Chapter 6. What Is the Makeup of Human Life?

In the evening of November 28 our Life group held our fifth meeting since we resumed meeting after the break caused by COVID 19. Seven members of the group were present–Leonora, Robert, and me; Dennis and Audrey Froude; and Chris and Beverley Little. As usual Leonora led the worship part of the meeting, I guided the study, Audrey prayed for the prayer requests, and Leonora provided a lunch at the end of the meeting.

In the study we continued studying Brian C. Stiller’s What Happens When I Die? A Promise of the Afterlife (Colorado Springs, CO: Pinon, 2001), considering Chapter Six: What Is the Makeup of Human Life? by discussing the questions, one or two on each section of the chapter, which I’d assigned on it.

These are the questions with Stiller’s answers to them. The page numbers for the Stiller’s answers are in brackets.
(introduction)
What are the two concepts of the immortality of the soul?
One concept is reincarnation in which the soul lives forever from one existence to another existence in various bodies. The other concept is that after the body occupied by the soul dies the soul lives on forever as a soul without a body. (65)
What three essential ideas does each of these concepts assert?
The three essential ideas are: the soul is the essence of human life; the soul has existed forever and will continue to exist forever; and the body is a prison, which in its death frees the soul. (65)
(Jewish and Christian Views)
What does the Hebrew and Christian view of Christian life teach instead of the immortality of the soul?
The Hebrew and Christian view is that the soul begins at conception without previous existence and although it temporarily leaves the body at death it reunites with it in the afterlife. (65-66)
Is the human made up of two parts (body and soul) or three parts (body, soul, and spirit)?
The words for “soul” and “spirit” are used interchangeably, and thus the human is made up of two parts, body and soul. (68-69) (see below)
(“The Flesh)
What does “the flesh” refer to in the Bible?
“The flesh” refers to the physical part of a person. (69-71)
(What Is Immortal):
What about a human is immortal?
“The flesh” refers to the physical part of a person. (69-71)
(The Imago Dei)
What does our being made in the “imago Dei” or “image of God” say about us now?
Our being made in the “image of God” means that we carry within us something that is like the Creator. (74)
What does it point forward to?
It points forward to our reflecting more fully the image of God after we are resurrected. (75)
(Contrasting the Deaths of Jesus and Socrates)
How are the deaths of Socrates and Jesus contrasted?
Socrates went to death with composure and peace, but Jesus wept and cried. (76-77)
Why, according to Stiller, is there such a difference in their lives?
Socrates viewed the soul as being imprisoned in the body and thus being liberated by death. Jesus believed that he was called to conquer death and that he could do this only by entering the sphere of death. (77-78)

Because the members of our Life group were familiar with the view that the human is made up of three rather than two parts, I noted the Biblical support for that view, how proponents of it distinguish between soul and spirit, and a response to their Biblical argument. The passages most commonly used in support of the view are 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” If these passages distinguish between soul and spirit, soul could refer to our mind and emotions and spirit to our spiritual connection with God. However Paul could be simply piling up synonyms for emphasis as Jesus does in Mark 12:30, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.”

Further Instructions (Colossians 4:2-6)

After giving special instructions to members of Christian households (3:18-4:1), Paul returns to advice that applies to the whole church (4:2-6). Verses 2-4 relates to personal devotional life and verses 5-6 to their behaviour to non-Christans.

2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. (KJV; for other versions, see https://www.blueletterbible.org/)

2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. Jesus likewise told his disciples to “watch and pray” (Mark 14:38). “With thanksgiving” refers to the spirit in which prayer should be offered. John Calvin comments, “He adds, thanksgiving, because we must ask God for our present necessity in such a way that we do not forget benefits already received. And also we ought not to be so importunate as to murmur and be resentful if God does not immediately meet our wishes, but we must accept contentedly whatever He gives” (The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians in Calvin’s Commentaries, Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1965, page 356).

