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Wed, Jun 29, 22.

The Elements

What Are the Elements (Στοιχεῖον, stoicheion—G4747) of Which Paul Wrote?

Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; [2]But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. [3]Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements (στοιχεῖον, stoicheion)of the world: [Gal 4:1-3]
Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. [9]But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements (στοιχεῖον, stoicheion), whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? [Gal 4:8-9]
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the elements (στοιχεῖον, stoicheion)of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, [21](Touch not; taste not; handle not; [Col 2:20-21]

Στοιχεῖον, stoicheion—G4747

Thayer Definition:

  1. any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise, an element, first principal
    1. the letters of the alphabet as the elements of speech, not however the written characters, but the spoken sounds
    2. the elements from which all things have come, the material causes of the universe
    3. the heavenly bodies, either as parts of the heavens or (as others think) because in them the elements of man, life and destiny were supposed to reside
    4. the elements, rudiments, primary and fundamental principles of any art, science, or discipline
      1. i.e. of mathematics, Euclid’s geometry

Part of Speech: noun neuter

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from a presumed derivative of the base of G4748

Quick Facts

Elements are associated with,

  1. Weakness [Gal 4:3],
    1. Elements are weak and so can be manipulated easily.
  2. Infancy [Gal 4:3; Heb 5:12-14]
    1. Infants are physically weaker than the mature
    2. Infants are the starting point of full-grown men
    3. Infants need what is elementary and cannot properly handle what is advanced.
  3. Slavery [Gal 4:3]—men are slaves because they are weak on account of the elements. If they were powerful, they wouldn’t have been made slaves.
  4. The world [2Pe 3:10,12; Col 2:8,20]

The Elements and This Creation

The elements of the world are, so to speak, the building blocks of this creation.

The relationship between the elements and the world is confirmed by 2Pe 3:12 where the ‘elements’ are evidently the natural materials of this world as they can and will melt in the heat of the fire of God’s day.

A Confirmation of What the Elements Are

Whenever Paul mentions the elements in his writings, for example to the Galatians [Gal 4:3,9] and Colossians [Col 2:8,20], he does not explain what the elements are at all. This fact tells us that Paul expected them to have known what the elements were. Now, this expectation can only be reasonable under two conditions. First, it would be reasonable to expect them to know it if Paul himself or anyone preaching the Gospel, e.g., Epaphras in the case of the Colossians [Col 1:7], had taught them as part of the message. Or, second, it was in fact something that was well known at that time, either in the world in general or among converts to Judaism.

Considering the fact that Paul does not in the least explain what the elements are, especially since they are always mentioned in discussing a somewhat hard matter, implies it wasn’t something they had taught them. It is apparently something that they would have known well, apart from the faith. For this reason I took a look at the apocrypha. The apocryphal writings are not accepted as Scriptures, nevertheless they reflect the understanding of their times—whether right or wrong, we would have to judge for ourselves.

  1. In Wisdom 7:17 we see that elements have laws to which they conform, that there are ways elements operate.
    For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists, to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements [Wisdom 7:17 NRSA]
  2. In Wisdom 19:18-21, the elements are the building blocks of nature which have their definite characteristics and manners of behavior.
    For the elements changed places with one another, as on a harp the notes vary the nature of the rhythm, while each note remains the same. This may be clearly inferred from the sight of what took place. 19For land animals were transformed into water creatures, and creatures that swim moved over to the land. 20Fire even in water retained its normal power, and water forgot its fire-quenching nature. 21Flames, on the contrary, failed to consume the flesh of perishable creatures that walked among them, nor did they melt the crystalline, quick-melting kind of heavenly food. [Wisdom 19:18-21 NRSA]
  3. In 2 Maccabees 7:22, human beings are made up of spirit, life and elements. According to this verse, the unique arrangement of the elements is what makes us humans.
    I do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath, nor I who set in order the elements within each of you. [2 Maccabees 7:22 NRSA]
  4. In 4 Maccabees 12:13, elements are the materials from which men were made by God.
    As a man, were you not ashamed, you most savage beast, to cut out the tongues of men who have feelings like yours and are made of the same elements as you, and to maltreat and torture them in this way? [4 Maccabees 12:13 NRSA]

All of the above confirms what should be clear enough from Peter’s words that the elements as used by Paul are what this creation and nature is made up of. The elements are the natural materials from which our bodies and this world are made.

