Let us make man in our image, after our likeness

This article was published in french on this same blog under this title: "Faisons l'homme à notre image, selon notre ressemblance" on July 20, 2015.

In Genesis 1:26 God said:"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." In this way, since we have been created in his image, after his likeness, it is legitimate to ask ourselves what is the substance (essence or nature) of the image and likeness of God. The word 'image' in Hebrew is 'tselem' (see 'The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible' at the number 6754). In the context of Genesis 1:26, this word means that God have created man with the same essential ingredients which characterize his own nature. Then, what are these essential ingredients? In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, the apostle Paul gives us a starting point for our effort to answer this question: " And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

1- God is, first of all, a Spirit: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). Seen in this way, we can bring forth the idea that He is actually the one called 'Holy Spirit' or 'Holy Ghost' since Him only is holy (Revelation 15:4). Consequently, since we have been created in His image, we are called to be " holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Peter 1:15-16) (note that in the french version of 1Peter 1:15-16 it says "holy in all manner of conduct" instead of "in all manner of conversation").

The word 'spirit' taken from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 comes from the Greek word 'pneuma'. It means according to the Strong's concordance (number 4151), (on the human level) "the rational soul and by implication, the vital principal and mental disposition". Joseph Henry Thayer ('A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament' p. 520) defines this same word (taken from 1 Thessalonians 5:23) as follow: "The rational part of man, the power of perceiving and grasping divine and eternal things, and upon which the Spirit of God exerts its influence." Luther said that 'pneuma' "is the highest and noblest part of man".
Some precisions would be appropriate concerning this power or capacity of perceiving and grasping divine and eternal things: Since Adam and Eve's sin, this power of our spirit is lessened if not lost; it is  a consequence associated to death (as our body and soul can be sick or lessened since Adam and Eve's sin, in the same way, our spirit can be lessened). Only if we identify ourselves to Christ in his death and resurrection, in other words, if we become born again (John 3:3,5) or even, if we have received the Spirit of God (read with attention 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 and Romans 8:9-11) we can have again this power or capacity.

Reading 1 Corinthians 2:14-16  in which the apostle Paul is bringing out some differences between the the natural man (in my understanding: whom is not born again, whom lets himself governed by the passions and desires of his flesh and does not have the power or capacity of perceiving and grasping divine and eternal things) and the spiritual man (in my understanding: whom is born again and filled and governed by the Spirit of God) permits to better grasp what was written above in this article:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."  (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)

And if we have the mind of Christ, It is because He dwells in us. And if He does so: "If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the 'spirit' is alive because of righteousness." (Romans 8:10) (note: This verse is taken from the 'New American Standard Bible' instead of, as usual, from the 'King James version' because the word 'spirit', in my understanding, refers to the spirit of man instead of the Spirit of God). This last passage (Romans 8:10) shows clearly that if Christ dwells in us, our spirit is regenerated and becomes able to perceive and grasp divine and eternal things.

One comment about Romans 8:9 (to read below) should be given: It seems that the apostle Paul associates closely, as if he was talking about the same Spirit, the words 'Spirit of God' (that is the Spirit of the Father) and 'Spirit of Christ' (that is the Spirit of the Son):

 " But ye are not in the flesh, but in the 'spirit', if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."  (Romans 8:9) (note: This verse is taken from the 'English Revised Version' instead of  the 'King James Version' because, again and this time in Romans 8:9, the word 'spirit', in my understanding, refers to the spirit of man instead of the Spirit of God).
Thus, following the same idea, Jesus said to his apostles and disciples that He is the truth (John 14:6). Still in chapter 14 (book of John) Jesus said further, in John 14:16, that the Father shall give them (and us) another Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, whom was already with them at the precise moment He (Jesus) was speaking to them: " The Spirit of truth...but you know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14:17). It becomes evident, here, that Jesus wanted to point out that the 'Spirit of Truth' was in fact inside of Him, and consequently It (the Spirit of Truth) was necessarily with them at the exact moment he was saying " for he dwelleth with you " and that after His death and resurrection, this same 'Spirit of Truth' would come and dwell in them (the word 'them'  implies his apostles and all the other disciples from now on). We are not mistaking if we affirm that the words 'Spirit of God' or the 'Holy Spirit' or the 'Comforter or the 'Spirit of Christ' or the 'Spirit of Truth' represent the same Spirit. In other words: Spirit of God = Holy Spirit = Comforter = Spirit of Christ = Spirit of Truth.
Somewhere (or 'sometime') before the foundation of the world, the Father have begotten the Son (Hebrew 1:5; Psalms 2:7) in His image (Colossians 1:15). The Father and the Son are one (John 10:30). "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him" (John 3:34).  "For it pleased the Father that in him (Jesus-Christ) should all fulness dwell" (Colossians 1:19). These verses suggest all that the Father and the Son have the same Spirit. Hence, It becomes important, at this point, to distinguish between having been begotten (Jesus the Son of God have been begotten) and having been created ( we humans and everything existing in the universe have been created). Jesus said in John 16:27-28 that He came out from God and that He came forth from the Father. It is as if the Father had made come out of Himself (grossly comparable to a process of auto-reproduction) a being (that is the Son of God) having the same nature, spiritually, mentally and corporeally. We could say figuratively, in a contemporary context, that the Son had received from the Father the same genes. They both have the same nature, the same attributes. At the foundation of the world, when the Father had decided that the 'time' or 'moment' (did time as we understand it really exist before the foundation of the universe?) had come for the creation of the universe, He (the Father) said to the Son: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Genesis 1:26). In this particular instance, the Son, obeying to the Father, made come to existence the humans and all the rest of the universe by his Word (John 1:1-3). This is different from being begotten. This is not 'auto-reproduction'. The Father and the Son existed before the foundation of the world. Everything created since the foundation of the world depend on God's Word for it's existence and subsistence (Colossians 1:17).
To resume  this first section on the nature of our Creator, we cannot escape the idea that God the Father is above all a Spirit. He is the Holy Spirit. His Son was begotten at His image before the foundation of the world. In spite of the fact that we have been created in their (The Father and the Son) image, after their likeness, we are above all immortal spirits but not eternal spirits having been created at the foundation of the world when time, as we know and understand it began. Our body, indeed, can die because of sin, but it is not really the case for our soul and spirit. These, however can be diminished or sick in some ways: after the original sin (the sin of Adam and Eve) the spirit of man lost to a certain degree the capacity or power of perceiving and grasping divine and eternal things. Saying that our spirit is dead because of the sin of Adam and Eve should be taken as a figure of style  and used for a way of showing that our spirit is deprived completely or to a certain degree of its capacity or power of perceiving and grasping divine and eternal things, and consequently, not being able to have communion with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:3; about this verse, did you notice that John the apostle doesn't mention having communion (fellowship) with the Holy Spirit? As an explanation, my suggestion is that the Father and the Son are one (John 10:30) and, indeed, they have the same Spirit which is called in the Bible the Holy Spirit). This figure of style appears in Ephesians 2:1-2:" And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience;"
But, through the death and resurrection of Jesus-Christ, our spirit can be regenerated: "But God, who is rich in mercy,  for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus;" (Ephesians 2:4-6). In other words, through Jesus-Christ,  our spirit was reanimated or vivified (Romans 8:10) and thus, we can again be in communion with God and draw near with confidence to his throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).

2- God has a soul: The word 'soul' taken from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is the translation of the Greek word 'psuche' (number 5590 in the Strong's concordance). It means the portion of our being that can feel emotions (Matthews 26:38), have desires, love, having an aversion on something or someone. It also means the vital force animating our body and which manifests itself by our respiration. Considering the definition given, it is certain that our Creator possess a soul: He can desire (Psalms 132:13-14); He loves (John 3:16); He has in aversion sin in general (Isaiah 43:24) even a nation (Psalms 95:10)  or certain sins in particular (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Finally, in Him resides the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). 

