John 6:63a
” The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.”
This is not one of the verses in the Bible that is often quoted. In fact, in all my years I do not think I have ever heard anyone quote this verse. Why is that?
These words from Jesus are direct and straightforward. There is no metaphorical meandering here. This statement is about as blunt as one could be.
The Spirit gives life…
The Greek word translated as “Spirit” is a transliteration of pneuma. The word connotes life itself, the breath of life from God.
… the flesh counts for nothing.
What is the flesh? Our body and all of its functions.
And where do we draw the line between the flesh and the life given by the Spirit? Imagine a body without a spirit. The heart beats and the lungs pump air, but there is no spirit to animate the limbs, to see the light that enters the eyes, to hear the vibrations of sound in the air.
Now imagine the opposite, a spirit that does not have a body, but is amazed by what it sees and hears, and feels the pleasure of God the Creator, or the bitter cold absence of the Creator.
Q: Where do you draw the line between the flesh and the spirit?
The flesh is temporary and will eventually breakdown in fail no matter what shape you keep it in, however Spirit is an interesting concept because we first hear about it in Genesis chapter 1 verse 2 “the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters”. In Genesis chapter 2:7 it tells us that God “formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the Breath of Life and Man became a living being”. Jesus is telling us tat God poured his spirit into us and wants to have a relationship with us for eternity,
for as it says in James chapter 2 verse 26 “For just as the body without the spirit is dead”
Thanks, Phill!
Great thoughts! I love the idea that the physical world is a small, tiny subset of the spiritual reality that we will eventually live in.