DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
(02/12 or 02/25)
Third Sunday Before the Great Fast
The Body: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, especially vss. 19, 20:
“...Do you not know that your
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, Whom you have from God,
and you are not your own? For you
were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit,
which are God’s.” To live in the present age floods us with concepts and
assumptions usual in contemporary society to define reality. However, we are disciples
of Christ, those to whom Saint Paul says, “...you are not your own”
(vs. 19). Consider the
Apostle’s meaning in order to be faithful to the Lord, Whose we are. Be wary of concepts drawn from the
mind-set of this age, and perhaps miss the Truth of the life-giving, unvarying
Gospel that dignifies us.
Distorting the message of the Faith can be to our soul’s great
detriment! Salvation is both
present and eternal.
The word ‘body’ (‘soma’ in the
original Greek) is a case in point.
The Old Testament writers had a specific meaning for ‘soma’
as it appears in the Septuagint version (LXX) used by the Orthodox Church. Actually, later translators used
‘soma’ for a variety of Hebrew words with a great diversity of
meanings. The modern concept of
‘body’ (an individual’s ‘corporeality’ or
existence as a physical entity) hardly appeared on the landscape of the Old
Testament. The Hebrew word most
frequently translated as ‘soma’ in the LXX often is ‘basar’ and translated as ‘flesh.’ But even ‘basar’
does not refer to a total corporeal entity.
Then, move forward in time, to the years when the New
Testament Epistles were written.
Bear in mind that many of the letters (like First Corinthians) were
composed by the rabbinically-trained Apostle
Paul. His concepts reflect the
mind-set of Hebraic culture, and are, therefore much akin to the LXX, as are
his use of the words ‘flesh’ and ‘body.’ They have a Hebraic ‘cast.’ Hence, only once in all his writing does
Saint Paul use ‘body' with a meaning that approaches the modern concept
of ‘corporeality’ (see 1 Th. 5:23). Rather, as in today’s passage,
Paul uses ‘body’ (‘soma’) with a sense much nearer the
modern concept of ‘total person.’
Read verse 13 using Saint Paul’s thinking about
‘body' with this meaning,‘total
person. A rich set of associations
floods into the text. The narrow,
modern concept of ‘body,’ as ‘corporeality,’ misses the
Apostle’s innuendos. Hence,
‘sexual immorality’ (vs. 13) is not merely a wrong activity for
one's physical body, as a modern reading would have it. Saint Paul knows that immoral sexual
activity corrupts the entire person - spiritually, psychologically, and
physically. As whole persons, we
are committed to the Lord that He may indwell. Saint Paul’s vision opens an
immense gulf between the Biblical view and the narrower, confused, modern
understanding! Orthodoxy is so much
more comprehensive and deeply true!
What is involved in bodily unions between persons, either
in marriage or in immoral liaisons, is changed in the Orthodox Christian mode
of thinking. The Apostle emphasizes
that sexual union is much more than mere physical joining. Such acts deliver spiritual and
psychological ‘freight.’
The ‘unseen’ factors will be ignored at great risk by
partners whenever ‘bodies’ are assumed to be only physical ‘corporealities.’
Of course Saint Paul speaks with horror, and he begs us: “...do
you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with
her?”(vs.16) - one body, mind, heart, conscience, and will with her!
Another truth for contemporary Christians as Saint Paul
speaks of the work of God the Holy Spirit within us is his concept of
‘body,’ including heart, emotions, will, and mind, as well as our
physical members. He helps us to
see our ‘self’ more fully and comprehensively as a temple of the
Holy Spirit, as a dwelling place that should be fit for God, inwardly and
outwardly.
Spirit of Truth, come and abide in me, cleanse me of every
stain of sin, and save me.
Return to the February Calendar