SOUL MASS: THE EXTERNAL Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly (exo ánthropos) we are wasting away... 2 Corinthians 4:16a For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:13 I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27 The Apostle, Paul talked about a clear differentiation between the flesh outside the wineskin, and the spiritual inside the wineskin. The Greek terms he used were exoanthropos for our flesh the functioning organism and eso-anthropos our spiritual nature. When the Holy Spirit enters the wineskin and makes it new, a new heart and renewed mind and a submitted will are now in harmony with the pure and innocent desires of our soul. And oh how we wish it would last. But it seems that no sooner has transformation taken place and the old man dies, up he and she comes from the dead! This old man, made up of a highly functioning brain is capable of good thoughts and actions as well as self-serving behaviors of survival. Because in the end, the flesh is totally about survival. When God created Adam he fashioned the physiological framework out of the same substance he formed other creatures. The flesh nature of man is not that dissimilar to members of the animal kingdom. It s disturbing to think that the flesh of mice are so similar to humans that medical testing of mice tells us much of what we need to know about human physiology. Yet there was a difference. The Godhead made man in their image. A physiological framework to house a spiritual indwelling of the nature, substance and essence of God, the Three in One. When the bible speaks of flesh the meaning ranges from the tangible flesh and bones of human tissue as a living thing to the nature of a living creature which is bent to selfish and sinful behaviors. It is impossible to separate out these references and seems sensible to see flesh as the self-seeking, self-justifying, self-gratifying and self-preserving physiological and high-level thinking creature God formed as Adam. Keep in mind, this same flesh was inhabited by God as Savior and as man. (John 6:51 ; 2 Cor 4:11 ; Eph 2:14 ; 1 Pet 3:18 ; 1 Pet 4:1 ; 1 John 4:2-3 ; 2 John 1:7 ) The Human Flesh is like a bear. If we were to put metaphorical images to our flesh, our human spirit and our soul, what could they be like? Imagine the human spirit as a Siamese cat. We ll see why that fits later. Think of the soul as being like a golden retriever dog. You
can probably see that connection already. But what about the flesh? As we ll see, the default operating system for the flesh is survival. The bear seems like the most likely candidate as a metaphor. The bear is a voracious forager. The bear appears cuddly as a cub or a stuffed Teddy but in the wild is a ferocious protector of territory and offspring. The bear can be trained but never tamed. As a wild animal, the bear is concerned about two things food and procreation. In the Nordic and ancient Germanic languages the bear is known as bjørn and often took on the nature of a mythical god-like warrior. Fierce, protective and intent on protecting its territory. That is the nature of our human flesh the bear. The Gross Anatomy of the Flesh At the flesh level, we are known by an incredibly complex thinking system within the organ of the brain. Yet, is that what distinguishes us from other animals? You would thing it s in our thinking capacity or language or even our conscious awareness enabling us to have conversations with ourselves. Yet, it s not even in reasoning. All we do with each of those brain functions is do them faster, better and in more complex ways than other animals possessing similar physiological systems. That s all. The uniqueness of man is not to be found in the flesh. The flesh is the evidence of God at work, but it is not the justification of God s work. Of all living creatures, it is man and only man God selected to imbue with a spiritual nature capable of relationship with his Creators. That is our distinguishing characteristic. The Material Flesh Body Default Operating System Primary Spiritual Relationship Reason for being Procreation) Dominant Motivation Knowing God Time orientation (frame of reference) Survival Relates to God, the Son (Christ in all) Sensual/conscious awareness (Preservation/Survival/Procreation) Operational Center Contentment In the will of God Gratification Rational thoughts, deduction, induction, memory, integration, language Knowledge/ Trust (Cynicism Sensual here and now Remembering/memories of the past as a lesson for the present When Adam was created in their image, what we know is Adam was created in material form, but even more importantly in the spiritual form of God himself, capable of an intimate relationship not possible in mere flesh and bones. Keep in mind when Jesus came
to earth in flesh, he didn t come to look like man. He came in the image that Adam had been formed into. Just the opposite. In the beginning man was made to look like Jesus when he was to inhabit time and space. How presumptuous to think the reverse! Let s stop for a moment and examine the common tangible parts of being alive we all share in the flesh. Default Operating System of the Flesh Survival The operating program of the flesh is survival. Keep that thought in mind, as it is essential in understanding how we function, not as flesh, bones and blood, but as flesh and human spirit. Our instinct for survival is no different than any other animal except for the fact we have a brain working at an marvelously sophisticated level. The brain experiences thoughts and feelings and knits those neural threads into a fabric of comprehension. That is high-level thinking and that is the nature of the human flesh sophisticated movements