Anthropomorphism and the Passions of Mankind

Anthropomorphism means the ascription of human qualities to God. God is so far above and superior to us humans that we speak of God as being incomprehensible. How does God reveal himself and providence to us the creatures? One way is through anthropomorphism, to relate to us. God is knowable up to a point even though he is incomprehensible as shown -

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa 55:8-9 RSV)

"O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” (Rom 11:33-34 RSV)

"He has made everything to suit its time; moreover he has given mankind a sense of past and future, but no comprehension of God’s work from beginning to end." (Eccl 3:11 REB)

Some examples of anthropomorphism are -

"And it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have made them." (Gen 6:6-7 ASV)

"He hath stretched out his hand over the sea, he hath shaken the kingdoms: Jehovah hath given commandment concerning Canaan, to destroy the strongholds thereof." (Isa 23:11 ASV)

"The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry." (Ps 34:15 RSV)

Those last two verses speak of human body parts, but in spite of the Mormon nuttiness, knowing the attributes of God we know not to take that literally because God is Spirit, God is immense, God is omnipresent. So having a body is out of the question.

The first example about repentance moves into the mental or rational area. We believers repent because we are convicted of sin and we reverse course, recognize our error. Or, we repent in the sense of changing our mind upon receiving more knowledge, which we did not have before. Of course the righteous and holy God has no sin to repent of, and He surely does not have to change his mind because he is omnipotent and omniscient. He knows the beginning from the end and has decreed it so.

Therefore we use the attributes of God to keep the anthropomorphisms from giving false ideas or doctrines. It is said that God does not have passions as mankind does because passions are emotions, feelings, irrational responses. Passions as I am referring to are as in Merriam-Webster:

4
a
(1)
: EMOTION
his ruling passion is greed
(2)
passions plural : the emotions as distinguished from reason
a study of the passions
b
: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction
with enough passion to make a great poet
—W. B. Yeats
c
: an outbreak of anger
a crime of passion

Is there anyway our Creator God Almighty would act from emotions, passions or ideas like the crime of passion. Of course not! We must use the attributes of God to keep ourselves correct and not take our sinful, fallen nature and project it upon God as an anthropomorphism.

Some scholarly thoughts on anthropomorphism, you can go to Berkhof's Systematic Theology -
https://downloads.biblicaltraining.org/Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof.pdf

Do a "Find on Page" <ctrl F> for "anthropomor" and it will come up 6 times.

The study of the attributes of God may seem like a boring chore and not as interesting as prophecy, but so much false doctrine could be recognized and eliminated if believers studied the attributes of God carefully and in detail.

I have found A W Tozer's book on the attributes of God very helpful. A study of God's attributes should lead us to worship.

Interesting read on this --

https://www.gotquestions.org/anthropomorphism.html
What is an anthropomorphism?

The word anthropomorphism comes from two Greek words, anthropos, meaning “man,” and morphe, meaning “form.” In theological terms, anthropomorphism is making God in some way into the form of man. Mostly, it is the process of assigning human characteristics to God. Human traits and actions such as talking, holding, reaching, feeling, hearing, and the like, all of which are chronicled throughout both the Old and New Testaments, are ascribed to the Creator. We read of God’s actions, emotions, and appearance in human terms, or at least in words we normally accept and associate with humans.

In several places in the Bible, God is described as having the physical attributes of man. He “sets [his] face” against evil (Leviticus 20:6); the Lord will make “His face” to shine on you (Numbers 6:25); He “stretched out his hand” (Exodus 7:5; Isaiah 23:11), and God scattered enemies with His strong arm (Psalm 89:10). He “stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth” (Psalm 113:6). He “keeps his eye” on the land (Deuteronomy 11:12), the “eyes of the Lord” are on the righteous (Psalm 34:15), and the earth is His “footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). Do all these verses mean that God literally has eyes, a face, hands and feet? Not necessarily. God is spirit, not flesh and blood, but because we are not spirit, these anthropomorphisms help us to understand God’s nature and actions.

Human emotions are also ascribed to God: He was “sorry” (Genesis 6:6), “jealous” (Exodus 20:5), “moved to pity” (Judges 2:18), and “grieved” over making Saul Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 15:35). We read that the Lord “changed His mind” (Exodus 32:14), “relented” (2 Samuel 24:16), and will “remember” when He sees a rainbow in the sky (Genesis 9:16). God is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11), and He “burned with anger” against Job’s friends (Job 32:5). Most precious to us is God’s love, in which He predestines us to salvation (Ephesians 1:4-5) and because of which He gave His only Son in order to save the world (John 3:16).

Anthropomorphisms can be helpful in enabling us to at least partially comprehend the incomprehensible, know the unknowable, and fathom the unfathomable. But God is God, and we are not, and all of our human expressions are intrinsically inadequate in explaining fully and properly the divine. But human words, emotions, features, and knowledge are all that our Creator provided us, so these are all that we can understand in this earthly world at this time.

Yet anthropomorphisms can be dangerous if we see them as sufficient to portray God in limited human traits and terms, which could unintentionally serve to diminish in our minds His incomparable and incomprehensible power, love, and mercy. Christians are advised to read God’s Word with the realization that He offers a small glimpse of His glory through the only means we can absorb. As much as anthropomorphisms help us picture our loving God, He reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Here is the paradox. The Bible does say that God is "a Spirit". At the same time there are passages which present God the Father as having human form. So we need to keep both things in mind.

GOD THE FATHER IS "THE ANCIENT OF DAYS" AND CHRIST APPROACHES HIM AS THE SON OF MAN
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. (Dan 7:9,10)

GOD THE FATHER SITS ON HIS THRONE AND CHRIST APPROACHES HIM AS THE LAMB OF GOD
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. (Rev 5:1-7)

Also, since Jesus is God who has retained His human, resurrected, and glorified body, He is now "the Man Christ Jesus" in Heaven. While He has no human limitations, He is fully human and fully divine. He is our Great High Priest and Mediator in the heavenly Sanctuary.