos);
(3) the “carnal man” (sarkikós anthrōpos) and the “spiritual man” (pneumatikós anthrōpos);
(4) the “natural man” (psuchikós anthrōpos) and the “spiritual man” (pneumatikós anthrōpos).
These are not four different sorts of men, but four different sorts of man.
Take up these antitheses in their reverse order, so as to arrive at some clear and impressive conception of what the Bib. writer means by the “new man.”
II. The Nature of Man
1. Biblical Terms
The Biblical idea of man’s nature may be summed up in the words of St. Paul, “of the earth, earthy” (1 Cor 15:47), as compared and contrasted with the statement in Gen 1:27: “God created man in his own image.”
1 Corinthians 15:47 ESV
47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
Genesis 1:27 ESV
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
This act of creation is described as the result of special deliberation on the part of God—the Divine Being taking counsel with Himself in the matter (ver 26).
Man therefore is a creature, formed, fashioned, shaped out of “earth” and made after the “image of God.”
More than one word is employed in the OT to express His idea:
(1) bārā’, “create,” a word of uncertain derivation, occurring five times in Gen 1, to indicate the origin of the universe (ver 1), the origin of life in the waters (ver 24), the origin of man (ver 27), and always in connection with God’s creative work, never where “second causes” are introduced. Gen 1:1
Genesis 1:1 ESV
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
(2) yāçar, “fashion,” “form,” “knead” (Gen 2:7), “of the dust of the ground.”
Genesis 2:7 ESV
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
(3) bānāh, “build,” in special reference to the creation of woman, “built out of the rib” (Gen 2:22).
Genesis 2:22 ESV
22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
By God’s special interposition man becomes a nephesh ḥayyāh (“a living soul”), where evidently there is a reference to the breath of life, which man shares with the animal world (Gen 1:20, 21, 24);
Genesis 1:20 ESV
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”
Genesis 1:21 ESV
21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:24 ESV
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.
yet with this distinction, that “God Himself breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life” (lit. “breath of lives,” nishmath ḥayyīm).
With a single exception, that of Gen 7:22, the word neshāmāh, “breath,” is confined to man.
Genesis 7:22 ESV
22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.
In Job reference is made to his creative act, where Elihu says:
“There is a spirit in man, and the breath [nishmath] of the Almighty [shaddai] giveth them understanding” (Job 32:8);
Job 32:8 ESV
8 But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
cf also Isa 42:5; “He … giveth breath (neshāmāh) unto the people.” Man therefore is a being separated from the rest of creation and yet one with it.
Isaiah 42:5 ESV
5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:

Why should we know Anthropos?

John 4:24 ESV
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Image and Likeness
This distinction becomes more clear in the declaration that man was made in the “image” (çelem, eikōn, imago), and after the likeness (demūth, homoiōsis, similitudo) of God.
The question has been asked whether the two terms differ essentially in meaning;
some maintaining that “image” refers to the physical, “likeness” to the ethical side of man’s nature;
others holding that “image” is that which is natural to man, was created with him, was therefore as it were stamped upon him (concreata),
and “likeness” that which was acquired by him (acquisita);
while others again declare that
“image” is the concrete and
“likeness” the abstract for the same idea.
There is very little scriptural ground for these assertions.

Anthropology the study of man

Anthropomorphism. Representation of God in the form of a human being in speech or writing. “Anthropomorphism,” derived from two Greek words, means literally “human form-ism.” It can refer both to a proper, biblical representation of God and to an improper, even corrupt, manner of representing deity.

