This paper is going to offer the riches of christian counselling anthropology
through the Paul’s spiritual anthropology. Paul’s spirituality consists of two
aspects, the mystic and the ascetic. The one is being, the other is doing. Paul’s
spirituality can be read by the mystic side and the ascetic side of Spirituality.
The most foundation of the modern christian counselling anthropology is
composed of human-centrism, not God-centrism. In spite of they need Godcentrism,
They don’t recognize it and are not willing to receive God-centrism.
Paul’s spirituality is different from Gnostic’s dualistic understanding and
Hellenism. Paul has a biblical spirituality, the intergrated spirituality. In this
situation, Paul’s life, suffering, theology, spirituality, ascetic, emptiness,
fullness are important to supplement christian counselling anthropology. Paul’s
spirituality has many concepts of the anthropology, soma, pneuma, psyche,
kardia, nous, sarx, etc. Soma is the term, body which Paul uses to characterize
man’s existence. As an existing body, soma can become either good or bad in
its relationship with God. The good is pneuma that live according to the spirit,
and the bad is sarx that live according to the flesh. Thus, soma needs to be
developed by pneuma. Psyche(soul) is the self regarded as conscious or aware
or a willing and knowing self, which is similar to nous(mind) or the inner
person referred to in Romans 7. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, a
person(as a holistic being) is consisted of soma, psyche, and pneuma. This
existence is called zoe, a life that is characterized by intention and goal, living
either according to the spirit or according to the flesh. kardia or nous is a
Heart, the term refers to a ‘willing, planning, intending self ’. Kardia
emphasizes less the knowledge part but more the feeling and striving part as
well as the more the inner life. Like soma and mind, this will, depending on
the person’s desire and intent, can become either good or bad. Sarx is the term
flesh, can denote not only the concrete body of flesh but also fleshliness,
carnality, meaning the nature of the earthly human in its specific humanness.
Sarx is often depicted as opposed to the spirit, the invisible, and the inner
aspect of a person. Through these terms, Paul’s spirituality has three
characters, , , and . means
‘an ascetic’, is a work, that empty out self from the earthly thing,
fill self with God. is a fasting, that live in a positive suffering
interpreted by the Cross. These three elements build up Paul’s Spiritual Man.
The modern christian counselling has the characters of a optimistic
anthropology, but Paul’s spirituality offers new anthroplogy, the sinned
anthropology that need the concern and the love of God. Human is based on
the enclosure of God, the father almighty. The most counselling is
reinterpreted with the sinned anthropology and rebuild up all human being In
God, in front of God, with God, to face God.