To what does “body” refer?

Explanation:

Paul says that Christ will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. He likely means that our actual physical body, which is the vehicle for our physical existence, will be transformed. We can deduce that this is Paul’s meaning because Paul refers to our bodies as lowly. That Paul refers to the body as lowly is important because we know that Paul wrote this letter to Philippi from prison. As a prisoner, Paul was acutely aware of the lowly state of our present bodily condition. That is, as a prisoner, Paul was acutely aware of the weakness, suffering, and affliction of the human experience, all endured through the vehicle of the human body.³ Still, he had great hope that when Christ returned, he would transform his physical bodily condition to be like Christ’s glorious body, which was obviously not limited by the ailments of bodily earthly existence.

Counterargument:

This view takes it that because Paul’s body physically suffered and endured affliction while he was in prison, so when Paul refers to the transformation of his body, he has in mind the physical body. The problem with this argument is that humans endure weakness, suffering, and affliction from not only a bodily perspective but also a mental perspective. That is, not only our physical bodies but also our minds are prone to weakness, suffering, and affliction. This is especially the case for those who are in prison, where they endure the mental anguish of not being with their loved ones or free to go where they please. Thus, Paul’s experience of suffering and affliction is experienced in not only the body but also the mind. So his suffering in prison should not be understood to be limited to bodily suffering, which means we cannot use his suffering in prison to determine the meaning of body in Philippians 3:21.

Response to counterargument:

The argument here is not that Paul did not suffer mentally. Rather, the task is to explain what Paul means that Christ will transform the body, and given the fact that Paul endures physical suffering in prison, it is likely that the body refers to the physical body. More specifically, Paul not only refers to the physical body itself, but by referring to the physical body he implies that when the physical body is transformed, the physical experience of those who are with Christ will also be transformed. Thus, transformed believers will no longer endure the weakness and affliction entailed by their earthly bodily experience, but instead will experience existence through a transformed heavenly body. That Paul points out that the physical body will be transformed into Christ’s glorious body is not meant to take away from the fact that our mental existence will also be transformed. Still, it is a great comfort to know that the physical body will be transformed, so Paul points this out.

Explanation:

Paul says that when Christ returns, he will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. We can deduce that when Paul refers to the body, he has in mind the physical body, because he expands on this same theme in 1 Corinthians 15:35–44.⁴ There he explains elements of the resurrection of the dead. As part of that explanation, he compares the resurrected bodies with natural bodies. He says that resurrected spiritual bodies are born after natural bodies die, which are like the seeds for resurrected bodies. During this discussion he points out that there are many different kinds of bodies, including plant, animal, human, and celestial. By comparing the human body with plant and celestial bodies, we can see that by body, Paul has in mind something like physical existence. Thus, the physical human body dies, and then is raised with a spiritual body. By saying all of this, Paul makes clear that resurrected humans will continue to have bodies, even in heaven.

Likewise, when Paul reminds the Philippians that when Christ comes, he will transform our lowly bodies, he likely has a similar thought in mind. That is, he has in mind that at the resurrection, the physical bodies of our mortal existence will be transformed into new spiritual bodies that are similar to the body of the glorified Jesus.⁵

Counterargument:

In fact, a closer look at what follows 1 Corinthians 15:35–44 reveals that Paul has more than the resurrection of the physical body in mind. That is, he seems to have in mind the resurrection of the whole person. We can deduce this because after comparing the bodies of animals, plants, humans, and celestial beings, he explains that Adam became a living being, while the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). He then says the first man is of the dust, and the second man (Christ) is from heaven (1 Corinthians 15:47). By pointing out that the first man was of the dust and the last of heaven, Paul compares the pre-resurrection from the post-resurrection state. In other words, the first man was natural while the resurrected man is spiritual. Of course, man is not only comprised of a body but also a mind, so when Paul refers to the natural and resurrected man in 1 Corinthians 15:1–58 he has in mind the whole person. Thus, if we use 1 Corinthians 15:1–58 to help us understand what Paul means by body in Philippians 3:21, we should conclude that by body, he means something like whole person.

Response to counterargument:

While it is true that Paul believes the whole person will be transformed at the resurrection, one aspect of this transformation is new glorified bodies. As such, in both 1 Corinthians 15:1–58 and Philippians 3:21, Paul seems to specifically explain that at the resurrection, the physical body will be transformed into a glorious body. It makes sense that Paul would specifically point out that the body will be resurrected, because even if we think the immaterial soul lives on, as the ancient Greek philosophers argued, it is surprising to learn that the body also lives on in a transformed state. Thus, from our brief analysis of 1 Corinthians 15:1–58 we ought to conclude not that Paul only says the whole person will be transformed, but that he says the body will be transformed. And in Philippians 3:21, he seems to be focused solely on the physical body.

