Tag: body

Romans 8:13 – Evidence of Faith

Posted on by Will

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Truth to Learn

Your actions indicate whether you are spiritually dead or alive.

 

Behind the Words

The words “you will” are from the Greek word mellō, which usually means “it is about to happen.” It is normally followed by a verb in the future infinitive form. However, in this verse it is followed by a verb in the present infinitive form. This makes the expression stronger than a future verb. It indicates a necessary consequence. Hence, we could translate this as “you are at the point of death” or “you are going to die.”

“Put to death” is from the verb thanatoō, meaning “to kill,” that is, “to take an active part in causing the death of something.” Paul is telling us that a person who habitually satisfies their sin nature will cause their own death.

The word “deeds” is from the Greek noun praxis, which is from the verb prassō, meaning “to practice,” that is, to perform an action over and over. Therefore, we see that the word “deeds” refers to habitual, repeated actions.

“Body” is from sōma, which refers to our physical body.

 

Meaning Explained

Let’s look at this one phrase at a time. Paul starts out with, “For if you live according to the flesh.” We have already talked about “according to the flesh,” meaning “satisfying the desires of the sin nature.” The end of this phrase is, “you will die.” It’s not a matter that you may die, but that you definitely will die. This is another indication that Paul is now talking about someone who is not saved. One of the characteristics of an unsaved person is that their actions are dictated by self, not by the Spirit of God, and he or she will suffer eternal death.

The second half of this verse is, “but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” In other words, if we personally take an active part in putting to death the deeds of our body, we will have life. This is a characteristic of a Christian. As born again Christians, we live by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we will actively fight against and put to death the selfish deeds of our sin nature.

Remember back in verse ten Paul said that if Christ is in you, the body is dead but the spirit is alive. He is now saying that one way for you to tell if Christ is in you (if you are truly saved) is that you will not continually be living to satisfy your sin nature because the Holy Spirit is living in you. Through the Holy Spirit we are continually working to kill the fleshly practices that our body (influenced by our sin nature) wants to do. But, those who are not saved are continually letting their body and its fleshly desires have their way. As a result, they are destined to die and be eternally separated from God. That’s precisely what James meant when he wrote:

Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:18b)

 

Application

So where do your actions say you will spend eternity? Do they say that you are destined to die eternally or that you will live eternally in God’s presence as His adopted son or daughter?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 7:24 – Winning a Losing Battle

Posted on by Will

O wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Truth to Learn

The ever presence of sin will bring a committed Christian to his or her knees … over and over and over and over …

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “wretched” is talaipōros, which is based on talas, meaning “suffering” and a form of pōreō, meaning “miserable or distressed.” Hence, this word refers to someone who is suffering miserably.

“Rescue” is translated from rhuomai, which literally means “to draw out for oneself.” It is interpreted as meaning “to rescue” or “to deliver from danger or harm.”

The word translated “body” is the Greek word somatos, which in its basest meaning refers to the physical human body. Paul is using this word as a metaphor, however. So, it is not referring to our physical body, but something else.

 

Meaning Explained

As I shared with you in the previous verse, I get really irritated with myself when I do that which I know God wants me to avoid. It gives me a great sense of guilt that is only alleviated by personal confession and God’s grace. Obviously, the Apostle Paul feels similar. As a result of the battle between his intellect and his sin nature in which his sin nature carries him off as a prisoner of war and controls his actions against his own will, he declares, “O wretched man that I am!” And, he wants to be rescued from his body of death.

Our translation here says “… this body of death;” however, the Greek text reads “the body of this death.” That is, Paul is using the word “body” to refer to something non-physical (the sin nature). He is saying that his sin nature has such control over him that it is as if his whole body is inhabited by and controlled by his sinful tendencies.

Some commentators suppose that Paul is referring to an ancient custom of tying a dead body to a captive. In this manner the prisoner had to drag the heavy and abhorrent, smelly burden behind him for the lengthy trek back to the homeland of the captor. Although this may not have been Paul’s intent, it certainly is a vivid picture of the constant burden of our sin nature.

