Mark 8:34-37“The argument of this second call to discipleship can be summarized as follows: Jesus has revealed that his messiahship means political confrontation with, not rehabilitation of, the imperial state. Those who wish to “come after him” will have to identify themselves with his subversive program. The sated risk is that the disciple will face the test of loyalty under interrogation by state authorities. If “self” is denied, the cross will be taken up, a metaphor for capital punishment on grounds of insurgency. Through these definitive choices the disciple will “follow Jesus.” –Ched MyersThe Greek thinkers (Plato, Philo) postulated the dual nature of man where it was believed the man’s true self was an imperishable soul, which during what we call life is the inmate of the mortal body. At death the soul leaves this tenement, while the body dissolves into its material elements and perishes. The soul then floats away to the realm of spiritual existence to which by its essential nature it belongs. Immortal souls, mortal bodies.Soul goes to afterlife, body decays forever.Body is a prison for the soul – seen as bad, depraved.Soul is good, body is bad.This creates a dualism – a separation of the body and the soul – the physical and the spiritual. Genesis 2:7The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament offers an extensive definition of the word nephesh, and can be summarized as follows: essence of life/breath of life. In the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament’s comprehensive discussion of how the word nephesh is employed by the OT writers, nowhere does it indicate that the soul is anything but mortal. In fact, the TWOT states that the OT contains many passages referring to the “saving” of a man’s nephesh, and the need to have a man’s nephesh delivered from death. Clearly, these biblical passages would be meaningless if the nephesh were immortal. Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies: In its terse study of nesphesh in the OT, we find no indication that is immortal. It is merely the inner being or personality of man.Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon under the word nephesh lists ten subsections of meaning, but not one of them even suggests that the soul is anything more than a person’s self life including their “person, desire, appetite, emotion and passion.”Gesinius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament defines nephesh and provides corresponding OT passages, and gives no examples or hints of its being immortalGreek word – psuche (psoo-kay) – means: breathe of life, a personal distinct identity“Plato remains the most influential thinker in the history of the Western world. For Plato, the present world of space, time and matter is a world of illusion, of flickering shadows in a cave…The Platonic strain entered Christian thinking early on, not least of which is the phenomenon known as Gnosticism. The Gnostics believed, like Plato, that the material world was an inferior and dark place, evil in its very existence, but that within this world could be found certain people who were meant for something else. These children of light were like fallen stars, tiny pinpricks of light currently hidden within a gross material body. Once they realized who they were, though, this knowledge (Greek gnosis) would enable them to enter into a spiritual existence in which the material world would no longer count. Having interceded upon that spiritual experience, they would then live by it through death, and into the infinite world beyond space, time and matter… Most Western Christians – and most Western non-Christians for that matter – in fact suppose that Christianity was committed to at least a soft version of Plato’s position. A good many Christian hymns and poems wander off unthinkingly in the direction of Gnosticism. The “just passing through” spirituality, though it has some affinities with classical Christianity, encourages precisely a Gnostic attitude: the created world is at best irrelevant, at worst a dark, evil, gloomy place, and we immortal souls, who existed originally in a different sphere, are looking forward to returning to it as soon as we’re allowed to. A massive assumption has been made in Western Christianity that the purpose of being a Christian is simply, or at least mainly, to “go to heaven when you die,” and texts that don’t say that but that mention heaven are read as if they say it, and texts that say the opposite are simply screened out as if they didn’t exist.” -- NT Wright, “Surprised by Hope” 1 Thess 4:16Fake the Funk: To act with a false ethos surrounding oneself in an attempt to win respect from a certain influential party. Don't fake the funk!How do we renovate our souls? 1. First, realizing we have a soulA deeper connection to GodWe have a self, an identity But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. - 1 Peter 2:9-11Most of the time we magnify our desires - Instead of our essence....2. Embracing a loss of self-sufficiency“How do fleshly lusts war against the soul? Very simply, by enticing us to uproot our dependent life, pulling it away from God, which will deprive our soul of what it needs to function corrected in the enlivening and regulation of our whole being. To allow lusts (or strong desires) to govern our life is to exalt our will over God’s.” – Wilard, Renovation of the Heart 3. Embrace the law of GodEmbrace the limits, ethics and values that the Bible teaches usWe just can't do whatever we want... 4. Follow Jesus - even when that is hard Go where Jesus goes. Do what Jesus does. Remember that the soul and physical are connected and can’t be separated and doing is devotionals, so is studying Scripture, but so is having dinner with someone that is hurting or separated from you or in need of a hug. We cannot have a non-physical spirituality! The renovation of our souls will include the renovation of our bodies – our physical activities and physical pursuits. Don’t fake the funk. Be and do what you are called to be and do!

