INTRODUCTION

 
THE BIBLICAL PSYCHOLOGY WEB SITE     copyright © Matthew Cohn 2009     cohnmat@yahoo.com.au

"What is man that you consider him? or the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honour. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet."

Psalm 8:4
"The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being"
Genesis 2:7
"May God himself, the God of peace transform you wholly in every part. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. "
1 Thessalonians 5:23

The purpose of this page is to look at one branch of Theology, that is the study of the nature of human beings, or man, as portrayed by the Bible. This subject is called by various technical names like, Theological Anthropology, Biblical Anthropology, The Bible Doctrine of Man or Biblical Personology. 

There are many different areas of this subject, but my main area of interest is the study of what the Bible has to say about the different  parts that make us up as human beings. I have been collecting books on and studying this area of the subject from scripture for about 14 years.  I believe that the Bible teaches that human beings are made up of 3 destinct kinds of things - a spirit, a soul and a body. This is called a tripartite understanding of the constitution or structure of the human being. The purpose of this page is to arouse interest in this subject and provoke thought about it's different areas.

What is Biblical Psychology?

Biblical Psychology is the study of the nature of human beings as portrayed by the Bible. Included in this study are issues and questions like what the Bible has to say about what the different parts of our being are. It also deals with the issue of  how these parts relate to one another and to how we function.  A good understanding of Biblical Psychology is fundamental to any Christian approach to understand the Human Being. This site seeks to look into issues related to how our life works the way it does, using both scripture and science as its basis.

One of the special revelations of the Bible is that human beings are a kind of "cross over" creature spanning the relationship between the spiritual dimension and the earthly dimension. We are created spirtual beings by a Loving God and we were made for a special relationship with him.  We are more than just a physical being - a "body" and we are indeed more than a being with a body and a separate internal life or soul. We are also pan-dimensional beings with a spirit that interfaces us with the spiritual dimension and through which we can experience a relationship with the living God who created the Universe and us. 

Approaches to Knowledge in Biblical Psychology

Biblical Psychology is a very real and vital form of knowlege. It takes it's information primarily from scripture but this should not be without reference to the methods and indeed some of the insights of academic science. Both the Bible and the approach of the scientific method have important things to say about humanity. Not necessarily the philosophies of academic science, but its procedure for collecting facts.

The Bible provides the Christian with a framework from which to interpret those facts. My view is that the Bible has very important information that bears on the "mind-body problem" as it is called in academic science. A wrong understanding of ourselves as human beings can lead to a wrong understanding of our relationship with the God who created us. While knowledge of God and trust of the Bible are undoubtedly matters of faith, and the Bible needs to be interpreted correctly. 

The purpose of this site is to consider what the Bible has to say about the different parts that make us up as human beings and investigate the implications of this for how we should understand ourselves as Christians.

As Peter points out in 2 Peter 1:20 to be qualified to interpret scripture a person must know the author of that scripture which is the Holy Spirit.  To be able to do this a person must be more than just educated in christian theology, they must be a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ.

But beyond this the way we approach and study the scriptures is vitally important. The Holy Spirit can inspire which is like the flame that sets the wood alight, but first He must have some wood to burn. We need to be students of the scriptures and how to reason what the scriptures say. We can be helped in this regard by tools that are available to help us interpret scripture.  I refer here to the many useful tools provided by the Biblical Semantics movement. It is contexts and not word meanings that are fundamental to understanding the text of the Bible. The whole must be examined in the light of the parts and the parts in the light of the whole. Also admissable into the field of knowledge beyond this are the facts about the body and brain that come from brain science. Scientific researchers usually have their theories about why things are the way they are. Christian researchers derive those theories from scripture and use the same research methods to test those theories. It is not just enough to quote one or two scriptures and build an interpretation on that. Many christian teachers are far too loose in the way that they interpret scripture, and this is to the detriment of orthodox christian teaching. Their interpretations are not put to the test by the non-thinking Christian who swallows some chaff with the grain.

In this area of theology as well as many others Christian teachers have come up with many unsubstantiated and ill-founded notions about the nature of human beings that are actually contradicted by the scriptures. In constructing our Christian understanding it is important we develop our own understandings with a critical eye towards the traditions we recieve. Many are indeed Godly and correct, but many when placed under scrutiny can be found wanting.

It is very important that christians test and re-test the teachings that they recieve. Correct teachings are only made stronger and not diminished by this process. It is good that the Christian is made yet more sure of what they believe by this process. The Jews of Beroe'a are commended in the Book of Acts because they examined the scriptures and didn't just accept Paul's teachings (Acts 17:10-11)

Christianity employs the whole of the person including the intellect and all the capacities of the soul. Holding a pure teaching is only one part of christianity, nevertheless it is an important part. Being spiritual is not the same as being brain dead as some seem to suppose. Being intellectual is an important and for many an undiscovered part of Christianity. On the other side though, many a theologian is well trained in Christian Knowledge, but their interpretations are such as to make the average Christian squirm in horror. This is often because they hold a form of Christian knowledge with a wrong motivation. Because their interpretations come from themselves they do not know as they should, their interpretations are wrong and they may be in spiritual darkness.


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