3- God has a body:Indeed, when the apostle John was on Patmos island, he had a vision of heaven in which he saw and described someone sitting on a throne (Revelation 4:2-3, NIV). This person was the Father. John would not have said that there was someone (NIV) or one (King James) sitting on a throne if he (someone) had not a human appearance (head, arms, hands (Revelation 5:1,7), thorax, abdomen, legs and feet). When  a heavenly being does not possess a human appearance, he or it is described  with more details, which is the case of the four beasts in the midst and around the throne (Revelation 4:6-8). We must consider that the Spirit of God is everywhere (omnipresent) but He is not visible (John 3:8). The only man having seen face to face the Father is the Son  (John 1:18; 6:46). This is possible only if the Father formed himself a body in heaven, sitting on his throne, to let the heavenly beings whom He have created see Him while they are serving Him and adore Him : "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10).

The Son himself has a human appearance: "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the middle of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars..." (Revelation 1:12-16). We should remember that when we will be in heaven, after the resurrection, we will have a glorious body similar to the one Jesus has (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

To conclude this article, the Hebrew word used to design 'likeness' in Genesis 1:26 ("Let us make man in our image, after our 'likeness'.) is 'de-mooth' (number 1823 in the Strong's concordance). It means concretely: model, form. In the context of Genesis 1:26 it has this specified signification: according to the original model. Indeed, we, humans, were created according the original model which is the one of the Father and the Son: we are spirits with a soul and a body. Satan had become a fallen angel because he wanted to be like the most High (Isaiah 14:14), and the reason why he hates us so much is that we (humans) , in fact, have been created in God's image, after His likeness.

"Faisons l'homme à notre image, selon notre ressemblance"

Dans Genèse 1:26, Dieu a dit:"Faisons l'homme à notre image, selon notre ressemblance...". Ainsi, puisque nous avons été crées à son image et selon sa ressemblance, il est légitime de se demander quelle est la substance (essence ou nature) de l'image et de la ressemblance de Dieu. Le mot 'image' en Hébreux est 'tselem' (voir la concordance de Strong au numéro 6754). Dans le contexte du verset Genèse 1:26, ce mot signifie que Dieu a créé l'homme avec les mêmes ingrédients essentiels qui caractérisent sa propre nature. Et quels sont ces ingrédients essentiels? Dans 1 Thessaloniciens 5:23, l'apôtre Paul nous donne un début de réponse à cette question: "Que le Dieu de paix vous sanctifie lui-même tout entiers, et que tout votre être, l'esprit, l'âme et le corps, soit conservé irrépréhensible, lors de l'avènement de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ!"

Premièrement, Dieu est avant tout un Esprit :"Dieu est esprit, et il faut que ceux qui l'adorent l'adorent en esprit et en vérité" (Jean 4:24). On peut même affirmer qu'il est le 'Saint-Esprit' puisque lui seul est saint (Apocalypse 15:4). Par conséquent, puisque nous avons été crées à son image, nous sommes appelés, nous aussi, à être saints dans toute notre conduite (1 Pierre 1:15).

        Le mot 'esprit' tiré du verset 1 Thessaloniciens 5:23 cité plus haut vient du mot grec 'pneuma' (numéro 4151 dans la concordance de Strong). Il signifie la pensée rationnelle et par implication, le principe vital de notre être et la disposition mentale de celui-ci. Joseph Henry Thayer ('A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament' p. 520) définit le mot 'esprit' ('pneuma') tiré de 1 Thessaloniciens 5:23 comme étant la portion rationnelle de l'homme, ayant la capacité de percevoir et de saisir (ou comprendre) les choses divines et éternelles et sur laquelle l'Esprit de Dieu exerce son influence. Luther affirmait que l'esprit est la partie la plus élevée et la plus noble de l'homme. 
 Il faudrait apporter une précision à propos de cette capacité de percevoir et de saisir les choses divines et éternelles. Depuis le péché d'Adam et Eve, cette capacité de notre esprit est atténuée sinon perdue ; c'est une conséquence associée à la mort (comme notre corps et notre âme peuvent être malades depuis le péché d'Adam et Ève, ainsi, notre esprit peut être diminué ou malade). Seulement si nous nous identifions à Christ dans sa mort et sa résurrection, autrement dit, si nous naissons de nouveau (Jean 3:3,5), ou encore si nous avons reçu l'Esprit de Dieu (lire attentivement 1 Corinthiens 2:11-12 et Romains 8:9-11) nous pouvons retrouver cette capacité. En lisant 1 Corinthiens 2:14-16 où l'apôtre Paul met en relief l'homme animal (L'homme qui n'est pas né de nouveau, qui se laisse gouverner par les passions et les désires de sa chair et qui n'a pas cette capacité) et l'homme spirituel (L'homme qui est né de nouveau et qui est rempli et se laisse gouverner par l'Esprit de Dieu) on peut mieux saisir ce qui vient d'être mentionné:

"Mais l'homme animal ne reçoit pas les choses de L'Esprit de Dieu, car elles sont une folie pour lui, et il ne peut les connaître, parce que c'est spirituellement qu'on en juge. L'homme spirituel, au contraire, juge de tout, et il n'est lui-même jugé par personne. Car qui a connu la pensée du Seigneur, pour l'instruire? Or nous, nous avons la pensée de Christ". (1 Corinthiens 2:14-16)

Et si nous avons la pensée de Christ, c'est qu'il habite en nous. Et si Christ habite en nous:"le corps,  il est vrai, est mort à cause du péché, mais l'esprit est vie à cause de la justice." (Romains 8:10). Ce dernier passage nous apprend clairement que si Christ habite en nous, notre esprit reprend vie; il devient capable de percevoir et de saisir les choses divines et éternelles. 

Une remarque à  propos de Romains 8:9 vaudrait la peine d'être soulignée: il semble que l'apôtre Paul associe intimement, comme si c'était la même chose, les termes 'Esprit de Dieu et Esprit de Christ:

"Pour vous, vous ne vivez pas selon la chair, mais selon l'esprit, si du moins l'Esprit de Dieu habite en vous. Si quelqu'un n'a pas l'Esprit de Christ, il ne lui appartient pas." (Romains 8:9)

Aussi, dans un même ordre d'idée, Jésus a affirmé lui-même à ses apôtres et disciples qu'Il est la vérité (Jean 14:6). Toujours au chapitre 14, Il a dit plus loin que le Père nous enverra le Consolateur, l'Esprit de vérité, lequel était déjà avec eux au moment où il leur parlait: "L'Esprit de vérité...vous le connaissez, car il demeure avec vous, et il sera en vous." (Jean 14:17) . Il devient évident, ici, que Jésus voulait dire que l'Esprit de vérité était en Lui, donc avec eux, au moment où il disait "il demeure avec vous" et qu'après sa mort et sa résurrection il (L'Esprit de vérité) viendrait et habiterait en eux (c'est-à-dire tous ceux qui croiraient en Jésus). On ne se trompe pas si on affirme que l'Esprit de Dieu ou l'Esprit-Saint ou le Consolateur, l'Esprit de Christ et l'Esprit de vérité représentent le même Esprit. En d'autres termes: Esprit de Dieu = Esprit-Saint = Consolateur =  Esprit de Vérité = Esprit de Christ. 
 Quelque part, avant la fondation du monde, le Père a engendré le Fils (Hébreux 1:5; Psaumes 2:7) à son image (Colossiens 1:15). Le Père et le Fils sont un (Jean 10:30)."Car celui que Dieu a envoyé dit les paroles de Dieu, parce que Dieu ne lui donne pas l'Esprit avec mesure" (Jean 3:34) Dieu a voulu que toute plénitude habitât en lui (En son Fils Jésus) (Colossiens 1:19). Tous ces versets suggèrent que le Père et le Fils ont le même Esprit. Il devient alors important, à ce point-ci, de distinguer entre être engendré (Jésus le Fils de Dieu a été engendré) et être créés (nous les humains et tout ce qui existe dans l'univers avons été créés). Jésus a dit qu'il est sorti du Père (Jean 16:27-28). C'est comme si le Père avait fait sortir de lui-même (grossièrement comparable à un processus d'auto-reproduction) un être de même nature spirituelle, psychique et corporelle. On dirait dans un langage contemporain que le Fils a reçu du Père les même gènes. Ils ont la même nature, les mêmes attributs. À la fondation du monde, le Père a dit au Fils: "Faisons l'homme à notre image, selon notre ressemblance" (Genèse 1:26). Dans ce cas-ci, le Fils, en obéissance au Père, a amené à l'existence les humains et tout le reste de l'univers par sa Parole (Jean 1:1-3). Ce n'est pas un engendrement ('auto-reproduction'). Le Père et le Fils ont existé bien avant la fondation du monde tandis que la création a eu lieu à la fondation du monde. Tout ce qui a été créé dépend de Dieu pour exister (Colossiens 1:17)

