What I was pointing to earlier on this topic was the dangers of forming doctrinal tradition associated with a type of religious reasoning that is fleshy. An example of that would be the soul sleep tradition which came out of Paul's usage of the idea of 'asleep' for saints who have died. Based upon the deeper details Paul gave about the resurrection in 1 Cor.15, and 2 Cor.5, it shows he was using the 'asleep' idea as a euphimism, an expression. Instead of piling tradition upon tradition, why don't we consider the relevant Scripture as a whole?
Eccl 12:5-7
5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
I've found very few that understand about that "silver cord" there in relation to death of our flesh body. It is mentioned along with metaphors about the flesh body dying, "the golden bowl be broken", "the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern". The Scripture is talking about a silver cord that is "loosed" upon death of our flesh. That in itself reveals there is 'something' that connects man's soul and spirit within our flesh body, showing also a separateness between them. The next verse confirms that separateness even more...
Eccl.12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it.(KJV)
Like glorydaz showed from Gen.2:7, God indeed took dust of the earth to form Adam's flesh body, which is a shell for what? According to Eccl.12, the dust shell (flesh body) is like a house for the spirit of man which God gave by the breath of Life. Within that "spirit" of Eccl.12:7, I include the idea of the soul. The living soul part is the expression of our person, manifestation of our individual.
Heb 4:12
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
(KJV)
Note how even Hebrews 4:12 makes a distinction between "soul and spirit" together vs. "the joints and marrow" (flesh body).
1 Cor 15:44-50
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
(KJV)
In the resurrection, Apostle Paul taught that our bodies of corruption will put on incorruption. He also made that same comparison as the "natural body" being changed to a "spiritual body", and as a change from "the image of earthy" to the "image of the heavenly". And he was very specific there that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
Does that mean the idea of disembodied spirits which paganism holds to? No, for God's Word reveals the resurrection body also has substance, feels like a flesh body to touch, can walk upon the earth, and eat the food of the earth. Yet, it is still not the same kind of body of this present world. Simply, it is a body type of another dimension, the heavenly dimension. That's why our Lord Jesus in His resurrected Body was able to appear right in the midst of His disciples in a closed off room, appearing out of nowhere in their midst, and also how He had fish and bread over a fire ready for them at the shore of the sea of Tiberius (John 21).
Further in 1 Cor.15, Paul covered two separate items within the verse, "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1 Cor.15:53) From the previous descriptions he gave about the "natural body" vs. the "spiritual body", the first part is only covering the idea of a flesh body of corruption putting on a body of incorruption ("spiritual body"). The part about "this mortal" must also put on "immortality" is different, and is about one's soul condition, i.e., being born of The Spirit.
Some later Bible translations, like the NIV, tries to totally get away from these distinctions between our present flesh body and the resurrection body to come which is a body of the heavenly. The NIV coming from a different set of manuscripts, from the Alexandrian school in Egypt, which added bits of religious philosophy from paganism to Christian doctrine, is why the NIV often reads like there's little distinction between our present flesh bodies of dust and the image of the heavenly body to come. It's paganism that seeks perfection of the body of corruption, the "natural body", which can never happen per God's Word.
Eccl 12:5-7
5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
I've found very few that understand about that "silver cord" there in relation to death of our flesh body. It is mentioned along with metaphors about the flesh body dying, "the golden bowl be broken", "the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern". The Scripture is talking about a silver cord that is "loosed" upon death of our flesh. That in itself reveals there is 'something' that connects man's soul and spirit within our flesh body, showing also a separateness between them. The next verse confirms that separateness even more...
Eccl.12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it.(KJV)
Like glorydaz showed from Gen.2:7, God indeed took dust of the earth to form Adam's flesh body, which is a shell for what? According to Eccl.12, the dust shell (flesh body) is like a house for the spirit of man which God gave by the breath of Life. Within that "spirit" of Eccl.12:7, I include the idea of the soul. The living soul part is the expression of our person, manifestation of our individual.
Heb 4:12
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
(KJV)
Note how even Hebrews 4:12 makes a distinction between "soul and spirit" together vs. "the joints and marrow" (flesh body).
1 Cor 15:44-50
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
(KJV)
In the resurrection, Apostle Paul taught that our bodies of corruption will put on incorruption. He also made that same comparison as the "natural body" being changed to a "spiritual body", and as a change from "the image of earthy" to the "image of the heavenly". And he was very specific there that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
Does that mean the idea of disembodied spirits which paganism holds to? No, for God's Word reveals the resurrection body also has substance, feels like a flesh body to touch, can walk upon the earth, and eat the food of the earth. Yet, it is still not the same kind of body of this present world. Simply, it is a body type of another dimension, the heavenly dimension. That's why our Lord Jesus in His resurrected Body was able to appear right in the midst of His disciples in a closed off room, appearing out of nowhere in their midst, and also how He had fish and bread over a fire ready for them at the shore of the sea of Tiberius (John 21).
Further in 1 Cor.15, Paul covered two separate items within the verse, "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1 Cor.15:53) From the previous descriptions he gave about the "natural body" vs. the "spiritual body", the first part is only covering the idea of a flesh body of corruption putting on a body of incorruption ("spiritual body"). The part about "this mortal" must also put on "immortality" is different, and is about one's soul condition, i.e., being born of The Spirit.
Some later Bible translations, like the NIV, tries to totally get away from these distinctions between our present flesh body and the resurrection body to come which is a body of the heavenly. The NIV coming from a different set of manuscripts, from the Alexandrian school in Egypt, which added bits of religious philosophy from paganism to Christian doctrine, is why the NIV often reads like there's little distinction between our present flesh bodies of dust and the image of the heavenly body to come. It's paganism that seeks perfection of the body of corruption, the "natural body", which can never happen per God's Word.
