This is the fourth blog on the topic of the soul. In the first blog, it was noted that the soul refers to life in time under the sun. At birth, man begins as a sin-damaged being with a living body and soul, and a dead spirit. All three need regeneration. The body at a future time after death or rapture. The soul in this present time. The spirit when God performs His work of redeeming the spirit. The second blog highlighted the soul’s susceptibility to further corruption in and by the world and the need for salvation in this life. This is called “salvation of the soul.” (Jas 1:21) Both the second and third blogs introduced the concept of soul-salvation and how to overcome the addictive tendencies of the flesh and mind. The third blog ends with the biblical solution to the problems we all face in our journey through this life, what God ordained for us for soul-salvation. This provision is the church.

The history of the church involves the church being transformed by culture more than transforming the culture. There are three major transitions through which both culture and the church crossed: Classicism, Modernism, and Postmodernism. Microsoft Copilot gives the following breakdown of the mood of each:

  • Classicalism: Confidence in stable meaning, fixed categories, and enduring standards.
  • Modernism: Confidence in progress, rationality, and grand narratives (e.g., democracy, science, Marxism, capitalism).
  • Postmodernism: Emphasis on plurality, deconstruction, ambiguity, and playfulness.

What is important for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ is to recognize the effects of each cultural period on how the church views itself.

Out of the classical period came top-down authoritative leadership. There was only one church. Modernism ushered in rationalism, individuality, and a return to Bible translation and interpretation. In Postmodernism, only those doctrines that fill the pews are important. The individual is lost in a crowd. In Postmodernism, the church gathered is an event rather than a discipline. What happens in the world is more important than what happens in the church. What culture says about social issues trumps what the Bible says.

Today, technology has made it possible for individuals to feel as if they are in church while watching their favorite media preacher on TV. To those who cannot physically get to church, this is a great blessing. But to those who misuse this tool, the concept of church becomes irrelevant.

About thirty years after the death of Christ Jesus, Paul was in prison in Rome when he penned letters to the churches. The book of Ephesians is a doctrinal treatise on the church. The average reader can read the book in about twenty minutes. As you read the phrase, in Him, in the first chapter, read, in the church. To be in Him is to be in the church. (Eph 1:22-23) Now, read the rest of the epistle with this in mind. The church is God’s provision for the salvation of the soul. (cf. Eph 3:20-21; 6:10-20)