Defining Flesh in Romans 8:1-8

After reading through Romans 8:1-8 one word stood out and that was the word flesh, it was used nine times in six verses. The word flesh transliterates into sarx. While it would seem simple that flesh means flesh meat on bone, I do not believe that is what Paul is referring to.  So if that is the case then what is the words semantic domain (or words it could mean)? According to the Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, sarx has “…151 occurrences; AV translates as “flesh” 147 times,^[1]….”That is not all it translates as, here are some of the other translations and definitions:

flesh, corporeal mass of human and animal (Rev 19:18; Eph 5:30 v.r.); 2. physical body (1Ti 3:16); 3. people, a physical human being (Jn 1:14; 1Pe 1:24); 4. human, physical nature (Heb 12:9); 5. nation, ethnic group (Ro 11:14); 6. human nature, the psychological human nature (1Co 1:26; Gal 5:19; 6:8); 7. physical nature, as a result of its natural development (Gal 4:23); 8. physical life (Heb 5:7); 9. σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα (sarx kai haima), human being (Mt 16:17; Gal 1:16); 10. κοινωνέω αἵματος καὶ σαρκός (koinōneō haimatos kai sarkos), be a person (Heb 2:14+); 11. have homosexual intercourse (Jude 7+), see 599; 12. trouble (2Co 12:7+), see 5022; 13. sexual desire (Jn 1:13+), see 2525^[2]

In Judaism, “Flesh is sometimes neutral, but it also denotes human creatureliness. This is bound up with sinfulness and ignorance, but it does not itself stand in contrast to spirit; instead it is the battleground of conflict between the spirit of evil and the Holy Spirit.”^[3]          Paul and his uses tend to focus more contrast between the natural and the spiritual. According to the Louw-Nida, “the psychological aspect of human nature which contrasts with the spiritual nature; in other words, that aspect of human nature which is characterized by or reflects typical human reasoning and desires in contrast with those aspects of human thought and behavior which relate to God and the spiritual life—‘human nature, human aspects, natural, human.’” ^[4] 

            Even though we have so many different options to define the word sarx why did the authors of ESV choose to go with flesh, and the NIV chose to use sinful nature? I think it is because sinful nature gives a little more clarity on the issue and allows the contrast between the Spirit to stand out better. We can gain a clearer understanding of what Paul meant by taking a look at say Galatians and his use in chapter five. He is contrasting again the Spirit verses the flesh/Law showing our rebellion against God. “Correspondingly, on over two-thirds of the many contrasts between sarx  and pneuma, sarx refers to fallen human nature.[5] So while sarx means flesh I appreciate the way the NIV translates it making it more clear that it is not meat on bone but the battle with sinfulness.

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            ^[1] James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).

            ^[2] James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

            ^[3] Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 1002.

            ^[4] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 321.

            [5] Gerald F., Hawthorne, and Ralph P. and Daniel G. Reid Marin, . Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1993)304.

A brief glance at different translations of Romans 8:1-8

            From a passing glance of these verses (Romans 8:1-8), the first thing that is easily noticed is the difference in the length of the passage. The formal equivalent was the shortest while the paraphrase was longest. Secondly, something else that was fairly obvious was the readability of each style the ESV was the most challenging to read, while still being readable; the NIV fell in the middle being a little easier to comprehend; now the NLT was the easiest to digest. Something else that stands out between these different versions is the sentence structure; the ESV has longer sentences with bigger words; while the NLT has shorter sentences with smaller easier to understand words.

            There is one glaring difference that stands out in verse three where the ESV has translated sarx as flesh, both the NIV and the NLT have translated it as sinful nature. Douglas J. Moo gives an rather lengthy treatment of this area in his NIVAC on Romans. He says that it was a challenging, because “most English readers think of the term flesh either as the meat on our bones or sexual sin. Neither is close to what Paul intends.”[1] There are two possible meanings behind what Paul is referring to either the physical body, or to human kind as a whole.[2] Now an area that was confusing is when the ESV actually uses the term “likeness of sinful flesh”, the NIV uses “likeness of sinful man”; the NLT “ bodies we sinners have.” As you read through the three progressions you notice as Mounce says that the interpreters have added commentary to try and make the material more accessible to the reader.[3]  

            Some of the advantages and disadvantages of this passage may not be as obvious to some as they are to others. One of the advantages of having a translation like the NLT is you can easily understand what the author is trying to say about a given topic, because they are assuming a certain level of biblical illiteracy.  While as a new believer it may be more acceptable to use a paraphrase when you are first reading the Bible it is not something you want to rely heavily upon as you mature. It is as the writer of Hebrews spoke of “going form milk to meat.” (Hebrews 5:12-13) Another disadvantage is that a paraphrase or functional equivalent is doing more of your thinking for you in their translating taking away your ability to discern what that text is trying to say.