Pour conclure cette première section sur la nature de notre Créateur, on ne peut échapper à l'idée que Dieu le Père est avant tout Esprit. Il est le 'Saint-Esprit'. Son Fils a été engendré à son image avant la fondation du monde.

Malgré le fait que nous ayons été créés à leur (le Père et le Fils) image et selon leur ressemblance, nous sommes des esprits immortels (ayant été crées à la fondation du monde quand le temps tel que nous le connaissons et comprenons aujourd'hui a commencé) et non éternels comme le sont le Père et le Fils. Notre corps, certes, peut mourir, à cause du péché, mais il n'en est pas ainsi de notre âme et notre esprit. Ils peuvent, cependant, être diminués ou malades d'une certaine façon. Après le péché originel (le péché d'Adam et Ève) l'esprit de l'homme a en effet perdu plus ou moins cette capacité de percevoir et de saisir les choses divines et éternelles.  Affirmer que notre esprit est mort à cause du péché d'Adam et Ève est une figure de style pour montrer que notre esprit est privé de sa capacité de percevoir et de saisir les choses divines et éternelles, et de ce fait, il ne peut être en communion avec le Père et le Fils (1 Jean 1:3 ); à propos de ce verset, avez-vous remarqué que l'apôtre Jean  n'a pas mentionné avoir une communion avec le Saint-Esprit? Comme explication, je vous suggère ceci: Le Père et le Fils sont un (Jean 10:30) et, de cette façon, ils ont le même Esprit que la Bible nomme le Saint-Esprit). Cette figure de style est exprimée dans Éphésiens 2:1-2: "Vous étiez morts par vos offenses et par vos péchés dans lesquels vous marchiez autrefois, selon le prince de la puissance de l'air, de l'esprit qui agit maintenant dans les fils de la rébellion". Mais, grâce à la mort et la résurrection de Jésus-Christ, notre esprit peut reprendre vie:"Mais Dieu, qui est riche en miséricorde, à cause du grand amour dont il nous a aimés, nous qui étions morts par nos offenses, nous a rendus à la vie avec Christ (C'est par grâce que vous êtes sauvés); il nous a ressuscités ensemble, et nous a fait asseoir ensemble dans les lieux célestes, en Jésus-Christ." (Éphésiens 2:4-6). En d'autres mots, grâce à Jésus-Christ, notre esprit a été vivifié (Romains 8:10) et ainsi, nous pouvons de nouveau être en communion avec Dieu et nous approcher avec assurance à son trône de grâce (Hébreux 4:16). 

"Et si Christ est en vous, le corps, il est vrai, est mort à cause du péché, mais l'esprit est vie, à cause de la justice" (Romains 8:10)

"Approchons-nous donc avec assurance du trône de la grâce, afin d'obtenir miséricorde et de trouver grâce, pour être secourus dans nos besoins." (Hébreux 4:16)

Fin de l'extrait.

Deuxièmement: Dieu a une âme: Le mot 'âme' tiré du verset 1 Thessaloniciens 5:23 est la traduction du mot grec 'psuche' (no 5590 dans la concordance de Strong) et signifie la partie de notre être qui peut ressentir des émotions (Matthieu 26:38), désirer, aimer, avoir en aversion quelqu'un ou quelque chose. Ce mot veut dire aussi la force vitale qui anime notre corps et qui se manifeste par la respiration. En considérant la définition de ce mot, il est certain que notre Créateur a une âme: il peut désirer (Psaumes 132:13-14); il aime (Jean 3:16), il a en aversion le péché en général (Ésaie 43:24) ou une race en dégoût (Psaumes 95:10)  et certains péchés plus que d'autres (Deutéronome 18:10-12) et en lui est la force vitale qui donne la vie (Genèse 2:7)

Troisièmement: Dieu a un corps. En effet, alors que Jean était sur l'île de Patmos, il a eu une vision du ciel où il voyait et pouvait décrire quelqu'un qui était assis sur un trône. (Apocalypse 4:2-3) Cette personne était le Père. Jean n'aurait pas dit qu'il y avait quelqu'un qui était assis sur le trône si ce dernier n'avait pas eu une apparence humaine (tête, bras,mains (Apocalypse 5:1,7), thorax, abdomen, jambes et pieds). Quand un être céleste n'a pas une apparence humaine, il est décrit avec plus de détails, comme c'est le cas des quatre êtres vivants présents au milieu et autour du trône (Apocalypse 4:6-8). Nous devons considérer que l'Esprit de Dieu est partout (omniprésent) mais il est invisible (Jean 3:8). Le seul homme ayant vu le Père face à face est le Fils (Jean 1:18; 6:46). Ce n'est possible que si le Père se soit lui-même formé un corps au ciel, siégeant sur un trône, pour permettre aux êtres célestes qu'il a créés et  qui le servent puissent le voir et l'adorer: "Gardez-vous de mépriser un seul de ces petits; car je vous dis que leurs anges dans les cieux voient continuellement la face de mon Père qui est dans les cieux" (Matthieu 18:10)
Le Fils aussi a une apparence humaine:"Je vis sept chandeliers d'or, et au milieu des sept chandeliers, quelqu'un qui ressemblait à un fils d'homme..."(Apocalypse 1:12-16). Il est décrit aussi, dans une figure de style, comme étant l'agneau de Dieu (Apocalypse 5:6; Jean 1:36). Dans Daniel 7:13, il est question encore de Lui dans ces termes:"Je regardais dans mes visions nocturnes, et voici, sur les nuées des cieux arriva quelqu'un quelqu'un de semblable à un fils de l'homme; il s'avança vers l'ancien des jours, et on le fit approcher de lui."
Quand nous serons au ciel, après la résurrection, nous aurons un corps glorieux comme celui de Jésus (1 Corinthiens 15:42-44). 

Pour finir, le mot hébreux utilisé pour désigner 'ressemblance' dans Genèse 1:26 ("Faisons l'homme à notre image, selon notre ressemblance") est 'de-mooth' (no. 1823  dans la concordance de Strong). Il signifie concrètement modèle, forme. Dans le contexte de Genèse 1:26, il veux dire 'selon le modèle original'. Certes, Nous avons été créés selon le modèle original qui est celui du Père et du Fils: nous sommes des esprits avec une âme et un corps. Satan a été déchu parce qu'il a voulu être semblable au Très-Haut (Ésaie 14:14), et la raison pour laquelle il nous hait tant est que les hommes ont justement été créés à l'image et à la ressemblance de Dieu.

Declarations of C. Peter Wagner or why should we not follow his teachings

This article was written in French and published on February 13, 2013 on this same blog under the title "Des affirmations d'un des principaux défendeurs du dominionisme  qui ne tiennent pas vraiment la route". I would like to encourage those that have read it in French to read it in English this time because it has being reviewed (improved).