I don’t need to ask you whether you ever feel this way or not. If you are truly a born again Christian, then you have felt this way. That’s the battle which rages within all Christians as we desire to please God and try to do His will. But this battle frequently ends in defeat when our sin nature sneaks up and takes us captive.

This is not a hopeless battle, however. Paul will begin to explain in the next chapter how we, as sinners saved by grace, can overcome the sin nature and experience personal victory by the grace of God through the blood of Christ!

 

Application

Don’t be too hard on yourself when you battle with sinful tendencies and the disobedience to God which follows. It doesn’t mean you have lost your salvation. In fact, it is a constant reminder that confession and humility before God are necessities for every Christian. The more we recognize our own sin, the more we have to humble ourselves and draw near to God. And He will ALWAYS forgive our sins.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – Sanctification and Preservation

Posted on by Will

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth to Learn

God is the one who makes us holy and keeps us to the end.

 

Behind the Words

“Completely” is from holotelēs, made up of holos, meaning “all, or the whole” and telos, meaning “the end point.” Thus, holotelēs means “completely to the very last part.”

“Spirit” is translated from pneuma, meaning “a breath of air.” It is that part of man which gives life to all animal life (see Genesis 2:7; 7:15, 22).

The word “soul” is translated from psuchē (or psyche). This word refers to the affections, desires, and emotions, which distinguish mankind from the rest of the animal world.

“Body” is from the Greek word soma, which refers to the physical part of man.

The word translated “kept” is from tēreō, which means “to guard and keep from loss or injury.”

Amemtōs is the Greek word translated “blameless.” It is made up of the negative particle a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of memphomai, meaning “to find fault.”

 

Meaning Explained

Having finished his teaching to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul now expresses a prayer for them (and us). He prays for complete sanctification for the saints. As we have noted a number of times, sanctification refers to the state of “being set apart from sin and its consequences.” This is not, as some churches teach, a condition in which we have so completely turned from sin in our life that we become completely sinless. Notice that we are not the ones who set ourselves apart; that is God’s doing alone. Also see that this complete sanctification occurs when our Lord comes for us.

Almost since the day Paul wrote this letter, there has been an ongoing debate among Christians as to whether man is made up of two parts (soul and body) or three parts (spirit, soul, and body). The main argument for the two-part theory is the fact that soul and body are contrasted a number of times in the Bible (Job 7:15; Psalms 31:9, 44:25; Isaiah 10:18; Micah 6:7; and Matthew 10:28), whereas this is the only verse where all three are listed. Notice, however, that in 1 Corinthians 15:44, Paul refers to our earthly body as a natural body (literally soul body) and our resurrected body as a spirit body. If the soul and the spirit are the same, then so will our heavenly body be the same as our earthly body. Also note that the writer of Hebrews indicates that the Word of God can divide the soul and spirit. Given these two facts alone, it is reasonable to conclude that man is made up of spirit, soul, and body.

Finally, notice that Paul tells us that it is God who preserves us blameless. He is the one who has declared us to be righteous (without sin), and He is the only one who can prevent the loss of that righteousness until the coming of the Lord.

 

Application

As we study who and what God is, and as we continue to submit ourselves to Him, we come to realize more fully how powerful and righteous He is and how weak and sinful we are. We also become more and more aware of how undeserving we are of the legal righteousness and the salvation that has been given to us.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 5:30 – God’s Body Love

Posted on by Will

For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

Truth to Learn

Christians are part of God’s body which He loves.

 

Behind the Words

“For” is translated from hoti, a Greek conjunction which can be used to demonstrate something further (translated as “that”) or to show a causal relationship (translated as “because” or “for”). The latter appears to be the case here.

“Members” is translated from the Greek word melos, which refers to “a limb or other part of a body.”

The word translated “body” is soma, which (as we learned back in verse twenty-eight) can refer to “a physical body” or to “any organized whole made up of parts or members.”

The phrase “of His flesh and of His bones” does not appear in the better Greek texts and probably should be omitted.

