by Micah Olson | Oct 7, 2021 | Articles
In Part 2 we discussed man’s body and soul/spirit. To review, God created man with two parts: a body and a soul/spirit. As Christians we spend this life investing in our souls. This is the process of dying to ourselves (e.g. Luke 9:23-24 and John 12:24-25), of being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), of allowing Jesus to increase as we decrease (John 3:30). Investing in our souls during this earthly life impacts the quality of our souls in eternity. But what about our bodies? The bible tells us that bodily discipline is of little profit (1 Timothy 4:8). I may be convicted out of stewardship to invest in a healthy earthly body, but a healthy earthly body does not translate into a healthy eternal body. So, how do I invest in my eternal body? The bible teaches us that there is one area in our earthly lives that impacts our eternal bodies: sexual morality. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 is one of the New Testament’s foundational passages on sexual morality. In these verses the Apostle Paul teaches the importance of sexual purity, and the connection between morality and our resurrected body. Early in the passage Paul makes a distinction between our temporal and eternal body. Food and the stomach are temporal, and both are perishing (v. 13). But the resurrected body is eternal. That Paul has our resurrected body in mind is made clear when he states that God raised Christ from the dead and He will raise our body up as well (v. 14). In verses 15-17 Paul goes on to explain the connection between immorality and...
by Micah Olson | Sep 23, 2021 | Articles
God created humans with a body and a soul/spirit. Our current, earthly body came from the dust of the earth. Our body is decaying and will eventually die, at which time it will return to the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7, 3:19, Ecclesiastes 12:6-7). Although we lose our earthly body at death (or at the rapture, whichever comes first), at the resurrection we will receive a new, eternal body. Our souls are different. Our soul does not die when we physically die, and we do not receive a new soul at the resurrection. Our present soul remains with us, transitioning from earthly life into eternal life. From the standpoint of our soul, we are as alive today as we will be in eternity (Romans 8:9-10). To summarize, upon death we lose our earthly body, but our soul lives on. And at the resurrection we receive new, eternal bodies, while our soul remains intact. God created our body and soul for His purposes, and therefore both are inherently good. However with Adam’s original sin, sin is now imputed to all of us, and in body and soul we all fall short of the glory of God. As we know, the story does not end there, and with Adam’s sin God set into motion His plan to redeem mankind. At the cross Jesus paid the ultimate price for us. He died physically and He died spiritually. Both were necessary to redeem man. Christ’s propitious death redeems our bodies and redeems our souls. One of the major themes of the bible is the value of our souls. Jesus teaches in Matthew...
by Micah Olson | Sep 9, 2021 | Articles
There is nothing in the human experience quite like the act of sex. It is a uniquely physical act. It is a uniquely spiritual act. It is beautiful if performed within God’s boundaries. But it is destructive to body and soul if experienced outside God’s design. What the bible teaches regarding marriage and sex is fundamentally different than what the world teaches. It is no secret that in recent years our world has undergone a seismic change in regards to its perspective toward sex. Those who seek to uphold a sexual morality based on biblical standards find themselves increasingly at odds with the prevailing culture, mocked for holding an antiquated worldview, and slandered as being intolerant and close-minded. How do we stay encouraged and resolute in our pursuit for purity? Where can we find motivation as we swim upstream against an increasingly hostile environment? How do we teach our children to view sexuality through a biblical lens and impart to them a desire for purity amidst a generation that disdains moral excellence? The pursuit of sexual purity is one of the greatest trials in the Christian life, and the present culture that we live in only amplifies this trial. Like all trials, the battleground for purity begins with a proper understanding of biblical truth. There are two biblical truths that are foundational to understand if we want to give ourselves and our families a fighting chance to persevere amidst this battle: 1) a proper understanding of our body and soul/spirit, and 2) eternal hope, by which I mean living our lives in such a way that the pursuit of...
by Micah Olson | Jan 6, 2021 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Man has been seeking his own glory ever since he rebelled in the Garden. The Old Testament characterizes Babylon as a uniquely egregious manifestation of man’s pride, a nation that rose to worldly glory and ended in utter destruction and desolation. According to the book of Revelation a new version of Babylon will manifest in the end times, and it will again end in absolute destruction. Note how the pride of Babylon is described in three Old Testament passages: In Genesis 11:4 the people of Babel (Babylon) endeavor to build “a tower whose top will reach into heaven.” Isaiah says of the king of Babylon: “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:13a,14 Jeremiah writes: “‘Though Babylon should ascend to the heavens, and though she should fortify her lofty stronghold, from Me destroyers will come to her,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 51:53 Babylon is described as desiring to ascend into heaven, of wanting to be like God. In contrast to prideful Babylon, note how Jesus is described in the New Testament: Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things. Ephesians 4:9-10 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a...
by Micah Olson | Oct 2, 2018 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Forgiveness and Consequences “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 The bible makes it abundantly clear that our actions in this life have eternal consequences. We do nothing to earn our way into heaven, because salvation is by grace and grace alone. But although salvation is in no way based on our works or our merit, it is equally true that the quality of our eternity is based on our works. How we invest our life on earth will determine how we live out eternity in heaven (see, e.g., Matthew 6:19-21, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, and Revelation 22:12). Many modern Christians are uneasy with the teaching of eternal accountability, instead preferring to believe that God’s forgiveness wipes out all consequences of temporal (i.e. earthly) sin. However, the idea that forgiveness eliminates consequences is not biblical. As an example, consider the story of Israel’s rebellion at Kadesh Barnea, found in Numbers 13-14. God commands Moses to send spies into the Promised Land in order to see what the land is like (Numbers 13:1). Twelve spies, one from each tribe, go out on the mission. Two spies, Caleb and Joshua, give a good report of the land. They argue that Israel should go up and take possession of it, in obedience to God. But the other 10 spies argue that the people in the land are too strong for Israel. Sadly, the Israelites go against Caleb and Joshua’s counsel, and instead they...
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