{"id":1112,"date":"2017-11-15T10:23:50","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T18:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/?p=1112"},"modified":"2017-11-15T10:23:50","modified_gmt":"2017-11-15T18:23:50","slug":"co-creators-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/15\/co-creators-really\/","title":{"rendered":"Co-creators.  Really?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/theres-only-grace\/inbaby-hand3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"135,135\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"inbaby-hand3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=135%2C135\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"135\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-29\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Being divine creatures is pretty heady stuff.  There are a number of religious strains out there which promote the human species as the pinnacle of all creation and employing the \u201c\u2026image and likeness\u2026\u201d trademark, even go so far as to brand humanity as co-creators with God.  I\u2019ve participated in the grandeur of this thought, swept up in the cavalcade of pompous utterings and baseless declarations cherry-picked from biblical sources, so before you dismiss this writing, please indulge one with an inside view about what is truly happening.<\/p>\n<p>A creator is one who forms and fashions a new object never seen before.  Is that you? You and I are new creations, never witnessed on the face of the earth or within the entirety of a 132 billion-year-old universe.  Did our parents create this new being?  No, the universal triune God did.  Before you skip out here let me explain the difference. <\/p>\n<p>God, the Lord Almighty, creates heaven and earth by some means associated with the power of a spoken word.  Consider that a word is a container of a thought, a means to portray an intention, a desire, a final outcome.  There wasn\u2019t anything like a heaven or an earth prior to this event.  Try wrapping your head around the thought of not being.  Pretty hard from the position of being, right?  Kinda like swiss cheese.  You can\u2019t take out the holes and make the cheese whole because the holes are a part of the whole cheese known as swiss.  That is food for another thought though.<\/p>\n<p>The biblical record states that we, you and me, were in Christ before the foundation of the world, and that all things were made for Him and by Him and there wasn\u2019t anything made which wasn\u2019t made by Him.  To claim that we are co-creators would put us, the entire world, as co-architects of our entire universe.  <\/p>\n<p>Let me see if I can simplify this.  My children were in me before they were born.  My wife and I are co-creators of them.  My children are not co-creators with me or my wife.  My children are not new creations either.  They are made in the manner and likeness according to the power of the divine union shared by me and my wife.  We, and the world, haven\u2019t seen the likes of them, however they resemble the multitude of our human species.  And yet, my children, were, are and forever remain in Christ, recognized as new creatures in this universe.  <\/p>\n<p>Let me back up a moment.  My faith buddies need to be massaged here.  Faith did not create my children, no matter how \u201cnow\u201d I wanted it.  An act which went beyond a spoken word did.  That act was the \u201cChrist\u201d event to my wife and I, the power to create.  We may have hoped for children, we could\u2019ve talked about it until the cows came home and we were blue in the face, but the introduction of \u201cChrist\u201d secured our desire.  (You all know what I\u2019m talking about here.  There just happen to be children in the room.)<\/p>\n<p>Are we co-creators with God? That is possibly one of the most egoic claims we can make.  Thank God for grace! In my humble opinion I believe that we are co-participants in the creation of God.  It is His ballpark; His bases, balls and bats.  All of us play by His rules, no exceptions.  We may kick at the dirt, pick at the grass, scratch at the mound, but He is sitting in the stands waiting for us to play so He can tag a runner with applause.<\/p>\n<p>I recognize that some of you will take exception to my claim here still holding onto your co-creatorship.  However, I would ask for you to let me know when you\u2019ve created a new world from the space in the swiss cheese or better yet, staying more biblically oriented, created a new, heretofore never been seen \u201cseed.\u201d  I will at that time hail you as a co-creator.  Until then, I will accept you as I am accepted in Him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being divine creatures is pretty heady stuff. There are a number of religious strains out there which promote the human species as the pinnacle of all creation and employing the \u201c\u2026image and likeness\u2026\u201d trademark, even go so far as