The Joshua Mission Podcast
Podcast – Weekly, Wednesday, from 03 Jul 2024 for 6 weeks
Updated 240315
THEME
Being Truly Human
What the Bible Says
Theme Introduction
Many Concepts of What is Human
Humanistic
Evolutionary
Psychological
Sociological
Economic
What the Bible Says
God-created
Being Made in God's Image
Made out of Dust and the Breath of GOD
Lower than God – Lower/Higher than Angels
Spirit-Soul-Body
Spirit-Heart-Mind
IMPORTANCE of the Biblical Revelation
Self-Image
Value
Morality
Way of Life
Discipleship
Growth
Life Purpose & Meaning
Session 1 – Made in His Image
Genesis 1
God created
Made in His Image
- Plural not Singular
- Male and Female
- Inter-personal
- Social-Communal
Not like the Animals
Oversee the Earth
Genesis 2
Made from the Dust of the Ground
God breathed His breath
Man became a Living Being – a soul
Psalm 8
Lower than God
Lower than Angels
But will be Exalted above Angels
Compare and Contrast Human & Angel
Compare and Contrast Human & Animal
Importance of Worship
We are made in His Image
Need to Worship Him to be whole
Spiritual Death – Physical Death
Session 2 – Spirit-Soul-Body
Different Christian Views
Spirit & Soul means the same thing
Spirit & Soul are not the same
Spirit
Hebrew – ruach Greek – pheuma
Can mean wind or spirit or breath
wind – Gen1:2; 1 Kgs 18:45; Ps 103:16; Jer 4:11; Jn 3:8; Heb 1:8
breath – Gen 1:2; Gen 6:17; Job 34:14,15; 2 Thes 2:8; Jas 2:26; Rev 11:1; 13:15
spirit – Judges 3:10
inner self – NT usage – Mk 2:8; 8:12; Lk 1:80: Jn 11:3; 13:21
new nature – NT usage – Gal 4:6; Jn 3:5
against the flesh – Rom 8:2-17; 1 Cor 3:1; Gal 3:3; 5:16-18
Key Passage – 1 Cor 2
Soul
Hebrew – nepes Greek - psyche
Breath of life – Gen 1:20-21, 24, 30
Living being – Gen 2:7; 46:18, 27; Acts 2:41; 3:23
Physical Death
Gen 3:19 – the body returns to the earth
Eccle 12:7 – the spirit returns to God
Key References
Hebrews 4:12 – God's Word divides spirit, soul, body
Gen 2:7
1 Cor 2:11
Analysis
Spirit – from God's breath
Body – from the ground
Soul – the human being who is so formed – identity, personality
Synergised whole NOT 3 separate parts
Death is disintegration not end of existence
Session 3 – Spirit-Heart-Mind
The Human Personality
Different Dimensions of the Human Character that makes the Person Unique
Psychological Concepts
- Different Schools of Psychology, Counselling & Psychiatry – some examples of approaches
- Behavioural – following Pavlov & Skinner
- Gestalt Therapy – Perls
- Language – Ellis & Harper (RET)
- Neuro-Linguistic Programming – Bandler & Grinder
- Psycho-Analytic – following Freud, Adler & Jung - Id-Ego-Superego
- Transactional Analysis – following Harris & Berne – Parent-Child-Adult
- Different Factors of Personality – some examples
- Creativity – Csikzentmihalyi, de Bono
- Emotional Intelligence – Goleman
- Fear – Becker
- Feeling Good - Burns
- Gender – Brizendine, Kinsey, Moir & Jessel
- Priority of Needs – Maslow
The Biblical Revelation
Spirit
covered in Talk 2
Soul
May be analysed and sub-divided into different aspects or dimensions
Heart & Mind are the Main Biblical Teachings of human make-up, in addition to the Spirit
Not clearly distinguished in Hebrew linguistically – leb
More differentiated in NT Greek
Heart
Greek – kardia
The heart is the seat of our motive, intention and attitude. This is the primary biblical meaning, based on how the word “heart” is used in the Bible.
Although it does sometimes refer to the emotion, its primary meaning differs significantly from the popular association of the heart only, or mainly, with the emotions.
- Genesis 6:5 speaks of the human heart being evil continually, hence bringing about God's judgement by the Flood.
- Romans 2:5 similarly speaks of stubborn and unrepentant hearts. This refers to both motive and intention.
- Exodus 7:13,14 speaks of Pharaoh's heart being hardened against God's demands that He declared through Moses.
- We find the same in the NT, such as in Mark 10:5 where Jesus remarked on the human hardness of heart that the Law was meant to address. This is attitude.
- I Samuel 13:14 speaks of David as a man after God's own heart. This speaks of an attitude that is the opposite of that of the Pharaoh.
- Jeremiah 17:9 speaks of the the heart being more deceitful than all things. This is not about bad emotions. It is about the evil motives and desires that lurk deep in the sinful human heart.
Thus motive, intention, attitude and feelings form the realm of the heart. Emotion is but one factor out of four. Of these four factors, motive may be considered the most important. For it shapes the other three, and directly affects our relationship with God. It has to do with whether we truly put Him first and truly surrender to Him as our Lord, and with our moral rectitude or perversity.
Mind
Greek – nous, phronema, dianonia (understanding or intelligence), boule (way of thinking)
The mind is the seat of our beliefs, values, priorities, outlook and thought. This is the primary meaning of the word as based on its usage in the Bible.
- Romans 1:28 speaks of God giving sinful humankind over to a depraved mind. It points to His leaving fallen humanity to their wilful embracing of sinful and wrong beliefs, values and priorities.
- I Corinthians 1:10 speaks of believers being united with one mind and thought. This points to the unity of beliefs, values and priorities which enable us to live and act in unity.
- Hebrews 8:10, which quotes Jeremiah 31:33, speaks of God putting His laws into the mind of His people. This means that He will so transform those who believe so that their values, priorities, outlook and way of thinking, are based on His truth.
- Colossians 3:1 calls the Church to set our minds on the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of the Father, and not on things of the earth. This is a call to set aside worldly values and beliefs and to adopt and live by heavenly values and beliefs.
- Romans 12:2 tells us that it is the renewal of our mind that transforms us from worldliness to become proofs of God's will.
Thus the mind is the realm of beliefs, values, priorities, outlook and thought.
The Transformation of Spirit-Heart-Mind in Christ
Key to True Discipleship
Basis of Transformation towards Christ-likeness
Psychological Concepts that do not contradict the Bible, or complement it, may be used to help us in the change
BUT it is our Communion with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and His life-changing presence and power that makes the transformation possible in our spirit and on our whole person