---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We could not become like God, so God…"
description: "\"We could not become like God, so God became like us. God showed us how to heal instead of kill, how to mend instead of destroy, how to love instead of ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/rachel-held-evans-2876_buried_we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-beca_1675573.jpg"
---

#  We could not become like God, so God became like us. God…

![“We could not become like God, so God became like us. God showed us how to heal instead of kill, how to mend instead of destroy, how to love instead of hate, how to live instead of long for more. When we nailed God to a tree, God forgave. And when we buried God in the ground. God got up.” quote by Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/rachel-held-evans-2876_buried_we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-beca_1675573.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/rachel-held-evans-2876_buried_we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-beca_1675573.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/rachel-held-evans-2876_buried_we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-beca_1675573.jpg)

> “We could not become like God, so God became like us. God showed us how to heal instead of kill, how to mend instead of destroy, how to love instead of hate, how to live instead of long for more. When we nailed God to a tree, God forgave. And when we buried God in the ground. God got up.”

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Humans reflect divine qualities; divine love mirrors human compassion and forgiveness.

**In simple terms:** God reflects us, we reflect God.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate compassion and forgiveness in daily life.

Themes

compassion forgiveness divine humanity

Mood

hopeful inspirational

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- personal growth
- community building

Key Concepts

theology psychology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to see God in yourself?
- How can this view change your relationships?

A Different Perspective

Assumes universal acceptance of divine metaphor.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried/) [God Forgave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-forgave-904748/) [God Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-like/) [God Showed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-showed-391793/) [God Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-tree-904749/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Heal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heal/) [How to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how-to-love/) [Like God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-god/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't know how many times I've experienced something where I felt like God showed up and saved me or loved me for no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacey-sturm/i-don-t-know-how-many-times-i-ve-experienced-something-where-i-felt/)

[Lacey Sturm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacey-sturm/)

> [She had made him possible. In that sense she was his god. Like God, she was neglected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/she-had-made-him-possible-in-that-sense-she-was-his-god-like-god-she/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [How do you define God? Like this. A God I could understand, at least potentially, was infinitely more interesting and relevant than one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/how-do-you-define-god-like-this-a-god-i-could-understand-at-least/)

[Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/)

> [“As de Beauvoir put it, religion had given men a God like themselves--a God exclusively male in imagery, which legitimized and sealed their power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/as-de-beauvoir-put-it-religion-had-given-men-a-god-like-themselves-a/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [I am like God and God like me. I am as large as God. He is as small as I. He cannot above me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelus-silesius/i-am-like-god-and-god-like-me-i-am-as-large-as-god-he-is-as-small-as/)

[Angelus Silesius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelus-silesius/)

> [The world is wonderful and beautiful and good beyond one's wildest imagination. Never, never, never could one conceive what love is, beforehand, never. Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-world-is-wonderful-and-beautiful-and-good-beyond-one-s-wildest/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [We are made by God, we are made like God, we are made for God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-are-made-by-god-we-are-made-like-god-we-are-made-for-god/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

> [If you're not aligned with God, it's hard to recognize yourself as being of God. The way that you get aligned with God is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/if-you-re-not-aligned-with-god-it-s-hard-to-recognize-yourself-as/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [God is like us to this extent, that whatever in us is good is like God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/god-is-like-us-to-this-extent-that-whatever-in-us-is-good-is-like-god/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [When God forgave me, I figured I'd better do it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/when-god-forgave-me-i-figured-i-d-better-do-it-too/)

[Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/)

> [We have nothing in our account but zeroes! And yet, because of His great love, God forgave us our astronomical debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/we-have-nothing-in-our-account-but-zeroes-and-yet-because-of-his/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [Don't let your past sins hold you back, keep looking up ahead, God forgave you, and has already moved on. You should too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-let-your-past-sins-hold-you-back-keep-looking-up-ahead-god/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“of course you understand why he can't forgive you because you can't forgive yourself. You don't even believe God forgave you...if you did you'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-sundin/of-course-you-understand-why-he-can-t-forgive-you-because-you-can-t/)

[Sarah Sundin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-sundin/)

> [Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-the-apostle/be-kind-and-compassionate-to-one-another-forgiving-each-other-just-as/)

[Paul the Apostle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-the-apostle/)

> [“What was Jesus teaching us through this parable? The king represents God; the servant is all of us. We owe a debt of sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-was-jesus-teaching-us-through-this-parable-the-king-represents/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