A few days after meeting my pastor to explain why we (my wife and myself) have decided to leave the church he is pastoring (senior pastor) and in which we have served for a period of 20 years, we have addressed him a very long letter (He never answered or replied to our letter or called us to discuss about it). This assembly (in Gatineau, Qc.), under his leadership, has decided to take a new orientation based on "dominionism" principally advocated by C. Peter Wagner and his collaborators. Here is the letter we have written to him:

Hello ... (The name of the pastor is erased)

    Following our meeting last Friday at your office, let us share with you certain facts and comments on our part concerning some declarations of C. Peter Wagner while he was interviewed on the radio program "Fresh Air" (October 3, 2011). Some of his and also your declarations concern, in a certain way, the subject of our meeting, which was to discuss with you why we wanted to leave the church.

You declared at church in June 24, 2012, one week  after the first Apostolic Conference organized by your church (We were out of town that week but we listened to the audio tapes a few days ago) that your main guest, C. Peter Wagner is your spiritual father:

First of all, last Friday (February the 8th, 2013) at our meeting, when you told me that your spiritual alignment with Wagner did not force you to believe or to apply all of his teachings, I believed that it was reasonable. But after hearing your sermon (on video) of the 24th of June 2012 titled "Alignment" we understood that your alignment with C. Peter Wagner was much more serious than what you let it see or believe. Here is one of  your words you spoke that day about your relation with C. Peter Wagner (June 24, 2012):(translation from french) "We went further than just align with an apostle. We called him Papa (Dad) and he received (accepted) that also." When someone is considered and called publicly spiritual Dad, that person has necessarily a certain measure of authority on those who have qualified him as such. If not, it is a vain word pronounced to impress...Also, when it is said that someone is aligned in a apostolic manner with another person, we understand, in the same way as C. Peter Wagner himself have said, that they collaborate very closely. Indeed, Wagner was speaking with this same understanding at his interview on the radio program "Fresh air" when he was talking about Cindy Jacobs and John Benefiel: "Well, I must say that both John Benefiel and Cindy Jacobs are very close to me. They're both aligned apostolically with me. So I am part of what they do, and they are part of what I do". In this declaration, it is as if Wagner affirms that they (Benefiel and Jacobs) are in him (Wagner) and that he is in them in a similar way Jesus talks about His relation with the Father (John 14:10 and John 10:30) (and also in John 5:19 mostly because Wagner said: "so I am part of what they do, and they are part of what I do...")
 We can see, indeed, that all you have put in place at church (without really explaining your real intents to the assembly...) beginning two years ago, demonstrates you are fully aligned (hand in hand, so to speak) with Wagner's recommendations: First, you created, at church, following Wagner's recommendations, a team of intercessors (it's not bad as such) and promoted for every city or territory the birth of a House of prayer (this is debatable); after that, you developed a team of prophets (this is also debatable) and finally, you proceeded in changing our  traditional way of  operating a local church (governance) to a new style called "Third way" or "New wine-skin" or "New Apostolic Reformation" (this is highly disputable).

You also said to the assembly, Sunday the 17th of June 2012, the day after the end of the first apostolic conference in Gatineau, Qc. (C. Peter Wagner was present): "Let's welcome our Papa (Dad)" designating C. Peter Wagner. We would like to tell you that hearing this created in us some frustration. In fact, C. Peter Wagner might be a spiritual Dad for many, but he is certainly not our's. If we refer to Matthew 23:9 ("And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."), we should never consider or call someone our spiritual "Dad" or, even worse, accept to be called or spoken of being such.

Secondly, when I told you that Wagner had elaborated partly his theory on spiritual warfare (Wagner calls it "Strategic level Spiritual warfare") by consulting sources originating from the occult world, for instance, by interviewing persons which had practised occultism or by interrogating demons which were being exorcised, you did not seem to believe me. So to support my sayings, here are some declarations of C. Peter Wagner concerning this subject (The following text in red colour was written by Wagner in his book entitled "Spiritual Warfare Strategy") (The page numbers of Spiritual Warfare Strategy refer to the ibook edition of his 1996 book with Destiny Image Publisher.)

“about the reality of the spirit world in which they have gained considerable experience we can indeed get valid information form the world of darkness.”

“These non-Christian sources, of course, must be evaluated with much prayerful scrutiny and caution. Still, we must keep in mind that the spirit world to which they are dedicated is a real world, not the figment of their ‘heathen’ imaginations. Therefore, some things about it can be accurately known. A particularly important source of credible information may be those occult practitioners who have been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit.” (SWS, 61)

“Some have raised the question of whether we can receive valid information from demons themselves. Demons are portrayed in the Bible as beings who have personalities and intelligence, and as beings who can and do speak. They are also portrayed as deceivers. It must therefore be concluded that they do possess some valid information. The question then becomes, ‘Does any of this valid information get communicated to us when they speak?’ Obviously so, but discernment is needed to process whatever we hear from them in order to separate truth from falsehood. I once heard Ed Murphy point out this very interesting fact: Every time the words of a demon are recorded in the New Testament, they speak the truth! Is this not biblical evidence that we can indeed get valid information from the world of darkness?” (SWS, 61)

The last argument presented by Wagner in his book to convince us that it is alright to use information originating from the occult world is "Every time the words of a demon are recorded in the New Testament, they speak the truth! Is this not biblical evidence that we can indeed get valid information from the world of darkness?” (SWS, 61). We think it should be added some touches (corrections or nuances) to this last affirmation: Satan himself lied to Jesus when he tried to tempt him in the desert because he pretended (Read Luke 4:6 and Matthew 4:9) that all the kingdoms of the world, it's power and glory were delivered to him. It's not what the verse in Deuteronomy 10:14 declares: "Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is." Other verses affirm the same idea (Exodus 19:5; Psalms 82:8 ISV; 89:11).
The unclean spirit or devil which was proclaiming that Jesus is the Holy One of God (Luke 4:34; Mark 1:24) was saying the truth, indeed, but Jesus did not want him to declare it at this precise moment (Luke 4:35). So this unclean spirit did it opposing the will of God.
The spirit of divination was saying the truth about the apostle Paul and collaborators (Acts 16:16-19), but it's purpose was to convince the crowd that the women possessed great capacities of divination. That did not really glorify God.
The only example (there are not plenty, contrary to what Wagner was pretending in his interview at the radio program "Fresh Air) where we find that Jesus obtained the truth by interrogating a demon was with the one possessing the man of Gadarenes. Jesus asked his name (Luke 8:30; Mark 5:9). The unclean spirit answered 'Legion' because many devils were entered into him.  Saying "Every time the words of a demon are recorded in the New Testament, they speak the truth!" is not a convincing argument to promote the practice of interrogating devils during an exorcism to learn what?...To learn to chase them out... 
The only trustable (credible) information is the Word of God. Out of it, we cannot trust what a devil would say because he is a liar, like Satan. We believe Wagner is erring on this point.

Like I tried to explain to you last Friday,when our belt of truth is damaged by false doctrines, the christian armour is not fixed solidly on us. It makes us an easy prey to the attacks of the enemy.
                                           _______________________________________

 We also encourage you to listen to the radio program "Fresh Air (October 3, 2011). The title is "A leading figure in the New Apostolic Reformation". It's Terry Gross who is interviewing C. Peter Wagner. Here is the link:  < A Leading Figure In The New Apostolic Reformation . Listening to this interview (you can also choose to read the transcript) you will discover all kinds of affirmations of C. Peter Wagner that don't stand the road...

