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“"Strictly Spiritual or Partly Physical?"”

Thoughts for Today:

In the experience Paul relates for us today, he could not tell if he was "in the body or out of the body." Was it a strictly spiritual experience or partly physical? Oftentimes it can be difficult to tell the difference, and therefore next to impossible to draw a strong dividing line between where the spirit world begins and the physical (or natural) world ends. In our passage today, Paul reveals how these two realms are, in a sense, intermingled or coexistent.

In the previous passages, Paul has been discussing his "boasts", or the things that if he were counting on works to get him into heaven, would certainly secure his salvation. So we can reasonably conclude: the out of body experience he speaks of would be in this list. Paul's experience was real; however, his lack of teaching on the subject (or even identifying the experience as his own), tells us quite clearly that he was not relying on it to provide some great fundamental truth, proof, or benefit for his ministry.

We too need to be very careful with how much weight we give to any revelation that comes to us from outside the Bible. Why? Because it is inherently unreliable. Any out-of-body or near-death experience, like the Apostle Paul's, should be treated the same way as we do dreams -- they are unexplained phenomenon, but don't provide truth. They make a good topic for discussion; however the only source of absolute truth is the Word of God. (John 17:17: Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.)

Questions to Ponder:

Have you been relying on human experience to explain the nature of the spirit realm? Does an out-of-body or near-death experience provide someone with more credibility or authority than the Word of God?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.