Noordzij — Anthropology
b9 — Bread and Wine
Slavery of the Flesh — Egypt as an Inner State
Noordzij interprets “Egypt” not merely as geographical freedom, but as liberation of human nature:
The “land of slavery”, “Egypt”, symbolises the “slavery” of the “flesh”. God now desires our redemption, our liberation from the power of the “flesh”, to serve Him in spirit and truth.
The flesh (sarx) represents the natural, sensual order of human existence—not the body itself, but the self-centered, earthly disposition. This slavery is inward: it is the fallen state of man apart from Christ.
Soul-Life — Desires, Longings, Feelings
The central anthropological thought concentrates on a distinction between two layers of human nature:
“Blood” points to the soul-life with its desires and longings. Jesus poured out His soul-life in death (Isa. 53:12). He refused to be led by human-soulish needs and focused so completely on God that He could experience His Father’s feelings.
This characterization reveals:
- The soul (psyche) as the seat of desires, longings, and feelings
- The distinction between human-soulish needs and divine feelings/will
- Jesus as the model of a human who completely submitted his soul-life to God’s being
The disciples are called to the same movement:
Our soul with all its desires, longings and feelings we are to pour out, and drink in the new blood of Jesus (= the desires and longings from God). Thus through the Lamb we are freed from the fleshly-soulish disposition of Egypt and the “firstborn” remains alive in us.
Born Anew — From Above
The transformation of human nature requires radical renewal, not merely moral improvement:
To eat the true bread anew in His kingdom, we must be from above, born again (John 3:3-6).
This “being from above” marks a different order of existence—not natural/carnal, but spiritual/heavenly. It is not gradual growth, but new birth (palingenesis).
The Firstborn — Christlikeness in Man
Noordzij sees in the “firstborn” the goal of human restoration:
The “firstborn” who must remain alive in our “house” points to Jesus, who was the first to be fully called out of “Egypt” by the Father (Matt. 2:15).
Human fulfillment consists in the formation of Christ in us (imago Christi), not merely imago Dei. This provides a Christological foundation for anthropology.
Old and New — Shadow and Reality
The distinction between old and new man is grounded in a deeper metaphysical difference:
A shadow is two-dimensional, flat, lifeless — like photographs. That is how the “old” relates to the “new”. The “old” is perfect in foreshadowing the “new”, like a photo album (Heb. 10:1).
Here emerges an anthropology where:
- The “old man” is not merely morally evil, but ontologically incomplete (shadow)
- The “new man” in Christ reaches a deeper reality than natural humanity
- The transformation is not merely ethical, but existential