A Word from Bob: Your Free PDF
For a free PDF of the 87-page document with all 560 biblical passages about embodied-souls, go here:
Toward a Biblical Theology of Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls
In the biblical counseling movement, there are many discussions and even debates about biblical counseling and the body. In the modern biblical counseling world there are many discussions and even debates about suffering and trauma.
At times, the volume of these discussions and the noise of these debates keep us from hearing God’s Word. So, I spent the past year studying the Bible cover-to-cover, Genesis-to-Revelation, examining what the Bible says about suffering and the embodied-soul. I have over 1,500 pages of collated, single-spaced, typed notes.
Collating the Biblical Data for Biblical Counseling and the Embodied-Soul
This scriptural collation is one result of my study. It provides the biblical data, the biblical research, to help us to begin to answer questions such as:
- What does the Bible teach us about how God designed us, not just as bodies, not just as souls, but as a complex, interrelated, interconnected unity of body/soul—embodied-souls?
- How does sin and suffering (traumatic-suffering) impact us as embodied-souls?
- How do biblical counselors counsel embodied-souls?
- What does it mean to be a soul physician of embodied-souls?
Biblical Counseling and Embodied-Souls
My initial study of the Bible and embodied-souls consisted of 112 Biblical Passages on Being Embodied-Souls. I thought that draft was pretty thorough.
After my cover-to-cover study of Scripture, I now have collated 560 Biblical Passages on Embodied-Souls. That’s five times as many passages as in my initial collation.
Remember—these are passages, not just verses. In many cases the collated passages contain multiple verses. What can we conclude from this biblical collation?
- The Bible consistently emphasizes that we are not only bodies; we are not only souls; we are embodied-souls.
- As biblical counselors, if we minimize or neglect ministry to the whole person—to the embodied-soul—then we are not Jesus-like soul physicians.
- No biblical counselor has ever counseled a disembodied-soul.
- Comprehensive, compassionate biblical counseling ministers to the whole person—body and soul—embodied-soul.
- Biblical counselors are soul physicians of embodied-souls.
Biblical Context: Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, and Theological Anthropology
I’m calling this document, Toward a Biblical Theology of Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls. That’s because collating verses is the only the beginning of the process. We must examine each of these passages in their biblical context—biblical theology. Next we need to relate the passages to one another in the overall flow and development of the scriptural doctrine of theological anthropology—systematic theology. Then we need to relate our biblical understanding of embodied-souls to our role as biblical counselors.
Additional Resources on Biblical Theology and the Hermeneutical Spiral
This collation of verses is just one foundational piece in a much larger process of theological development related to biblical counseling and embodied-souls.
- For a comprehensive look at how to develop a theology of a biblical counseling issue, see Figure 1—Toward a Biblical Theology of Biblical Counseling—after the Introduction.
- For a fuller development of this process of developing a theology of a biblical counseling issues, see my two chapters (chapters 10-11) in Scripture and Counseling: God’s Word for Life in a Broken World: The Heremeneutical Spiral in Biblical Counseling.
- For a free 24-page development of this process, see: Scripture and Soul: Implementing the Hermeneutical Spiral in Biblical Psychology Interpretation and Biblical Counseling Application.
Additional Resources on Embodied-Souls
For additional resources on embodied-souls, see:
- For additional resources that I have produced on the topic of embodied-souls, see: 88 Resources for Counseling the Whole Person: Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls.
- For a bibliography of Christian books on the body/soul, see: 60 Christian Books on the Body and Soul (Embodied-Soul): “Theological Anthropology”—A Biblical View of Humanity.
- For an introduction to what a book on biblical counseling and embodied-souls might look like, see 10 Questions About Biblical Counseling and Neuroscience: Becoming Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls. And also see: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Becoming Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls.
- For a collation of over 400 resources on research and biblical counseling, see: 400+ Resources on Biblical Counseling and Psychology-Related Research.
- For studies in the Gospels, see:
The CFRC Model
In this document, you will find seven sections—seven collations of biblical passages. Combined, they contain 560 biblical passages about embodied-souls.