Mark 8:34-37“The argument of this second call to discipleship can be summarized as follows: Jesus has revealed that his messiahship means political confrontation with, not rehabilitation of, the imperial state. Those who wish to “come after him” will have to identify themselves with his subversive program. The sated risk is that the disciple will face the test of loyalty under interrogation by state authorities. If “self” is denied, the cross will be taken up, a metaphor for capital punishment on grounds of insurgency. Through these definitive choices the disciple will “follow Jesus.” –Ched MyersThe Greek thinkers (Plato, Philo) postulated the dual nature of man where it was believed the man’s true self was an imperishable soul, which during what we call life is the inmate of the mortal body. At death the soul leaves this tenement, while the body dissolves into its material elements and perishes. The soul then floats away to the realm of spiritual existence to which by its essential nature it belongs. Immortal souls, mortal bodies.Soul goes to afterlife, body decays forever.Body is a prison for the soul – seen as bad, depraved.Soul is good, body is bad.This creates a dualism – a separation of the body and the soul – the physical and the spiritual. Genesis 2:7The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament offers an extensive definition of the word nephesh, and can be summarized as follows: essence of life/breath of life. In the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament’s comprehensive discussion of how the word nephesh is employed by the OT writers, nowhere does it indicate that the soul is anything but mortal. In fact, the TWOT states that the OT contains many passages referring to the “saving” of a man’s nephesh, and the need to have a man’s nephesh delivered from death. Clearly, these biblical passages would be meaningless if the nephesh were immortal. Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies: In its terse study of nesphesh in the OT, we find no indication that is immortal. It is merely the inner being or personality of man.Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon under the word nephesh lists ten subsections of meaning, but not one of them even suggests that the soul is anything more than a person’s self life including their “person, desire, appetite, emotion and passion.”Gesinius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament defines nephesh and provides corresponding OT passages, and gives no examples or hints of its being immortalGreek word – psuche (psoo-kay) – means: breathe of life, a personal distinct identity“Plato remains the most influential thinker in the history of the Western world. For Plato, the present world of space, time and matter is a world of illusion, of flickering shadows in a cave…The Platonic strain entered Christian thinking early on, not least of which is the phenomenon known as Gnosticism. The Gnostics believed, like Plato, that the material world was an inferior and dark place, evil in its very existence, but that within this world could be found certain people who were meant for something else. These children of light were like fallen stars, tiny pinpricks of light currently hidden within a gross material body. Once they realized who they were, though, this knowledge (Greek gnosis) would enable them to enter into a spiritual existence in which the material world would no longer count. Having interceded upon that spiritual experience, they would then live by it through death, and into the infinite world beyond space, time and matter… Most Western Christians – and most Western non-Christians for that matter – in fact suppose that Christianity was committed to at least a soft version of Plato’s position. A good many Christian hymns and poems wander off unthinkingly in the direction of Gnosticism. The “just passing through” spirituality, though it has some affinities with classical Christianity, encourages precisely a Gnostic attitude: the created world is at best irrelevant, at worst a dark, evil, gloomy place, and we immortal souls, who existed originally in a different sphere, are looking forward to returning to it as soon as we’re allowed to. A massive assumption has been made in Western Christianity that the purpose of being a Christian is simply, or at least mainly, to “go to heaven when you die,” and texts that don’t say that but that mention heaven are read as if they say it, and texts that say the opposite are simply screened out as if they didn’t exist.” -- NT Wright, “Surprised by Hope” 1 Thess 4:16Fake the Funk: To act with a false ethos surrounding oneself in an attempt to win respect from a certain influential party. Don't fake the funk!How do we renovate our souls? 1. First, realizing we have a soulA deeper connection to GodWe have a self, an identity But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. - 1 Peter 2:9-11Most of the time we magnify our desires - Instead of our essence....2. Embracing a loss of self-sufficiency“How do fleshly lusts war against the soul? Very simply, by enticing us to uproot our dependent life, pulling it away from God, which will deprive our soul of what it needs to function corrected in the enlivening and regulation of our whole being. To allow lusts (or strong desires) to govern our life is to exalt our will over God’s.” – Wilard, Renovation of the Heart 3. Embrace the law of GodEmbrace the limits, ethics and values that the Bible teaches usWe just can't do whatever we want... 4. Follow Jesus - even when that is hard Go where Jesus goes. Do what Jesus does. Remember that the soul and physical are connected and can’t be separated and doing is devotionals, so is studying Scripture, but so is having dinner with someone that is hurting or separated from you or in need of a hug. We cannot have a non-physical spirituality! The renovation of our souls will include the renovation of our bodies – our physical activities and physical pursuits. Don’t fake the funk. Be and do what you are called to be and do!

