Goal: Gain and Maintain Security;
Balance Soul Security and Body Security
This post concludes the three part series {Balaam Effect Destroying Families, Nations and Future and Why Marriages Fail: Understanding the Bonds}. As a Christian post the Bible is considered absolute Truth (He 4:12). I chose Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy because of its clarity; however, it is one of many paths non-Christians use in their scientisms to explain why people are insecure and how to gain security. Our goal is biblically defined: Whoever gets sense loves his own soul…will discover good (Pr 19:8). However, before discover Maslow’s conundrum, I first need to briefly discuss Soul and Body Security.
Each Person Consists of Soul and Body
or Non-Empirical and Empirical
Bible states that each person, herein referred to as Man though includes women also, is Soul, invisible or non-empirical, and Body or Flesh, visible and empirical. This mirrors Creation in which the visible comes from the invisible (He 11:3). When God commanded Man not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge he warned (in the Hebrew), “dying {Body} you shall surely die {Soul} (Ge 2:17). Though lost in the English, God addressed both soul and body. Immediately the soul died in that it was permanently separated from God; i.e., sin. The body lived on but eventually it also died; i.e., separated from the soul remaining in this physical creation and decaying. The immediate response is that man and woman went from being united as one flesh into two distinct squabbling parties throwing each other under the bus to avoid responsibility and accountability (Ge 2:22-24; 3:6-13, 16-19).
Fear became evident with sin when man admitted he was afraid (Ge 3:10). It is not until John that this fear was clearly identified as, Fear of Judgment, which only Love could overcome (1Jo 4:18). God warned Man that sin desired to devour him but he had to control it (Ge 4:6-7). Man failed demonstrating that the fundamental philosophy of sin is survival of the fittest (Ge 4:8). At no time did man, woman or Cain appeal to God for forgiveness; i.e., repentance. Their fundamental mindset rejected God, His authority to judge and His sentence of eternal separation {Death} on all who die in their sins (Ro 3:23; 6:23). What was, is, man’s mindset?
While the righteous or Saved live from faith, the Lost, those that remain in their sin live by a different standard (Ro 3:17-28). The Lost, all who are born, are limited to this physical, empirical Creation. Thus, they seek security by developing justifications for the means used to obtain said security. They develop what today we call worldviews. Significant similarity between various worldviews is the rejection of true knowing of God; today this carries over into rejection of Christ and His sacrifice for sin to provide Life. Being limited to the empirical, body’s five senses, all worldviews are limited to this sphere and man’s reasoning. Now, fast forward to today.
Modern Man has developed philosophies, self-proclaim wisdoms, to explain and justify their truths, lies, over God’s. This broke with Ancient Man using different religions to explain and justify their belief systems or worldviews. Eventually the Age of Reason produced scientisms just as psychology to function as tools to reduce and remove fear, insecurity; however, guilt continually stalked in the background refusing to go away. The best man could achieve was the death of guilt or a seared conscience (1Ti 4:1-2). Man’s psychology celebrated this using the label, self-actuated. However, when coupled with the naked response of sin to impediment, survival of the fittest, the label changed to sociopath or psychopath. However, fear was not diminished; indeed, it was unleashed!
Thus, throughout history man has been searching for Body Security with the eventual end of remaining alive to avoid judgment. Modern man even entertains the dream of using nanotechnology to keep the body alive or even transferring one’s consciousness into an electro-mechanical form. This invokes the Ship of Theseus argument of whether one is even the same. Though it has the ring of wisdom it demonstrates the foolishness of sinful man who always seeks to justify self rather than repent (1Co 1:18-25). By ignoring the fundamental issue of sin, man continues to develop philosophies and methodologies to promote sin’s survival which today is lumped under the label of pragmatism or end justifies the means (in support of the survival of the fittest).
