Pastoral Position Paper - Chris Comis

Pastoral Sarxtification: Part Uno

 “O wretched man that I am!  Who will set me from this body of death?” Rom. 7:24

 “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.  It is sown is dishonor, it is raised in glory.  It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” 1 Cor. 15:42-44

Fleshy Questions and Concerns

How should a pastor come to grips with the inherent fleshiness of the ministry?  How should a pastor, who is himself very fleshy, deal with a bunch of Christians who are as fleshy as himself?  How should a pastor see his own sanctification?  How should he approach the sanctification of his flock?  What does the bible mean by flesh?  How does the flesh get “worked out” through redemptive history, such that, by the time we get to Paul, we are given new eyes with which to see our flesh?

The pragmatic point of this paper is to draw out what God expects of us when it comes to mortifying our flesh.  Thus the title of the paper is Sarxtification.  But with regards to this very broad and all-encompassing issue, there is the further issue of how a pastor ought to be dealing with his own, as well as his flock’s, sarxtification.  Sarxtification comes in many shapes and sizes; looks different according to the different personalities in the church and comes with different expectations depending on where an individual (and church) is at in their own Christian maturity.  So the doctrine of sanctification is the main issue in this paper, but also and more importantly, the doctrine as it pertains to the pastoral ministry.

Fleshy Considerations

Sarx is the Greek word meaning “flesh.”  Sanctification comes from the Latin and means “set apart” or “made holy.”  So sarxtification has to do with the setting aside and making holy of our flesh.  The reason I thought of coining this new term is simply because I think it expresses much better than the traditional term, what is actually going on as we are progressively being made holy.  It’s not that some free-floating substance in our body, called a “soul” or “spirit” is being renewed, but our flesh is being renewed.  It is our flesh – the old man which is covenantally connected to Adam – which is being renewed after the image and likeness of Christ.  It was Christ who came in the flesh. (John 1:14)  Indeed, He came in the likeness of sinful flesh. (Rom 8:13)  And He was also raised to life again with the same flesh He had prior to His death.  In other words, He was not raised to life again with a fleshy body other than the one He died with.  This is why our doctrine of sanctification must include our bodies of flesh as objects of redemption, and not see our sanctification simply in terms of “spiritual redemption.”

Related to this issue is the problem that the older approach to sanctification lends itself to, which is the separation of the intimate connection between soul and flesh.  Historically, in terms of dogmatic/experimental theology, sanctification is often used to describe the holy influences of God’s Spirit as He works grace into our souls.  It is often thought that sanctification is primarily about the work of the Holy Spirit as He progressively makes our thoughts, attitudes, desires, inclinations, etc., more and more holy.  Not that I wholly disagree with this view on sanctification.  I just think it is lacking the holistic approach the Scriptures take on the subject.

Not to mention, sanctification in the bible isn’t just about being set apart from uncleanness/wickedness and being made holy.  Sanctification is performed with the goal in mind of being brought into the inner-sanctuary presence of the Lord.  Sanctification is for the sake of glorification.  Which is also why the issue of transfiguration must be discussed whenever the doctrine of sanctification is mentioned.  (There will be more on this later.)

It should also be kept in mind that sanctification is not a one-time event, but a life-long process.  It is something God does in us and through us.  Whereas justification is something God declares on our behalf (for us); sanctification is something He does in, through, and to us.  Even though sanctification has a definitive point at which it begins (usually referred to as regeneration), the focus here is with what happens to an individual or community through time.  So let’s look now at what Holy Writ doeth say about these things.

Fleshy Beginnings

The first time the word flesh is used in the bible is with reference to the Lord God taking one of Adam’s ribs and building the Ishah (woman) out of it (Gen. 2:21).  The context here suggests an act involving sacrificial blood-letting.  The Lord God, who is the original High Priest over all creation, caused Adam to enter into a deep death-like state.  While in this state, the Lord God performed a priestly duty by taking a chunk out of Adam’s side, and then closing it back up again.  (Otherwise, Adam would’ve bled to death.  But being the greatest High Priest, God knows exactly how much blood needs to be spilled in order to build the helper suitable.)  Two distinct fleshes came out of one flesh.  Then the text says He built the woman and brought her to the man.  God took it upon Himself to play the pastoral role here in order to build a new humanity out of one flesh: one flesh became two fleshes; and then these were reunited to form one new kind of human flesh (v.24).