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            [1] Douglas J. Moo, NIVAC: Romans. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000)253.      

            [2] Ibid., 253.

            [3] Bill Mounce, BIblical Training . https://www.biblicaltraining.org/what-are-translations/greek-tools-bible-study (accessed March 15, 2014).

Analysis of The Gospel According to Isaiah 53

There are many different topics that can be discussed in dealing with this work; it is my hope to cover several of them as best as I can. This may not be exactly what is expected, but it is the best of what I can offer. So without further ado, let us take a look at the Gospel According to Isaiah 53.

Israel as Servant

            One thing that has to be understood about this work is how it was understood in regards to its original audience. When the LORD spoke of a suffering servant, who/what was he actually referring to? Was he referring to the people of Israel as a whole? Or was he pointing to a specific person at a specific time? This book helps us to take a look at these questions and answer them objectively.  When answering the question about the people of Israel we get one point of view that says, “…the Lord refers to them as “witnesses” (plural) and then goes on to identify them as “my servant” (singular). So from this we know that the singular “my servant” can indeed refer to the nation of Israel as a whole.”[1]

            According to this work and its chapter on Jewish interpretations of Isaiah 53, when taking a closer look at the disparity between how many times the servant is referred to as the nation verses an individual, there is a major difference. A closer look at the Bock text reveals that, “On a larger contextual level, it should be noted that the servant of the Lord is mentioned a total of nineteen times in Isaiah 40-51, sometimes with reference to the nation as a whole (41:8-9, 42:19 [2x]; 43:10; 44:21 [2x]; 45:4; 48:20), and sometimes with reference to a righteous individual within the nation (49:3, 5-7; 50:10).”[2]

            While there may appear to be so many different verses that seem to support the understanding of the servant being Israel itself, that is not the case. “God, speaking in the first person singular and describing the sufferings of the Servant in the third person singular. And this means that the only legitimate, exegetically consistent interpretation of Isaiah 53:8 is that the Servant of the Lord suffered for the people of Israel, not that the servant actually was the people of Israel.”[3]  If that were not enough Bock explains, “Isaiah 53 indisputably features the vicarious sufferings of the righteous Servant as a central theme, and that righteous Servant cannot be Israel, whose sufferings have not brought atonement and forgiveness to the nations.”[4]

            What we can come to understand is that positionally Israel was not in the place to be the Servant because it lacked the righteousness required.  And it is with that lacking we find the more easily understood truth, that Israel incapable of saving herself. Bock further details this by saying, “The Servant has a mission to all Israel to see that they are restored back into the land, so this usage of the term “servant” cannot be a reference to the nation Israel, for in that case, they would be acting on themselves rather than receiving the deliverance promised to them.”[5] As can be seen by this argument, this author does not believe that the servant of the Lord is in reference to Israel, but instead it is a messianic reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Messianic Servant

            If you stop for a moment and take a look at all of the evidence offered up by Isaiah, and then you examine the evidence found in the NT, it becomes much easier to see how Jesus (Yeshua) meets the criteria for the Servant of the Lord. To be certain that Jesus is the messiah,

There are four expressions of what God did to the Servant, Yeshua: (1) “he was pierced” with the nails that went in to his hands and feet. (2) “he was crushed” or “bruised” by the thrust of the spear in his side, the slap on  his face, and the effort of dragging the cross, (3) he took “the punishment that brought us peace” as he faced his crucifixion alone,  and (4) he took the welts and stripes we should have received, as Pilate had him scourged and the soldiers smote him on his head with a reed. But all of this was for “our transgressions”, “our iniquities,” our peace,” and our “heal[ing].”

