The love of God and the need for an atonement

[onefour1]

Merry Christmas!

 

[alang1216]

One of the points in the original post on this thread is that a part of man is self-existent and was not created or made and neither indeed can be. It is known as the intelligence of man. God never created man's intelligence. It has always existed.

So what was the whole Genesis thing? God created Adam's body but his 'soul'/intelligence already existed? Eve too? And every other human who ever or will ever live?

If God could have created us perfect, there would be no need for an atonement.

We are atoning to God. He could just accept us a imperfect.

Man is made in the image of God in that we look like him. God is an exalted man. We are his children. In the same way that our children are made in our image and likeness, so to are we in the image and likeness of God. Our children don't inherit our thoughts and character but they are in our image in that they are mankind.

God physically looks like us? He has an appendix and goosebumps?

 

[onefour1]

One of the points in the original post on this thread is that a part of man is self-existent and was not created or made and neither indeed can be. It is known as the intelligence of man. God never created man's intelligence. It has always existed.

So what was the whole Genesis thing? God created Adam's body but his 'soul'/intelligence already existed? Eve too? And every other human who ever or will ever live?

The intelligence of man has always existed. It is co-eternal with God, other intelligences, and energy and matter. So the each of us are eternal beings, Eve too, and every other human that will ever be.

If God could have created us perfect, there would be no need for an atonement.

We are atoning to God. He could just accept us a imperfect.

We are repenting in this life to obtain mercy so that we might obtain a glorious resurrection into the kingdom of heaven. We strive to some day be like our Father and God.

Matthew 4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 5:48
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Doctrine and Covenants 138:14
14 All these had departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection, through the grace of God the Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Man is made in the image of God in that we look like him. God is an exalted man. We are his children. In the same way that our children are made in our image and likeness, so to are we in the image and likeness of God. Our children don't inherit our thoughts and character but they are in our image in that they are mankind.

God physically looks like us? He has an appendix and goosebumps?

Yes, God physically looks like Jesus who is a being with a resurrected body of flesh and bones. We don't know if every aspect of God's physiology is identical to mans. God has a body but it is a body without blood. The life force in a resurrected being is the spirit.

Luke 24:36-43
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
43 And he took it, and did eat before them.

Hebrews 1:1-3
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 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;
3 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;

John 14:9
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 49-53
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
...
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

As we see from the verses above, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. However, we know that the resurrected Jesus was resurrected with a body of flesh and bones from Luke 24 above. The difference being the blood. The life of the mortal is in the blood but the life of the immortal is in the spirit. Thus we are resurrected with a Spiritual Body.