Mark 8:34-37“The argument of this second call to discipleship can be summarized as follows: Jesus has revealed that his messiahship means political confrontation with, not rehabilitation of, the imperial state. Those who wish to “come after him” will have to identify themselves with his subversive program. The sated risk is that the disciple will face the test of loyalty under interrogation by state authorities. If “self” is denied, the cross will be taken up, a metaphor for capital punishment on grounds of insurgency. Through these definitive choices the disciple will “follow Jesus.” –Ched MyersThe Greek thinkers (Plato, Philo) postulated the dual nature of man where it was believed the man’s true self was an imperishable soul, which during what we call life is the inmate of the mortal body. At death the soul leaves this tenement, while the body dissolves into its material elements and perishes. The soul then floats away to the realm of spiritual existence to which by its essential nature it belongs. Immortal souls, mortal bodies.Soul goes to afterlife, body decays forever.Body is a prison for the soul – seen as bad, depraved.Soul is good, body is bad.This creates a dualism – a separation of the body and the soul – the physical and the spiritual. Genesis 2:7The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament offers an extensive definition of the word nephesh, and can be summarized as follows: essence of life/breath of life. In the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament’s comprehensive discussion of how the word nephesh is employed by the OT writers, nowhere does it indicate that the soul is anything but mortal. In fact, the TWOT states that the OT contains many passages referring to the “saving” of a man’s nephesh, and the need to have a man’s nephesh delivered from death. Clearly, these biblical passages would be meaningless if the nephesh were immortal. Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies: In its terse study of nesphesh in the OT, we find no indication that is immortal. It is merely the inner being or personality of man.Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon under the word nephesh lists ten subsections of meaning, but not one of them even suggests that the soul is anything more than a person’s self life including their “person, desire, appetite, emotion and passion.”Gesinius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament defines nephesh and provides corresponding OT passages, and gives no examples or hints of its being immortalGreek word – psuche (psoo-kay) – means: breathe of life, a personal distinct identity“Plato remains the most influential thinker in the history of the Western world. For Plato, the present world of space, time and matter is a world of illusion, of flickering shadows in a cave…The Platonic strain entered Christian thinking early on, not least of which is the phenomenon known as Gnosticism. The Gnostics believed, like Plato, that the material world was an inferior and dark place, evil in its very existence, but that within this world could be found certain people who were meant for something else. These children of light were like fallen stars, tiny pinpricks of light currently hidden within a gross material body. Once they realized who they were, though, this knowledge (Greek gnosis) would enable them to enter into a spiritual existence in which the material world would no longer count. Having interceded upon that spiritual experience, they would then live by it through death, and into the infinite world beyond space, time and matter… Most Western Christians – and most Western non-Christians for that matter – in fact suppose that Christianity was committed to at least a soft version of Plato’s position. A good many Christian hymns and poems wander off unthinkingly in the direction of Gnosticism. The “just passing through” spirituality, though it has some affinities with classical Christianity, encourages precisely a Gnostic attitude: the created world is at best irrelevant, at worst a dark, evil, gloomy place, and we immortal souls, who existed originally in a different sphere, are looking forward to returning to it as soon as we’re allowed to. A massive assumption has been made in Western Christianity that the purpose of being a Christian is simply, or at least mainly, to “go to heaven when you die,” and texts that don’t say that but that mention heaven are read as if they say it, and texts that say the opposite are simply screened out as if they didn’t exist.” -- NT Wright, “Surprised by Hope” 1 Thess 4:16Fake the Funk: To act with a false ethos surrounding oneself in an attempt to win respect from a certain influential party. Don't fake the funk!How do we renovate our souls? 1. First, realizing we have a soulA deeper connection to GodWe have a self, an identity But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. - 1 Peter 2:9-11Most of the time we magnify our desires - Instead of our essence....2. Embracing a loss of self-sufficiency“How do fleshly lusts war against the soul? Very simply, by enticing us to uproot our dependent life, pulling it away from God, which will deprive our soul of what it needs to function corrected in the enlivening and regulation of our whole being. To allow lusts (or strong desires) to govern our life is to exalt our will over God’s.” – Wilard, Renovation of the Heart 3. Embrace the law of GodEmbrace the limits, ethics and values that the Bible teaches usWe just can't do whatever we want... 4. Follow Jesus - even when that is hard Go where Jesus goes. Do what Jesus does. Remember that the soul and physical are connected and can’t be separated and doing is devotionals, so is studying Scripture, but so is having dinner with someone that is hurting or separated from you or in need of a hug. We cannot have a non-physical spirituality! The renovation of our souls will include the renovation of our bodies – our physical activities and physical pursuits. Don’t fake the funk. Be and do what you are called to be and do!

