Man: Possessed of a Body
Jump to: Torrey'sLibrarySubtopicsTerms
Topical Encyclopedia
In the biblical narrative, the concept of man as a being possessed of a body is foundational to understanding human nature and existence. The body is not merely a vessel but an integral part of human identity, created by God with purpose and intention.

Creation of the Body

The creation account in Genesis establishes the divine origin of the human body. Genesis 2:7 states, "Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being." This verse highlights the dual nature of humanity: formed from the earth, yet animated by the breath of God. The body is crafted by God, emphasizing its inherent value and purpose.

The Body as a Temple

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul further elucidates the significance of the human body in the life of a believer. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 , Paul writes, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body." Here, the body is described as a temple, a sacred space where the Holy Spirit dwells. This underscores the call to honor God through the physical body, recognizing its role in spiritual worship and service.

The Body and the Incarnation

The doctrine of the Incarnation further affirms the significance of the human body. John 1:14 declares, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." In taking on human flesh, Jesus Christ dignified the human body, demonstrating its worth and potential for divine purpose. The Incarnation reveals that the body is not an obstacle to spiritual life but a means through which God can work and reveal Himself.

The Resurrection of the Body

The hope of resurrection is central to Christian eschatology, affirming the eternal significance of the body. In 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 , Paul explains, "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. It is sown in 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." The resurrection promises a transformation of the body, from perishable to imperishable, reflecting the ultimate redemption and glorification of the physical form.

The Body in Ethical Living

The biblical view of the body also informs ethical living. Romans 12:1 exhorts believers, "Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." The call to present one's body as a living sacrifice emphasizes the holistic nature of worship, where physical actions and spiritual devotion are intertwined.

The Body and Human Relationships

The body plays a crucial role in human relationships, as seen in the institution of marriage. Genesis 2:24 states, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." The physical union in marriage is a profound expression of relational intimacy and covenantal commitment, reflecting the unity and diversity within the Godhead.

In summary, the biblical portrayal of man as possessed of a body is rich with theological and ethical implications. The body is a divine creation, a temple of the Holy Spirit, and a participant in the redemptive work of God through the Incarnation and resurrection. It is central to worship, ethical living, and human relationships, underscoring its integral role in the divine narrative.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Matthew 6:25
Therefore I say to you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Man must be Possessed Both of a Body and Soul Hereafter, that the ...
... Chapter XX."Man Must Be Possessed Both of a Body and Soul Hereafter, that
the Judgment Passed Upon Him May Be Just. For either ...
/.../chapter xx man must be possessed.htm

Some Considerations in Reply Eulogistic of the Flesh it was ...
... be quite enough for securing respect for the body, that it ... has at all purposed or
promised to man, is due ... yet at all events by the privilege possessed by the ...
/.../on the resurrection of the flesh/chapter v some considerations in reply.htm

The views of Redemption Entertained by These Heretics.
... performed] by such as are the objects of sense, and possessed of a body. ... destroyed
by knowledge; and therefore knowledge is the redemption of the inner man. ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxi the views of redemption.htm

That Before his Birth in Time Christ was Always Called God by the ...
... But by saying "Cease ye from the man whose breath is in ... faith, to believe that the
Lord Jesus Christ possessed the substance of a true body just as ...
/.../cassian/the seven books of john cassian /chapter v that before his.htm

Apostrophe to Satan.
... For if the Lord were a mere man, possessed of a soul and body only, why dost thou
mutilate and explain away His being born with the common nature of humanity? ...
/.../the epistle of ignatius to the philippians/chapter v apostrophe to satan.htm

The Judges Said: we Desire to have Information from You on this ...
... But if the case stands thus, again, how is it that man, who is possessed of no
insignificant ... But, again, if man consists both of soul and of body, and not ...
/.../the acts of the disputation with the heresiarch manes/18 the judges said we.htm

State in which Man was Created. The Faculties of the Soul --The ...
... though it is not properly enclosed by space, it however occupies the body as a ... In
this upright state, man possessed freedom of will, by which, if he chose, he ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 15 state in which.htm