These are but a few evidences that Jesus was/is the Servant of the Lord. He was the only person with the righteousness to be able to pay the cost of the sins of not only Israel, but  the entire world.  Further evidence comes from the arrest of Jesus, he was lead as a lamb to the slaughter, or a sheep before a sheerer. This corresponds to the arrest to the arrest of Jesus in the garden and the five (that’s right five) trials Jesus would undergo in this one night.[6]

            There is also mention of the Servant being submissive to the will of the father. Christ shows this submission in the garden when he prays, “…Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42, ESV).  Bock points out that, “The Servant’s submission to the will of the father is detailed in this fourth strophe (Is 53:7-9). We see his submission in his suffering (v.7), his death (v. 8), and his burial (v.9).”[7]Further evidence that Jesus the messiah is the Servant described in the final servant song can be found in chapter 53:10-12.

            In this final section, we can see that the servant receives exaltation. The Lord himself brings this fifth strophe to a close along with the fourth Servant Song.[8] It reaches its climax and conclusion all in one final verse, verse 12.  This verse speaks of so many different things; it speaks of two different gifts, and four divine reasons why God’s seal of approval is put upon the servant. The Bock text speaks about each set, first he speaks of the divine gifts when he says, “I will give him a portion among the great,” and “he will divide the spoils with the strong.”[9] I am not exactly sure how these gifts play out in the life of Christ, but they are to be received by him. Now on the other hand, it is easier to recognize the four seals “(1) “because he poured out his life unto death,” (2) he allowed himself to be “numbered with the transgressors,” (3) “he bore the sin of many,” and (4) he “made intercession for the transgressors.”’[10] We see all of this played out at the execution of Jesus, by giving himself up to death for the sins of many, he was hanging on the cross next to two criminals, and he prayed that the Father would forgive the people because they did not know what they were doing. Matt 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19 all give the account of Jesus’ death.

The Servant in the New Testament

            There are several questions we have to be asking ourselves, how does the NT reveal this servant, and does Jesus consider himself to fulfill this prophecy?  In an answer to the second question, “R.T. France declares, that “Isaiah’s Servant figure was a major factor in Jesus’ understanding of is own mission and the crucial basis on which his followers found it possible to make sense of his death as the fulfillment of Scripture.”’[11] There are a minimum of fifty allusions or direct quotations taken from Isaiah 53 found throughout the entire NT, and at least twenty-nine of those are located in the Gospels.[12] This author is going to focus primarily on it use in the Gospels.  Of the twenty-nine references made to Isaiah, eighteen of them are found in Matthew’s Gospel, which is more than any other. [13]

            In this section we will not be focusing on one Servant Song in particular, but several. Matthew 3:17 is from Isaiah 42:1, it deals with the baptism of Jesus and his anointing of the Holy Spirit. Bock says, “Jesus’ anointing by the Spirit is both the coronation of Israel’s Messiah and the commissioning of God’s righteous servant for the work that he will now carry out in the power and the presence of the Spirit.”[14] There have been questions raised as to whether or not first-century Jew would have interpreted Isaiah 53:4 in a messianic nature, while there was some skepticism we have reason to believe from later rabbinic text that it was possible.[15] These are just a few of the many numerous examples of how these text have been used all throughout the NT to explain much about Jesus and his ministry.

Conclusion

            We have been on a long journey together, and it is this author’s hope that you have gained a greater insight into whom the Servant of the Lord was in Isaiah’s Servant Songs. We have seen that while at points it may have been feasible to want to apply the servant terminology to the nation of Israel itself, upon closer inspection we realize that it was unable to fulfill the requirements to be its own savior. We were then able to take some of the prophecies made about the Servant and apply them to the messiah, which as a Christian this author believes to be Jesus Christ. And finally we took all we had learned and applied it to the use of these prophecies in NT books specifically the book of Matthew. So take what you have learned here and apply it to further study of the Servant for yourself, and hopefully you will come to the same conclusion; which is Jesus is the promised Messiah who fulfilled the role of the Servant of the Lord fully and completely in ways that Israel never could.

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            [1]

Darrell L.Bock, and Mitch Glaser. The Gospel According to Isaiah 53. (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2012)41.

            [2] Ibid.75.

            [3] Ibid., 77.

            [4] Ibid. 77.

            [5] Ibid., 89

            [6] Ibid., 102.

            [7] Ibid. 102.

            [8] Ibid., 104.

            [9] Ibid., 106.

            [10] Ibid., 106

            [11] Ibid., 109

            [12] Ibid., 112

            [13] Ibid., 115.

            [14] Ibid., 120.

            [15] Ibid., 122-23.