Here are some of his affirmations:

1- He (C. Peter Wagner) supports the idea that if Japan actually, in 2013, lives all these economic troubles and the disaster of the tsunami, it is because of what the emperor of the country did in November 1990 in one of the ceremonies ( Daijosai ceremony) of his coronation: He would have had, in some way..., a sexual intercourse with the sun goddess (important goddess related to the Shintoist religion). The economic troubles of Japan did not start in 1990 like Wagner pretends. The experts on economy, as for example Benjamin Powell ("Les Causes de la Récession Japonaise", http://www.causes-crise-economique.com/japon.htm , by Benjamin Powell, November 2002) , say that these troubles started near the end of 1985 (not in 1990) by an exaggeration of the rise of the exchange value of the Yen. This was followed up by a speculative bubble after the Bank of Japan had lowered the interest rates. During this same period of time, even Canada and the United States had serious financial problems.  Do we have to conclude then that our own political leaders were also fornicating with a goddess? Do you (pastor) realize what was declaring C. Peter Wagner? Still concerning this same subject, Wagner declared in the same interview:"I'm speaking for myself and a fairly substantial group of people, with whom I closely associate." Take time to listen to the interview (or read the transcript). C. Peter Wagner, a man of such stature, like you pretend him to be in your sermon of the 24th of June 2012, making such declarations on a radio program and speaking on behalf of a substantial group of people, all of them close collaborators ! While we are at it, is it a similar cause that led to the attack of the Twin Towers in September 11, 2001 ? Is it a similar cause that led to the worldwide economic crash of 2008 ? Is it a similar cause, to laugh about it, instead of crying over it, that led, year over year the Montreal Canadians hockey club to loose the Stanley Cup ...? How can Wagner sustain and bring proofs to such declarations? It is a mere allegation, non-provable and it is taking advantage of the credulity of people.

2- He (Wagner) also said in his interview that the governor of the state of Texas, Rick Perry, was not probably informed that Alice Patterson was involved in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement when he asked her to organize the prayer rally called 'The Response', held in August 2011. This governor is part of the Republican party (In Canada, we can compare this political party to the Conservatives) which is opposing Obama's Democrats. Alice Patterson is a recognized apostle of the NAR. She wrote in a book that the Democratic Party was demonized. Wagner admits he knows her well ("I know Alice well"). He knows her well enough to call her 'Alice'. He said in the interview that he did not personally  endorse her saying concerning the Democratic party being demonized. Nevertheless, immediately after that, Wagner hastened to add: "I believe there's a lot of demonic control over Congress in general that needs to be dispersed". 
Just after, he talked about Chuck Pierce, a prophet, himself a very good friend of Wagner. He said that Pierce was at the origin of this affirmation (that the Democratic party was demonized) while he was giving a prophecy. He continued saying that Pierce's prophecies where sometimes kind of 'wrongly' interpreted: "Chuck, because he's a prophet, he speaks in language that different people interpret differently". If it is true that Alice Patterson is an apostle by the standards of Wagner and the NAR (One characteristic of apostles, by Wagner's standards, is to be gifted by the Holy Spirit in the interpretation of prophecies), she lacks anointment  to interpret prophecies.
Finally, this rally of prayer for the American nation (The Response) held in August 2011 which was tainted with an opposition to the election of Obama and the rally that was held in Washington D.C. the 3rd October 2011 (organized by 2 important members of NAR, John Benefiel, an apostle, and Cindy Jacobs, a prophetess, both very close collaborators of Wagner:"Well, I must say that both John Benefiel and Cindy Jacobs are very close to me. They're both aligned apostolically with me. So I am part of what they do, and they are part of what I do"), did not succeed in stopping the 'demonized' Democratic party of Obama, in spite of all the prayer rallies and the attempts to submit the territorial demons, to win the American elections in November 2011. We have the impression that Wagner and his close collaborators engage themselves in battles they can't win in spite of all their prophecies.

3- On another subject during the interview, Terry Gross asked:"Would it be fair to say that you see homosexuality as a satanic expression?" Here is C. Peter Wagner's answer:"Well, I don't think - let me put it a different way. I think - I do not think homosexuality is the - is the will of God. I don't think it's God's plan A." What we can observe in his answer is that Wagner is an excellent "figure skater". He could have said simply that homosexuality is a sin (1 Cor. 6:9), but he chose to say that he did not think that it's God's plan A. He lost a wonderful opportunity to denounce that sin. Instead of saying "I don't think", he should have said that the Bible denounces clearly homosexuality.
More on the subject of homosexuality: Further in the interview, Terry Gross mentioned the case of Ted Haggard, an ex- and close collaborator of C. Peter Wagner and co-founder with him of the World Prayer Center, based in Colorado Spring. Ted Haggard was forced to confess, some years after the beginning of this prayer centre, that he had sex with men and that he used drugs. Terry Gross asked C. Peter Wagner how this confession had affected him. He answered that he didn't think he had recovered yet. He added also a little later on that it was a devastating blow to him. However, he continued explaining that a few years before the public disclosure, Cindy Jacobs, a prophetess very close to him had exposed Ted Haggard in the presence of this man's wife and Chuck Pierce on this subject (homosexuality) pretending that God had showed her. Cindy Jacobs informed Wagner after this exposure. So Wagner knew or suspected that Haggard was an homosexual a few years before it was revealed to the public and, in spite of that, did not react. How come, then, Wagner pretended in his interview that it was a devastating blow to him? Ted Haggard, after this confrontation with Cindy Jacobs, was able to go on his usual activities within the World Prayer Center without been under surveillance. Since he was informed by Cindy Jacobs, it is quite clear, in this situation, that Wagner lacked discernment and vigilance or that he did not believe or trust his prophetess, close friend to him.
Adding on that,  while Terry Gross came up to the subject of Dominionism and theocracy, Wagner was pointing up that the desire of Dominionists was to see all the spheres of society  infiltrated by newborn Christians in order to occupy key functions, the premise being that society would then change for the best. He said: "So we would like to see the blessings of heaven characterize our society. We would like to see a city characterized by justice and peace and righteousness and equality and prosperity and health and honesty, and almost everybody agrees with us. These are the values of heaven. We don't want racism. We don't want poverty or divorce or corruption or child abuse or crime. That is our..." At this point of the interview, Terry Gross interrupted Wagner to suggest him to add to this list homosexuality. Wagner replied that he had not placed this problem on his list. Just a bit after that, he said: " I just think there are more important things right now." We believe, again, that the way he answered these though questions, Wagner could have won an "international championship in figure skating"...How can C. Peter Wagner  ignore such a 'plague' when all the spheres of society are invaded by this sin?

4-When Terry Gross asked C. Peter Wagner if it was true that some members of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) feel that the growth of Islam in the United States is dangerous and that mosques are demonic or that demons dwell within, his answer was: "Well, first of all, I wouldn't want to give the impression that the NAR denies the plurality of religion. We honour each religion in a society like our American society. However, we feel that - believe in Jesus, and Jesus has told us to go and preach the kingdom of God, and part of that is the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. And people who do not believe in Jesus Christ are not candidates for the kingdom of heaven. So our desire is that everybody be a candidate". These words will never convince an Islam believer or a believer of any other religion that NAR partisans honour each religion in society mostly because earlier in the interview Wagner answered " yes it is" to this question of Terry Gross: "...So your larger goal here (is) to get Japan to turn away not only from the Shinto faith, but also from Buddhism and follow Jesus-Christ?" While he says one time during the interview that he honours all religions, he says earlier in the same interview that he wants to get rid of Shinto faith and Buddhism in Japan. Again, Wagner is "figure skating".

