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Ponder on this: "Let us make man in our image". This expresses the foundation of understanding for the whole Bible. "What is man..." etc. It is the projecting of the infinite into the finite, the eternal glory of God in temporal form. Satan's challenge (e.g. Job) is that it won't work, it's a bad idea, is easily corrupted through simple deceit. Deceit is possible due to the limited nature of physical being. The physical form needing physical things to survive is also misdirected into obsession with physical survival and loses the spiritual nature to the "desires of the flesh." The conflict can be seen, then, as "can the infinite perfection of God express itself through a limited, finite, physical reality without being corrupted in the process." (Aside - that was the problem the Gnostics had, too.) So - all is to be accomplished through a physical "typographical allegory", which is the point of Hebrews. The grand allegory of human history is to work out this plan of God despite conflict with the Adversary. In other words, what is expressed on earth is a reflection of the will of God in heaven, although constantly being attacked by Satan. First allegory - the creation; second - the Law via the prophets; third and final - Jesus as the perfect image of the infinite in human form. With Jesus we now have a perfect image of God in human form and the telos nomon of the allegory by Law. By living the allegory perfectly without corruption, Jesus defeats the challenge of Satan, i.e. God CAN be imaged through physical, temporal means without corruption. All who have the spirit of Christ are capable of presenting the moral nature of God in physical form, thus are "born anew, again, from above" in the image of the Creator. Faith is really simple, but is unfortunately defined today as some type of "belief without evidence." But all evidence comes via experience, thus we must act first on the basis of a belief in order to find the evidence that justifies the belief. If I agree with you (faith) I have bound my thoughts together with yours so that our consequent actions are in total agreement also. From the subsequent experience of mutual action, we prove the validity of the agreement. Reason only comes later. Logic proves the consistency of the propositions, but never tells you which propositions to explore. Thus, all must begin in faith. The binding together of man's mind, will, and desire with the mind, will and desire of God is the very definition of the life of Jesus and the model for our own. He proved it was possible only if the spirit of God remains in man and man remains fully obedient to that indwelling Spirit. Thus, we receive the Holy Spirit as the means of accomplishing the will of God in man and by this "binding" become a perfect allegory of God's nature. Our Words should be metaphor,
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