## More by Rachel Held Evans

> [“So what did God say to me in the silence that morning? I’m not sure, but I think God said something like, Don’t try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/so-what-did-god-say-to-me-in-the-silence-that-morning-i-m-not-sure/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [“Some rabbis say that, at birth, we are each tied to God with a string, and that every time we sin, the string breaks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/some-rabbis-say-that-at-birth-we-are-each-tied-to-god-with-a-string/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [One of the most destructive mistakes we Christians make is to prioritize shared beliefs over shared relationship, which is deeply ironic considering we worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/one-of-the-most-destructive-mistakes-we-christians-make-is-to/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [“My robust lexicon notwithstanding, I struggle to find the right words to describe just how much I despise, hate, abhor, revile, detest and categorically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/my-robust-lexicon-notwithstanding-i-struggle-to-find-the-right-words/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [This is what God's kingdom is like: a bunch of outcasts and oddballs gathered at a table, not because they are rich or worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/this-is-what-god-s-kingdom-is-like-a-bunch-of-outcasts-and-oddballs/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [“I don’t know for sure, but I think maybe God was trying to tell me that gentleness begins with strength, quietness with security. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-don-t-know-for-sure-but-i-think-maybe-god-was-trying-to-tell-me/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [Whenever we show others the goodness of God, whenever we follow our Teacher by imitating His posture of humble and ready service, our actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/whenever-we-show-others-the-goodness-of-god-whenever-we-follow-our/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [Faith isn't about having everything figured out ahead of time; faith is about following the quiet voice of God without having everything figured out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/faith-isn-t-about-having-everything-figured-out-ahead-of-time-faith/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [Christianity isn't meant to simply be believed; it's meant to be lived, shared, eaten, spoken, and enacted in the presence of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/christianity-isn-t-meant-to-simply-be-believed-it-s-meant-to-be-lived/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [“In the years preceding the Civil War in America, Christian ministers wrote nearly half of all defenses of slavery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/in-the-years-preceding-the-civil-war-in-america-christian-ministers/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [“Cynicism may seem a mild transgression, but it is a patient predator that suffocates hope, slowly, over many years,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/cynicism-may-seem-a-mild-transgression-but-it-is-a-patient-predator/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [“I suppose that the moral of this story is that trying to copy another woman, even a woman from the Bible, is almost always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-suppose-that-the-moral-of-this-story-is-that-trying-to-copy-another/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [“I played my role as the good Christian girl and spared everyone the drama of an argument. But that decision to remain silent split…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-played-my-role-as-the-good-christian-girl-and-spared-everyone-the/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [“Madeleine L’Engle said, “the great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” 58 I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/madeleine-l-engle-said-the-great-thing-about-getting-older-is-that/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

[Explore all 147 Rachel Held Evans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

## More Buried quotes

> [Palindrome as well. My sister's name is Hannah. Father liked word games. He was fourteen times World Scrabble Champion. When he died, we buried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/palindrome-as-well-my-sister-s-name-is-hannah-father-liked-word-games/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [A classic is like a hidden treasure. Its core is buried under so many layers of varnish that it can be reached only by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louis-barrault/a-classic-is-like-a-hidden-treasure-its-core-is-buried-under-so-many/)

[Jean-Louis Barrault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louis-barrault/)

> [We're going to be buried out here. I like the idea because I may just want to get up some day and stroll into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman-2/we-re-going-to-be-buried-out-here-i-like-the-idea-because-i-may-just/)

[Harry S Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman-2/)

> [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/it-is-the-client-who-knows-what-hurts-what-directions-to-go-what/)

[Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/)

> [“Sienna swallowed down her hurt and added it to the growing infestation of pain placed it in that beating glass jar of hers, concealed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-harper/sienna-swallowed-down-her-hurt-and-added-it-to-the-growing/)

[Ali Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-harper/)

> [“There is nothing so difficult to arrive at as the nature and personality of one's parents. Death, about which so much mystery is made,is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maxwell/there-is-nothing-so-difficult-to-arrive-at-as-the-nature-and/)

[William Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maxwell/)

> [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [I think it's important not to grow up too fast. I'm 26 now, and I still can't wait for Christmas Day. The inner seven-year-old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-haddock/i-think-it-s-important-not-to-grow-up-too-fast-i-m-26-now-and-i-still/)

[Laura Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-haddock/)

> [As soon as I turned the key I saw it hanging, the color of fire and sunset. the colour of flamboyant flowers. ‘If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/as-soon-as-i-turned-the-key-i-saw-it-hanging-the-color-of-fire-and/)

[Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/)

> [While the prosecution has said this is about the defendants lies, one worries that those lies already have been buried under too much discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/while-the-prosecution-has-said-this-is-about-the-defendants-lies-one/)

[David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/)

> [With every rising of the sun Think of your life as just begun. The past has shrived and buried deep All yesterdays— there let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/with-every-rising-of-the-sun-think-of-your-life-as-just-begun-the/)

[Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/)

> [ Perhaps \[the critics are right and\] the drama is played out now and Jesus is safely dead and buried. Perhaps. It is ironical and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/perhaps-the-critics-are-right-and-the-drama-is-played-out-now-and/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [I've just got this huge chip on my shoulder because I've been out for three years and people think I'm dead and buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hargreaves/i-ve-just-got-this-huge-chip-on-my-shoulder-because-i-ve-been-out-for/)

[Owen Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hargreaves/)

> [As I write, Johnny Rotten's first moments in "Anarchy in the U.K." - a rolling earthquake of a laugh, a buried shout, then hoary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/as-i-write-johnny-rotten-s-first-moments-in-anarchy-in-the-u-k-a/)

[Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/)

[Browse all 1,295 Buried quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We could not become like God, so God became like us. God showed us how to heal instead of kill, how to mend instead of destroy, how to love instead of hate, how to live instead of long for more. When we nailed God to a tree, God forgave. And when we buried God in the ground. God got up.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rachel Held Evans"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-became-like-us-god-showed-us-how/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buried"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-became-like-us-god-showed-us-how/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/rachel-held-evans-2876_buried_we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-beca_1675573.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/rachel-held-evans-2876_buried_we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-beca_1675573.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/rachel-held-evans-2876_buried_we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-beca_1675573.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We could not become like God, so God became like us. God showed us how to heal instead of kill, how to mend…” — Rachel Held Evans",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Rachel Held Evans",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We could not become like God,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-became-like-us-god-showed-us-how/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/we-could-not-become-like-god-so-god-became-like-us-god-showed-us-how/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
