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Episode Notes:

The centre of the Christian faith is not an idea, a philosophy, or a spiritual technique. It is a person. A person with skin and bones. A person who ate, wept, touched, and was touched. A God who became a person who lived a fully embodied human life.... God did not save us by lifting us out of our humanity. God saved us by entering it.

From the opening chapters of Scripture, we see that God cares about the whole of life. In Leviticus, even the smallest details—how we eat, how we rest, how we treat the sick, how we honour the land—are woven into worship. Nothing is too small or too physical to matter to God.

In a digital age, this truth feels more urgent than ever. We live more online than in person. We argue without seeing faces. We curate images of ourselves that hide our real bodies. We fear touch because of past harm, and we fear presence because of illness. We are becoming a generation unsure of how to inhabit our own skin.

But Scripture calls us back to something deeper: You do not have a body—you are a body. You are a whole person, made in the image of God. Your physical presence is part of your spiritual calling.

The resurrection of Jesus shows us that our future hope is not disembodied escape but renewed, restored, embodied life. Jesus rises with his scars, the marks of his suffering. He eats. He breaks bread. He is changed, yet still recognisably human. Our hope is not to leave our bodies behind, but to have them made whole.

References:

Scripture:

John 1:1–14

Leviticus 11:44 – “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Genesis 2:7, 23 – “Flesh of my flesh.”

Matthew 6:10 – “Your kingdom come…”

Romans 12:1 – “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice…”

Luke 3:6 – “All flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Church Fathers & Classical Theologians.

Athanasius of Alexandria. “He became what we are, that He might make us what He is.” (On the Incarnation, §54.)

Gregory of Nazianzus. “What is not assumed is not healed.” (Epistle 101 to Cledonius).

Irenaeus of Lyons. “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” (Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapter 20.)

Modern Theologians & Thinkers.

Abraham Joshua Heschel. “The Bible is not man’s theology but God’s anthropology.” (God in Search for Man.)

N.T. Wright. “God will put the whole world right, and in the meantime, He puts people right so that they can be part of His putting‑right project.” ( Surprised by Hope.)

C.S. Lewis. “We are promised resurrection, not instruction in biology.” (Miracles and Letters to Malcolm.)

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Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

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"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” — Proverbs 16:9

This week, I found myself lingering in the company of a man who lived three centuries before the birth of Christ: Aristotle. This is a special double-length episode in which I explore "A Christian History of Aristotle." It is a long conversation, and one I recorded and offered as ‘Patreon-only’ content back in 2024. However, I believe it is a discussion that is vital for anyone wanting to understand the "spiritual architecture" of the world we live in today.

Aristotle famously said that "an unplanned life is not worth examining." He believed that to truly "live well" and to achieve what he called Eudaimonia (happiness or flourishing), a person must live with intentionality. He argued that we are not born virtuous; rather, we become what we repeatedly do. Excellence, in his eyes, was not an act, but a habit.

As I sat with his writings, I couldn't help but feel a sense of thankfulness for what Christian theologians call "Common Grace." He saw that we are creatures of habit. He saw that we have "real goods" (the things we truly need, like truth and friendship) and "apparent goods" (the things we think we want, but which often leave us empty). When Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full," He was addressing that same deep human ache for flourishing—but He provided the only source that can satisfy it.

The Bible takes this even further in 2 Corinthians 13:5, urging us to "examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." In the podcast, I look at how the Christian process of sanctification takes Aristotle’s idea of "virtuous habits" and breathes supernatural life into them. We aren't just trying to be "better versions of ourselves"; Christians believe we are being transformed into the image of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Of course, Aristotle was a man of his time, and as Christians, we must hold his wisdom with a discerning hand. That's why, in the episode, I don't shy away from his controversial views on slavery and women—views that fall when placed alongside the radical equality of Galatians 3:28, where we learn that we are all "one in Christ Jesus."

Support the show

Follow Me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

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A Meditation on Hamnet – A film by Chloé Zhao.

"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:16-17)

This week, my imagination has been caught in the mossy, tactile world of the new film Hamnet. As many of you know, I spent much of this past month immersing myself again in Genesis "The Book of Beginnings," as a re-edited my work both for placing my entire back catalogue of sermons and audio podcast as a playlist on Patreon whilst at the same time adapting it into a daily devotional that should be available on Amazon in book form within the next few weeks.

See what I have to say about this brilliant film, artistically but spiritually a miss-step.

Support the show

Follow Me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com