Mark 8:34-37“The argument of this second call to discipleship can be summarized as follows: Jesus has revealed that his messiahship means political confrontation with, not rehabilitation of, the imperial state. Those who wish to “come after him” will have to identify themselves with his subversive program. The sated risk is that the disciple will face the test of loyalty under interrogation by state authorities. If “self” is denied, the cross will be taken up, a metaphor for capital punishment on grounds of insurgency. Through these definitive choices the disciple will “follow Jesus.” –Ched MyersThe Greek thinkers (Plato, Philo) postulated the dual nature of man where it was believed the man’s true self was an imperishable soul, which during what we call life is the inmate of the mortal body. At death the soul leaves this tenement, while the body dissolves into its material elements and perishes. The soul then floats away to the realm of spiritual existence to which by its essential nature it belongs. Immortal souls, mortal bodies.Soul goes to afterlife, body decays forever.Body is a prison for the soul – seen as bad, depraved.Soul is good, body is bad.This creates a dualism – a separation of the body and the soul – the physical and the spiritual. Genesis 2:7The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament offers an extensive definition of the word nephesh, and can be summarized as follows: essence of life/breath of life. In the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament’s comprehensive discussion of how the word nephesh is employed by the OT writers, nowhere does it indicate that the soul is anything but mortal. In fact, the TWOT states that the OT contains many passages referring to the “saving” of a man’s nephesh, and the need to have a man’s nephesh delivered from death. Clearly, these biblical passages would be meaningless if the nephesh were immortal. Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies: In its terse study of nesphesh in the OT, we find no indication that is immortal. It is merely the inner being or personality of man.Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon under the word nephesh lists ten subsections of meaning, but not one of them even suggests that the soul is anything more than a person’s self life including their “person, desire, appetite, emotion and passion.”Gesinius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament defines nephesh and provides corresponding OT passages, and gives no examples or hints of its being immortalGreek word – psuche (psoo-kay) – means: breathe of life, a personal distinct identity“Plato remains the most influential thinker in the history of the Western world. For Plato, the present world of space, time and matter is a world of illusion, of flickering shadows in a cave…The Platonic strain entered Christian thinking early on, not least of which is the phenomenon known as Gnosticism. The Gnostics believed, like Plato, that the material world was an inferior and dark place, evil in its very existence, but that within this world could be found certain people who were meant for something else. These children of light were like fallen stars, tiny pinpricks of light currently hidden within a gross material body. Once they realized who they were, though, this knowledge (Greek gnosis) would enable them to enter into a spiritual existence in which the material world would no longer count. Having interceded upon that spiritual experience, they would then live by it through death, and into the infinite world beyond space, time and matter… Most Western Christians – and most Western non-Christians for that matter – in fact suppose that Christianity was committed to at least a soft version of Plato’s position. A good many Christian hymns and poems wander off unthinkingly in the direction of Gnosticism. The “just passing through” spirituality, though it has some affinities with classical Christianity, encourages precisely a Gnostic attitude: the created world is at best irrelevant, at worst a dark, evil, gloomy place, and we immortal souls, who existed originally in a different sphere, are looking forward to returning to it as soon as we’re allowed to. A massive assumption has been made in Western Christianity that the purpose of being a Christian is simply, or at least mainly, to “go to heaven when you die,” and texts that don’t say that but that mention heaven are read as if they say it, and texts that say the opposite are simply screened out as if they didn’t exist.” -- NT Wright, “Surprised by Hope” 1 Thess 4:16Fake the Funk: To act with a false ethos surrounding oneself in an attempt to win respect from a certain influential party. Don't fake the funk!How do we renovate our souls? 1. First, realizing we have a soulA deeper connection to GodWe have a self, an identity But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. - 1 Peter 2:9-11Most of the time we magnify our desires - Instead of our essence....2. Embracing a loss of self-sufficiency“How do fleshly lusts war against the soul? Very simply, by enticing us to uproot our dependent life, pulling it away from God, which will deprive our soul of what it needs to function corrected in the enlivening and regulation of our whole being. To allow lusts (or strong desires) to govern our life is to exalt our will over God’s.” – Wilard, Renovation of the Heart 3. Embrace the law of GodEmbrace the limits, ethics and values that the Bible teaches usWe just can't do whatever we want... 4. Follow Jesus - even when that is hard Go where Jesus goes. Do what Jesus does. Remember that the soul and physical are connected and can’t be separated and doing is devotionals, so is studying Scripture, but so is having dinner with someone that is hurting or separated from you or in need of a hug. We cannot have a non-physical spirituality! The renovation of our souls will include the renovation of our bodies – our physical activities and physical pursuits. Don’t fake the funk. Be and do what you are called to be and do!