Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 1031 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered, to Satan – Wisdom Wednesday
Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.
Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1031 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday.
Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical worldview, it is required that you also have a proper understanding of God’s word. Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors.
In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled “I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.”
Can a Christian be turned over to Satan for destruction? In today’s essay we will explore a passage that may indicate so…
Signed, Sealed and Delivered, to Satan
Throughout the New Testament, “family language” is used to describe the relationship of believers to God and Jesus. The Lord’s Prayer instructs us to address God as “our Father” (Matthew 6:9). Hebrews 2:11-12 reveals that Jesus considers believers His own siblings. Paul says Christians comprise “the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). How is it, then, that Paul tells Christians living in Corinth that believers unrepentantly living in sin should not only be put out of the church (1 Corinthians 5:9-13), but also “hand him over to Satan.” 1 Corinthians 5:5 reads, “Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.”
If a person is handed over to Satan, does that mean they then belong to Satan? Does the person lose salvation and have to be re-converted to Christ? Nowhere in the passage does Paul suggest that the believer in question becomes an unbeliever or is without hope of salvation.
After demanding the unrepentant believer be handed over to Satan, Paul notes the goal of such a decision is “so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.” What does Paul mean by “that his sinful nature will be destroyed?” Paul often uses the word “flesh” to refer to the physical body, but sometimes he uses it to refer to self-sufficiency, worldliness, or manner of life. In this passage, it is translated “sinful nature.” Since someone expelled from a church is not going to die as a result, the second possibility is best. Paul is insisting that the unrepentant person be dismissed from the church to live in his or her sin and endure the consequences of their behavior.
Paul’s explanation in verse six helps answer what he means by “his sinful nature will be destroyed,” but it does not explain what the phrase “handed over to Satan” means. For that, we need to look to the Old Testament. The Israelites viewed their land as holy ground and the territory of the non-Israelite nations as controlled by demonic gods. Israel was holy ground because that was where the presence of God resided. The opposite was true everywhere else.
This perspective shifted after the formation of the Church. God’s presence was no longer in the Jerusalem temple, but in the temple which is the body of believers. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 reads, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
Where a church was, the Lord was present. Therefore, the church was considered “holy ground;” anywhere outside the church was the demonic realm. Hence Paul’s thinking: to be expelled from the church—the local manifestation of the place God lives—was to be thrust into the realm of Satan.
That will conclude our essay for this week. Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue in the New Testament as we look at Dr. Heiser’s next essay titled “Treason & Translation.” I believe you will find this another interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical worldview.
Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer, which will help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
If you would like to listen to any of our past 1030 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.
Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.
As we take this trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!