The human body as the temple

[Bold Believer]

If God wanted me to understand that man in his entirety was to be understood as soul, spirit, body the concept would be far greater than one verse. How many others are there to go along with this one to substantiate the 'doctrine' of man being these three parts. Man was said to be created in the image of God, yet God has no body. How does that work?

Gary

Hi gary, do you not think that you have #1) a body, #2) a soul and #3) a spirit? do you not think that those three parts make up who you are as a whole created being? If you think you are any different than a body soul or spirit then I am most curious to know more of your thoughts on the matter.

I can give you examples that shows how the three parts are used to sin from the book of......

Galatians 5:19-21 - Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleaness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murder, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:

All of the sins that are listed above being the work and lusts of the flesh. In order to commit any such sins. A person would have to yield give or use their own body in order to commit certain of the sins listed. A person would also have to yield their spirit to commit some of these types of sins mentioned. It will be a persons soul or will that will determine or decide if they will commit and do the works of unrighteousness. Being the lusts of the flesh the sins within their own hearts which will cause them to reap eternal damnation. It also is the soul a persons will that will determine or decide if they will obey God yielding or giving their body and spirit over to the works of righteousness. Which is walking in the Spirit doing what is right which will cause them to reap everlasting life. It is the will our souls that the fight between the body and spirit is over. A person has to guard and watch over their own soul keeping check so that the will of God prevails in both their body and spirit. A person can use their body and spirit to commit sin or they can use their body and spirit to do the things that are right. It is the soul part of our being that determines what our walk in this will be.

Hi OC, it isn't a question of whether we have a body or not. It is a question of whether we are our body or not. I do not need this body to exist except in the temporal realm. I don't cease to exist when my body dies. To the contrary, my life continues on just as Abel who spoke though his body had died. Our bodies are just vessels that we are in. We are, just as you say, responsible for what goes on in them as we are ultimately the ones who control the body. The texts that I see tell me that though the body die, I shall continue to live and at some point be given a new body upon the resurrection from the dead. At that point I will be able to once again interact on my own in a body given to me but this time free of sin. The rest of the time in between bodies, I believe I will simply be 'in Christ' awaiting the resurrection. I believe that I am created in the image of God and God has no body. I was simply given a body for the purpose of being in the 'form' that God chose me to live in. He could have made me an angel and given me an angelic body but he did not. This is the way I am led to see it.

Gary

We are first and foremost a spirit. This is how we are made in the image of God. We have a soul. We live in a body.

God has a form (morphe), but not flesh. The Word (Christ) was made flesh for a time to carry out the will of God for the redemption of the elect. When we see Christ, we see the Father. Jesus told this to the Disciples. So then God reveals himself most intimately through Christ, in a human body. So, while the Father has no body, the Son does.

So long as we are in this world, our body acts as a temple. It contains the Spirit of God. When we compare our situation to the temple/tabernacle it's not hard to come the conclusion I have. Our body is the thing which is closest to the world, just as the Outer Court of the temple was closest to the non-believer. Our soul/psyche is hidden from the outer world, much as the Inner Court of the temple was hidden to those who were outside of Judaism, but it could still be affected by what goes on out there. Our spirit is where the Holy Spirit dwells, just as God dwelled in the Holy of Holies.

[Openly Curious]

If God wanted me to understand that man in his entirety was to be understood as soul, spirit, body the concept would be far greater than one verse. How many others are there to go along with this one to substantiate the 'doctrine' of man being these three parts. Man was said to be created in the image of God, yet God has no body. How does that work?

Gary

Hi gary, do you not think that you have #1) a body, #2) a soul and #3) a spirit? do you not think that those three parts make up who you are as a whole created being? If you think you are any different than a body soul or spirit then I am most curious to know more of your thoughts on the matter.

I can give you examples that shows how the three parts are used to sin from the book of......

Galatians 5:19-21 - Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleaness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murder, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:

All of the sins that are listed above being the work and lusts of the flesh. In order to commit any such sins. A person would have to yield give or use their own body in order to commit certain of the sins listed. A person would also have to yield their spirit to commit some of these types of sins mentioned. It will be a persons soul or will that will determine or decide if they will commit and do the works of unrighteousness. Being the lusts of the flesh the sins within their own hearts which will cause them to reap eternal damnation. It also is the soul a persons will that will determine or decide if they will obey God yielding or giving their body and spirit over to the works of righteousness. Which is walking in the Spirit doing what is right which will cause them to reap everlasting life. It is the will our souls that the fight between the body and spirit is over. A person has to guard and watch over their own soul keeping check so that the will of God prevails in both their body and spirit. A person can use their body and spirit to commit sin or they can use their body and spirit to do the things that are right. It is the soul part of our being that determines what our walk in this will be.