The very next occurrence of the word flesh is in v.23 of the same chapter.  Here, Adam sings a love song about the fact that the woman came directly from his very own flesh.  She was flesh of his flesh.  This establishes the protological pattern that flesh must come from flesh.  Flesh cannot come from spirit.  But eschatologically, we know that the spiritual must come from the flesh (cf. 1 Cor. 15:46).  In other words, flesh precedes spirit; and the spiritual is the fulfillment and maturation of the flesh.  My point with this is to show that although flesh came from flesh in the beginning; as God moves redemptive history along we come to find out that He also grows that which is spiritual out of flesh (see 1 Cor. 15:39-49).

So, the first time flesh is mentioned in the bible, it is mentioned without any reference to defilement, uncleanness, or being cursed by God.  The context indicates God’s High Priestly activities of taking, separating, re-naming, and re-uniting.  This is essentially no different from what God performed on day one when He took hold of the light (“saw the light, that it was good”); divided the light from the darkness; re-named the light and darkness (“Day” and “Night”), and then re-united these two into one new day (“evening and morning were the first day.”).  God performed essentially the same pastoral duties with regards to the flesh of man and woman as He did with day one. 

As the greatest High Pastor, God takes hold of something; then He separates it; then He re-unites it again as something completely new.  And pastors in the Church of God are required to do the same with God’s people.  This is why the proclaiming of God’s Word is symbolically described in terms of wielding a two-edged sword (Eph 6:17, cf. Heb 4:12).  A pastor is someone who knows how to wield one of the mightiest weapons known to mankind.  And this weapon is used for the cutting and dividing of hearts and minds.  But after the slicing and dicing of the Word, the Spirit re-unites us with Christ and one another.  So a wise pastor knows how to grab hold of someone; how to cut them into pieces; and then how to put them back together again, and in a more sanctified and glorious state.  A wise and good pastor must know how to take fleshy people and sanctify them in such a way that they become spiritual people. 

“Flesh Indeed”

The next time flesh is mentioned, it isn’t until the third literary-generational section of Genesis (Gen 5:1-6:8) that the word flesh is mentioned again (6:3).  Here we have Yahweh declaring that His Spirit will not strive with/abide in the Adamites forever.  The reason given for this declaration is that “he is indeed flesh.”  So here is the first occurrence in the bible of any tension/strife between the Spirit and the flesh.  In the beginning it was the Spirit who animated Man’s flesh by being breathed into his nostrils, thus turning some watery dust into a living being.  Now, in chapter 6 verse 3, the Spirit refuses to rule with Man and gives him 120 years until the coming of the flood.  So flesh in this context is used to point out Man’s very ephemeral and temporary existence.  Man is but flesh; he lives for a short while and then is gone.  All flesh is like the grass of the field: it shoots up early in the morning, but by mid-day it is all burned up.

So as pastors, we must learn how to teach, admonish, and even rebuke our congregation in ways that they recognize the very temporary and transient nature of their time here on earth.  We also must be constantly on guard against “presumption in the Spirit.”  We want to encourage and instill walking in the Spirit of God, but presumption only leads to an eventual fall.  When people begin to presume upon their standing in the Spirit of God, and become wicked and corrupt because of it, they will naturally grieve the Spirit.  When this happens and their hearts are hardened and they remain unrepentant, they will inevitably fall away.  The Spirit will not strive with flesh forever.  Eventually, all flesh will be cut off from the face of the earth, and everyone (without exception) will receive new flesh.  The only question that remains is: Will we inherit incorruptible or corruptible flesh?  Those who have had their sins forgiven them, and their flesh renewed by the indwelling of the Spirit, will receive incorruptible flesh.  Those who do not have their sins forgiven them will only receive flesh fit for the final state of death.

