I have this book, but haven’t started reading it. Thank you for your insight….I will now throw it in the trash and not even bother reading it. Last week I threw out Get your life back by Eldridge. I am really enjoying your Substack!
Really strong case for discernment in filtering gunk and glitter from Biblical truth. Thank you for a thoughtful and clearly presented exposure of Comer's mile-wide, inch-deep theology. To all of you contemplative, mystical, mantra muttering, dark night of the soulers, Rohr and Monk-Kidd groupies ... not buying it.
Contemplation is biblical. The author picks apart his exegesis as being lacking and loves the word straw man, but it is ironic. She does not build a case for why contemplative christian spirituality is NOT biblical, straw manning his message herself.
Meditation on God’s Word:
Psalm 1:2: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Meditation involves focused reflection on God’s Word, fostering a deeper understanding and connection with Him.
Joshua 1:8: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night…” This emphasizes continual, thoughtful engagement with Scripture.
Stillness and Waiting on God:
Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” This verse encourages a contemplative posture of quiet trust and recognition of God’s sovereignty.
Lamentations 3:25-28: “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord… Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him.” Waiting in silence reflects a contemplative attitude of dependence on God.
Seeking God’s Presence:
Psalm 27:4: “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” This expresses a longing to contemplate God’s beauty and presence.
Matthew 6:6: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” Jesus encourages private, intimate communion with God, a key aspect of contemplation.
Delighting in God:
Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Contemplation involves finding joy in God’s presence and character.
Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable… think about these things.” Paul urges believers to focus their minds on godly virtues, aligning with contemplative reflection.
Examples of Contemplative Practices:
Jesus’ Solitude: Jesus frequently withdrew to pray and commune with the Father (Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35), modeling a contemplative rhythm of solitude and prayer.
Mary’s Reflection: In Luke 2:19, Mary “treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart,” demonstrating a contemplative response to God’s work.
She says “With a statement like “Jesus has a soul” with no biblical evidence, I question Comer’s understanding of Jesus.”
Both trinitarian theology and scripture are clear that Jesus had a soul.
Matthew 26:38: In Gethsemane, Jesus says, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death,” explicitly referencing his soul in the context of emotional distress.
John 12:27: “Now is my soul troubled,” again indicating Jesus’ inner, spiritual experience.
Luke 23:46: At his death, Jesus prays, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” suggesting the separation of his human soul from his body, consistent with human death.
Trinitarian theology emphasizes that Jesus’ human soul was essential for his redemptive work. His soul experienced suffering (Isaiah 53:11, “by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous”) and bore the weight of sin in his Passion, enabling him to empathize with human weakness (Hebrews 4:15).
His human soul also ensures that his obedience and sacrifice were genuinely human acts, fulfilling the law and atoning for human sin (Romans 5:19).
I am looking for true heresy accusations and twisting of the gospel evidence in a post like that and I dont see it. He seems to lack rigour in his writing by her quotes though. Overall I get the sense of her piling on on a movement without any rigour of her own though.
She is wrong about the kingdom of God too.
Jesus taught the Kingdom of heaven is present and transforms us and renews our hearts. His ministry inaugurated the Kingdom is here now (but not fully) like the lords prayer itself
Luke 17:20–21: Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is within you”. This suggests the Kingdom is already present, working inwardly and outwardly through Jesus’ ministry and the Spirit’s presence in believers.
Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God’s transformative work starts now and continues until Christ’s return.
Talking about trying to come off profound, there is also trying to come off is authoritative and "biblical" which is often just a front for pride. What is Comer pushing his audience towards? He has a better grasp of the Holy Trinity and scripture than the blogger here, and is encouraging many towards that end.
I didn’t say contemplation wasn’t biblical. I also didn’t say Christian spirituality wasn’t biblical. I also didn’t call Commer a heretic. This is a book critique, so I’m just addressing what he wrote.
Your heading is literally: "So far… Not a Heretic, Maybe, Almost?"
Can you say what your critique is in a sentence? I am trying to be charitable to hear your point but your post rambles and does make one clear. You 100% undermine the value of contemplation in the post. So it is prudent for a reader top point out it is biblical.
Also I addressed your comment:
“With a statement like “Jesus has a soul” with no biblical evidence, I question Comer’s understanding of Jesus.”
What do you mean? Are you implying that you think Jesus doesn't have a soul? So to have a blog dedicated to discussing good and bad theology can you affirm that he does?
To try to summarize a critique for Comer in a sentence would be quite the challenge, hence the long post. I do not undermine contemplation, but I do disagree with Comer's idea of contemplation. That is the point of the critique. I am arguing against Comer's version of contemplation and even offer biblical counterpoints. Contemplation is part and parcel to being a Christian. It has to do with what we set our minds on, what we think about, and what we ponder. I am arguing against the mystical ideas that Comer talks about. Comer makes many claims and assertions (as I worked hard to point out) without biblical evidence, which I provide in my counterpoints.