Hi OC, it isn't a question of whether we have a body or not. It is a question of whether we are our body or not. I do not need this body to exist except in the temporal realm. I don't cease to exist when my body dies. To the contrary, my life continues on just as Abel who spoke though his body had died. Our bodies are just vessels that we are in. We are, just as you say, responsible for what goes on in them as we are ultimately the ones who control the body. The texts that I see tell me that though the body die, I shall continue to live and at some point be given a new body upon the resurrection from the dead. At that point I will be able to once again interact on my own in a body given to me but this time free of sin. The rest of the time in between bodies, I believe I will simply be 'in Christ' awaiting the resurrection. I believe that I am created in the image of God and God has no body. I was simply given a body for the purpose of being in the 'form' that God chose me to live in. He could have made me an angel and given me an angelic body but he did not. This is the way I am led to see it.

Gary

Hello gary, You have said that man is not a three part being so what part are you denying? You have acknowledged the body and that the real person lives on after the body, so what are you denying, the soul or the spirit? Are you saying that man is a two part being? At the time of the resurrection do you believe the bodies we have know are raised up and glorified, or do you believe we are placed in a brand new body?

[gdemoss]

If God wanted me to understand that man in his entirety was to be understood as soul, spirit, body the concept would be far greater than one verse. How many others are there to go along with this one to substantiate the 'doctrine' of man being these three parts. Man was said to be created in the image of God, yet God has no body. How does that work?

Gary

Hi gary, do you not think that you have #1) a body, #2) a soul and #3) a spirit? do you not think that those three parts make up who you are as a whole created being? If you think you are any different than a body soul or spirit then I am most curious to know more of your thoughts on the matter.

I can give you examples that shows how the three parts are used to sin from the book of......

Galatians 5:19-21 - Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleaness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murder, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:

All of the sins that are listed above being the work and lusts of the flesh. In order to commit any such sins. A person would have to yield give or use their own body in order to commit certain of the sins listed. A person would also have to yield their spirit to commit some of these types of sins mentioned. It will be a persons soul or will that will determine or decide if they will commit and do the works of unrighteousness. Being the lusts of the flesh the sins within their own hearts which will cause them to reap eternal damnation. It also is the soul a persons will that will determine or decide if they will obey God yielding or giving their body and spirit over to the works of righteousness. Which is walking in the Spirit doing what is right which will cause them to reap everlasting life. It is the will our souls that the fight between the body and spirit is over. A person has to guard and watch over their own soul keeping check so that the will of God prevails in both their body and spirit. A person can use their body and spirit to commit sin or they can use their body and spirit to do the things that are right. It is the soul part of our being that determines what our walk in this will be.

Hi OC, it isn't a question of whether we have a body or not. It is a question of whether we are our body or not. I do not need this body to exist except in the temporal realm. I don't cease to exist when my body dies. To the contrary, my life continues on just as Abel who spoke though his body had died. Our bodies are just vessels that we are in. We are, just as you say, responsible for what goes on in them as we are ultimately the ones who control the body. The texts that I see tell me that though the body die, I shall continue to live and at some point be given a new body upon the resurrection from the dead. At that point I will be able to once again interact on my own in a body given to me but this time free of sin. The rest of the time in between bodies, I believe I will simply be 'in Christ' awaiting the resurrection. I believe that I am created in the image of God and God has no body. I was simply given a body for the purpose of being in the 'form' that God chose me to live in. He could have made me an angel and given me an angelic body but he did not. This is the way I am led to see it.

Gary

Hello gary, You have said that man is not a three part being so what part are you denying? You have acknowledged the body and that the real person lives on after the body, so what are you denying, the soul or the spirit? Are you saying that man is a two part being? At the time of the resurrection do you believe the bodies we have know are raised up and glorified, or do you believe we are placed in a brand new body?

I said man is not a three part being? I believe man has corresponding parts that identify with each part of God as we are created in his image. We are given a 'body' to reside in. First carnal, then spiritual upon the resurrection. I believe the two are different. But no matter what 'body' God gives us to dwell in, we, that which is created in his image, dwell inside of it and are not a part of it. My visual understanding of how we are created in his image is a bit different from orthodoxy. I have a thread somewhere called created in their image where I have shared what I see.

Gary