what about the soul
Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:46 pm
jr, your last statement about getting back to what might interest rich's question made me think it might be good to start a new thread. maybe it will fizzle out or not, either way i have enjoyed getting to know how others think on this subject. edit- by the way, the subject title is not in any way meant to be provocative.
the function of a tent or building as housing to people is not the only possible idea paul is relating. i think the function is part of it of course, but i think there is more to it than that. paul made tents, as a tent maker he would be intimately aware of them being prone to wear out. that is they are perishable. just like us. he then describes the building from God as "not made with hands" by this drawing another contrast between a tent made by human hands(as we have borne the image of the man of dust) and an eternal building made by God that cannot be torn down(we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man), i think the point of his metaphor is to convey the corruptibility of our bodies now as opposed what God will make us on the last day. "that mortality may be swallowed up by life"
grace and peace...
yeah man, no surprise to you i'm sure, but i disagree. what i see to be the only necessity in this passage is to recognize paul is speaking of reality but using metaphors to do so. how we may interpret the metaphors is another story.jriccitelli wrote:That we are a person of spirit, is necessary for Paul to describe it thus;
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed(2 Corinthians 5:1-4)
the function of a tent or building as housing to people is not the only possible idea paul is relating. i think the function is part of it of course, but i think there is more to it than that. paul made tents, as a tent maker he would be intimately aware of them being prone to wear out. that is they are perishable. just like us. he then describes the building from God as "not made with hands" by this drawing another contrast between a tent made by human hands(as we have borne the image of the man of dust) and an eternal building made by God that cannot be torn down(we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man), i think the point of his metaphor is to convey the corruptibility of our bodies now as opposed what God will make us on the last day. "that mortality may be swallowed up by life"
grace and peace...