 

Meaning Explained

In order to fully understand this verse, we have to go back to verse twenty-five. In that verse we were told that a husband’s love for his wife is to be the same kind of love that Christ has for the church. That love was demonstrated at the cross, where Jesus sacrificed His life in order to sanctify (set-apart) and cleanse His bride (the church). Then, Paul identified the love of a man for his wife as the same as that which we all have for our own body. The love for our own body is demonstrated in the way we provide for nourishment and comfort, “just as the Lord does for the church.”

Paul starts off today’s verse with hoti, showing the cause, or reason, for Christ’s loving care for us. It is because we are part of His body that our Lord and Savior provides for our nourishment and comfort.

A husband’s love for his wife is to be like the love that Christ has for His bride (the church.) But Jesus’ bride is also His body. In a very real sense, the members of the church are physical members of Christ’s body. Christ is the head of the body, He directs and instructs us, but we are the ones who do the work of the ministry. Some members of the church are specifically gifted to reach out to those outside the body, while others are specifically gifted to minister to the health of the body. This is the same as our physical bodies. Some parts of our body (the arms and legs, for instance) perform work directed outside the body. Other parts of our body (internal organs, for instance) perform work directed within the body to keep the body healthy.

“But I thought we were talking about the love of a husband for his wife?” you might ask. Yes, we are, but one of the characteristics of Paul’s teaching is that he often intermingles the teaching of two subjects into one. Here he is teaching about what God expects of a husband in the marriage relationship, but he is also teaching something about the relationship between us and our Lord.

God loved us enough to sacrifice for us, to give us eternal life. But His love doesn’t stop there. He loves us as His own body, providing for our nourishment and comfort on a daily basis.

 

Application

Do you sometimes feel like God is distant and that He doesn’t care about what’s happening to you? Think again, my friend. You are part of His body, which He dearly loves and cares for. When I was a very young Christian, I heard an expression that has stuck with me ever since. It may not be a quote from the Bible, but remembering it should cause us all to look closely at our relationship with our God:

Does God seem to be far away? If so, who do you think moved?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 5:28 – Win-win Love

Posted on by Will

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his own wife loves himself.

Truth to Learn

As we love ourselves, so a husband should love his wife.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “ought” is opheilō, which means “to be indebted” or “to be obligated.”

All three occurrences of “love” in this verse are forms of agape, which refers to “self-sacrificing actions focused on the good of the loved one.”

“Bodies” is from the Greek noun soma, which can refer to “our physical body” or metaphorically to “any organized whole made up of parts or members.”

 

Meaning Explained

After a couple of verses of describing the love that Christ has for His bride (His body), Paul now returns to the subject of men loving their wives. He tells us that husbands are obligated to love their own wives as their own body. There are several nuances to this teaching that are all equally true.

Paul has used the example of Christ’s love for His bride, the church. However, the church is also referred to as the “body of Christ.” Thus, all that is described here about the love that Christ has for His bride is also love that He has for His body. In the same manner, the husband should demonstrate love for his wife as his own body, which takes us to the second nuance of this teaching. As Paul will tell us a few verses from here, quoting from the Old Testament:

For this reason, a man shall leave father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)

Since the marriage union makes a man and a woman one flesh (one body), then a man really is showing love to his own body when he demonstrates love to his wife.

The third nuance of this verse, and the one I believe Paul is focusing on here, is based on the fact that each one of us loves his or her own self. It is a part of who and what we are. When we get hungry, we feed ourselves. When we get thirsty, we take a drink. When we get cold, we turn up the heat or put on warmer clothing. We do all these things, and many more, without thinking about them. In fact, we love our bodies and the life that God has given us so much that we go into a natural panic and frenzy when that life is threatened.

In taking a swimming and lifesaving class many years ago, I learned that when someone is on the verge of drowning, they panic and flail their arms and legs about because they so desperately want to preserve their lives.

Paul’s point here is that we love our own body and this life so much that we will do anything to preserve our own health, safety, and comfort. Husbands, that’s the kind of love you should have for your wife. You should be so focused on her health, safety, and comfort that you take care of her needs without having to even think about them.

