Rob's Thoughts

American Christians have a tendency to speak of the human being as a dichotomy of body and soul, or a trichotomy of body, soul, and spirit.  The dichotomist believes that the soul and spirit are the same thing, while the trichotomist separates the two.  I’m suggesting that what we need to be focusing on isn’t whether we are two or three parts. Rather, we should be focusing on the fact that we are human beings.  And as such we must understand that people don’t HAVE bodies and souls – people ARE bodies and souls.  If you’re reading this, you don’t HAVE a body and a soul, but you ARE a body and you are a soul.  The implication to this reality is that to care for the body is to care for the soul, to care for the soul is to care for the body.  In other words your body is a reflection of your soul and vice versa.  Of course I must be careful in applying this reality, so let me explain a few implications to this.

First, a proof: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  Have you ever noticed the spiritual reality of baptizing a body.  When you baptize a body you baptize a soul.  The soul is effected as the body is effected.  Also, notice the spiritual/physical reality of the Lord’s Supper – you take it in through your body and it effects your soul.  Communion was designed to effect the whole person: body and soul – inseparable until death but distinguishable now.

One of the applications of this reality is that practices we typically think just effect our bodies have a profound effect on our souls also (and vice-versa).  So, Christians ought to be working out, eating well, getting good sleep, going in for regular checkups, having faithful spousal sex, having good hygiene, spending time in the mornings getting ready in order to look presentable.  Christians should be the best looking members of our society.   Before you judge me insane for a comment like this allow me to explain.

Understand that I’m not a physical specimen by any means.  I have a wicked overbite, and right now I have a big ol’ cold soar on my bottom lip, and i’m 5′8″ and 200 lbs.  So i’m not on some high Mountain throwing stones.  And when I say Christians should be the best looking members of society I’m not talking about what society deems attractive or unattractive.  If that we the case, I’d be calling for Christian women to wear far less clothes and far more makeup, and for men to begin going to tanning booths.  But this is worldly beauty that really isn’t beauty at all.  I’m also NOT talking about what we’re genetically given in terms of proportions and facial symmetry or other elements of the physical condition that we can’t control.

Rather, I’m speaking to the obvious bodily care that is evident when humans tend to their physical selfs – like do you take care of your heart?  When was the last time your heart rate was above 120? (For the for the majority of us this sort of thing is essential to  a healthy heart) When was the last time you said no to a sugar laden soda pop?  How much time did you give yourself to spend on regular hygiene and preparation this morning?  Does playing tag with your two year old make you winded after 30 seconds?  Questions like these we should not be embarrassed to answer, and our affirmative answers to these questions should be evident to the observer.  Our physical care should be so evident so that when people in society think of the Christians they ought to notice that they care for their bodies as well as their souls.  AND we should be doing these things as much for their effect on our souls as on our bodies. Likewise,  they should not be lazy, promiscuous, gluttons, or physically undisciplined, ingesting drugs in order to alter the state of mind, etc.  And we should engage/refrain in these practices not just for their effect on our bodies but also on our souls.  So while their is no waist size that objectively defines beauty, their is a standard of physical health that is necessary for the disciple of Christ since we are a union of Body and Soul.

Conversely, Christians should be reading their Bibles, spending significant time in prayer, serving their church’s, evangelizing the lost, spending time in regular self reflection, repenting of their sins. Satisfying their selfs in God and not the world, etc.  And they should be doing these things as much for their effect on the body as the soul.  Far less needs to be said here since piety has already been so emphasized in our culture.  However, what is often missed in the discussion if these things is how they effect not just the soul but also the body.

How does working-out effect your soul?  How does daily bible reading effect the body?  Come back later for answers to these questions.