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I am just curious how Christians explain this one:
Hosea 11:9 -- "I will not execute the fierceness of Mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim; for I am God, and not man, the Holy One in the midst of thee; and I will not come in fury."
A fundamental belief of Christianity is that Jesus is "fully man" in addition to being God.
How do Christians explain away the fundamentally contradictory belief that someone/thing can be "fully God" and "fully man" at the same time, in apparent flat defiance of Hosea 11:9? What is the Christian apologetic that rationalizes the syncretism of knowing that Hosea 11:9 is true -- God is not a man -- and also knowing that Jesus is fully man, and therefore not God, but simultaneously believing he is God?
Christianity is not rational and logical.....it is religion, it is faith/belief.
The Bible is full of contradictions that can never be explained, all good Christians know this! Good Christians have read the Bible thoroughly! Time spent trying to explain contradictions is wasted.
Christianity for believers is to be enjoyed and be comforted by. The analysis is best left to religious scholars and freethinkers.
There is no contradiction here. The reference to "man" has nothing to do with Jesus. The verse means that God doesn't have struggles like man does. He is never undecided or unsure.
I am just curious how Christians explain this one:
Hosea 11:9 -- "I will not execute the fierceness of Mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim; for I am God, and not man, the Holy One in the midst of thee; and I will not come in fury."
A fundamental belief of Christianity is that Jesus is "fully man" in addition to being God.
How do Christians explain away the fundamentally contradictory belief that someone/thing can be "fully God" and "fully man" at the same time, in apparent flat defiance of Hosea 11:9? What is the Christian apologetic that rationalizes the syncretism of knowing that Hosea 11:9 is true -- God is not a man -- and also knowing that Jesus is fully man, and therefore not God, but simultaneously believing he is God?
ZackZ:
Sorry, but of all the contradictory statements in the Bible, Hosea is probably the weakest you could have chosen to make your point., for it does NOT refer to the nature of God, or any of his attributes, but simply points up his divine perogatives as opposed to the finite failings of men. Additionally, not ALL Christians believe in the Dual nature of Christ. Monophysites beleive that Christ had ONE nature, DIVINE, and any humanity was totally subsumed in that Divinity.
However, it is rather naive for some Christians to claim there are no contradictions in the biblical God's words....since he describes himself as a god of peace AND a god of war, a god of love AND a god of hatred, a god of forgivness AND a god of vengence......a god who proscribes killing and demands killing. A god who is changeless AND a god who can be cajoled into chainging his mind and intentions. Contradictions almost too numerous to mention.
I see nothing contradictory or "in flat defiance" here at all. God is merely saying He does not respond as man would, that we cannot measure him against a human standard.
God is not a man. He's a Spirit. This is true. But at a later point took on human flesh to pay for our salvation. The contractions as you call them are not contradictions at all. In order for something to be a contradiction, 2 things cant be true at the same time. God simply is revealing parts of His character at various times.
Example. Lamb of God, Lion of Judah. Lamb because He was sacrificed, Lion because He's a king.
What about you? Are you a Father, Son, Brother, Man, Human. How can you be all of these? A contradiction? No. Different parts of who you are.
Sad to see so many non Christians comming to the Christian board to set thier lies and mistruths on the Christian faith.
The issue is you are refering to a old testement passage and the relastionship of the people to God at that time. And the people at that time were in a relastionship with God.
I wouldn't ever presume to guess what God trully ever is in any aspect, for his knowledge and power are omniscient. But, in the bible it does refer to God as Him with a capitol H and He also with the capitol letter. In Genesis, when God created man he made him in his image and woman was later formed from man, he also said "they will be like us and resemble us." This is just an educated guess, I'm not saying what it is or isn't but from what the scriptures in the Bible have given, most signs lead towards God being a man. As well God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have some sort of holy trinity indescribable to any mortal.
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