 

Application

This is one of those areas where, by being obedient to God, we make it easier for someone else to be obedient to God. Men if you consistently demonstrate real love for your wife, she will actually want to submit herself to you. Your obedience to God makes hers so much easier. That’s called win-win!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:4 – Only One

Posted on by Will

There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling;

Truth to Learn

All Christians are to work toward unity within the church.

 

Behind the Words

“One” is translated from the Greek word heis (pronounced hice). This is the masculine form of the word. The feminine form of this word is mia and the neuter form is hen. All three of these forms refer to the first cardinal numeral, one.

The word “body” is translated from sōma, meaning “an organized whole made up of parts and members.” It is the word commonly used to refer to a physical body or a representative body. In today’s verse it is a reference to the body made up of all Christians around the world, whether past, present, or future. Paul refers to us as “the body of Christ.”

“Spirit” is from pneuma, which is based on the verb pneō, meaning “to breathe” or “to blow.” Thus, pneuma literally refers to “a current of air.” Figuratively, it refers to “a spirit” or “a ghost.”

Elpis, is the word translated “hope.” This word is based on the verb elpō, which means “to anticipate” or “to welcome.” Whereas the English word “hope” implies a wish or a desire for something to occur, elpis expresses “an expectation of what is sure.” We can define elpis as “a hope for something, with the full expectation that it will happen.”

 

Meaning Explained

In this fourth chapter of his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul is instructing us regarding how we are to behave as Christians. This is in contrast to the first three chapters where he taught us what to believe. In the first verse of this chapter we were told to “walk worthy” of our calling. That is, we should behave in a manner consistent with God’s character and the job that He has given us to perform.

In yesterday’s verse Paul instructed us to be fast, that is, eager or diligent to guard the unity of the Spirit within the church. In other words, he is exhorting us to work hard at avoiding division. In today’s verse and the following two, he reinforces his argument by showing numerous examples of the unity that exists within the church.

He starts off reminding us that there is only one body of Christ. Sadly, throughout the centuries since the original formation of the church on the day of Pentecost (see Acts chapter 2), there have been divisions within the church. On the human level, the church is made up of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions. There are even divisions within each of these, most notably the Protestants of which there are numerous denominations. From God’s perspective, however, there is only one body, united by one Holy Spirit and infused with the same hope in our calling. That common hope is the assurance, or expectation, that we will exist eternally in God’s presence.

 

Application

Are you walking worthy of the calling with which you have been called? Are you diligent in performing your given responsibility in a manner that promotes unity within the body of Christ? If so, Paul would be proud of you!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:16 – Deadly Reconciliation

Posted on by Will

and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

Truth to Learn

We are reconciled to God because of Jesus Christ’s death.

 

Behind the Words

“He might reconcile” is translated from the Greek verb apokatalassō. This is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from,” kata, used as an intensifier, and allassō, meaning “to change.” The word katalassō (without apo added) implies the setting up of a relationship of peace that did not exist before. Apokatalassō, however, implies a restoration of a relationship which comes from a dramatic change. In other words, it refers to restoring harmony or fellowship (which existed previously) between two parties as a result of a dramatic change on the part of one of them.

Amphoteros is the Greek word that is translated “both.” It refers to “both of two,” that is, “both the one and the other.”

The word “body” is soma, which refers to “a body, either literally or figuratively.” In this case it refers to the physical body of Jesus Christ.

“Cross” is from the Greek noun stauros, which is derived from the base of the verb histēmi, meaning “to stand.” It refers to “a tree,” “a stake,” or “a cross” (something set upright) to which criminals were tied or nailed as a form of execution.

The expression “putting to death” comes from the verb apokteinō, which is composed of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and the verb kteinō, meaning “to slay.” Thus, apokteinō means “to kill” or “to put to death.”

 

Meaning Explained

This verse really focuses on the Greek word apokatalassō, the reconciliation of mankind to God. In other words, God has restored harmony and fellowship between us and Him as a result of a change in our status. That change is from a condition of us being a condemned sinner to the condition of us having the righteousness of Christ. But Paul makes a special point of declaring that both Jews and Gentiles have been reconciled to God. Jews needed reconciliation because they failed to keep the whole law. And Gentiles needed reconciliation as well because we were estranged from God and His blessing.