Pastors must be diligent to teach their flock about their very tenuous state in this fleshy life.  The Spirit will not contend with flesh forever, and like the days before the flood, He will pass judgment on all flesh.  Pastors must constantly remind their flock that they are “flesh indeed.”

       Corrupted Flesh

The first time flesh is mentioned with regards to corruption and death is in Genesis 6:12.  It’s not until this fourth literary-generational section in Genesis (Gen 6:9-10:1) that we are given any indication of the sinfulness of flesh.  Here we are told flat-out that “all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”  This shows that in terms of maturation, God will suffer long in order to wait for flesh to mature into its full and complete stage of development.  Nowhere up to this point in Genesis is flesh described as being corrupt, or sinful.  In terms of years, the timeline for this pronouncement would’ve been sometime near the end of the 120 year limit God had given for the coming of the flood.  The flood came upon the earth in the year 1,656 anno mundi (year of the world).  1,656 years minus 120 years equals 1,536 anno mundi.  So God waited some 1,600 years until He finally brought divine judgment on Mankind.  It took flesh around 1,600 years to mature to the point where God would pronounce against it that it is corrupt in His sight.

Pastors must learn how to bear-up under extended periods of wresting with the fleshiness of their congregations.  Although there are examples in the bible of flesh being dealt with more immediately (e.g. in circumcision); every pastor must prepare himself to also endure long stretches of striving with fleshy people.

       Summary and Some More Pastoral Applications

When dealing with fleshy people, every pastor should begin talking to his people about flesh where the bible begins talking about flesh – in the book of Genesis.  In doing so, he is to remind himself that flesh is not inherently wicked.  God made flesh good in the beginning.  God even built new flesh out of the original flesh, in order to establish the interconnectedness of all Man-flesh.  Ultimately, flesh is not the problem; only corrupted flesh is the problem.  There will be incorruptible flesh in the final state (except for those who are eternally damned; they will receive corruptible flesh in the sense that it will be forever subject to death).  And because it is not our flesh that is inherently wicked, then we should look forward to the redemption of our flesh.  When Christ rose again, He rose again with essentially the same flesh He had when he was born into this world.  And He was born into this world in the likeness of sinful flesh.  So we, like Christ, ought to be looking forward to the redemption of our flesh.

It can also be a real comfort for those suffering from physical ailments to know that their flesh will be redeemed on the last day.  This may not bring total comfort, especially in the midst of severe physical affliction, but it can help those who are in need of reassurance that their sin does not reside in their physical flesh.  And to boot, one day they will receive new flesh and blood in the “image of the heavenly Man. ” (1 Cor. 15:49)

Pastors should also remind their flock of the vaporous-like nature of their fleshy existence.  Paul says in Galatians 5:17, “[T]he flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.”  But this only occurs so long as someone remains on in the flesh.  The Spirit will win this war, one way or the other.  He will either win it by redeeming our flesh, or destroying it.  The flesh is like a sand castle built on the shore of a raging sea.  The sea will prevail, and will overcome it.  Likewise, we need to be reminded that only that which is of the Spirit of God will last forever.  No old Adamic flesh will be able to withstand the direct and all-encompassing presence of the Spirit of God.  And when these old veils of flesh are removed, and new flesh is put on; we will all be forced to stand, flesh-face to flesh-face, with the very fleshy Son of God Himself.   

Lastly, it is incumbent upon every pastor to be patient with the fleshiness of his flock.  God endured with much long suffering the wicked fleshiness of the pre-flood world.  The Spirit of God persevered with the wickedness of man for at least 1,600 years before the flood.  Not to mention He also gave the men of Noah’s day 120 of these years to repent of their lawlessness.  Our God is patient with flesh.  But He also will not strive (or abide) with Man-flesh forever.  God’s people need to know that if they continue grieving the Spirit of God that God will not strive with them forever.  God’s judgment will come against all flesh.  So the sons and daughters of God should not presume upon the grace and mercy of God; but rather fear the awesome judgment of God, lest we fall.