It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Russell Young as he’s been busy working on his next book. Today he sent us a much longer piece (just under 8,400 words; usually we’re around 840 words here) and I decided to share the introduction with you, and then if you’re interested in reading it all, send me a direct message or leave the words “send full article” in a comment (your email will not be visible) and I’ll send it to you.
Redemption of the Body
by Russell Young
Understanding Paul’s presentation of the “redemption of the body” is critical because he attaches it to being adopted as a son of God and a brother of Christ. “We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Rom 8:23)
Paul considered himself to be a wretched man because of the evil that had made him a prisoner to sin.1 He explained that his problem existed because although he delighted in God’s law in his inner being– his soul–, the members of his body always waged war against the law and desires of his mind. The demands and temptations of his body always conflicted with God’s law and what his mind wanted. He concluded that his rescue came through Christ. The Lord also had to fight the temptations of the flesh2 and he required God’s help to be victorious.3 The flesh wields great power over righteous living if not defeated and it must be conquered if the body is to be redeemed from its ungodly interests.
All believers will recognize Paul’s plight and can rejoice in the solution that God has provided. The solution, and the hope of humankind, comes through the presence of Christ in the confessor.4 Only through him, the Holy Spirit, can a person meet God’s righteous requirements. Although the members of the body may continue to wage war against a person’s godly desires, victory can be had. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Pet 1:3) “Through them we can participate in his divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Pet 1:4) Peter has presented that God’s divine power comes through our knowledge of him. Knowledge only has power if it is used however, and knowledge of him allows the believer “to participate in his divine nature.” The corruption of the world caused by a person’s evil desires must be overcome.
In Romans chapter 8 Paul has clarified the means of being rescued through Christ, and it must be understood as focusing alone on that issue and its solution.
To make sense of Paul’s understanding, an awareness of the nature of humankind needs to be appreciated. People are a trinity. They are comprised of body, soul, and spirit.
- The Body: The human body is physical and was meant to function in a physical world. Like all things physical, it deteriorates with time and use, and for survival must accommodate the pressures of its environment. Because of those influences, it acts to find peace and comfort with its surroundings. It is natural for people to protect their physical being because abuse or injury could cause death and the natural person cannot see any existence beyond his or her physical presence. Consequently, accommodating the physical takes precedence above all else.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Basic Needs identifies the following as issues that the body strives to achieve: survival, safety, love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-fulfillment. These are needs of the natural person and are powerful forces in his or her life. The soul of each person strives to meet his or her basic needs in its own way and to its own degree as well as the body’s desire for comfort. The nature of the body’s needs as understood by the soul of a person often differs from God’s understanding.
The flesh interacts with its environment through the senses: taste, touch, hearing, smell, and sight. Although it gains information through the senses, it lacks the power to respond other than through the built-in autonomic nervous system which regulates key involuntary processes (heart rate, breathing, etc.) allowing its systems to sustain functioning and life. The voluntary actions of the body such as walking, talking, eating etc. are directed by the mind and will, which are part of the soul.
Observation teaches us that all will die and that the body will eventually suffer from injury or disease. Eternity cannot exist in the bodies that those who walk this earth possess.
- The Soul: The soul is “the spiritual, rational, and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental article of the Christian system. Such is the nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme affection.”5 It must be appreciated that the soul is not a substance, however. It is the rational aspect of a being, one’s reasoning ability, or his or her mental disposition. It might be recognized as the aspect of a person that identifies with his or her personality. A soul is within everyone and individuals can be identified by the nature of their souls.
Humankind was created with the unique ability to take in information, to reason and rationalize, to remember, and to direct their actions. Although a soul lacks power, it does have the authority to permit or to reject a spirit’s influence and persuasions. God gave humankind freewill through decision-making and this ability is what distinguishes a person from all other created beings.
It is the soul of a person that controls his or her decisions and the influence of spirits, including the actions of the natural spirit, in his or her life. The way a person habitually responds is known as his or her nature or natural disposition.
- The Spirit: The spirit is the life force in a being. Without it a person is absent of the ability to function voluntarily in any manner. The Greek word for spirit is pneuma and means a current of air.6 It is the activating force or essential principle influencing a person’s will. It formulates its decisions based on the functioning of the mind from gained information for the achievement of a person’s goals.
The Bible reveals many aspects of the human spirit.
1. There is a spirit in man (Job 32:8)
2. The human spirit is the part of man that God enlightens. (Proverbs 20:27)
3. The human spirit in believers will be renewed. (2 Corinthians 4:16)
5. When the human spirit departs, the body is dead. (James 2:26)
6. The human spirit was intended to glorify God. (1 Corinthians 6:20)
7. The human spirit was created in God’s image. (Genesis 1:27)
8. The spirit of man can be revived. (Genesis 45:27)
9. The spirit of man can feel suffering. (Exodus 6:9)
10. Various spirits can be given by God (wisdom, knowledge, understanding, all kinds of
workmanship, prophecy). (Exodus 28:3)
11. A person can possess a “familiar spirit.” (Leviticus 20:27)
12. A person can possess disruptive spirits (jealousy). (Numbers 5:30)
13. God can remove unhelpful spirits and place them where He wishes. (Numbers 11:17)
14. God can harden man’s spirit. (Deuteronomy 2:30)
15. God can give evil spirits, lying spirits. (1Samuel 16:14, 1Kings 22:23, Isaiah 19:14)
16. God can stir up (agitate) one’s spirit. (1Chronicles 5:26)
17. Some spirits can talk. (2Ch 18:20)
18. God can motivate one’s spirit for the accomplishment of His purposes. (Ezra 1:5)
19. The spirit can give visions. (Ezekiel 11:24)
20. God is to be served in the spirit, not through the law (flesh). (Romans 7:6)
21. God gives the spirit and it returns to Him at death. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)
It is called a spirit because it relates not to matter but to mind, soul, and feelings. Spirits can be loving, harmless or dangerous, fleeting or powerful, discreet or haunting, helping or hurting. They can inhabitate places, memories, books, or people. The most important fact about spirits is that they have to obey the commands of Christ. If we feel under the power of a spirit we do not want, we can command the spirit to leave in the name of Christ since we are His people, and the devil’s forces have no power over Christians unless they cooperate. It may be simply a matter of a single command spoken in trust of God, or it may be a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:10-17) where we need to draw closer to God in faith and let go of attachments to passing values (1 Tim. 6:6-12).”7
The difference between the soul and the spirit is that while the soul is the psychological aspect or personality of the person, including his or her mental acuity, the spirit is the agent of interaction of the soul with the physical and spiritual worlds and provides motivation for a person’s actions…the dynamic aspect of the person.
The spirit has power, but that power is permitted or denied by the soul. The power of a spirit exists in its source and in its persuasiveness on the soul. The Spirit of God is always more powerful than other spirits8, but those who possess him can deny the exercise of his life in them.
A person can possess many spirits if he or she permits them into his or her life. People need to be careful concerning their engagement with the spirit world. Peter has stated that Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand has angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.9
1 Rom 7:23−24
2 Heb 2: 17−18
3 Heb 5:7
4 Col 1:27
5 Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
6 The Greeks would have understood that without air going into the body, it ceased life. Today, however, we might
think of the spirit more as being a driving force, that which animates the body.
7 Arnold Neumaier, https://www.mat.univie.ac.at/~neum/sciandf/eng/spirit.html
8 1 Jn 4:4 “greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” (KJV)
91 Pet 3:21−22
Russell Young is the author of Eternal Salvation — “I’m Okay, You’re Okay”– Really? (Lettra Press)
To read all of Russell’s contributions here at C201, click this link. There is also an extended article at this link
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