Aedrian Joshua O.

De Castro August 15, 2020

1CMT Theology 1

Jesus Christ as the Image of the Invisible God

A. What are the three things that you have learned from the audio presentation?
1. Upon viewing the audio-visual presentation, an epiphany dawned on me—things
need not have happened to be true. While science tell us how the universe came into
being and what we are made of, the bible tells us about Jesus, who told us to love one
another. Both of these things are true. One does not have to be ignorant of science in
order to be a person who believes in God (or gods) because the intention of the bible
is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes. Nevertheless, if humans
used to think that Earth is the center if the universe until Galileo Galilei and
Aristarchus of Samos proved it isn’t, then scientific truth is revisable and not
absolute. And if that’s the case, then the tales and mysteries written in the bible are
the absolute shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and
forgotten.

2. As illuminating as the discussion of absolute truth may be, I cannot say the same
thing about the concept of relativism. I don’t concur on the idea that relativism is an
argument that denies the existence of absolute truth; rather, I view relativism to be
defined by the absolute truth. For instance, we’re all in the middle of a pandemic and
every bit of normalcy we used to have is shattered. This is the reality, our truth.
However, the experiences of a small percentage of Filipinos privileged enough to be
safe does not make the struggles of many sick and unemployed Filipinos any less
true. Furthermore, the absolute truth is what religion leads up to and not something
we get to know immediately. As we embark on our journey towards the absolute
truth, we experience different perceptions on the way. Discarding these relativistic
viewpoints as versions of the truth removes the sense of individuality that is integral
in forming a personal relationship with God who claims to be the truth.
 3. Through the audio-visual presentation, I was given an opportunity to reflect on the
prospective possibilities to determine my own meaning and purpose. I have come to
realize that it is only with God that I can truly find meaning, because He is the
absolute truth. As I embark on my journey to understand Him, my perceptions define
the absolute truth, just as death defines life, destiny defines freedom, despair defines
hope, and dreams define reality. As such, whatever I’m dealing with and wherever
place I land on, I’ll be where God needs me to be.

B. Who made us sons and daughters of God?

God, himself, made us His children. We are all made in the image and likeness of
God (Genesis 1:27). We have the capacity to love as He loves and the human aspects of
Him is manifested in us. However, God still endowed us, as His children, with reason and
freewill. Therefore, every child that spawns in this world create their own meaning and
purpose like words that are continuously born and reborn in the English dictionary.
Similarly, every word has a degree of severity and has a unique meaning of its own,
regardless if it has synonyms or not. Hence, no two words are the same, and even
synonyms do not mean the same thing. Every child of God is unique, so let no label
define them. Nevertheless, each word will always have synonyms and synonyms, despite
not meaning the same, recognize each other’s meaning. They too, understand the pain we
suffered, the chaos we caused, and the things we had to endure just so we can make it this
far. In a way, God made us His children to help us cross paths with our brothers and
sisters who carry a meaning close to ours. From then on, we don’t have to be alone
anymore.

C. Papaano ba maging tao ang Diyos?

He is human, as well as divine. As depicted in the bible, God became a human
being in Jesus Christ. He became one of us and entered in our experience in order to save
us. There are several accounts in the scriptures where Christ gets hungry, sleepy, and
even fights temptation. In John 11, Jesus was even depicted to have wept at the passing of
his close friend Lazarus. Since we are flesh and blood, Jesus became flesh like us in all
respects, except for sin, so that He could be tempted as a man and be able to help us when
we are tempted. Having taken on our flesh, He is able to sympathize with us and to know
our strengths and weaknesses. Jesus Christ is not far removed from what we face, but
having experienced it Himself, He can guide us to fight against sin.