initiated by sophisticated thoughts. It is that high level functioning that s allowed humans to be the ultimate Survivor. Outwit, outplay and outlast. In that marvelously complex biological capacity of our human brain, we recognize our basic senses of touch, sight, hearing and taste and smell. As agents of flesh, there are occurrences of motivation and drive. We see them in hunger, thirst, protection from exposure to the elements, the need to reproduce and obtain security. These are the basic drives and passions of the flesh. Even the need for relationship is a drive easing the fear of isolation and deprivation. In our brains we have an awesome capacity for induction, deduction, integration and execution and far greater than even our closest biological relative the ape. Yet the only significant distinction between man and ape is not in the size of our brain but that we have a spiritual identity. Apes do not. Remember, the default operating system of the flesh is simply survival. Survival without conscience or conviction. The flesh is the vehicle God constructed to house the elements of heavenly relationship the soul-mass of human spirit and soul. We need flesh to be human. For it is in our conscious awareness that we communicate with God in an understandable language. It is in our emotions that we realize we long for a transcendent relationship with our Creator and long for an immanent intimacy without conditions. We need flesh to be relevant. We need soul-mass to be eternal. Primary Spiritual Relationship Jesus Jesus came in the flesh to relate to the flesh. He came for our souls but the relationship was tangible flesh. Yet the flesh is not simply a bag to house the spiritual components of human life. There is a complex interdependency of the flesh and the human spirit. It is in the flesh where we experience the physical world through our senses and our conscious awareness. We see and are seen. We are tangible. And, it is only in our flesh that we consciously comprehend who God is. Christ came as flesh, for flesh and soul. We see the gospel stories of his life were to connect to flesh. If the way to a person s heart is through their stomach, the way to our soul is through our flesh. It is in our flesh we understand the drives, lies and cries of our spiritual being.
How marvelous it is that the Three in One was for an intentional purpose we can comprehend. As the inseparable Godhead, God is Spirit for our spirit. He is Father and the essence of our souls. Our soul needs a protector and savior. Our human spirit needs a redeemer/restorer. And our flesh, needs a flesh and blood savior too. We see this need for a fleshly experience of redemption in the elements and ordinance of the Eucharist; the sharing of communion. The bread of the flesh and the wine of the blood for creatures of the flesh and blood. Reason for Being for the Flesh Preservation The program imbedded into the basic nature for all living creatures is survival to flee from pain, to seek security and safety, to find food and shelter and to fight for life. This is in the divine plan. How would any creature on earth survive from one generation to another without the drive of preservation/survival and procreation? The first three questions of Adam and Eve upon being shown Eden s door were probably, What did you do?!!!, When do we eat?, and Where do we sleep? If Adam and Eve did not have the drive to survive they wouldn t have lasted a week in a hostile land. It is God s master plan that He would have fellowship with more than just the first couple- -multitudes more than the first couple. Yet the divine plan comes with a caveat. Each created person must make a willful choice to love, serve and worship God and God alone. How s that done in the physical world of time and space? The answer to the first part multitudes--is procreation. Making babies. Flesh has to create more flesh. God started it but humankind must continue. The second part serving God by a willful choice--is accomplished with an implanted will into the human spirit. We have to choose to worship God and God alone. Flesh is central and essential to the plan of God. Dominant Motivation of the Flesh Gratification Feeling good is our nature to feel pleasure, happiness and joy. And if that s not attainable, at least, feeling less bad. If there is one thing Sigmund Freud had correct, it was that we, by nature, are pleasure seeking-pain avoiding creatures. In Galatians, Paul describes in vivid terms examples of the gratification work of the flesh. Eugene Peterson brings the list to an uncomfortable reality in the Message paraphrase. it is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; smallminded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God s kingdom. Not all behaviors coming from the flesh result in sin. It s just that the human organism is bent on surviving at all costs, being in relationship for comfort and mutual protection, driven to procreation, seeking gratification where it can be found and guarding