DAVID PLATT, RADICAL BOOK CRITIQUE

Introduction

            In 2010, a relatively unknown pastor came onto the scene with a book that would challenge the landscape of American Christianity. That book was Radical, and the author was David Platt. In his work, Platt calls out Christians to live life in a radically different manner that is counter cultural to what we are being taught by society. In a period of just several short years this book has reached the pinnacle of Christian publishing; remaining on publishing charts for numerous weeks and jettisoning Platt into the national if not global platform.

Summary

            To begin with, this is not an extremely long book. It weighs in at 217 pages and nine chapters, with each chapter having its own title and sub-headings.  Chapter one is entitled Someone Worth Losing Everything For.  In this chapter, Platt argues “We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves. “[1]Later on he urges that no matter what we believe, “we have in many areas blindly and unknowingly embraced values and ideas that are common in our culture but are antithetical to the gospel he taught.”[2]  At the end of the chapter, he drives home his point when he says “ In the process of hearing Jesus, you are compelled to take an honest look at your life, your family, and your church and ask,, “What is he saying?” but also ask “What shall I do?”’[3]

            Chapter two is entitled Too Hungry for Words.  In an attempt to show our utter sinfulness, Platt reminds us, “ Everything in all creation responds in obedience to the Creator …until we get to you and me. We have the audacity to look God in the face and say, “No.””[4]Platt also does a good job pointing out that, “…we have a dangerous tendency to misunderstand, minimize, and even manipulate the gospel in order to accommodate our assumptions and our desires. As a result we desperately need to explore how much or our understanding of the Gospel is American and how much is biblical.”[5] As we look at chapter three, Beginning at the End of Ourselves, Platt makes the assertion,” The dangerous assumption we unknowingly accept in the American dream is that our greatest asset is our own ability.”[6] When we try to live in our own power, God will come along and show us how much we really need him, and according to Platt, “This is how God works. He puts his people in positions where they are desperate for his power, and then he shows his provision in ways that display his greatness.”[7]

            What is awesome about this chapter, is his focus on the magnitude of God and the role he plays in accomplishing anything. He further proves this point when he says, “God delights in using extraordinary Christians who come to the end of themselves and choose to trust in his extraordinary provision. He stands ready to allocate his power to all who are radically dependent on him and radically devoted to making much of him.”[8]

            In the next chapter, the Great Why of God, Platt introduces us to some of the purposes of God. Everyone at sometime has asked the question “what am I here for?” or  “what is my purpose?” Platt tells us that we are to: “Enjoy his grace and extend his glory. This is the twofold purpose behind the creation of the human race in Genesis 1, and it sets the stage for the entire Book that revolves around the same purpose.”[9] In continuing on with this topic of purpose he claims, “God has created us to accomplish a radically global, supremely God –exalting purpose with our lives.”[10]

            Chapter five has a great title, The Multiplying Community. This has become a major topic over the last several years. How are we to go about being a multiplying community? Platt suggests that we follow the pattern Jesus set before us. That pattern is not something that is mass-produced, because “genuine, committed, self-sacrificing followers of Christ—are not made over night.”[11] Something that gets to the heart of disciple making is that we must go to them and not expect them to come to us in order to hear the gospel.[12] Platt brings everything together when he says, “Disciple making is not about a program or an event but about a relationship. As we share the gospel, we impart life, and this is the essence of making disciples.”[13]

            In the next chapter called How Much is Enough?,  Platt discusses how we Americans  need to assess our finances; how much do we really need to live on, and how much do we give up?  According to Platt, “If there is no sign of caring for the poor in our lives, then there is reason to at least question whether Christ is in our hearts.”[14]Something that this author found extremely interesting was this statement made by Platt, he says, “In the dawn of this new phase in redemptive history, no teachers (including Jesus) in the New Testament ever promise material wealth as a reward for obedience.”[15] This was very intriguing and helped to drive the authors point home that we are to serve out of love and for temporal gain.

            Chapter seven is called There is No Plan B. What the author is getting at here is that there is no other alternative route to heaven, the only way there is by Jesus. He makes a very harsh statement when he says, “ I think each of us tends toward either intellectual or practical universalism.”[16] He makes this statement in light of how difficult it is to fathom the fact that people who have never heard of Christ and had the opportunity to respond, go to Hell.  He tells the story of an innocent man in Africa who has never heard the Gospel, but then responds, “There are no innocent people in the world waiting to hear the gospel.”[17]Just a paragraph later he says that, “all people are guilty before God, and as such the default is not heaven but hell.”[18]Those are some harsh words to hear but in all reality they are the truth.