The Bible is not a science or occult textbook and was not written to answer scientific or cultic questions and inquiries. Therefore, the Bible nowhere gives a detailed breakdown or categorization of these elements.

The elements have laws governing their behaviors and interactions.

They are less than the spiritual substance from which heaven and the angels are made making us easily subjectable to their rule.

We can further understand ‘element’ from its relationship to ‘perfection’.

Elements and Perfection

Two things are opposite to ‘perfection’ in scriptures and these are ‘element’ (sometimes translated ‘basic principles’)and ‘weakness’.

To be perfect is to be whole, it is to be complete [1Co 13:10]. So, for example, with regard to human development, ‘perfection’ is to be mature [Heb 5:14]. A child is imperfect while an adult is perfect.

‘Element’ as Opposite of ‘Perfection’

“For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elementsG4747 of God’s utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food.” [Heb 5:12 NET]

“Therefore we must progress beyond the elementaryG4747 instructions about Christ and move on to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works and faith in God,” [Heb 6:1 NET]

(Comparing Heb 5:12 to Heb 6:1, we can see that elements (the basic principles)and perfection are in some way opposite to each other. Στοιχεῖον is translated in Heb 5:12 as ‘principles’ [KJV], ‘elementary’ [NET/NIV] while τελειότης (teleiotēs, G5047)is translated ‘perfection’ [KJV] and  is translated as ‘maturity.’ [NET/NIV]

‘Weakness’ as Opposite of ‘Perfection’

Passages such as Gal 3:3; Heb 2:10; 5:6-10; 7:18-19,28; 9:11 speak of weakness, which is our present mortal state, and not only of us but of creation [1Co 15:43-44], as opposite of perfection. Since elements and weakness are both opposite to perfection, it means that they are related, and they are for we are plainly told that the elements of the world are weak.

The Elements and Weakness

Paul describes the elements as weak and poor,

“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak(ασθενη-G772) and beggarly(πτωχα-G4434) elements(στοιχεια-G4747), whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” [Gal 4:9].

  1. The weakness of the elements is manifest in that they are subject to corruption and decay.
  2. And that they are poor, suggests that they lack something which the elements of heaven possess.

The Weakness (ἀσθένεια. Astheneia.G769) of the Elements

Strong’s Definition—G769. ἀσθένεια. Astheneia. as-then'-i-ah

From G772; feebleness(of body or mind); by implication malady; moral frailty:- disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness.

Weakness is associated with men’s sinfulness

  1. Even with a heart willing and desiring to please God, men still fall into sin because the flesh is weak [Mat 26:41; Mar 14:38]
  2. High priests are chosen from among men because only so would they be able to empathize with men’s sinfulness. They would be able to empathize with them because they like them are subject to weakness [Heb 5:1-2]. In other words, men sin because they are weak.
  3. Christ died for us when we were weak [Rom 5:6 cf., Rom 5:8]
  4. Women are weaker than men [1Pe 3:7 cf., 1Ti 2:14]

Other Uses of ἀσθένεια

  1. Samson was not weak like other men [Jdg 16:13 Septuagint]
  2. Sickness is called weakness [2Sa 13:4 Septuagint; Mat 25:39,43,44; Luk 10:9; Act 4:9 cf., Act 3:2 lameness; Act 5:16; 1Co 11:30]
  3. Weakness is what makes death possible. Jesus had to become a man and so that he could be weak and so able to die [Php 2:5-8; 1Co 1:23,25 cf., Heb 2:9,14-15]

That the elements are weak means that they are subjectable to death and corruption. If they were not weak, corruption would have no power over them. The elements can dissolve or melt [2Pe 3:10,12], in other words they disintegrate. This is what corruption does, it causes disintegration.

The Poverty/Beggarliness of the Elements

Strong’s Definition (Πτωχός. ptōchos. G4434)

From πτώσσω ptōssō (to crouch; akin to G4422 and the alternate of G4098); a beggar(as cringing), that is, pauper(strictly denoting absolute or public mendicancy, although also used in a qualified or relative sense; whereas G3993 properly means only straitenedcircumstances in private), literally (often as noun) or figuratively (distressed): - beggar (-ly), poor.

So why does Paul call the elements poor/beggarly?

To be poor is to be dependent on others for survival. To be poor is to be without wealth and honor. That the elements are poor could either mean that the elements lack certain good things or that the elements make a man to be in need and so meaning “poverty causing”.