So modern man has developed Soul Security via scientisms to support the person’s actions to obtain Body Security. Body Security is essential for once one leaves the body, death, one confronts absolute reality; i.e., God (Lk 16:22-31). They will not be let out until they have paid the utmost farthing (Mt 5:21-26). Indeed, they will be allowed to give a defense in which their own works testify against them condemning them to eternal separation from God in judgment, Second Death (Re 20:11-15). Man lives in a delusional state which by his own scientism of psychology is labeled as insane or psychotic, break with reality (2Th 2:3-12). The stronger man builds Soul Security, his delusional, imaginary worldview to support his efforts of Body Security, the greater his fear becomes. Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy is nothing more than a means to sear one’s conscience releasing one from the guilt. Guilt is not given to torment but to warn you of judgment’s danger (Mk 3:28-29).
Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy looks primarily to Body Security then begins to deal with interacting with others to continue one’s security in a world filled with others also seeking their own security at the expense of others. Each using the other to obtain the prize of skipping judgment. Others have added to Maslow’s original hierarchy to pay homage to the spiritual, soul, component. However, this simply deepens the delusion to hide from you the fact that your entire life is against Christ. Each unbeliever is an antichrist; this flows naturally from developing a worldview rejecting Christ (Ro 1:18-28; 1Jo 2:18-22; 2Jo 7).
This is why marriages of the Lost are so acrimonious; it is the union of two people trying to prove themselves righteous at the expense of the other. Any facade of Christ’s sacrificial love collapses over time revealing the true rotting underside of sin. Progeny from such a union learn how to survive in the world by trying to copy from their parents what works and from others what works better than their parents methods. This self-perpetuating cycle passes these skills down to the third or fourth generation (De 5:9). But, what of the Saved; what do their marriages look like?
Whereas the Lost’s Securities Reinforce;
Saved Understand Body Must Decrease
Christ demonstrated Love by first dying for sinners who did not and would never love Him (Ro 5:6). Christ taught that this World, of which the Flesh was made, is passing away (Ge 2:7; He 1:10; 1Jo 2:17). If we chose to secure the Body then our Soul suffers greater insecurity for it longs to follow the Son. Body must decrease in influence while the Soul increases (Ja 4:4-6). Christians bring trouble into their marriages because of immaturity; they still want friendship with the world and their friends and family in the world above Christ (Ja 4:1-3). Like Lot’s wife, they cannot give up what they clung to in their Lost days which torments their souls (Ge 19:23-26). Christ tells us that one either choses the World, and its ways, or one choses Christ; there is not a compromise between the two (Mt 6:24; 16:24-26). Of what point is it to gain the World which is passing away? While the Saved cannot lose their salvation, they will be held accountable for every decision made against Christ (2Co 5:10).
Yes, we must eat and certainly to be healthy for the body is the vehicle for the soul to function in this physical existence. No one is advocating either monasticism, which strengthens the body, nor deliberate self-destruction in a pious display of worthless works (Col 2:20-23). The body is easily led astray by the three avenues of sin’s attack of covetousness: lust of the eye; lust of the flesh and the pride of life (Col 3:5; 1Jo 2:15-16). These are encapsulated in Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy but they ignore what the eye cannot see: the intangible spiritual life in Christ (1Co 2:9-12).
Christ takes away the burden of sin freeing us from guilt and fear as we are clothed in His righteousness. Yes, we still sin (1Jo 1:8-10). But, as we mature in Christ we learn to reject the sin and choose the Good (Mt 11:28-30; He 5:11-14). We are crucified in Christ who now lives through us via the Spirit because He demonstrated true Love in salvation without works (Ga 2:20-21).
Therefore, do you continue in fear, attacking those who bring you the Gospel or do you embrace the Christ who literally takes your fear away as He nailed it to the stauros (Col 2:13-14). What are your goals in life? Are they limited by the empirical? Or do you seek the Truth and solution that extends beyond the existence of this world so you will not be ashamed when you stand before Him (Ro 1:16)?