            The next to last chapter is Living When Dying is Gain. In this chapter, Platt goes up against our normal thought process and challenges us to really take a look at what living with death in mind truly looks like. He makes some bold statements about how if we want to serve the Lord and be more like him that we will face persecution. “To everyone wanting a safe, untroubled, comfortable life free from danger, stay away from Jesus. The danger in our lives will always increase in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ.”[19] Chapter nine, the last and final chapter, is called the Radical Experiment. In this chapter Platt issues five challenges to his audience.  He challenges his readers for one year to… pray for the entire world; read through the entire Bible; sacrifice money for a specific purpose; spend time in a different context; and commit your life to a multiplying community.[20]

Critique

            This book is a very powerful book, but it has one flaw that it may not impact the person completely and make a profound change. The one thing I am afraid of is reading this book and thinking that ‘oh those are good ideas/thoughts and not doing anything with them’. In the very first chapter, Platt makes a statement that resounded with me. He says, “…every day I see more disconnects between the Christ of Scripture and the Christianity that characterizes my life and the church God has entrusted me to lead.”[21] Another powerful statement that Platt made was, “Note taking is not the measure of how committed we are to making disciples, but if we are hearing God’s Word taught in order to teach others, then we want to get it down as best we can.”[22] A statement that was a true punch to the gut was when he said, “Regardless of what we say or sing on Sunday morning, rich people who neglect the poor are not the people of God.”[23]That statement made me wonder if he means we have to be dealing with the poor on a personal basis, or can it be on a corporate basis?

Application

            This book, while it lists five main challenges at the end of the book, it is chock full of things that can be applied to life. I think that the best application points do come from chapter nine and the challenge Platt issues to his audience. Right now I do not pray for much of anyone or anything I do not know, so praying for the whole world will be a new venture for me to enter into. I have the book Operation World he recommends to use.

            I slightly disagree with him in saying that we need to read through the Bible in a year, I personally get through it every two to three years, I have read the NT multiple times in a year. While I can see where for some it may be beneficial I just have come to know myself, and my ability to read and to comprehend, and trying to do it in a year is pushing it.  He also has urged us to sacrifice our money for a specific purpose, this is an area that I do not yet have mastered, my wife and I are faithful tithers, but we do not give too much above our set amount. We live on a very strict budget while living on student loans right now. I have recently helped support a Christian band whose music I like and feel they have a good mission and music. That is one way I have given sacrificially above our normal tithe recently.

            I will have to pray hard about where the Lord would have me spend time outside of my normal context. As I have mentioned in previous assignments my health is not the best, so it is a challenge to do things around my home. But I have been invited by a pastor friend of mine who is getting ready to move to Haiti; He would like me to come down there and help put on pastor training, so that would be outside of my normal context.  Lastly, I am part of a church plant, so we are part of a multiplying community.

Conclusion

            In conclusion this work is a very powerful book that I would recommend to any Christian, especially those who are involved in a small group setting. To go along with this work I would highly recommend you read Crazy Love by Francis Chan, these are two books along similar lines that will ignite a fire inside of you; and hopefully will bring about a change in your life that your community will notice. Even if your community does not see the change right away, the kingdom will. So take the time to read this book and digest it, and if you have the time and ability when your done, come back to it and do it again, I am sure there will be things you missed the first time.

Bibliography

Platt, David. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. Colorado Sprngs: Multnomah Books, 2010.

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                  [1]

DavidPlatt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. (Colorado Sprngs: Multnomah Books, 2010)7.

                  [2] Ibid., 19.

                  [3] Ibid., 21.

                  [4] Ibid.31.

                  [5] Ibid., 28

                  [6] Ibid., 46.

                  [7] Ibid., 48.

                  [8] Ibid. 56.

                  [9] Ibid., 65.

                  [10] Ibid., 83.

                  [11] Ibid., 93.

                  [12] Ibid., 94.

                  [13] Ibid., 96.

                  [14] Ibid., 110.

                  [15] Ibid. 117.

                  [16] Ibid. 142.

                  [17] Ibid., 147.

                  [18] Ibid. 147.

                  [19] Ibid. 167.

                  [20] Ibid. 185.

                  [21] Ibid., 19

                  [22] Ibid., 102.

                  [23] Ibid., 115.