It is possible that the elements are poor but do not cause poverty. This wouldn’t be our problem. However, it is not possible for the elements to cause poverty without being poor themselves. Therefore, we conclude that the elements are not only poor themselves but are poverty causing.

Also, if the elements were simply poor, that would not be of any serious concern to anyone. If they were poor and did not affect one’s status, then they wouldn’t matter. Therefore, the issue can’t simply be that they are poor but that they cause spiritual poverty.

Why the Elements are Weak

What makes the elements weak? Are they weak by default or are they weak because of the curse of corruption or why are they weak? Were they always weak or did they become weak? Were they strong before Adam sinned?

The question is related to man’s condition before and after Adam’s transgression. Since man is made from the elements, to understand man’s weakness and poverty is to understand the weakness and povertyof the elements.

Was man perfect before his transgression or was he weak from the start and the judgement of his transgression only took advantage of that?

  1. Man wasn’t a spirit that became flesh but was always flesh. Man was always a living soul that depended on blood and whose breath was in his nostrils.
  2. Man was not glorious before his transgression.
  3. It can be confusing that man was free from death before his transgression. However, he was free because death was not in the world [Rom 5:12; 1Co 15:21] and not because he was immune to it

If the elements were originally perfect, then man, since his body was made from the elements, would have been originally perfect, but he wasn’t. Therefore, since man was evidently not perfect even before Adam’s transgression and the curse of corruption that followed it, then it means that the elements did not become weak but were always so from the start.

Why the Elements are Weak

The elements are weak by the fact that they are of this natural creation. Spirits are stronger than flesh [Isa 31:3] and the world is natural and not spiritual [Joh 3:6; 1Co 15:43-44]. Therefore, the elements are weak because they are not spiritual, i.e., they are not of the spirit nature. They are lower in quality, in glory to the elements of heaven—they are natural and not spiritual.

We know that not all spirits are glorious and that they differ one to another in glory [1Co 15:40-41]. Also, since the weakness of the elements makes them subjectable to dark powers (“…the rulers of the darkness of this world, …spiritual wickedness in heavenly places” [Eph 6:12]), we know that the weakness of the elements is not simply about glory, the kind that holy angels possess, but is about nature, which angels and demons all possess in common.

So, let us plainly state that it wasn’t the curse that weakened the elements. Instead, the curse takes advantage of the fact that the elements were weak.

Though unspiritual and weak, the elements were not always in bondage to corruption but only came under this bondage as a result of the curse that followed Adam’s transgression. Because “the creation was subjected to frustration…” [Rom 8:20] and is in “bondage to decay” [Rom 8:21], being part of this creation, the elements are in bondage to decay and in subjection to death and corruption.

Bondage Under the Elements

Now I say, Thatthe heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; [2]But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. [3]Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: [4]But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, [5]To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. [6]And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. [7]Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. [8]Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. [9]But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? [10]Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. [11]I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. [Gal 4:1-11]

Being in “bondage under the elements” and being subject to “tutors and governors” may seem to mean the same thing. That is, it may seem to mean that the “elements” and the “tutors and governors” are one and the same. And since the tutors are clearly intelligent spiritual beings, it would suggest that the elements are the spiritual powers of the world.

However, following Peter’s use of the word “elements” (and as confirmed in the apocrypha), this cannot possibly be the meaning. So how are we to understand the above?

Simple,

  1. The “tutors and governors” are spirit beings and are the ones to whom men were made subject. They are the ones to whom Paul referred to as “them which by nature are no gods” [Gal 4:8]. The “tutors and governors” are not the elements of the world, rather, they are spirit beings that have various types and degrees of power over the elements of the world.
  2. The elements are the materials from which our bodies were made,
    1. It is these elements that make it possible for us to be subjectable and subject to the “tutors and governors”.
    2. If men were made up of another type of elements, then these powers would not have had the powers they have over them.
  3. Therefore, it is the elemental body that the Father gave us that makes us children.
  4. To become sons, the body of the elements have to be changed to bodies of spiritual elements.
  5. Through Jesus we become sons because he is God’s Son and because the Law which opposed us is abolished in him.

Since we are still in these bodies of flesh, why are we rereferred to as God’s sons? Although the body ultimately determines who is a son or a child, we are called sons of God though our bodies have not been changed because,

  1. The fact that our bodies will be changed as been made sure. If God did not now accept us as sons, He wouldn’t have made our bodily change sure.
  2. The Spirit is the one who will bring about our transformation and we have been given the Holy Spirit. This shows that God has truly accepted us as His sons.
  3. Our Lord Jesus is a Son and so, by the Father’s will, belonging to him, we share in His Sonship.