3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. By “withal” Paul means that he wants the Colossians to pray for him whenever they pray. Paul asks them to pray that he will have opportunities to share the good news about Christ in spite of his imprisonment. Christians should pray for missionaries and church leaders around the world. As well we ought to seek help from the prayers of others when the occasion warrants it. On “the mystery,” see my comments on Colossians 1:26-27 (https://opentheism.wordpress.com/2022/09/03/pauls-labour-for-the-church-124-25/).

5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. “Them that are without” are non-Christians. Christians should be live in such a way to attract non-Christians and not to needlessly antagonize them. Albert Barnes suggests these and four other reasons for Paul’s injunction: “(1.) Men of the world judge of religion, not from the profession, but from the life of its friends. (2.) They judge of religion, not from preaching, or from books, or from the conduct of its Founder and his apostles, but from what they see in the daily walk and conversation of the members of the church” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1975 reprint, page 1076). “Redeeming” is a market term meaning “buying out” or “purchasing completely.” Christians must make the most of every opportunity for witnessing to the faith.

6 Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. “Seasoned with salt” echoes the teaching of Jesus when he tells his disciples that they are the “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). Salt is a preservative and tasty. Similarly, the Christian’s conversation should be wholesome and helpful. In Ephesians 4:29 Paul tells his readers, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (KJV).

Instructions to Christian Households (Colossians 3:18-4:1)

Paul gives special instructions to various members of a Christian household. Significantly, he addresses wives, children, and slaves directly as equal members in Christian households with husbands, parents, and masters. Also significant are the references to the “Lord” (verses 18, 20, 22, 23, and 24), connecting the passage with Paul’s injunction in verse 17, “ And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (KJV).

18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them. 20 Children, obey [your] parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. 21 Fathers, provoke not your children [to anger], lest they be discouraged. 22 Servants, obey in all things [your] masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. 1 Masters, give unto [your] servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. (KJV; for other versions, see https://www.blueletterbible.org/)

3:18-19. Paul doesn’t tell wives to obey their husbands but rather to submit to them. “Submit” is the same word that Paul uses to express our duties to civil magistrates in Romans 13:1, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (KJV). He tells wives to submit voluntarily to their husband’s authority because “it is fit in the Lord” rather than because it was in accordance with current cultural standards, although the latter may also have been true. Paul tells husbands to love their wives and not to be harsh with them. Rather than an affectionate or romantic attachment, “love” denotes a caring love. In the parallel passage in Ephesians he has much to say about the love that husbands should have towards their wives (5:25-33).

3:20-21. Paul tells children to obey their parents “in all things” and says that their love for their parents “is well pleasing to the Lord.” In Ephesians 6:2 he tells children to honour as well as to obey their parents. This reflects the fifth of the Ten Commandments, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12, KJV). In Albert Barnes’s lengthy note on Paul’s advice to fathers, he observes, “He who always finds fault with a child; who is never satisfied with what he does; who scolds and frets and complains, let him do what he will, breaks his spirit, and destroys in the delicate texture of his soul all desire of doing well” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1975 reprint, page 1075).

3:22-4:1. “Servants” were slaves. Paul neither condemns slavery nor sanctions slaves’ revolting against their masters, which some think that he should have done. Instead he calls on both slaves and masters to show Christian principles in their relationship with each other. Slaves are to serve their masters “in all things” and “as to the Lord,” and masters are treat their slaves justly and fairly. “There is no respect of persons” is addressed to slaves in Colossians and to masters in Ephesians and thus is applicable to both. Matthew Henry comments, “The righteous Judge of the earth will be impartial, and carry it with an equal hand towards master and servant; not swayed by any regard to men’s outward circumstances and condition of life. The one and the other will stand upon a level at his tribunal” (A Commentary on the Whole Bible, Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, reprint, volume VI, page 766). A possible reason for Paul’s writing more about slaves and masters than about wives, husbands, children, and parents is that a slave, Onesimus, was going with Tychicus to deliver this letter and the letter to Philemon, Onesimus’s master, who lived in Colosse (Philemon 10-12). For more on Paul’s thoughts regarding Christian slaves, see 1 Corinthians 7:21-24.