Men are Possessed of Free Will, and Endowed with the Faculty of ...
... will from the beginning, and God is possessed of free ... showing His own goodness, and
indicating that man is in ... beating the air; but I make my body livid, and ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxxvii men are possessed of.htm

The Twenty-Second Chapter: Thoughts on the Misery of Man
... very burdensome because they are never possessed without anxiety ... Truly, the inner
man is greatly burdened in this world by the necessities of the body, and for ...
/.../kempis/the imitation of christ/the twenty-second chapter thoughts on.htm

Steps to Perfection.
... not were they to give their whole body. "For they have not love," according to the
apostle. [3596]. All the action, then, of a man possessed of knowledge is ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter x steps to perfection.htm

Resources
Is God man-made? Did man create the idea of God? | GotQuestions.org

How can Jesus be God, when Numbers 23:19 says that God is not a man or a son of man? | GotQuestions.org

What is the origin of man? | GotQuestions.org

Man: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Man

Man Hair

Man is of the Earth Earthy

Man of Every Nation, Made of One Blood

Man of Sin

Man of War

Man Shall not Lay With Man

Man: Able to Sustain Bodily Affliction

Man: All the Ways of, Clean in his own Eyes

Man: Allowed to Eat Flesh After the Flood

Man: Approved of by God

Man: Banished from Paradise

Man: Blessed by God

Man: Born in Sin

Man: Born to Trouble

Man: Called: A Worm

Man: Called: Flesh

Man: Called: The Potsherd of the Earth

Man: Called: Vain Man

Man: Cannot be Just With God

Man: Cannot Cleanse Himself

Man: Cannot Direct his Ways

Man: Cannot Profit God

Man: Cannot Retain his Spirit from Death

Man: Christ is the Head of Every

Man: Christ was Found in Fashion As

Man: Christ: A Refuge As, to Sinners

Man: Christ: Approved of God As

Man: Christ: As Such, is the Cause of the Resurrection

Man: Christ: Called the Second, As Covenant Head of the Church

Man: Christ: Knew What Was In

Man: Christ: Made in the Image of

Man: Christ: Took on Him Nature of

Man: Clothed by God With Skins

Man: Compared to a Sleep

Man: Compared to a Wild Donkey's Colt

Man: Compared to Clay in the Potter's Hand

Man: Compared to Grass

Man: Compared to Vanity

Man: Covered Himself With Fig Leaves

Man: Created

Man: Created by Christ

Man: Created by God

Man: Created by the Holy Spirit

Man: Created in Knowledge (Inferred)

Man: Created in the Image of God

Man: Created in Uprightness

Man: Created: A Living Soul

Man: Created: A Type of Christ

Man: Created: After Consultation, by the Trinity

Man: Created: After the Likeness of God

Man: Created: from the Dust

Man: Created: Male and Female

Man: Created: On the Sixth Day

Man: Created: Under Obligations to Obedience

Man: Created: Upon the Earth

Man: Days of, As the Days of a Hireling

Man: Days of, Compared to a Shadow

Man: Design of the Creation of

Man: Disobeyed God by Eating Part of the Forbidden Fruit

Man: Dominion of

Man: Equality of

Man: Every Herb and Tree Given To, for Food

Man: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Man: Filled With Shame After the Fall