Regarding Jesus and the idea of him having a soul, that is a massive conversation. I do not believe Jesus has a soul in the same way you and I think about having a soul. We are created beings having been given life, or breath (nephesh), and we will die and be resurrected. Jesus was not created, was not given nephesh, and is not human with a soul in that sense. I did offer Scripture that points out the deity of Christ. The Bible speaks in terms of the "soul" but only as it refers to the entire unit of a person. This is where Greek philosophy collides with Hebrew philosophy. We are not parsed into various parts of being. I encourage you to read my post about Dallas Willard and go to the footnotes where I provide scholarly works regarding the Hebrew understanding of the soul.
The Hebrew concept of nephesh (soul, life, or being) is evident in his human nature through biblical examples showing his emotions, will, and life.
Emotions:
John 11:35: “Jesus wept” at Lazarus’ death, showing human grief, a trait of the nephesh as the seat of emotions.
Matthew 26:38: Jesus says, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” in Gethsemane, reflecting deep emotional distress tied to his nephesh.
Will:
Luke 22:42: In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays, “Not my will, but yours be done,” indicating a human will, a key aspect of the nephesh as the faculty of choice.
Life and Death:
Matthew 20:28: Jesus states he gives his “life” (Greek psyche, equivalent to nephesh) as a ransom, showing his human life/soul is offered in death.
Also regarding will:
John 10:17: Jesus says, “I lay down my life (psyche) only to take it up again,” linking his nephesh to his death and resurrection.
Jesus’ death involved the surrender of his nephesh (John 10:17), and his resurrection restored his human life, body and soul, as the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Did you read my comment about agreeing with those concepts in the Hebrew sense? I’m taking about how the Greek ideas of soul have been imposed upon the biblical idea of soul.
The Hebrew and Greek worldviews are equally valid just as the old and new testament are. In fact the Greek ideas of soul permeate all of Pauline thought.
Jesus was fully God and fully human, to say otherwise would disagree with every major denomination now and throughout history and scripture as I already shared. It also would be an *actual* heresy in the most formal of ways: apollinarianism, docetism, and monophysitism.
I have this book, but haven’t started reading it. Thank you for your insight….I will now throw it in the trash and not even bother reading it. Last week I threw out Get your life back by Eldridge. I am really enjoying your Substack!
Wow! Thank you! I’m so glad this was helpful!
Really strong case for discernment in filtering gunk and glitter from Biblical truth. Thank you for a thoughtful and clearly presented exposure of Comer's mile-wide, inch-deep theology. To all of you contemplative, mystical, mantra muttering, dark night of the soulers, Rohr and Monk-Kidd groupies ... not buying it.
Contemplation is biblical. The author picks apart his exegesis as being lacking and loves the word straw man, but it is ironic. She does not build a case for why contemplative christian spirituality is NOT biblical, straw manning his message herself.
Meditation on God’s Word:
Psalm 1:2: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Meditation involves focused reflection on God’s Word, fostering a deeper understanding and connection with Him.
Joshua 1:8: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night…” This emphasizes continual, thoughtful engagement with Scripture.
Stillness and Waiting on God:
Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” This verse encourages a contemplative posture of quiet trust and recognition of God’s sovereignty.
Lamentations 3:25-28: “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord… Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him.” Waiting in silence reflects a contemplative attitude of dependence on God.
Seeking God’s Presence:
Psalm 27:4: “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” This expresses a longing to contemplate God’s beauty and presence.
Matthew 6:6: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” Jesus encourages private, intimate communion with God, a key aspect of contemplation.
Delighting in God:
Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Contemplation involves finding joy in God’s presence and character.
Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable… think about these things.” Paul urges believers to focus their minds on godly virtues, aligning with contemplative reflection.
Examples of Contemplative Practices:
Jesus’ Solitude: Jesus frequently withdrew to pray and commune with the Father (Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35), modeling a contemplative rhythm of solitude and prayer.
Mary’s Reflection: In Luke 2:19, Mary “treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart,” demonstrating a contemplative response to God’s work.
She says “With a statement like “Jesus has a soul” with no biblical evidence, I question Comer’s understanding of Jesus.”
Both trinitarian theology and scripture are clear that Jesus had a soul.
Matthew 26:38: In Gethsemane, Jesus says, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death,” explicitly referencing his soul in the context of emotional distress.
John 12:27: “Now is my soul troubled,” again indicating Jesus’ inner, spiritual experience.
Luke 23:46: At his death, Jesus prays, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” suggesting the separation of his human soul from his body, consistent with human death.
Trinitarian theology emphasizes that Jesus’ human soul was essential for his redemptive work. His soul experienced suffering (Isaiah 53:11, “by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous”) and bore the weight of sin in his Passion, enabling him to empathize with human weakness (Hebrews 4:15).
His human soul also ensures that his obedience and sacrifice were genuinely human acts, fulfilling the law and atoning for human sin (Romans 5:19).
