Defile His Spirit

Dr. Couch: We understand how we can defile the flesh, but how does one defile his spirit? I find it interesting that we are responsible for external and internal defilement as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 7:1. ANSWER:  By the way Paul pens this verse, we are capable of defiling "flesh and spirit." It is as if he puts the two together. He does not use an article before each word. We defile both together, not just one, such as just the "flesh." The passage reads: "Having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."    The word "defilement" means "pollution, contaminate, stain." It is implying a stain of excrement. It can be seen and cannot be missed! When we make the outer flesh filthy with sin we also do the same to our whole inner being, our spirit. In the human being, both body and spirit work together. They stand in wholeness together, or they are polluted together.    "Perfecting" in the Greek is a Present Participle of "epiteleo" meaning "to bring to a completion, to a maturity." To cleanse ourselves would be to confess our sins and walk away from those that are making us filthy.      Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (9/10)

God walking with people in the Garden

Dr. Couch, Genesis 3:8 says that the Lord walked in the garden in the "cool of the day." Was this in the morning or evening? And, did God have a body like human beings? ANSWER:  The Rabbis note that for the Orient, the cool of the day would be towards evening when a cooling breeze was blowing (See Song of Songs, 2:17). Having made 23 trips to Israel and the Middle East I can concur that it really turns cool at that time of day; in fact, it turns downright cold! Many times I've stood on the ramparts and the walls on the south side of Jerusalem and felt the cool winds blowing off the desert. Great feeling! I could also look south and see in the distance the lights of Bethlehem. I'm sure David did the same thing when he was king!    In the Genesis rabbinical commentary, the Rabbis add: "It was this evening wind that carried to Adam and Eve the sound which heralded the approach of God." The apostle John notes: "No one has seen God at any time, [except] the only born God, who is on the bosom of the Father, He has explained (exegeted) Him" (John 1:18). No one has seen God the Father; only the Son, God the Son, He has "explained" and shown forth Him!    God does not have a body; He is a Spirit. This verse is also speaking of an anthropomorphism, in that the second person of the Trinity, Christ, was in His pre-incarnate body. He is the only one of the Godhead who took upon Himself a human body, a physical appearance.    This was a good question. Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (7-10)