This reconciliation took place in the physical body of Jesus Christ. As the second person of the Godhead, Jesus is completely God. But, because He took on human form, that is, a physical human body just like you and I have, subject to pain, suffering, and death, He is also completely human. Because He became completely human and lived a life without sin, he was able to offer up His human life in that body, through the pain and suffering of the cross, as the payment for our sins.

At this point Paul employs one of his “play on words” for which he is noted. He tells us that because of the death of His body, Jesus put to death the enmity, the hatred and hostility between Jews and Gentiles. By His death, He reconciled both Jew and Gentile with God and put to death the hostility between us.

 

Application

In his letter to the Romans, Paul said:

For in that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in that He lives, He lives to God. So also you count yourselves to be truly dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:10-11)

If we are dead to sin then it cannot have mastery over us, and we can live our lives to God as a result of the bodily death of Jesus Christ. So, now the question we all have to ask ourselves is, “Do we consider ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God?” Think about that for a few minutes.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 1:23 – Spiritual Body Life

Posted on by Will

which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Truth to Learn

All Christians are part of the body of Christ. As members of that body we each have a function to perform in the church.

 

Behind the Words

The word “which” is translated from hostis, a double relative pronoun that most literally translates to “which some.” In this case the meaning seems to be “seeing it is.”

“Body” is translated from the Greek noun soma, which refers to “the body” as a whole. It is used both literally and figuratively in the New Testament. Here it refers to the church, the spiritual body of the resurrected Jesus.

The word “fullness” is from plēroma, a derivative of the verb plēroō, meaning “to fill full” or “to cram full.” It means to fill so completely that there is no room left to add any more. Plēroma refers to “the condition of fullness or completion.”

“Fills” is from the verb plēroō, which we just looked at. It is expressed here as a participle in the middle voice (the subject acting on himself).

 

Meaning Explained

Back in verse nineteen we learned that one of the things the Apostle Paul prays for is for all believers to understand the exceeding greatness of God’s power. Through that power, the Father raised Jesus from the dead and elevated Him to the highest position of honor and authority. And in yesterday’s verse he told us that the Father made Jesus to be the head over all things with regard to the church. Now, to get the full impact of the current verse, let’s look at it along with the previous verse.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

God the Father made the risen Jesus to be the head of the church, which Paul tells us here is His body. The church universal is the body of Christ. It serves as His arms, hands, eyes, ears, nose, and feet. In his first letter to the Corinthian church and his letter to the Roman church, Paul explained a little more about the functioning of the body of Christ.

For even as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ … But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body even as He desired. (1Cointhians 12:12, 22)

so we, the many, are one body in Christ, and each one members of one another, but having different gifts according to the grace that was given to us … (Romans 12:5-6a)

All Christians have a part to play in the body of Christ. We each have abilities and spiritual gifts given specifically to each one of us by God. We need to be using those gifts to build up the body.

 

Application

Do you know what your gifts are? Are there abilities that you have that others don’t? Are you using your talents and spiritual gifts to make your fellow Christians stronger in their faith?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 2:26 – Faith, Dead or Alive?

Posted on by Will

For just as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is also dead.

Truth to Learn

If works of faithful obedience to God are not regularly demonstrated in our walk, then we need to determine if we were ever really saved in the first place. Nothing could be more tragic than someone believing they are saved only to find out when they stand before their God and Judge that they never really believed.

Behind the Words

“Just as” is translated from the adverb hōsper. This word is made up of hōs, meaning “as” and per, meaning “much.” It means “just as” or “exactly like.”

The Greek word translated “body” is sōma, used here as a reference to our physical body

The word “without” is from chōris, which means “separately” or “by itself.”

Pneumatos is the Greek word translated “spirit.” It is derived from pneō, meaning “to breathe.” Hence, the spirit of a person is the “breath of life” which makes him or her a living being.

“Dead” is translated from the Greek word nekros, which refers to a corpse, a dead person.

Meaning Explained

James sums up this entire section with a simple statement that expresses what he has been saying for the past ten verses. Just as your own body cannot exist without the life-giving presence of your spirit, so your faith cannot exist without the presence of works of faithful obedience to your Lord and Master. If those works don’t exist in your life, then you are not really saved.