personal resources at all costs. The drives of the flesh include a sense of safety and the experiencing of pleasure. Personal actions affecting others are justified by the basic drive within us all to survive. Whether it be deception and lying, sexual immorality, murder and assault, or robbery and greed, most harmful behaviors are driven by the instinctual need to procreate, eat, have shelter and accumulate enough for lean times. As we know, that work of the flesh often results in a guilty conviction of a crime against the law of God. But it s not the flesh who is to exclusively take the blame. Flesh has no guilt. Flesh and blood simply is. This bag of protoplasm is no more innocent of guilty than your dog who just snatched the roast off the kitchen counter. It s the human spirit that is to blame as we ll see next. For it is in the will of the human spirit that allows the flesh to indulge or abstain. Knowing God Through the Flesh Rational Knowledge The two functions of the flesh most critical for integration of the here and now and survival are thoughts and emotions. We must think to survive. We must feel to find context. These thoughts and emotions are rooted in memory and logic of brain functioning and serve our conscious awareness. It s not by coincidence that our connection point to the tangible world, our flesh, is also the connection point to God we are most aware of. God, the Father, chose to reveal himself through His Son. God revealed himself in the flesh of Jesus to convict our flesh that he is tangible as well as spiritual. If you declare with your mouth (flesh, mind and brain), Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9 10 This is as good a point as any to point out from the scripture above that we are not linked serially, meaning the flesh operating independently of the human spirit and soul. As we saw from the Venn diagram of the intersecting circles, there is God s work at work in all places at all times. Yet, while the work of God through Christ, his Son, is to save our eternal souls, our first conscious connection with heaven is with our flesh. The language of The Word of God, the partaking of the elements of the Eucharist and the communion of believers are all the experiences of the flesh and Christ, first. In the flesh, trust is defined as that which knowledge has not yet disproved. This is perhaps why so many scientists are delighted in disproving Eden by proving evolution or thinking that origin of the universe and the evidence of life on other planets proves belief in God as false. The doubter has concluded the flesh knows God because acquired knowledge and experience has yet to prove otherwise. The unbeliever has concluded there is no God because acquired knowledge and experience has yet proven God to be tangible and real. A fragile foundation on both sides. In God s realm, trust is defined as that which God and God alone knows and it is good and for good as well as being good enough. Whether we know it or not is irrelevant. There is a chasm of doubt between belief on one side and trust on the other. It is faith that fills in the doubt chasm. One only has to read Job, particularly in chapters 38-41. In these four chapters only the one true God could ask these audacious questions of power and knowledge and conclude, speaking of himself, Nothing on earth is his equal a creature without fear. God chose to send his son as our Savior but the only way that happens is if we know him in our fleshly existence. We have to confess with our mouths (reasoning) and believe in
our hearts (spiritual passion). Our flesh desperately needs a savior. Our flesh needs to comprehend that living our three score and ten is not all there is to life. The seventy years is our gift of living. Our flesh needs to experience unconditional love, grace and hesed-the loving kindness of God, the Father wrapped up in the meaning that he will never leave or abandon us. That s the covenant of both the old and the new. The covenant was sealed, once and for all, in the physical-flesh--representation and personification of pure love Jesus, our Savior, who took on the sins of all mankind. Sins purposed in the human spirit and carried out in the flesh. Time orientation of the Flesh Past, Present Since survival is the operating system of the flesh, what happens in the here and now is what matters most to the flesh. What determines how we respond and survive is by what we ve learned in the past. Those lessons of the past produce greater safety, security, sustenance and gratification in the present where survival matters. For the flesh, the future is the immediate moments to come. It is important in order to apply the lessons of the past lessons of pain and pleasure to the actions of the present in order that the immediate future is more safe and secure. Remember, survival is the driving program of the flesh. Food, shelter, retirement in the future is not a priority of the flesh. Survival for today is. Dreams of a better future don t belong to the flesh. Hope and plans are of the human spirit. Anticipation belongs to the soul. Survival in the present is what counts to the flesh. Key Scriptures relating to our flesh/sinful nature are: Romans 7:5 For when we were controlled by our sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death., Romans 7:18 I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out., Romans 7:25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 8:3 8 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful humanity to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in human flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. 5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God, Romans 8:12 13 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will
die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Romans 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 1 Corinthians 5:5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the sinful nature so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. Galatians 5:13 24 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Ephesians 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. Colossians 2:11 13 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your sinful nature was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 2 Peter 2:10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 2 Peter 2:18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.