How did Paul view the world in which he lived? How did this view effect his writings and belief about this life and the one to follow? We discuss all of this on this episode of the Thinking Theologically podcast.

Music:
“Kid Kodi”
Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Show Notes

Apocalyptic Worldview

• Paul, like Jesus, has an apocalyptic worldview. So, the way he sees and speaks about God’s story, faith, Jesus, humanity, and salvation are impacted by this worldview. 
• This is a view that in the world there is a battle going on between forces of evil and good, or forces of Satan and God. Jesus, as the leader of the kingdom of God, has come into the world to battle the forces of evil. Jesus and the kingdom of God ultimately win the battle at the cross through the resurrection. The world now waits for the complete victory and the fulness of the kingdom of God when Jesus returns and the kingdom is fully realized. 
• A prime example in Paul is the Armor of God in Eph 6:10–17. 

Defining Terms

• Body (gk., σῶμα, sōma)
  • The physical manifestation of human beings (2 Cor 7:5; Gal 6:17; Eph 5:29). 
  • The body is good. It is that which God created in the beginning and declared to be “very good.” 
  • Jesus, a sinless human being, had a body (Rom 7:4; 1 Cor 11:23–34). 
  • We await the resurrection and redemption of our bodies (Rom 8:11, 23; 1 Cor 15:53). 
    • Can’t resurrection something that has not died
    • Our resurrection will be like Jesus’ resurrection
    • No concept of a “spiritual” resurrection in the 1st century (see N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Resurrection of the Son of God) 
  • We are to honor God in our bodies (Rom 12:1; 1 Cor 6:13, 19–20). 
  • We will be judged for what we have done in the body (2 Cor 5:10). 
• Flesh (gk., σάρξ, sarx)
  • The evil, sinful part of the human being, not the physical body (Rom 7:8, 25; 8:3–9; 1 Cor 3:3; Gal 5:16–21). 
  • The flesh must be destroyed in Christ (Rom 8:3; 1 Cor 5:5).
  • Paul likes to contrast life in the flesh (i.e., sin) versus life in the Spirit (Rom 8; Gal 5:16–26). 
  • Paul can use this term to refer to our current, earthly life where we are still under the power of sin (2 Cor 4:11; Col 1:24). 
  • Paul also uses flesh to speak about the unnecessary requirement of circumcision (Gal 6:12–13; Eph 2:11; Phil 3:2).
• Soul (gk., ψυχή, psychē) 
  • Only used by Paul 24 times and only translated “soul” 1 time (1 Thess 5:23). 
  • Paul generally uses this term to refer to life or a living being (Rom 13:1; 16:4; 1 Cor 15:44, 45, 46; Phil 2:30; 1 Thess 2:8). 
    • “Sum of the acts of the body” 
  • Sometimes used to refer to the inner strength of a person (i.e., heart or mind) (Eph 6:6; Phil 1:27; 2:2). 
• Spirit (gk., πνεῦμα, pneuma) 
  • Almost always used to refer to the Holy Spirit and that within the Christian that is connected to life in the Holy Spirit. 
  • Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5; 1 Cor 6:11; 2 Cor 1:22; Gal 4:6; Eph 1:13; Phil 3:3; Col 1:8; 1 Thess 1:5, 6; 2 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 1:14; Titus 3:5). 
  • Spiritual Gifts (Rom 1:11; 1 Cor 12:1; 14:1, 12). 
  • Of or connect to the Holy Spirit (Rom 2:29; 7:14; 1 Cor 2:13–15; 6:17; 9:11; 10:3–4; 2 Cor 12:18; Gal 6:1; Eph 1:17; Phil 1:27; Col 1:9; 2 Tim 1:7). 
  • Sometimes Paul uses the word “spirit” to refer to something we would say is “non-physical,” such as spiritual forces or the spirit of a human being (Rom 1:9; 12:11; 1 Cor 5:3; 14:14, 32; 2 Cor 7:1; Eph 2:2; 4:23; 6:12; Phil 4:23; 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Tim 4:1). 
    • The Greek word “spirit” can also mean breath or wind. 
    • The same is true for the Hebrew word for “spirit.” It can mean spirit, wind, or breath. 
    • Paul is not only Greek-speaking, but he is also a Jew. So, Paul’s understanding and use of the word “spirit” is not only influenced by his contemporary Greco-Roman world, but also by his Jewish roots in the Old Testament. Both of which have the same general meaning for the word spirit. 
    • A Jewish understanding of spirit begins with Genesis 1 and 2. Genesis 1 opens up with God’s Spirit hovering over the waters. God then speaks (i.e., uses his breath) to bring about creation. God’s Spirit is a creative force. 
    • In Genesis 2:7, God created man and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” God’s Spirit continues to create, and gives life to human beings. 
    • Everything that exists is connected to God’s Spirit, because the Spirit is life-giving. God is the only being that truly exists. Everything else in existence exists because God shares existence, or his Spirit, with it. Therefore, everything, to varying degrees, contains God’s Spirit. We can choose to live intune with the Spirit or not, but our existence is predicated upon God’s Spirit. 
• Physical vs. Spiritual 
  • So, for Paul, the contrast of the physical vs the spiritual is not really that of physical existence (i.e., bodies, world) and a spiritual existence but that of sin and what is controlled by sin and God and that which is controlled by the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus As the New Adam

• One of Paul’s key theological understandings of Jesus and his mission is seeing Jesus as the “new Adam.” Through the human man Adam, sin and death came into the world. In Jesus, God became a human man, the results of Adam’s sin have been reversed. Jesus has conquered the powers of sin and death and brought about life. The work of Jesus was to reverse the sin of Adam and bring God’s creation back to the beginning, pre-Genesis 3. 
• Romans 5:12–21
• 1 Cor 15:21–22
• 1 Cor 15:45

Sanctification

• Paul’s understanding of salvation is a sanctification process (see our episode on sanctification). Salvation is a process of being transformed, through God’s Spirit, into the human beings God created and designed us to be. When we come to faith, the chains holding us as slaves to sin and death are broken, allowing God’s Spirit to transform our lives. The end result of this transformation process is for us to once again perfectly reflect the image of God we were created to reflect. 
• Colossians 3:1–17 

_________________

Looking for more? Check out our episode on Sanctification here: