Week Seventeen-Day Two: Knowing Human Beings

We interact with the physical world through our five senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching. But is there more to being a human being? Obviously, your participation in a devotional exercise like this suggests that you believe there is.

Okay, almost everyone believes there is something more.I don’t know if you saw the recent Jeopardy episodes in which the latest IBM supercomputer, dubbed “Watson”, challenged two human contestants – and won by the way!In the wake of that gimmick, I saw a spat of articles and newscasts discussing just how amazing the human brain is.I don’t need to bore you this morning with flashy statistics, but it’s a pretty amazing organ I think you’ll agree.

And some would suggest that’s the extent of it. They would say that being a human is to be an amazing collection of cells, which form an incredibly diverse and adaptable organism on top of which sits this stunning, well-protected organ called the brain. This organ has developed the capacity to organize and collate information, project toward and imagine future states, and process data at an incredible rate – data that it accumulates from the external, physical world through the five senses. This organ dictates the actions of the rest of the organism and determines its interaction with the world outside of itself. That’s it – they would say. That’s what it means to be human.

But Jesus disagreed and so do his followers. Listen to some of Jesus’ sayings. Listen for echoes of your interior life.

Matthew 10:28

“²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” 

Matthew 11:28-30

“ ²⁸Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Matthew 16:25-27

“²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Matthew 22:37-40

“³⁷ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

Don’t run past these sayings. Let’s spend a moment chewing on Jesus’ words. Walk back through his teaching and make at least five observations about your interior life…

Did you notice Jesus’ use of “life” and “soul” in Matthew 16? What would you say is the connection between the two in his mind?

Dichotomous in essential nature

For those of you who are interested in such things, Christians have debated over the centuries whether it is more appropriate to think of the essential nature of human beings as being a trichotomy or dichotomy. In other words, are we made of three essential parts – body, spirit and soul – or are we made of two parts – body and soul?[1]

I tend to believe it is better to think of our essential nature as a dichotomy. In fact, the authors of Scripture often use the terms “soul” and “spirit” interchangeably. For example, Jesus says, “Now my soul is troubled,” in John 12:27.[2] Then one chapter later in a similar context, John says Jesus was “troubled in spirit” (John 13:21). Or in Luke’s account he records the song Mary sang when she found out she was pregnant with Jesus. Hebrew poetry did not rhyme. One of their most frequently used poetic devices was to repeat concepts using different words. (You see this throughout the Psalms. They are not trying to say different things. They are trying to bring emphasis to the same thing in a poetic way.) In Luke 1:46-47 Mary sings, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

This interchangeability helps explain why those who have died can be called “spirits” (see Hebrews 12:23) or “souls” (see Revelation 6:9). This also helps explain why it is taught that both the soul and the spirit can sin (see 1 Peter 1:22 and 2 Corinthians 7:1).

Those who argue for a trichonomous nature will point to such passages as 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (and there are others). “May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” First of all, when we read such passages, indeed all passages, we should not be too wooden. We should remember that we are not reading a science textbook. It is not Paul’s intention in this passage to give us an analysis of the essential make-up of human beings. It is also possible, and I think probable, that Paul is simply piling up synonyms to make his point. According to Grudem, this piling up …

“is done elsewhere in Scripture. For example, Jesus says, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all you soul, and with all your mind’ (Matthew 22:37). Does this mean that the soul is different from the mind or from the heart? The problem is even greater in Mark 12:30: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’”

Are we really to believe that Jesus is trying to give us a technical analysis of the essential parts of a human being? If so, then we end up with something like heart, soul, mind, strength, spirit … and we can find others.

In most such cases we would do well to remember that these authors are foraging through the language in search of images and concepts and phrases to describe the indescribable. They have been changed in ways that have become surprising even to themselves. They have seen things and experienced things that are utterly dazzling. We do them an injustice when we read their devotional words looking for too much technical exactitude. This does not mean that what they have said is untrue or inaccurate. By no means. It’s just that we can bring the wrong lens to our reading.

Mercifully, your connection to God does not rise or fall based on whether or not you believe human beings are essentially tri-partite or di-partite (don’t think that’s a word). But your connection to God will be impacted by your recognition that there is more going on in the universe – AND IN YOU – than what meets the five senses. There is a spiritual reality surrounding us – AND WITHIN US – and it is that reality which our daily offices are designed to nourish.

BEFORE YOU START YOUR DAY

1. Something to think about: when you are praying or singing to God, is it enough simply to sing or speak the words, without being aware of what you are saying?Is it enough to be aware of what you are saying without meaning it?Why or why not?What aspects of your person tend to be involved in genuine worship?
2. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”What would it mean for you today to work on purifying yourself body and spirit?
3. Give your day to God