5- On Terry Gross's demand to give more precisions about his definition of an apostle, Wagner answered: "The Bible teaches that apostles - related to prophets and also teachers - should form the basis of the government of the church". In this declaration Wagner was making kind of a sleight of hand (a trick). In reality (he is talking about it in many of his writings), he is referring to a passage in the letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 2:20; read also 1 Corinthians 12:28) which is stating that us, Christians, as forming altogether the Church of God, "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." The problem here is that Wagner is distorting this verse (Ephesians 2:20) because he is not using it in the appropriate context of the first years of Christianity. In these years, the apostles chosen by Christ himself (the 12 apostles, Judas being dead, but being replaced by Matthias) are the ones the writer of Ephesians, Paul, is referring to. Indeed, the foundation on which the Church as been established rests on the teachings of Jesus (the corner stone), first of all, and on those of his apostles and prophets of these special days. It doesn't rest on the teachings of the so-called auto-proclaimed apostles of today (Wagner auto-proclaimed himself as an apostle and he is naming other persons as apostles like you who is pastoring the church we are leaving). In other words, Wagner is using inappropriately this verse because he is substituting the real meaning of the word apostle in its context of Ephesians 2:20  (apostles chosen and instructed by Jesus himself in the first years of Christianity) to the definition of an apostle (auto-proclaimed or named by himself) he is advocating in our days. 
Hedwin Hartill  wrote in his book "Principles of Biblical Hermeneutics" page 79: " The Bible can be made to prove anything, but Not when studied in the light of the context".

In fact, when we look closely at Ephesians 2:20, we discover that it is not talking about the governance of the Church like Wagner seems to let us think. It talks rather about the edification (or construction) of the church. The governance or way to conduct (or run, or manage) of a local church should be done or applied by the elders (based on these verses: Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1; 5:5) and not by a pseudo-apostolic team in the manner Wagner suggests it. There is a difference between apostles ('apostolos' in Greek) and elders ('presbuteros' in Greek), if not, Luke, in Acts 15:2 (in the last part of the verse) would not have written: 
 "...Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question." 
 However, we can easily conceive that in the early days of Christianity an apostle could have occupied also, in the same local church, the function of an elder (1 Peter 5:1), but the responsibility of an elder was and is still pointing to the governance of a local church (see 1 Timothy 5:17) while the responsibility of an apostle, with the principal contribution of Jesus-Christ as the corner stone, was, but not today, pointing to the establishment of the foundation on which the edification of the Church would happen (see Ephesians 2:20). In other words, the foundation of the Church was perfectly completed (finished) 2000 years ago by Jesus-Christ, his apostles and prophets. There is no need to add on today like Wagner and collaborators try to make us believe.
On this same subject, during the interview, Wagner took advantage to hammer down the non biblical idea that  the apostles (of the past and of our days) had received of God a bigger authority and superior gift or anointment than the other ministries named in Ephesians 4:11. His main argument (which was not explained during the interview, but can be seen in some of Wagner's books) is based on the verse 1 Corinthians 12:28 : "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." I would like to remind you  that the word 'first'  appearing in 1 Corinthians 12:28 comes from the Greek word 'protos'. This word does not have the meaning of priority or importance when it appears in 1 Corinthians 12:28; it is used for the enumeration of different particular items or persons without any connotation of priority or importance. 

6- Concerning the Dominionism (theocracy) cherished by C. Peter Wagner, aiming to place in positions of influence new born Christians (well-meaning and thinking the way he is thinking) in all the spheres of society (Wagner divided society in seven groups called 'the seven mountains': Family, Education, Government, Business, Medias, Arts and Show-business), amounts to saying, indirectly, that society should be governed on biblical principles. Indeed, if a person is placed in a position of influence, does it not mean that he or she has the authority to take decisions so much so as to force the introduction of laws and rules established on biblical principals (please, understand that such laws or rules would not be bad as such)? The point here is that a society like that would be called by definition a theocracy. What Wagner is trying to introduce is disguised theocracy, even if during the interview he insisted in saying that it is not theocracy and that he didn't want that. Here, again, Wagner was figure skating energetically.
Chuck Pierce talks in similar terms  when he declares on his website ('Glory of Zion International Ministries') at the subject heading 'What we believe' :" The kingdom of God is here now! The seven mountains of society are meant to be influenced and dominated by the Kingdom of God". Didn't Jesus declare in John 18:36 that his kingdom is not of this world ? Didn't he insisted, still in John 18:36, that his kingdom is not from hence? Jesus himself have not taken possession yet of his reign on earth (Revelation 11:17; 19:6); He (Jesus) will take possession of it only in his second coming after having battled the Beast, the kings or rulers of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army (Revelation 19:19).

7- Wagner said during the interview that prophecies should be judged by others (1 Corinthians 14:29). We agree on the principle. But the reel test to judge a prophecy is to wait and see if it happened. Many prophets associated to this movement (NAR) made mistakes in their 'predictions' (prophecies) even if the apostles of the NAR have judged it and approved it.(read Matthew 7:15-19)

 8- One of the issues Terry Gross tackled during the interview with C. Peter Wagner is"spiritual mapping", a method for the identification and characterization of  'territorial demons'. Wagner and his followers pretend that these spiritual beings would have the power to stop or slow down all efforts to evangelize freely a city or a region or even a country. This method, combined with other methods of spiritual combat would permit, according to Wagner and his followers to neutralize and kick out of their sphere of influence these 'territorial demons'. This set of methods was baptized by Wagner as the 'Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare' (this term is not mentioned in the interview) (To learn more about 'spiritual mapping', we suggest to read in  this same blog (Pépites d'or de la Parole de Dieu) the article on 'spiritual mapping' ('mapping spirituel' in French) published in November 28, 2012 and the article on 'spiritual combat' ('combat spirituel' in French) published in December 11, 2012.)
But what becomes confusing or not clear on the part of Wagner during this interview on this subject is this following declaration:
"Sometimes we don't believe we can completely get them (Wagner was speaking about the 'territorial demons') away a city, but we can reduce their power. We can bind them, and then we can move strongly with the Kingdom of God into the city."
It's like he is saying that the power of God is sometimes unable to kick out or neutralize completely an evil spirit. There are only two possibilities: we can or we cannot chase a demon. There is no half measure. Anyway, it is not our responsibility to confront 'territorial demons' in order to chase them out of a city or a region or a country. God can and will send his angels to do this work as he did when he sent the archangel Michael in Daniel 10:12-14 (Please read the article on 'spiritual combat' in this same blog). The only demons we have the responsibility to chase are those that dwell in individuals. Jesus gave us the authority to do that.

9- The return of Jesus and the end of times: In this part of the interview, Wagner admitted that he was not believing anymore to the 'rapture', neither to the 'tribulations'. He quotes a verse in the book of Acts to support his opinion:
" Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." (Acts 3:19-21).

Wagner interprets this passage in this way: God is waiting for us, newborn Christians, to restore all things on earth before Christ's return. He will come back only on this condition. But, it is not really what theses verses are saying. Jesus is held up in heaven until the moment chosen by the Father. (Acts 1:7) for the restitution of all things, among others, the restitution of the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6; Isaiah 1:26; 14:1; 62:7; Jeremiah 31:4; 33:7,11; Ezekiel 37:14), of justice and peace and all lots of things. God have talked about it using many prophets. Now, note with attention what the verse 6 in Acts chapter one is saying:
"When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"
We see clearly in this verse that it is Jesus himself that will restore all things. We are not the ones that have to do that. God have chosen the exact moment when this will happen by the powerful hand of Jesus. In the meantime, Jesus has to stay in heaven.

10- Concerning your sermon of June 24, 2012, it makes us shiver to see how much you (pastor) consider, even admire C. Peter Wagner, a man of such an international stature ... Are you really aware of what this man and his close collaborators (Chuck Pierce, Cindy Jacobs and many others) proclaim in their declarations and their writings on all the issues tackled in this letter and all that was published on this same blog beginning September 2012? We encourage you really to meditate all what we have written to you.
"For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? (1 Corinthians 5:12)

Young earth (My conclusion from reading the Bible)

(I have written this article in french the 19th of September 2014 on this same blog)

Some creationists believe that the earth is young (YEC, Young earth Creationists) while others affirm that the earth is really old (OEC, Old Earth Creationists). Both groups rely on the Word of God, on their personal interpretation of it and... on science ... to support their theory. The main goal of this article is to demonstrate, by the Word of God only, that the earth, as we know of it today, and all the living beings have being formed by God in 6 days (6 x 24 hours) and not in 6 long undetermined periods of time extending from millions to billions of years.

