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Originally Posted by UntoHim
Ah zeek, there ya go again! Where have I ever made such a statement in this thread? What do you mean by "absolute truth"? And can you PROVE that I have said or even implied such a thing? Nah, never mind.
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You have stated that you are an inerrantist in the past according to my recollection. That isn't something that changes with you from thread to thread is it?
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Well, "discussing systematic biblical theology" is not part of the cause of this thread, and your constant harping of "clear definition" mantra is a smoke screen that has been aired out - the definition of "spirit" is/will be ascertained by anybody who wants to take a deep breath, open their Bible and actually read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15.
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If a definition is clear to you, you could easily state what it is as I have. Why wouldn't you want to practice systematic theology on this thread if it is possible? From what I have read systematic theologians define their terms whenever possible, because, unless that is done, there is no way to check the system for coherence. The definition I gave --that a spirit is a person without a body works in many but not all the contexts I have applied it to. The usual exception is when
spirit is used to refer to a suchness or subtle essence.
Neither of those definitions seem to apply in 15:45B. But, only because in the context of the verse, Paul is talking about a spiritual body. I do agree with you and OBW that Lee's mistake was not to take the context into account when expounding on the verse.
It seems that Paul was using the word here in a special sense. He is contrasting the last Adam with the first whom he has said is a living soul. It is not that Adam
has a soul, but that he
becomes one. In other words, soul is constitutes his being. So the parallel figure, the last Adam, becomes a life-giving spirit. To say he
becomes a spiritual body would not have been parallel and would not have been inclusive of his entire being. It isn't that he
has a spirit, it is that spirit constitutes his being. As the first Adam's body is included in the fact of being a living soul, the last Adam's body is included in the fact of being a life-giving spirit. That seems like a plausible interpretation to me at the moment. What do you think?
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Is this "spiritual body" a mystery? Sure is! So are LOTS and LOTS of phrases and terms in the Bible. In fact the apostle Paul was pretty much the patron saint of coining mysterious terms and phases. Heck, there are like three or four of them is this very chapter. But let's just stick with this one, "live-giving spirit", shall we?
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Well then you agree with me then. Good.
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As awareness has aptly pointed out, the term "spiritual body" seems to be an oxymoron or paradox - I agree. But God himself, especially when it come to his work among and with his creation, is filled with all manner of mysteries and paradoxes and such.
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Actually it was me that pointed that out. But then, this is not the first time you have confused Awareness and I. I guess it's hard to tell people apart when they're in outer darkness.
But, seriously, it's beginning to be difficult to see where you and I disagree on this topic. We seem to have different methods and epistemology. But, if you agree with what I have said above, we have arrived at a similar conclusions.