Embodied Souls

As a result of the fall, we are dysfunctional.

Different types of dysfunction (sin and weakness) require different responses.

The foundation of rightly evaluating our dysfunction is grounded in biblical anthropology.

What is Man?

Body/Outer man

We are formed from matter

Genesis 2:7 “7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Ecclesiastes 3:20 “20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.”

The Holy Spirit indwells the bodies of believers

1 Corinthians 6:19 “19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”

Our body is “very good”

Genesis 1:31 “31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”

Soul/Spirit/heart/inner man

The spirit departs from the body in death

Genesis 35:18 (ESV) And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

The spirit is a place of emotion

John 13:21 “21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.””

There is a distinction between body and soul

Matthew 10:28 “28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Dichotomy v. trichotomy

Our inner self is renewed when our outer self fades

2 Corinthians 4:16 “16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

The Unity of the Person

Though man is made of immaterial and material parts, he is a unity

The body and soul are separated for a time in death

James 2:26 “26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

The body and soul will be reunited in the resurrection

1 Cor 15

The outer man demonstrates what is happening in the inner man

Proverbs 4:26 “26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.”

Proverbs 27:19 “19 As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

Luke 6:45 “45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

The Good News about Body and Soul

The gospel provides hope for body and soul

Though our body is in the process of dying, the resurrection promises eternal life

1 Cor 15

Our fallen mind can be renewed

Romans 12:2 “2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Mind and Body In Life

The Complexity of Body and Soul

“The body is the mediator rather than initiator of our actions” (Ed Welch)

It can be weak (illness/fatigue)

It can be limited (memory/cognitive decline)

It can be dependent (needs/urges)

Sin to be hungry?

Sin to binge eat?

Sin to want to binge eat?

The heart ought to control the body rather than the body controlling the heart.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 “24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Sin and weakness

We sin when we do not do what Scripture commands or do what it forbids.

Some actions are negative but do not violate the commands and prohibitions of Scripture are better thought as weaknesses.

Weakness is dysfunction which is not sinful.

Broken bones, panic, anger, fear (fearfulness, caution, fearlessness [Urbach-Wiethe disease]), lack of concentration, confusion, drunkenness, cravings, disobedience to parents, hallucinations, lust, sexual desire, hunger

The interconnectedness of body and heart means that we expect one to influence the other.

Our body influences our heart

Our heart influences our body

Their unity defies reduction

Our body can’t make us sin; it can only make us suffer

1 Corinthians 10:13 “13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Ignorance doesn’t remove our responsibility

Suffering doesn’t remove our responsibility

Body/brain problems reveal heart problems

Case Studies

Alcohol

Alzheimers

Depression