We learn, reading Romans 1:20, that the eternal power of God and his Godhead "are clearly seen" (King James version) "from the creation of the world, being understood by the things that are made". If it is from the creation of the world that we can see in a clear way the external power and Godhead of God, we have no choice to conclude that the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve, have being formed (created) at the very beginning of creation (the sixth day) and not after millions, even billions of years like the defenders of an old earth (OEC) pretend.
                                                                    ______________

 "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:9-11)

This text of Exodus compares and associates, without any doubt, the six days of creation with the six days of work in a week. It would not be convincing to pretend that the six days of creation which are talked about in Exodus 20:9-11 are not days of 24 hours but long, very long periods of time. One of the aims of these verses are they not to convince that work all the time (7 days a week) is not everything to life? Should we not put apart at least one day a week for the Lord and have rest if we want to put all the "chances" on our side to maintain a good corporal, psychological and spiritual health?
                                                                 ______________

In Genesis 1:30, it is written that God gave to all beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, every green herb for meat. At the end of this same verse, we can read:"and it was so" meaning that when  God proclaims something, it happens the way He said. This presuppose then that the animals  (even dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurs Rex) where all vegetarians before the sin of Adam and Eve and that no animal would kill another animal to feed itself. After the seduction of the first man and first woman by Satan in the garden, we realize reading in the book of Genesis that death begins gradually to be mentioned (as a consequence of original sin, Genesis 2:17): 1- God used the skins of animals to make coats of skin because Adam and Eve needed to be clothed after their sin (Genesis 3:21). This verse presupposes that the Lord provoked the death of the animals so to use their skin. 2- Abel had to kill the firstlings of his flock in order to offer them as an offering to the Lord (Genesis 4:4). 3- Cain slew (killed) his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8). 4- After the flood, as we read in Genesis 9:1-17, God gave officially to man the permission to kill animals in order to eat and, at the same time, He said that the blood of any man and of any beast would be required if a man would be killed or assassinated. In other words, if a man (a human) kills another human or if a beast kills a human, the consequence or punishment of their act should be death (Genesis 9:5; Exodus 21:28-29). But, it is important to note, God did not require this same punishment to an animal that would kill another animal. In fact, the era of carnivorous animals at this same time was proclaimed by our Creator. What could have happened at this precise moment is that God permitted some minor mutations (micro-evolution) in some animals, those we classify today as carnivores and omnivores, to adapt themselves in order to  kill other animals and to eat and digest their flesh. It is interesting concerning this subject to read in Isaiah, chapter 11 , verses 6 to 9 and in chapter 65, verse 25, how many carnivores and omnivores (wolf, leopard, lion, bear, asp) , at the return of Messiah, will cohabit pacifically with herbivores and shall eat straw. Also, the prophet Hosea (Hosea 2:18) have written, concerning the Restoration of Israel that the Lord will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground. So, we can conclude that God will transform carnivores into herbivores at the return of Christ. The point is that The Creator could have possibly made the inverse transformation for some animals (from herbivores to carnivores/omnivores) after the sin of Adam and Eve.                                                                                                                                                 ______________

" For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." ( Romans 8:19-22, NIV)

"In hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay" (Romans 8:21): this part of the verse from Romans 8:21 refers to the hope by all creation of being delivered from death (decay, corruption). All creation include not only humans but all the rest of living beings who all suffer the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve. Let me remind you in the same manner of thought that God made a covenant not only with men (Noah and his descendants) after the flood, but with every living creatures, "from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth" (Genesis 9:8-12). He will do another covenant in a similar way at the return of our Messiah (Hosea 2:18)

So, as a consequence of the original sin, death affects not only humans, but all living animals. All the arguments given earlier give me the right to affirm that death was introduced only after the sin of Adam and Eve, that before this original sin, men and animals did not die. Consequently, if the earth was old like the Old Earth Creationists (OEC) pretend, it could not have contained and support so many animals that would have multiplied and could not die since the original sin of Adam and Eve would come so many millions or billions of years later. But, a young earth of 6 days (6x24 hours) before the creation of Adam and Eve, would not suffer overpopulation of animals.
                                                                   ____________________ 
 Finishing the argumentation, it is written in Genesis  2:7 that  "the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." What presupposes this verse is that our Creator did not need years and years to form man. By His might, He took the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils and man became a living soul. There is no indication if He formed man as a child or as an adult, but, it is reasonable to think that He formed it as an adult since, after having planted a garden in Eden for Adam to live in (Genesis 2:8), He "caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof" (Genesis2:21). It is from this rib that  Eve was formed (Genesis 2:22). Immediately after, God married Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:23-24).
If God made Adam and Eve in the form of an adult, why is it so impossible to believe He made also in the third day of creation the plants in their mature form, that He made also in the fifth day of creation all the living creatures in water and the winged fowl in their adult form, that He made also all the animals in the sixth day of creation in their adult form? God is Almighty! God doesn't need billions of years to create life.

Whatever scientific "evidences"  presenting the idea that the earth is old, the Bible shows that the earth is young. There is also a growing proportion of scientists in our days that believe the earth is young. Talking about scientific evidences (I am addressing particularly to evolutionists), did you know that it is proven statistically that it is impossible for the different chemical elements that we can find in a living being to gather hazardously to form a living cell? Even billions of years are not enough for it to happen. 

La vraie signification du Sabbat dans la Nouvelle Alliance

Le vrai Sabbat dans la Nouvelle Alliance n'a aucun rapport avec l'observance d'un jour en particulier où on cesse toute activité pour se consacrer à Dieu (par exemple l'observance du Sabbat le samedi). Le vrai Sabbat des chrétiens, c'est quand on comprend enfin et qu'on décide de renoncer définitivement à nos œuvres mortes, car nous arrêtons alors de tenter de nous justifier nous-mêmes devant Dieu et de nous rendre parfait par nos propres efforts. C'est Jésus en nous qui accomplit tout cela:

"Or, c'est par lui (Dieu le Père) que vous êtes en Jésus-Christ, lequel, de par Dieu, a été fait pour nous sagesse, justice et sanctification et rédemption, afin, comme il est écrit, 'Que celui qui se glorifie se glorifie dans le Seigneur' " (1 Corinthiens 1:30)

L'auteur de l'épitre aux Hébreux, au début  du chapitre 6, nous énumère une liste des éléments ou bases ou fondements de la parole de Christ. Le premier élément de cette liste des fondements du christianisme est le renoncement aux œuvres mortes (Hébreux 6:1); ensuite il poursuit en nommant la foi en Dieu, la doctrine des baptêmes, celle de l'imposition des mains, celle de la résurrection des morts, et enfin, celle du jugement éternel. Ainsi, fondamentalement, pour devenir un vrai chrétien, il est essentiel, d'abord, de renoncer à toutes nos œuvres mortes. Quelles sont donc ces œuvres mortes dont il est question au verset 1 du chapitre 6 de l'épitre aux Hébreux (voir aussi Hébreux 9:14)? Les mots grecs qu'a utilisé l'auteur de l'épitre aux Hébreux qui ont été traduits par les mots 'œuvres mortes' sont 'erga' pour œuvres et 'nekra' pour mortes. Si vous consultez la concordance de Strong (The New Strong's expanded exaustive concordance of the Bible, 2010 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, p. 170, au numéro 3498 pour le mot 'nekros'), vous trouverez le commentaire suivant à propos de l'expression 'œuvres mortes pour Hébreux 6:1 et 9:14: (traduction libre) "Les œuvres mortes sont les œuvres de la Loi (de l'Ancien Testament) qui, malgré qu'elles soient bonnes en elles-mêmes, ne peuvent produire ou donner la vie".
Joseph Henry Thayer, dans son lexique grec-anglais ( A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament,p. 248) dit ceci à propos des mêmes mots utilisés dans Hébreux 6:1 et 9:14: (*traduction libre) :"Ce sont des œuvres privées de cette vie qui prend sa source en Dieu. Ce sont en quelque sorte des œuvres qu'on pourrait décrire comme à l'état brut qui, au dernier jugement, n'obtiendront pas l'approbation de Dieu et ne mériterons aucune récompense."