to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/15\/co-creators-really\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amazonpipp_noncename":"","amazon-product-isactive":"","amazon-product-single-asin":"","amazon-product-content-location":"","amazon-product-content-hook-override":"","amazon-product-excerpt-hook-override":"","amazon-product-singular-only":"","amazon-product-amazon-desc":"","amazon-product-show-gallery":"","amazon-product-show-features":"","amazon-product-newwindow":"","amazon-product-show-list-price":"","amazon-product-show-used-price":"","amazon-product-show-saved-amt":"","amazon-product-timestamp":"","amazon-product-new-title":"","amazon-product-use-cartURL":"","amazon_featured_post_meta_key":"","_amazon_featured_alt":"","amazon-product-template":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[4,6,5],"class_list":["post-1112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-10","tag-grace","tag-mike-hillebrecht","tag-teaching"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ITDy-hW","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4645,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/26\/overcoming-future-fears\/","url_meta":{"origin":1112,"position":0},"title":"Overcoming Future Fears","author":"mike","date":"March 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"M3:Week 4: Veils on Eternal Horizons Day 5: Overcoming Future Fears Today's Veil to Pierce Building on grace in career and life choices, we now confront the veil of future fears \u2014 the deceptive Maya construct that reappears after the Passover and Easter unveiling, where the false self projects anxiety,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2026 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2026 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2026-postings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/piercing-the-veil-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4639,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/23\/unknowns-as-illusion-opportunities\/","url_meta":{"origin":1112,"position":1},"title":"Unknowns as Illusion Opportunities","author":"mike","date":"March 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"M3:Week 4: Veils on Eternal Horizons Day 2: Unknowns as Illusion Opportunities Today's Veil to Pierce Building directly on grace-guided planning, we now contemplate the unknowns that stretch before us as illusion opportunities \u2014 the deceptive Maya veil that turns uncertainty into fear or paralysis after the Passover and Easter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2026 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2026 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2026-postings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/piercing-the-veil-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4797,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/grace-for-unknown-tomorrows\/","url_meta":{"origin":1112,"position":2},"title":"Grace for Unknown Tomorrows","author":"mike","date":"March 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"M4:Week 1: Maya in Personal Futures Day 2: Grace for Unknown Tomorrows Today's Veil to Pierce Building on the unveiling of Maya in personal futures, we now contemplate grace for unknown tomorrows \u2014 the deceptive veil that tries to convince us the eternal life revealed in Passover and Easter is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2026 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2026 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2026-postings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/piercing-the-veil-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1117,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/16\/grace-a-god-given-virus\/","url_meta":{"origin":1112,"position":3},"title":"Grace \u2013 A God-given Virus","author":"mike","date":"November 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s cold and flu season, again! At least that is what the advertisers want me to believe. In my household, with a respirator-dependent child, we tighten our daily regime of preventive maintenance (i.e. vitamin C & D, olive leaf extract, oregano oil, hand sanitizers) to keep any unwanted virus from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2017 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2017 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2017\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2486,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2022\/01\/04\/reconceiving\/","url_meta":{"origin":1112,"position":4},"title":"Reconceiving","author":"mike","date":"January 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"How would you respond if everyone you know, and those who you don\u2019t, believed and proudly confessed how you were a blood-thirsty warrior intent on destroying anyone who disagreed with what you have deemed to be the truth? You might pass it off as a one-time event and not let\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2022 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2022 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2022\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":160,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/07\/no-one-like-your-god-even-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":1112,"position":5},"title":"No one like your god \u2013 even you","author":"mike","date":"July 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Aloof. Narcissistic. Judgmental. High and mighty. Homophobic. Moralistic. Child Killer. Bigot. Those aren't very flattering terms. These are, regrettably, the titles that have been plastered upon your god. You read that right, your god. Not the God of creation, but the god of your creation, formed in the image and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2014 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2014 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2014\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1113,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions\/1113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}