Proper Use of Anthropomorphism

Most philosophers and theologians agree that all formulated knowledge about God is “analogical.”
That is, declarative statements about God—such as “thou hatest all evil doers” (Ps 5:5) or
Psalm 5:5 ESV
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
“the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (Jas 5:11)
James 5:11 ESV
11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
—are understandable only because people know something about hate and mercy in their own experience.
When we speak of these qualities, even in another human being, we are to some degree automatically projecting into that person what we know to be hate and mercy in ourselves.
In other words, all knowledge of other persons is analogical—analogous to something we have experienced
—because there is no possibility of direct sensation of personality in others.
To hear someone laugh gives us no direct sensation of that person’s joy.
But knowing how we feel when we want to laugh joyfully, we assume analogically that the same sort of feeling produces the other’s laughter.
Of course, analogically perceived knowledge may be distorted by faulty self-knowledge.
“But who can discern his errors?
Clear thou me from hidden faults” (Ps 19:12).
Psalm 19:12 ESV
12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
We all make mistakes from time to time in judging the motives
(expressions of character, person, or selfhood)
behind the behavior of others.
We may even misjudge our own motives.
It is the “image of God” in human beings (Gn 1:26, 27) that makes a degree of analogy (anthropomorphism) in our thoughts about God quite proper.
But until our moral likeness to God is restored through spiritual regeneration, our analogies are likely to lead to serious error.
In the extreme example, the invisible God may be represented by images (idols) to be worshiped.
According to Scripture, human understanding will remain distorted until our sanctification and glorification are complete.
Then we shall enjoy direct knowledge of God (the “beatific vision” spoken of by medieval mystics), for we shall see him “as he is” (1 Jn 3:2).
1 John 3:2 ESV
2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Meanwhile, in the broadest sense, all affirmations about God are anthropomorphic.
Specifically, the Bible uses three types of figurative speech in speaking of God.
The first is called anthropoiesis, from the Greek word for “human being” plus a word for “doing” or “making.”
Anthropoietic expressions picture God as doing something the way a person would do that thing.
“And God said, ‘Let there be light’ ” (Gn 1:3), yet God has no vocal cords.
Genesis 1:3 ESV
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Similarly, God is said to have breathed into Adam’s body “the breath of life” (Gn 2:7).
Genesis 2:7 ESV
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
God did confer life upon man, life of a special sort akin to God’s own divine life in certain respects, but God has no lungs or other organs for breathing.
The many examples of anthropoiesis in the Bible are generally distinguished from what theologians refer to as theophany (from Greek words meaning “God appearing”).
In a theophany, the divine spirit, usually interpreted as the Logos before Christ’s incarnation, assumed a temporary human form and interacted with human beings as one of them.
Examples include the three men who visited Abraham in the plains of Mamre (Gn 18) and the “man from God” (Jgs 13:6) who appeared to Manoah and his wife, the parents of Samson (Jgs 13:2–25).
Such theophanies are regarded by many evangelical theologians as actual appearances of the second person of the Trinity and not merely anthropomorphic figures of speech.
The figure of speech called anthropopathy, from the Greek for “human being” plus a word for “suffering,” is used in Scripture to depict in God what would be called emotion in human beings: love, hate, joy, grief, repentance, and the like.
Such statements are again analogical expressions from a human point of view.
Some theologians have asserted that God is “impassible,” that is, that he is incapable of suffering, and probably all would agree that God’s inner, conscious essence remains undisturbed and unruffled by anything he has created.
According to 19th-century theologian A.A. Hodge, when God is said in the Bible to repent, or to be grieved, or to be jealous, “it is meant only that he acts toward us as a man would when agitated by such passions.
These metaphors occur primarily in the Old Testament, and in highly rhetorical passages of the poetical and prophetic books.”
In the incarnation, when the Logos became Jesus of Nazareth, the divine nature joined in indissoluble union with the human nature, so affirmations about divine suffering, rejoicing, grieving, hating, are less metaphorical.
That is what the incarnation is all about (Heb 2:9–18; 4:14–16).
Hebrews 2:9–18 ESV
9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The third variety of figurative speech about God could be called anthropomorphism proper, that is, giving God the form of a human person. The Bible contains many examples of assigning bodily parts or organs to God.
As with anthropopathy, most of the examples occur in OT poetry and prophecy.
God’s power is referred to analogically as his hands, his knowledge as his eyes, his pleasure (an anthropopathism) as his nostrils.
Hebrew statements on almost any subject can use anthropomorphism, as when “the arms of his hands” stands for military power (Gn 49:24 kjv); in that verse the “hands” are Joseph’s, not God’s.
The Hebrew expression, “the eyes of the Lord,” is used to convey sympathetic acceptance, as when Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gn 6:8 kjv).
In other contexts the same expression conveys God’s supportive attention (Dt 11:12 kjv), his moral judgment (13:18), his unslacked attention (32:10), or his omniscience and benevolence (2 Chr 16:9).
Similarly, God’s “ear” appears at least a dozen times in the psalms as a metaphor for his response to prayer (e.g., Pss 10:17; 17:6; 18:6).
Psalm 10:17 ESV
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
Psalm 17:6 ESV
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Psalm 18:6 ESV
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
The prophet Isaiah appealed to Israel in a well-known passage containing a series of anthropomorphisms:
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you” (Is 59:1, 2 kjv).
Isaiah 59:1 ESV
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
Isaiah 59:2 ESV
2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
Occasionally the metaphor of bodily parts is derived from a creature other than a human being.
Thus Boaz spoke of Ruth as trusting under the “wings” of the Lord God of Israel (Ru 2:12),
and the psalmist said, “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust” (Ps 91:4 kjv).
Simile, a figure of speech using “like” or “as” is usually a milder descriptive technique than metaphor.
The difference can be seen in two translations of Exodus 19:4, where the kjv retains the metaphor (“I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself”) and lb converts it to a simile (“I brought you to myself as though on eagle’s wings”).
Metaphor and simile occur together in another poetic passage: “He spreads his wings over them,/ Even as an eagle overspreads her young./
She carries them upon her wings—/ as does the Lord his people!” (Dt 32:11, 12 lb).

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Law of Attraction - Simply put, the Law of Attraction is the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. It is believed that regardless of age, nationality or religious belief, we are all susceptible to the laws which govern the Universe, including the Law of Attraction. It is the Law of Attraction which uses the power of the mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and materialize them into reality. In basic terms, all thoughts turn into things eventually. If you focus on negative doom and gloom you will remain under that cloud. If you focus on positive thoughts and have goals that you aim to achieve you will find a way to achieve them with massive action. This is why the universe is such an infinitely beautiful place. The Law of Attraction dictates that whatever can be imagined and held in the mind’s eye is achievable if you take action on a plan to get to where you want to be.
Oneness - The idea that everything is God and God is everything.
Religious Pluralism - There is no right or wrong, everyone has their own truth. All religions are right. There is no Hell only Heaven. All paths lead to God, nobody is wrong. Jesus is not the only way to salvation. The Bible is generally not considered the only Christian message. Syncretism the mix of Christians beliefs with modern acceptances.
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