Le sabbat observé par les juifs doit être considéré, à l'instar de tout ce qui était prescrit dans la Loi de l'Ancien Testament, comme étant une "ombre des choses à venir" (Colossiens 2:17) (voir aussi sur mon blogue l'article intitulé: https://pepitesdordelaparole.blogspot.com/2015/01/que-personne-ne-vous-juge-au-sujetdes.html . Le sabbat du Nouveau Testament c'est se reposer tous les jours (pas seulement un jour par semaine) en Christ parce que nous avons renoncé à nos œuvres mortes. Maintenant, c'est par la foi en Jésus-Christ que nous renonçons à cette 'mission impossible' de tenter, évidemment sans succès, d'obtenir notre salut par nos propres efforts et c'est dirigé par son Saint-Esprit (Jésus est le maître du Sabbat; voir Matthieu 12:8) que nous accomplissons, peu importe le jour de la semaine, les bonnes œuvres "que Dieu a préparées  d'avance, afin que nous les  pratiquions" (Éphésiens 2:10).

Même si les Juifs sont entrés dans la Terre promise , avec Josué, le successeur de Moïse, ils n'ont pas obtenu ce repos ou sabbat de Dieu comme nous le confirme le verset suivant tiré de l'épitre aux Hébreux:

"Car si Josué leur eût donné le repos, il (Dieu) ne parlerait pas après cela d'un autre jour. Il y a donc un repos de sabbat réservé au peuple de Dieu. Car celui qui entre dans le repos de Dieu se repose de ses œuvres, comme Dieu s'est reposé des siennes." (Hébreux 4:8-10)

"Efforçons-nous donc d'entrer dans ce repos" (Hébreux 4:11) maintenant (Hébreux 4:7)

Que personne ne vous juge au sujet...des sabbats

Matthew Henry a écrit dans son œuvre intitulée "A commentary of the whole Bible" au volume VI p. 439:
"The moral Law was but for the searching of the wound, the ceremonial Law for the shadowing forth of the remedy; but Christ is the end of both"

En français moderne, on pourrait traduire d'une façon plus élaborée cette phrase comme suit: "La Loi morale (les dix commandements) a été instituée pour nous aider à trouver et identifier le péché en nous (la blessure). La Loi cérémoniale, avec toutes ses ordonnances, a permis , un peu comme l'ombre d'un objet pourrait servir indirectement à le faire, de trouver (temporairement et imparfaitement) le remède à nos péchés, mais Christ est la fin de tout cela puisqu'il est le corps à l'origine de cette ombre et, ainsi, la solution finale et permanente (le remède final et parfait) à  l'effacement de nos péchés et à la réconciliation avec le Père.

En effet, Christ est la fin de tous ces rites religieux, de toutes ces fêtes, de tous ces sabbats que les juifs pratiquants devaient observer:

"Vous qui étiez morts par vos offenses et par l'incirconcision de votre chair, il vous a rendus à la vie avec lui, en nous faisant grâce pour toutes nos offenses; il a effacé l'acte dont les ordonnances nous condamnaient et qui subsistait contre nous, et il l'a détruit en le clouant à la croix; il a dépouillé les dominations et les autorités, et il les a livrées publiquement en spectacle, en triomphant d'elles par la croix. Que personne donc ne vous juge au sujet du manger ou du boire, ou au sujet d'une fête, d'une nouvelle lune, ou des sabbats: c'était l'ombre des choses à venir, mais le corps est en Christ." (Colossiens 2:13-17) (voir aussi Galates 4:1-31 et spécifiquement Galates 4:10-11) (Galates 3:10 et son contexte) (Galates 5:4) (Romains 14:5) (Hébreux 10:1)

Toute la Loi Morale et Cérémoniale n'était qu'une ombre des choses à venir.Toutes les prescriptions à propos du manger et du boire, toutes les fêtes, les jours (sabbats), les mois (nouvelles lunes), les années (Jubilé) qu'on devait observer annonçaient Jésus-Christ et sa venue d'une façon ou d'une autre. Maintenant que Jésus-Christ est venu et qu'il a accompli parfaitement la Loi ("Tous est accompli" Jean 19:30), nous somment maintenant sous une Nouvelle Alliance qui a pour Loi  celle de Christ. Avant, la lumière de Dieu était projetée sur Jésus et la promesse de sa venue, ce qui produisait une ombre (Loi Morale et Cérémoniale). Maintenant, c'est Christ lui-même, lumière des hommes (Jean 1:1-14) qui, depuis sa venue, projette sa lumière sur nous, enfants de Dieu. L'ombre qui en résulte nous inspire la Loi de Christ. Il est donc essentiel que nous lui ressemblions pour que notre ombrage soit conforme à son image parfaite.
 
La Loi de Christ a donc en quelque sorte remplacé, tout en gardant le même esprit, la Loi Morale et Cérémoniale depuis la mort et la résurrection de Jésus-Christ. Elle ne se prête plus à confusion et est immuable:
"Je vous donne un commandement nouveau: Aimez-vous les uns les autres comme je vous ai aimés, vous aussi, aimez-vous les uns les autres." (Jean 13:34)
 
 "Jésus lui répondit:Tu aimeras le Seigneur, ton Dieu, de tout ton cœur, de toute ton âme, et de toute ta pensée. C'est le premier et le plus grand commandement. Et voici le second, qui lui est semblable:Tu aimeras ton prochain comme toi-même." (Matthieu 22:37-39)

 Concernant le plus grand commandement, voici un extrait de l'article intitulé "Aimer Dieu" (le 29 août 2011) que j'avais écrit sur ce même blogue à ce sujet:(c'était la conclusion de l'article)

" Donc, si vous n'avez pas d'idoles (aimer Dieu de tout son cœur), si vous êtes plein de reconnaissance pour tout ce que Dieu a fait dans votre vie et dans celle de votre prochain (aimer Dieu de toute son âme), si vous appliquez toute votre intelligence et vos capacités à le connaître et le servir du mieux que vous le pouvez (aimer Dieu de toute sa pensée et de toutes ses forces), vous obéissez au premier (le plus important) de tous les commandements."

L'apôtre Paul nous résume bien ce que c'est le deuxième plus grand commandement (aimer notre prochain comme nous-même) semblable au premier dans sa lettre aux Romains, aux versets 8 à 10 du chapitre 13:

"Ne devez rien à personne si ce n'est de vous aimer les uns les autres; car celui qui aime les autres a accompli la loi. En effet, les commandements: tu ne commettra pas d'adultère, tu ne tueras point, tu ne déroberas point, tu ne convoiteras point, et ceux qu'il peut encore y avoir, se résument dans cette parole: Tu aimeras ton prochain comme toi-même. L'amour ne fait pas de mal au prochain:l'amour est donc l'accomplissement de la loi." (Romains 13:8-10)

Ne vivons donc plus sous le joug de la Loi Morale et Cérémoniale. Elle a été utile, certes, pour conduire à Christ, afin que nous fussions justifiés par la foi (Galates 3:24)

"La foi étant venue, nous ne sommes plus sous ce pédagogue. Car vous êtes tous fils de Dieu par la foi en Jésus-Christ" (Galates 3:25) 

Vivons plutôt sous le joug et le fardeau de Christ car son joug est doux et et son fardeau léger (Matthieu 11:30)