There are many churches today that are more interested in numbers of converts than reality of converts. They say, “All you have to do is believe that Christ died for your sins and you will be saved.” They say nothing about submitting to the lordship of God or of turning over control of your life to Him. As soon as someone says the sinner’s prayer, they congratulate themselves and record another convert in their membership rolls. What they often don’t tell the new converts is, “How you live your life after you do this will be the evidence of whether or not your faith is real.” As a result, there are many so-called Christians who have professed Christ at some time in the past, but their post-confession life is no different from their pre-confession life. We have to wonder whether they were ever really saved in the first place. James would clearly say they were not.

Application

If you are wondering whether your own profession was real, simply ask yourself: Has my manner of living changed since I confessed Christ as savior? Do I have a hunger for His Word? Do I desire to be with my Christian friends more than my unsaved friends? Does The Spirit convict me when I sin? Do I want to know God better and to please Him as much as possible?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then take a few minutes right now and do this:

  • Recognize that you are a sinner (we all are) and that the penalty of your sinfulness is death.
  • Humble yourself before God Almighty, recognizing that He is your supreme ruler and master.
  • Repent of your sins (this means turn away from them and go the other direction, toward God instead of away from Him). This doesn’t mean that you won’t sin, but you won’t want to sin.
  • Accept the fact that Jesus, as a sinless man and as God, died on the cross and paid for all of your sins (past, present, and future).
  • Confess, in your own words, that you believe that Christ died for your sins.
  • Walk worthy of the Lord!

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) 

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – Sanctification and Preservation

Posted on by Will

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth to Learn

God is the one who makes us holy and keeps us to the end.

Behind the Words

“Completely” is from holotelēs, made up of holos, meaning “all, or the whole” and telos, meaning “the end point.” Thus, holotelēs means “completely to the very last part.”

“Spirit” is translated from pneuma, meaning “a breath of air.” It is that part of man which gives life to all animal life (see Genesis 2:7; 7:15, 22).

The word “soul” is translated from psuchē (or psyche). This word refers to the affections, desires, and emotions, which distinguish mankind from the rest of the animal world.

“Body” is from the Greek word soma, which refers to the physical part of man.

The word translated “preserved” is from tēreō, which means “to guard and keep from loss or injury.”

Amemtōs is the Greek word translated “blameless.” It is made up of the negative particle a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of memphomai, meaning “to find fault.”

Meaning Explained

Having finished his teaching to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul now expresses a prayer for them (and us). He prays for complete sanctification for the saints. As we have noted a number of times, sanctification refers to the state of “being set apart from sin and its consequences.” This is not, as some churches teach, a condition in which we have so completely turned from sin in our life that we become completely sinless. Notice that we are not the ones who set ourselves apart; that is God’s doing alone. Also see that this complete sanctification occurs when our Lord comes for us.

Almost since the day Paul wrote this letter, there has been an ongoing debate among Christians as to whether man is made up of two parts (soul and body) or three parts (spirit, soul, and body). The main argument for the two-part theory is the fact that soul and body are contrasted a number of times in the Bible (Job 7:15; Psalms 31:9, 44:25; Isaiah 10:18; Micah 6:7; and Matthew 10:28), whereas this is the only verse where all three are listed. Notice, however, that in 1 Corinthians 15:44, Paul refers to our earthly body as a natural body (literally soul body) and our resurrected body as a spirit body. If the soul and the spirit are the same, then so will our heavenly body be the same as our earthly body. Also note that the writer of Hebrews indicates that the Word of God can divide the soul and spirit. Given these two facts alone, it is reasonable to conclude that man is made up of spirit, soul, and body.

Finally, notice that Paul tells us that it is God who preserves us blameless. He is the one who has declared us to be righteous (without sin), and He is the only one who can prevent the loss of that righteousness until the coming of the Lord.

Application

As we study who and what God is, and as we continue to submit ourselves to Him, we come to realize more fully how powerful and righteous He is and how weak and sinful we are.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved