Existential anxiety: between faith and despair. Anxiety is one of the most common medical conditions today affecting about 20 percent of the population. Almost half of the patients seen by a family doctor have some kind of anxiety related disorder. Many body symptoms are caused by anxiety: headaches, lack of breath, dizziness, muscle pains, sexual dysfunctions, etc. It is my view that we cannot reduce anxiety to a mere biochemical disturbance of the brain. Anxiety is a multidimensional problem where social and also spiritual-existential factors play a key role: uncertainty about the future, insecurity in personal relationships, crisis in trust and faithfulness, all these make a fertile ground for the increase of anxious people in our materialistic world.
One of the most neglected causes of anxiety is the lack of meaning and purpose in life. This is what we call existential anxiety. Certain schools of psychotherapy, the so-called existential schools, maintain that man's central problem lies in his lack of meaning in life. Dr. How Does the Bible Define Sin? | United Church of God. What exactly is sin? Do you understand how the Bible defines it? As Christians, we are to avoid sin—but how can we avoid sin if we don’t fully comprehend what it is?
The Bible defines sin in several scriptures, each of which gives us a better understanding of what it is. But, before we look at these scriptures that define sin, we should first understand what the word sin means. Two broad concepts The Hebrew and Greek words translated “sin” throughout the Bible revolve largely around two major concepts. Most of the other words translated “sin” in the Bible involve a second concept, “to miss the mark.” This view of sin includes the concept of our going in one direction but straying off course to the side and not continuing in the direction we intended to go, with the result that we don’t reach the goal we intended.
This concept also encompasses the idea of failing to measure up to a standard. Both of these concepts, transgressing and missing the mark, involve a basic requirement. Ancient Theories of Soul. 1. The Greek Notion of Soul The Homeric poems, with which most ancient writers can safely be assumed to be intimately familiar, use the word ‘soul’ in two distinguishable, probably related, ways. The soul is, on the one hand, something that a human being risks in battle and loses in death. On the other hand, it is what at the time of death departs from the person's limbs and travels to the underworld, where it has a more or less pitiful afterlife as a shade or image of the deceased person. Several significant developments occurred in the ways Greeks thought and spoke about the soul in the sixth and fifth centuries. However, it is not just that soul is said to be present in every living thing. The connection between the soul and characteristics like boldness and courage in battle is plainly an aspect of the noteworthy fifth century development whereby the soul comes to be thought of as the source or bearer of moral qualities such as, for instance, temperance and justice. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Near-Death Experiences: The Brain is the Key. In the moments before death, the heart plays a central role, conventional wisdom says. That is, as the heart stops beating and blood stops flowing, the rest of the body slowly shuts down. But new research suggests this view may be wrong. Scientists studied the heart and brain activity of rats in the moments before the animals died from lack of oxygen and found that the animals’ brains sent a flurry of signals to the heart that caused irrevocable damage to the organ, and in fact caused its demise.
When the researchers blocked these signals, the heart survived for longer. If a similar process occurs in humans, then it might be possible to help people survive after their hearts stop by cutting off this storm of signals from the brain, according to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A Broken Heart Could Actually Kill You But her team found something surprising. Stem Cells Grow Beating Heart. Strong's Greek: 5590. ψυχή (psuché) -- breath, the soul. Strong's Concordance psuché: breath, the soul Original Word: ψυχή, ῆς, ἡPart of Speech: Noun, FeminineTransliteration: psuchéPhonetic Spelling: (psoo-khay')Short Definition: the soul, life, selfDefinition: (a) the vital breath, breath of life, (b) the human soul, (c) the soul as the seat of affections and will, (d) the self, (e) a human person, an individual.
HELPS Word-studies 5590 psyxḗ (from psyxō, "to breathe, blow" which is the root of the English words "psyche," "psychology") – soul (psyche); a person's distinct identity (unique personhood), i.e. individual personality. 5590 (psyxē) corresponds exactly to the OT 5315 /phágō ("soul"). The soul is the direct aftermath of God breathing (blowing) His gift of life into a person, making them an ensouled being. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5590: ψυχή ψυχή, ψυχῆς, ἡ (ψύχω, to breathe, blow), from Homer down, the Sept. times too many to count for נֶפֶשׁ, occasionally also for לֵב and לֵבָב; b. Soul, life, self Links.
Strong's Greek: 4983. σῶμα (sóma) -- a body. Strong's Concordance sóma: a body Original Word: σῶμα, ατος, τόPart of Speech: Noun, NeuterTransliteration: sómaPhonetic Spelling: (so'-mah)Short Definition: body, fleshDefinition: body, flesh; the body of the Church. HELPS Word-studies 4983 sṓma – the physical body. 4983 (sṓma) is also used figuratively of the mystical Body of Christ (= the Church, the one people of God). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain originDefinitiona bodyNASB Translationbodies (11), body (128), personal (1), slaves (1), substance (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4983: σῶμα σῶμα, σώματος, τό (apparently from σῶς 'entire' (but cf. 1. the body both of men and of animals (on the distinction between it and σάρξ see σάρξ, especially 2 at the beginning; (cf.
C. 2. 3. tropically σῶμα is used of a (large or small) "number of men closely united into one society, or family as it were; a social, ethical, mystical body"; so in the N. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance body see GREEK sozo Forms and Transliterations. Body, Soul, and Spirit: Monism, Dichotomy, or Trichotomy? Monergism. Reblen: Pneuma and Ruah Compared. Lee Price: Someone mentioned to me an ongoing discussion in the halls of academe about whether/how much the Hebrew "ruach" overlaps the Greek "pneu. " Any thoughts? Any sources you'd suggest? Lenny Levin: My educated guess is -- a lot. Compare the Greek New Testament with the Delitsch Hebrew translation of it -- that would be a good test. Lee Price: Well, the person who told me the discussion exists is too crabby to risk emailing at the moment, but I'll see him Tuesday and ask then. Yazmin Lebbe May I suggest another source? Lenny Levin: It is my observation that the attempt to conceptualize something completely "non-material" generally starts with the thing in our experience that (though material) most closely approximates the non-materiality that we are trying to allude t...o.