Jesus himself, while still in the body of flesh and blood, declared that he was not of this world but was from above and he referred to himself as the Son of God. Therefore, it is possible to be in the flesh and be a son of God. Jesus declared that those who belong to him are not of this world but like him are from above.

Someone may think, but unlike Jesus Christ we have never even been to heaven. Well, a man can be from a country he has never seen if his father is from that country. If we belong to Jesus, then he is our Lord and so, having been adopted by Jesus as his sons, we are from heaven. And since we died to the world through him, we are no longer citizens of his world.

If we submit to rules based on the powers or on the elements contrary to the will of Christ, then we come under the rule of the “tutors and governors” once again. This is what Paul was fighting to prevent in his letter to the Galatians.

Natural vs., Spiritual Elements

Are natural and spiritual elements essentially the same or essentially different?

With respect to natural elements what are spiritual elements?

“A Little Lower Than The Angels”

But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? [7]Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: [Heb 2:6-7]

The fact that man was created a little lower than the angels tells us that the elements that make up man were lower than that of the bodies of angels (angels have bodies, spiritual bodies [1Co 15:44-49]). Man was created before he sinned after which the creation was cursed. Therefore, man being lower than angels was not the result of his transgression in the Garden.

Also, we must note that even Jesus, the Son of God, higher than all the angels, while in the body of flesh was regarded as lower than angels [Heb 2:9]. The Lord Jesus had no sin [Heb 4:15; Joh 8:46; 2Co 5:21] and was not of this world [Joh 8:23]. We can confidently conclude then, that the lowness of the elements of this world from which man was made is not due to sin or the curse but was always so even before Adam sinned.

Considering the limits of the curse of corruption also leads to the same conclusion.

The Limits of Corruption

The fact that corruption only has power over the elements of this world tells us that natural and spiritual elements are different from one another. If they were the same, then giving corruption power over the natural elements would equal give it power over spiritual elements.

A possibility for the lack of power of corruption over the spiritual elements can be that spiritual elements are protected by the power of the Spirit of God. However, we know that this is not so because even devils which are not of the Holy Spirit of God are unaffected by corruption and do not die or decay as men do.

Nevertheless, the facts that both types of elements can relate with one another and that one element can be transformed into another means that at some very base level, they are essentially the same. If one can be changed into the other, it means that though they are different, they are nevertheless both related.

The Resurrection and the Elements of the World

At the resurrection, the saints will be glorified, and so they will become free from corruption [Rom 8:18,21,23]. We who once were weak will be raised in power, who once were flesh will be raised as spirits [1Co 15:42-47].

Would our original elements be changed from natural to spiritual? Or will they be clothed with the spiritual? That is, they will still be natural at the core but will be covered over with the spiritual.

From the wound marks, the holes in his hands and side [Joh 20:20,25,27], it was evident that Jesus rose from the dead with the very same body he had before his crucifixion and death. Notwithstanding, though this was the very same body, it was different from before his death because it was no longer natural but spiritual [1Co 15:44-45]. Jesus became a “spirit, “a life giving spirit”, by his resurrection from the dead [1Co 15:45]. Before he died, like all other men, Jesus was flesh and blood. However, after he had risen from the dead, he was no longer flesh and blood, but only flesh and bones [Luk 24:39 cf.,1Co 15:50].

Since it was the very same body that had become spiritual, we can see that at the resurrection of the dead, our natural elements will become spiritual.

  1. The wood wasn’t clothed with flesh, nor soaked in blood, but was actually transformed into flesh and blood when God changed Moses’ rod into a live snake [Exo 4:3-4; 7:9-12]. The elements of the wood was changed into flesh and blood. In other words, wood was upgraded to flesh and blood.
  2. When Eisha made the iron axe head float on the water [2Ki 6:6], the nature of the metal clearly was temporarily changed.

These examples further show us that God is able to transform the actual elements themselves so that they have a different nature.

At the resurrection we will only have flesh and bones [Luk 24:39] and will cease to have blood [1Co 15:50]. We will no longer depend on blood for life. Therefore, something will fundamentally change about us such that we will no longer live in need of blood. At the resurrection we will no longer have a natural body but instead a spiritual body [1Co 15:44-49].

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