I am looking for true heresy accusations and twisting of the gospel evidence in a post like that and I dont see it. He seems to lack rigour in his writing by her quotes though. Overall I get the sense of her piling on on a movement without any rigour of her own though.
She is wrong about the kingdom of God too.
Jesus taught the Kingdom of heaven is present and transforms us and renews our hearts. His ministry inaugurated the Kingdom is here now (but not fully) like the lords prayer itself
Luke 17:20–21: Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is within you”. This suggests the Kingdom is already present, working inwardly and outwardly through Jesus’ ministry and the Spirit’s presence in believers.
Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God’s transformative work starts now and continues until Christ’s return.
Talking about trying to come off profound, there is also trying to come off is authoritative and "biblical" which is often just a front for pride. What is Comer pushing his audience towards? He has a better grasp of the Holy Trinity and scripture than the blogger here, and is encouraging many towards that end.
I didn’t say contemplation wasn’t biblical. I also didn’t say Christian spirituality wasn’t biblical. I also didn’t call Commer a heretic. This is a book critique, so I’m just addressing what he wrote.
*Comer
Your heading is literally: "So far… Not a Heretic, Maybe, Almost?"
Can you say what your critique is in a sentence? I am trying to be charitable to hear your point but your post rambles and does make one clear. You 100% undermine the value of contemplation in the post. So it is prudent for a reader top point out it is biblical.
Also I addressed your comment:
“With a statement like “Jesus has a soul” with no biblical evidence, I question Comer’s understanding of Jesus.”
What do you mean? Are you implying that you think Jesus doesn't have a soul? So to have a blog dedicated to discussing good and bad theology can you affirm that he does?
To try to summarize a critique for Comer in a sentence would be quite the challenge, hence the long post. I do not undermine contemplation, but I do disagree with Comer's idea of contemplation. That is the point of the critique. I am arguing against Comer's version of contemplation and even offer biblical counterpoints. Contemplation is part and parcel to being a Christian. It has to do with what we set our minds on, what we think about, and what we ponder. I am arguing against the mystical ideas that Comer talks about. Comer makes many claims and assertions (as I worked hard to point out) without biblical evidence, which I provide in my counterpoints.
Regarding Jesus and the idea of him having a soul, that is a massive conversation. I do not believe Jesus has a soul in the same way you and I think about having a soul. We are created beings having been given life, or breath (nephesh), and we will die and be resurrected. Jesus was not created, was not given nephesh, and is not human with a soul in that sense. I did offer Scripture that points out the deity of Christ. The Bible speaks in terms of the "soul" but only as it refers to the entire unit of a person. This is where Greek philosophy collides with Hebrew philosophy. We are not parsed into various parts of being. I encourage you to read my post about Dallas Willard and go to the footnotes where I provide scholarly works regarding the Hebrew understanding of the soul.
Thank you for your comment and questions
If we say Jesus has being, has life, or is life, then I concede the idea of a "soul" in that sense. Willard does not look at the soul like that.
The Hebrew concept of nephesh (soul, life, or being) is evident in his human nature through biblical examples showing his emotions, will, and life.
Emotions:
John 11:35: “Jesus wept” at Lazarus’ death, showing human grief, a trait of the nephesh as the seat of emotions.
Matthew 26:38: Jesus says, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” in Gethsemane, reflecting deep emotional distress tied to his nephesh.
Will:
Luke 22:42: In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays, “Not my will, but yours be done,” indicating a human will, a key aspect of the nephesh as the faculty of choice.
Life and Death:
Matthew 20:28: Jesus states he gives his “life” (Greek psyche, equivalent to nephesh) as a ransom, showing his human life/soul is offered in death.
Also regarding will:
John 10:17: Jesus says, “I lay down my life (psyche) only to take it up again,” linking his nephesh to his death and resurrection.
Jesus’ death involved the surrender of his nephesh (John 10:17), and his resurrection restored his human life, body and soul, as the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Did you read my comment about agreeing with those concepts in the Hebrew sense? I’m taking about how the Greek ideas of soul have been imposed upon the biblical idea of soul.
The Hebrew and Greek worldviews are equally valid just as the old and new testament are. In fact the Greek ideas of soul permeate all of Pauline thought.
Jesus was fully God and fully human, to say otherwise would disagree with every major denomination now and throughout history and scripture as I already shared. It also would be an *actual* heresy in the most formal of ways: apollinarianism, docetism, and monophysitism.
My goodness. I never said such a thing. Willard does. I don’t.
Meaning, I never denied his deity/humanity
"I do not believe Jesus has a soul in the same way you and I think about having a soul."
This is the very point of the incarnation, to identify with men in the same way we think. This is the point of kenosis in Philippians 2:5-8.
I can’t figure out this sight, but I would love to read more of what you have regarding John Mark Comer and this book of his.
I get it! It’s kind of hard to figure! But yes, you can send me an email at nwitcher2208@gmail.com and I’ll share the entire document.