The Body and Soul, Sexuality and Marriage; Part 1

^{by Andrew Sciba}

Read the whole series here.

The human condition is a magnificently complex creation of God.  Even so, in our current and fallen state, confusion abounds as to the relationship between our bodies and souls and what that means in terms of how we experience life on Earth or communicate with those around us.  It is in the study of the interactions between the body and soul that we begin to understand humanity’s true motivations for behavior as well as emotions and expressions of love.

In spite of the fact that the body is often considered the starting place of discussions like this since it is the most immediate and empirical evidence of our existence, we will begin with the soul since it is that which animates the body.[i]  It is precisely this spiritual animation that defines our bodies as human bodies rather than animal bodies or even an intricate composite of matter and gasses.  We see even in this act of defining the human body as it is, that a unique and important relationship exists between it and the soul.

We, as humans, put great value on our bodies.  It can easily be seen across all cultures at all times, that a premium has been put on preserving life on Earth; perhaps only preserving one’s own life, but life nonetheless.  Jesus underscores the idea that the soul, not the body, is of greatest value to a man[ii] when he tells his disciples to remove an eye or hand if it is the source of sin and enter into Heaven maimed rather than be cast into hell, whole and entire.[iii]  At the expense of all things, the soul must not be lost.

There is often a misunderstanding of Christ’s meaning in these verses when it is read literalistically.  Rather than the hand, it is the soul that causes the hand to strike another. Because of this, Jesus refers not to actual amputation, but to rooting out the temptation to sin with such severity as though it were actually part of a person’s body.

Why would it be wrong to go the amputation route in the first place?  It is through the soul that man is most especially in God’s image,[iv] since it also allows us, as humans, to uniquely know and love God.  Though a single united nature rather than a symbiotic relationship, the body does rely on the soul for life and the soul relies on the body for the ability to learn and express itself.  If your soul possesses your ability to know and understand things, how else would it receive the words in front of you, but through the eyes of the body.  Likewise, within the soul dwells emotions or devotions, such as sadness or worship that, if expressed, must be done though signs such as crying or prostration.

Photo by yewenyi

The term ‘sign’ could generally be defined as something pointing to another reality.  Take for example a speed-limit sign which simply indicates the law rather than causing the law itself.  Otherwise, a thief could steal the sign and no speed limit would apply to drivers on that road.  Another example is that of someone walking through the woods who sees a column of smoke rising above the trees.  The explorer raises a finger, pointing to the smoke and shouts, “Fire!”  It is not fire that he sees, but the smoke, acting as a sign, pointing to another reality: fire.  Similarly, the living human body animated by the soul is a sign of the image of God within it.  Because of this relationship, the human body shares in the dignity of the soul.  It is for this reason that the body’s physicality must be respected and seen in its proper role as expressing the spiritual realities through physical signs.