Does God directly create each of us?

God, Christ, & The Holy Spirit
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steve7150
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Does God directly create each of us?

Post by steve7150 » Sat May 21, 2016 11:09 am

God told Adam & Eve "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" Gen 1.28 He later told Jacob, "be fruitful and multiply , a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you." Gen 35.11
So God gave Adam & Eve and then Jacob the responsibility to multiply. God also told the animals "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth" Gen 1.22
In Gen 1.24 God said "Let the earth bring forth living creatures AFTER THEIR KIND."

So God gave humans and animals the ability to procreate and fill the earth without his direct intervention, at least it sounds that way to me.

There are verses that indicate God is aware of everything like he knew Jeremiah before he was born or Jesus said his Father is aware of every sparrow, or he appoints folks for special tasks , but I don't see these verses contradicting the original supposition that God gave humans the responsibility to fill the earth with the tools he gave them, "after their kind."

What do you think?

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Paidion
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Re: Does God directly create each of us?

Post by Paidion » Sat May 21, 2016 4:50 pm

I won't comment on the other points you mentioned, but as to the question of the OP, I say, "No." God created Adam and Eve and gave them the ability to generate children. The children generated other children, and so on down to us.

I don't believe God creates "souls" and plunks them into babies at conception or birth or some time in between. We inherit our minds along with our bodies from Adam and Eve. I do not believe in "souls" in the sense of being entities that are separate from our bodies. This is a Greek idea.

In the OT, "nephesh" meant "being" (as in human being). God breathed into the body that he formed from earth, and man became a living being. Genesis also speaks of the "souls" (beings) of beasts.

In the NT "ψυχη" (psyche) means "self". The human self grows right along with the body of the fetus in a mother's womb. The self or "soul" does not exist apart from the body. That is why the resurrection of the body is necessary.
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Man judges a person by his past deeds, and administers penalties for his wrongdoing. God judges a person by his present character, and disciplines him that he may become righteous.

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crgfstr1
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Re: Does God directly create each of us?

Post by crgfstr1 » Sun May 22, 2016 2:03 pm

I think God is directly involved with every birth (and every aspect of our lives)

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

After years of trying for children our little one was born almost exactly (and possibly exactly I haven't done the math) a Hebrew year after my wife and I were baptized in the Jordan. That too was a gift from God. We were both baptized as children. I had become convinced that I probably should get baptized as an adult but put off making that happen. I kept thinking it would be wonderful if I could be baptized in the Jordan as close to where Jesus was as possible. Probably more as an excuse not to do anything. Through almost no effort on my part God made that happen.

After I was baptized my wife had been unsure the entire time whether or not she would. She often has her doubts about God and kept saying that she didn't want Him to be upset with her if she didn't believe in Him enough at the time of Baptism. Which to me is evidence that she believes more than she realizes. The other and possibly bigger problem is the water was really really cold. It was winter and had snowed in Jerusalem a day or two earlier. Through the entire process I remained in my wet robe and felt only a hint of cold where I should have been shivering. I believed that the Holy Spirit was keeping me warm for 30-45 minutes while we discussed and then she slowly entered the water.

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Homer
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Re: Does God directly create each of us?

Post by Homer » Mon May 23, 2016 9:36 am

IMO children are a gift from God and are a result of the synergism of God's activities and the actions of the man and woman. The story of Abraham and Sarah in their old age is a very good example of this. Also consider:

Psalm 113:9

He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 127:3

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Genesis 33:5

He lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, "Who are these with you?" So he said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant."

Genesis 48:9

Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here " So he said, "Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them."

Joshua 24:3

Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.


If this is not so there would be no reason to thank God for children.

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Paidion
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Re: Does God directly create each of us?

Post by Paidion » Mon May 23, 2016 6:06 pm

Well, I think we all agree that this is so, Homer. God has a way of getting people and animals to "be fruitful and multiply, and I think we all recognize that this happens as a result of the sperm cell meeting the egg. Doubtless, that is the means by which God devised for reproduction way back in the beginning when He created man and animals.

But that is quite different from directly creating each one of us. The Catholic concept (if I understand it correctly) is that God has a bundle of souls up in heaven that He directly, and individually created. Then when a human conception occurs on earth, He plunks a soul into the potential child either at conception or at birth or somewhere in between.

My personal concept is that no one possesses a "soul" that is separate from the body, but rather the "soul" (meaning "self" in the NT) is but one aspect of the body that grew and developed post-conception. We inherit our "souls" along with our bodies from our parents, grandparents, and so on, right back to Adam and Eve.
Paidion

Man judges a person by his past deeds, and administers penalties for his wrongdoing. God judges a person by his present character, and disciplines him that he may become righteous.

Avatar shows me at 75 years old. I am now 83.

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