The only weakness of this view is that intuitively, our hope in the resurrection is not only that our physical bodies will be transformed, but that our entire person will be transformed. That is, our hope is in complete sanctification, which includes a renovation of the heart and mind, not just the physical body.

Explanation:

Paul says that when Christ returns, he will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. When Paul refers to our lowly body he uses the term body (σῶμα) to refer to the whole person. Thus, Paul is saying that Christ will transform the whole person. We can deduce that the term body is akin to whole person because of the way Paul uses the term body in Philippians 1:20–26.⁹ For in Philippians 1:20, Paul says that it is his hope that in life and death, Paul will be honoured in his body. He then goes on to contrast the notions of living in the flesh with departing to be with Christ (Philippians 1:21–24). In other words, Paul associates living in the flesh with living in a physical human body but with the hope of honour Christ in the body in life and death, implying the body lives on after death.¹⁰ Likely, Paul is using the term body to refer to the whole person, and is saying that he hopes as a person he will honour Christ in this life and the next. Likewise, when Paul refers to the transformation of the body at Christ’s return, he has in mind the transformation of the whole person.

Counterargument:

Unfortunately, this argument depends on a suspect interpretation of Philippians 1:20. That is, this argument depends on the notion that when Paul says he hopes Christ will be honoured in his body, whether in life or death, he has in mind Christ’s being honoured by his person both in this life and the next. Such an interpretation is at odds with the context of Philippians 1:21. For after saying that he hopes his body will honour Christ in life or death, Paul says that to live is Christ and to die is gain. In other words, Paul is contrasting living in this world with dying, and his hope is that whether he continues to live in the world or dies, Christ is honoured in his body. In other words, whether his physical body continues to live, or whether his physical body dies because of his imprisonment by the Romans, Paul desires that he honours Christ. Thus, Paul is not referring to the continuity of his person in both life and death in Philippians 1:20. Rather, he is saying that he hopes Christ will be honoured whether his physical body lives or dies. But then, Philippians 1:20 cannot be used to support the notion that body refers to the whole person in Philippians 3:21.

Explanation:

Paul says that Christ will transform their lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. We can understand that by body Paul means whole person, because he uses the term body in other passages to refer to something like the whole person. For example, in Romans 8:23 he says that we groan inwardly as we await the redemption of our bodies, and in Romans 12:1 he calls on the brothers to present their bodies as a living sacrifice. Likewise, when he warns the Corinthians against engaging with prostitutes, he implies that the term body refers to the whole person (1 Corinthians 6:13–20).¹¹ Given that Paul uses the term body in other places to refer to the whole person, he likely does something similar in Philippians 3:21. Thus, when Christ returns, he will transform the whole person.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that the verses cited as support do not seem to actually support the idea that Paul uses body to refer to the whole person. First, in Romans 8:23 when Paul says we groan inwardly as we await the redemption of our bodies, he could simply mean we groan inwardly as we wait for our physical bodies to be transformed into spiritual bodies. Likewise, when Paul calls on the Romans to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, he seems to mean that they ought to govern their physical bodies such that its members are not used for sin. Finally, when Paul warns the Corinthians against engaging with prostitutes in 1 Corinthians 6:13–20, he makes clear that sexual sin is a sin against one’s own body, and that one’s body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit inhabits the physical bodies of believers. Of course, we cannot argue that because Paul uses the term body to refer to the whole person elsewhere, he does so in Philippians 3:21, for he does not use the term body to refer to the whole person elsewhere.

Response to counterargument:

The argument here is not that Paul uses the term σῶμα (body) synonymously with the term person. Rather, he uses it as a metonym.¹² That is, Paul uses the term body to refer to something very much like, if not identical to, the whole human person. In other words, when Paul uses the term σῶμα it is not limited to the physical human body, although it might include that sense. Rather, he will use it in a way that includes the physical body and more, implying that it refers to something like the whole person, and the above passages support this view.

The weakness of this view is that the lexicon entry on the term σῶμα (body) does not include the option that it refers to a person.¹³

Thus, this view requires a high standard of argumentation, for it must show that Paul uses the term σῶμα in an unconventional way. Unfortunately, the arguments do not reach this high standard.