Man: Gave Names to Other Creatures

Man: God: Destroys the Hopes of

Man: God: Enables to Speak

Man: God: Instructs

Man: God: Makes his Beauty Consume Away

Man: God: Makes the Wrath of, to Praise Him

Man: God: Orders the Goings of

Man: God: Prepares the Heart of

Man: God: Preserves

Man: God: Provides For

Man: God: Turns to Destruction

Man: God's Purpose in Creation Completed by Making

Man: Has an Appointed Time on the Earth

Man: Has But Few Days

Man: Has Sought out Many Inventions

Man: Ignorant of What is Good for Him

Man: Ignorant of What is to Come After Him

Man: Inferior to Angels

Man: Insignificance of

Man: Intellect of, Matured by Age

Man: Involved Posterity in his Ruin

Man: Little Lower than the Angels

Man: Made by God in his Successive Generations

Man: Made for God

Man: Made Wise by the Inspiration of the Almighty

Man: More Valuable than Other Creatures

Man: Mortal

Man: Nature and Constitution of, Different from Other Creatures

Man: No Trust to be Placed In

Man: Not Good For, to be Alone

Man: Not Profited by all his Labour and Travail

Man: Ordinary Limit of his Life

Man: Originally Naked and not Ashamed

Man: Placed in the Garden of Eden

Man: Possessed of a Body

Man: Possessed of a Soul

Man: Possessed of a Spirit

Man: Possessed of Affections

Man: Possessed of Conscience

Man: Possessed of Memory

Man: Possessed of Understanding

Man: Possessed of Will

Man: Punished for Disobedience

Man: Quickened by the Breath of God

Man: Received Dominion Over Other Creatures

Man: Shall be Recompensed According to his Works

Man: Sinks Under Trouble of Mind

Man: Spirit

Man: The Help of, Vain

Man: The Whole Duty of

Man: Unworthy of God's Favour

Man: Walks in a Vain Show

Man: Wiser than Other Creatures

Man: Woman Formed to be a Help For

Man: Would Give all his Possessions for the Preservation of Life

Related Terms

Man (26072 Occurrences)

Man-servant (18 Occurrences)

Man-child (11 Occurrences)

Man-slayer (20 Occurrences)

Fighting-man (5 Occurrences)

Bond-man (6 Occurrences)

Free-man (2 Occurrences)

Mad-man (1 Occurrence)

Man-pleaser (1 Occurrence)

Man-killer (1 Occurrence)

Man-slayers (1 Occurrence)

Good-man (1 Occurrence)

Man-made (5 Occurrences)

Man-servants (1 Occurrence)

Man'unclean (1 Occurrence)

Man-whether (1 Occurrence)

Ahi'man (4 Occurrences)

Man's (347 Occurrences)

Man'ahath (2 Occurrences)

Mehu'man (1 Occurrence)

Man-servant's (1 Occurrence)

Man'aha'thites (1 Occurrence)

Soldier (16 Occurrences)

Sack (15 Occurrences)

Sinneth (25 Occurrences)

Killeth (23 Occurrences)

Youths (28 Occurrences)

Kills (38 Occurrences)

Simply (27 Occurrences)

Vine-garden (43 Occurrences)

Slayeth (28 Occurrences)

Slept (74 Occurrences)

Skilled (44 Occurrences)

Sleeps (20 Occurrences)

Shouldn't (20 Occurrences)

Valor (45 Occurrences)

Valued (27 Occurrences)

Seemeth (36 Occurrences)

Skill (26 Occurrences)

Kenosis

Skillful (42 Occurrences)

Kadmonite (1 Occurrence)

Know (8133 Occurrences)

Knowledge

Sowed (20 Occurrences)

Spareth (9 Occurrences)

Slothful (22 Occurrences)

Security (41 Occurrences)

Spared (45 Occurrences)

Soever (24 Occurrences)

Sojourning (35 Occurrences)

Sinful (61 Occurrences)

Yonder (15 Occurrences)

Young (3454 Occurrences)

You're (8 Occurrences)

Violated (23 Occurrences)

Valour (66 Occurrences)

Spirituality

Stagger (20 Occurrences)

Shutteth (17 Occurrences)

Sooner (21 Occurrences)

Seekest (12 Occurrences)

Keepeth (60 Occurrences)

Quarrel (22 Occurrences)

Seeks (48 Occurrences)

Skilful (38 Occurrences)

Soft (36 Occurrences)

Quietly (30 Occurrences)

Valiant (66 Occurrences)

Simile (61 Occurrences)

Vile (59 Occurrences)

Shouts (34 Occurrences)

Seeketh (60 Occurrences)

Questioned (57 Occurrences)

Standard (42 Occurrences)

Vanity (100 Occurrences)

Vineyard (69 Occurrences)

Killing (41 Occurrences)

Man: Placed in the Garden of Eden
Top of Page
Top of Page