This research collation uses the classic CFRC model—Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation—to categorize biblical passages about embodied-souls. Of course, many of the passages could be listed in more than one of these four categories (and some are so listed).
Section 1: Creation: 53 Passages on God’s Original Creation Design of the Embodied-Soul
C/Creation: Biblical Anthropology—God’s original creation design of His image bearers as embodied-souls. What does the Bible teach about how God designed us as a complex, interrelated, interconnected unity of body/soul? How did God fearfully and wonderfully make us as whole and healthy embodied-souls?
Section 2: Fall: 112 Passages on the Fallen, Finite, Frail, Failing Embodied-Soul
F/Fall: Biblical Hamartiology—How our fall into sin impacts God’s original design of us as embodied-souls—the fallen, finite, frail, failing embodied-soul. What happens to the embodied-soul when suffering strikes? What happens to the embodied-soul when a fallen world falls on it? How do we as embodied-souls respond to suffering in a fallen, sinful world?
Section 3: Redemption (And Sanctification): 112 Passages on God’s Redemptive Work in Us as Embodied-Souls
R/Redemption: Biblical Soteriology—How our salvation and sanctification in Christ relates to God’s work in us and with us as embodied-souls. How do we grow in grace as embodied-souls whose souls are made new (regenerated) but whose bodies await their final renewal/redemption (glorification)?
Section 4: Consummation: 42 Passages on Our Future, Glorified, Perfected Embodied-Soul (And the Judged Embodied-Soul of the Unsaved)
C/Consummation: Biblical Eschatology—Our future, glorified, perfected, fully functioning, and whole embodied-soul. What does the Bible teach about the future hope of the redeemed and about the future state of the unsaved? How does our future hope as embodied-souls impact our present lives as we face suffering and fight against sin?
Section 5: 71 Passages on Jesus as Our Perfect Model of Living as an Embodied-Soul
After the CFRC collations, you will find a collation of biblical passages that provide a theological foundation for examining how Jesus, as the God-man, lived out and modeled sinless embodied-soul humanity. How did the perfect embodied-soul God-man respond to suffering, to being sinned against, to living in a fallen world in finite flesh? How did Jesus model humble embodied-soul dependence upon the Father and the Spirit? This collation also includes passages about Jesus withdrawing in solitude for rest, renewal, reflection, and time alone in prayer with His Father.
Section 6: Comprehensive Embodied-Soul Ministry: 106 Passages on Jesus: Soul Physician of Embodied-Souls
The next collation provides a listing of biblical passages that highlight Christ’s comprehensive, whole-person, embodied-soul ministry. Jesus healed not only the sin-sick soul, but He also healed, cared for, expressed compassion for, and ministered to the frail, finite, fallen, needy, dependent, hurting, suffering, and sick body. Jesus cared about the body. So should we. Jesus ministered to the body. So should we. For an additional resource related to this collation, see: Jesus: Soul Physician of Embodied-Souls. For a collation of 256 Gospel passages about Jesus’s suffering, see: The Gospels and Suffering: Jesus: The Man of Suffering and the Soul Physician of the Suffering.
Section 7: Comprehensive Embodied-Soul Ministry: 64 Passages on Soul Physician of Embodied-Souls in the New Testament
This final collation provides a listing of New Testament passages that highlight comprehensive, whole-person, embodied-soul ministry. These are in addition to Christ’s ministry as Soul Physician of embodied-souls. What does the Bible say, model, teach, and command about healing not only the sin-sick soul, but also healing, caring for, expressing compassion for, and ministering to the frail, finite, fallen, needy, dependent, hurting, suffering, and sick body of embodied-souls? What does the Bible teach about caring for material needs, physical needs, and for the physical body of embodied-souls?
Addendum: Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls: Jesus and Us
We’ve addressed the question, “What did Jesus do as our Soul Physician of embodied-souls?” We’ll conclude this collation by asking the follow-up application questions, “So what?” “What should we do as biblical counselors who are soul physicians of embodied-souls?” “How should we apply to our biblical counseling ministry the biblical truth that we are soul physicians of embodied-souls?”
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