In bridging his exposition of the passage and his application of it to us, David E. Garland identifies three principles that underlie Paul’s instructions and are applicable in any age: “(1) The instructions show a special concern for the weaker or powerless members of the pair: wives, children, and slaves…. (2) The motivation for the behavior becomes distinctively Christian…. (3) Domination of others is prohibited” (The NIV Application Commentary: Colossians and Philemon, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1998, pages 257-60). Certainly, respect for these attitudes should enhance all “household” relationships.

Chapter 5. Does God Exist?

In the evening of November 14 our Life group held our fourth meeting since we resumed meeting after the break caused by COVID 19.The meeting was originally scheduled for October 31 but was postponed then because some members were sick. Seven members of the group were present–Leonora, Robert, and me; Dennis and Audrey Froude; and Chris and Beverley Little. As usual Leonora led the worship part of the meeting, I guided the study, Audrey prayed for the prayer requests, and Leonora provided a lunch at the end of the meeting.

In the study we continued studying Brian C. Stiller’s What Happens When I Die? A Promise of the Afterlife (Colorado Springs, CO: Pinon, 2001), considering Chapter Five, Does God Exist?. In assigning the reading of the chapter, I had observed that it contains five arguments given by the theologian Thomas Aquinas that belief in God makes sense and an exposition by Stiller on how believing that God exists gives meaning to a person’s life and I had asked the group members to select the argument for God’s existence given in the chapter that they found most convincing.

The members of our group selected these four of Aquinas’s arguments as most convincing (note that the statements below are not the arguments as Aquinas gave them or as Stiller explained them but just my summaries of Stiller’s explanations of Aquinas’s arguments):

• 2. What exists had to have been caused, and thus the world had to have been caused. Its cause was God.
• 3. We aren’t necessary to this life, and thus we had to have been caused. Our cause was God.
• 4. Moral laws speak not of what exists but of what should exist. They didn’t develop in a vacuum but are expressions of God.
• 5. Life is too complex and interdependent not to have been created by someone with purpose and design in mind. That designer is God.

In making the assignment, I’d added that if anyone knew of another argument for God’s existence that he or she found more convincing than those given in the chapter he or she could select it in addition to or instead of those given in the chapter. I was the only one that proposed one, my sharing that the argument for God’s existence that I find most convincing is that the Synoptic Gospels, which I think give a trustworthy account of the life and teachings of Jesus, portray him as being supernatural and as believing that God exists.

Put On the Virtues of Christ (Colossians 3:12-17)

Just as there are vices to put off (3:5-11), there are virtues to put on.

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. 14 And above all these things [put on] charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (KJV; for other versions, see https://www.blueletterbible.org/)

12 … as the elect of God, holy and beloved. Three titles given to Israel in the Old Testament,“elect/chosen…holy…beloved,” are here applied to Christians. As Jesus tells the eleven in John 15:16–“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit,” we are chosen for service, not for privilege.

12 Put on therefore … bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. 14 And above all these things [put on] charity, which is the bond of perfectness. The five qualities listed in verse 12–compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience–are elsewhere associated with God or Jesus. Like them, the two qualities described in verse 13–forbearance and forgiveness–are virtues especially important for establishing and maintaining peaceful relationships. But of greatest importance in doing that is the exercise of agape love (verse 14), which Paul describes as “the bond of perfection,” the thing that unites all the other Christian graces and makes them complete.

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. “The peace of God” is actually “the peace of Christ” and refers to the peace that Christ gives. It is to rule in our hearts, promoting unity.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. “The word of Christ” may be the word spoken by Christ or the word spoken about Christ (or both). “In you” may mean “in your hearts” as in verse 15 or “among you.” “Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” indicates the richness of Christian worship at this early time. “In your hearts” in the context doesn’t mean that the songs are to be silent, but rather suggests the fervour and the sincerity of the singing.

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. To do something “in the name of” someone is to do it as that person’s representative. Thus Paul urges the Colossian believers to act and speak in a way befitting representatives of Christ and to offer thanks to God through him.