Lee Price: Et tu Lenny. Lenny Levin: Not at all. Lee Price: I think it would be instructive to see how Plato uses "pneu. " Lenny Levin: That can be tested. Lenny Levin: I await the results of your Perseus search. Strong's Hebrew: 7307. ר֫וּחַ (ruach) -- breath, wind, spirit. Pneuma. Word and Presence: A Commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy - Ian Cairns - Google Livros.
BIBLE STUDY MANUALS: HEART = MIND, A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE. Ryan Klassen : As The Image: A Functional Understanding of the Imago Dei - Quodlibet Journal. The doctrine of the imago dei is foundational for Christian anthropology. It informs the nature of humanity as individuals and as a corporate entity. It is the basis of the Christian valuation of human life. And it defines the purpose of humans both now and in the world to come.
Unfortunately, what it means to be the imago dei is often not clearly defined. A clear understanding of the nature of the imago dei makes the nature, value and purpose of humans and humanity much clearer. This paper will attempt to define the imago dei in a purely functional manner and examine the implications of such a definition in the light of the doctrines of the fall and the incarnation. A Functional Definition of the Imago Dei God said: Let us make humankind, in our image, according to our likeness! Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the heavens, animals, all the earth, and all crawling things that crawl about upon the earth!
So God created humankind in his image, God blessed them, Steven Perkins : Homoousios Doctrine and Non-Reductive Models of Consciousness: An Orthodox Christian Look at the Mind/Body Problem - Quodlibet Journal. In his article “Consciousness and Its Place in Nature,” David Chalmers goes beyond what his introduction suggests of presenting an overview of the principal issues concerning the metaphysics of consciousness. He begins by offering three epistemic arguments against reductive materialist solutions to the problem of consciousness, outlining three basic objections to these arguments, and then pointing out the fatal flaws of these objections.
He concludes with a look at three non-reductive views, and while endorsing none as the much sought-after solution, concedes that at least none possesses fatal flaws. Both aspects of this article are of considerable interest to Christians and Christian philosophers. For some, the Christian faith is predicated on substance dualism,[1] and given the vigorous attacks on substance dualism, both in academic philosophy and the more mainstream press,[2] any serious critique of the variations on reductive materialism is important. Bibliography Bielfeldt, Dennis. Antipas Papers/Chapter I - By S.R. Shearer. The Bible says that man is a three-part being: Body Soul Spirit That man has a body is, of course, self evident; but that man has a spirit in addition to his soul is also just as evident - at least to those who are disposed to read the Scriptures literally. The Scriptures very clearly differentiate between the two.
For example, that man has a spirit seems to be very plain from the following Scriptures: "The spirit (Heb. - ne shamah) of man is the lamp of the Lord. " (Prov. 20:27) "The spirit (Gk. - pneuma) indeed is willing ... " (Matt. 26:41) "Jesus perceiving in his spirit (Gk. - pneuma) ... " And that man has a soul is also evident from the following Scriptures: "Why are you cast down, O my soul (Heb. - nephesh).
" It should be noted in this connection that the Hebrew word for spirit is ne shamah which means "wind," and the Hebrew word for soul is nephesh which means a "living (thinking) being. " Thus, when God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ... The Three Parts of Man - Foundations of the Faith Q & A - Spiritual Life - CBN.com. Foundational Questions & Answers By Craig von Buseck CBN.com Contributing Writer Question: What are the three parts of man? Answer: Spirit, Soul and Body Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. " God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
According to the Bible, mankind is distinct from all the rest of creation, including the animals, in that he is made in the image of God. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NASB). Man is made up of physical material, the body, that can be seen and touched. The Body (Greek, "soma") The Soul (Greek, "psyche") The Spirit (Greek " Pneuma") 2. Man A Trinity (Spirit, Soul, Body) The Christian doctrine of immortality cannot be understood apart from the right conception of the tripartite nature of men. Many think that man is a physical being only. There is a great danger of any man thinking thus of himself. In his desire to satisfy the needs of the body there is the tendency on man’s part to lose sight of the fact that he is immortal.
There have been persons who have lived all of their lives either in ignorance or willful neglect of a life after death, but upon their death-bed they suddenly realized that they were more than physical beings. There is an idea also that prevails largely today that man consists of only two component parts: namely, body and spirit. In the thinking of the writer this view appears to be one that might create confusion in the minds of any Christians.
The two following passages from the Bible clearly establish the fact that man is a triune being composed of spirit, soul, and body: The Spirit The Soul. Humanity. The doctrine of humanity, also called anthropology, is an area of Christian theology that studies various topics related to mankind based on the teaching of Scripture. For example, a biblical anthropology maintains as a basis, that: Man was created in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27). Man is a fallen creature (Romans 5:12), and born in a corrupt state. Man has a material aspect (the body) and a non-material aspect, his spirit (Jas. 2:26). Though marred by the Fall, man retains remnants of God's image in his non-material nature (Gen. 9:6). Some differentiate the soul from the spirit of man resulting in a trichotomous view of his nature (body, soul, and spirit).
Multimedia Against Materialism (for Immaterialism) (YouTube), by Alvin Plantinga Created humanity "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Gen 1:27). See main pages: Image of God, Nature of humanity, Gender roles Body, soul, and spirit Trichotomy Dichotomy Relevant passages.