11/29/2024
“Zoe” Life in a “Bios” World: Jack Miller and the Pivotal Debates of Middle Westminster
By grahamline
November 27, 2024
The relationship between zoe life (eternal, spiritual life), bios life (temporal, physical life), and psyche (soul or self) provides a powerful framework for understanding the gospel’s impact on identity, salvation, and renewal.
These concepts illuminate not only the grand narrative of Scripture but also the pastoral crises and cultural conflicts that often characterize the modern church. This essay will explore these themes beginning with Adam and the original creation extending to Christ and the new creation.
Alongside this, we will situate these reflections in the historical context of Westminster Theological Seminary during the mid-20th century, examining the contributions and controversies surrounding Jack Miller, Jay Adams, and Norman Shepherd.
We will conclude with pastoral reflections on the power of the gospel, the responsibility of Christian leaders, and the hope for renewal through the transformative work of the Spirit.
1. Definitions: Zoe, Bios, and Psyche
Zoe: Eternal Life
In Scripture, zoe refers to life as it originates from God and is imparted through Christ. It signifies eternal life—the life of communion with God that transcends physical existence and is ultimately transformative. Jesus identifies zoe as central to His mission: “I came that they may have life [zoe] and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Zoe is:
• Relational: Eternal life is bound up with knowing God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3).
• Redemptive: Zoe life is a gift of grace, bringing salvation and restoration to fallen humanity (Ephesians 2:4-5).
• Transformative: It renews the inner person and animates the believer’s life in the Spirit (Romans 8:10-11).
Bios: Physical Life
Bios encompasses physical and temporal life—our bodily existence and engagement in the material world. While bios is good as part of God’s creation (Genesis 1:31), it is also fragile and finite due to sin. Paul contrasts bios with zoe when emphasizing the perishable nature of our current bodies and the imperishable reality of resurrection life (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
Psyche: Soul or Self
Psyche refers to the human soul or self, encompassing identity, will, and inner life. It is the seat of personal identity and consciousness, integrally tied to one’s relationship with God:
• Relational Orientation: The psyche is either aligned with God (renewed in Christ) or alienated (dead in sin).
• Dependent on Zoe Life: While psyche can animate bios life, it only finds its true purpose and fulfillment through zoe life in union with God (Matthew 16:26).
2. Biblical Theology: From Adam to New Creation
A. Creation: The Breath of Life
Genesis 2:7 reveals the twofold creation of humanity: God forms Adam from the dust (bios) and breathes into him the “breath of life” (zoe). This act distinguishes Adam as a living being (nephesh, akin to psyche), created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Adam’s identity and purpose are defined by his covenantal relationship with God, who is the source of zoe life.
B. The Fall: Death and Alienation
When Adam disobeys God, he dies spiritually, losing zoe life and fracturing his psyche. While bios life persists temporarily, it is marked by decay and eventual death (Genesis 3:19). This disintegration of zoe, bios, and psyche leaves humanity alienated from God, disoriented in self, and subject to judgment.
C. The Gospel Promise: Life Restored in Christ
God’s covenant of grace provides the solution to humanity’s fractured state:
• Christ as the Second Adam: Jesus fulfills the covenant of works by perfectly obeying God’s law and restoring zoe life to those who are united with Him through faith (Romans 5:18-21).
• The Gift of Zoe Life: Through His resurrection, Christ imparts eternal life to believers, renewing their psyche and ultimately transforming their bios (Romans 8:11).
D. The New Creation: Zoe Life Fully Realized
In the new creation, the union of zoe, psyche, and bios life is perfected. Believers receive glorified bodies (bios) and dwell eternally with God in full communion (zoe), free from sin and death (Revelation 21:1-4). This consummation fulfills the redemptive arc begun in the garden and secured through Christ.
3. Historical Context: Westminster Seminary’s Mid-20th Century Legacy
The theological debates at Westminster Seminary in the mid-20th century revealed significant differences in how the faculty approached justification, sanctification, and the Christian life.
Jay Adams, Norman Shepherd, and Jack Miller sought to address the struggles of the psyche and bios life, but their emphases on counseling, law, and covenantal obedience often led Adams and Shepherd to rely on frameworks that—unintentionally—returned believers to the legal promise.
In contrast, Jack Miller kept the believer connected to zoe life in the Spirit, emphasizing the ongoing necessity of justification by faith alone as the wellspring of transformation for the psyche and bios life.
A. Jay Adams: Counseling and the Psyche in the Third Use of the Law
Jay Adams’ development of nouthetic counseling marked a significant contribution to practical theology, bringing Scripture to bear on the issues of sin and sanctification. Adams emphasized the importance of biblical correction to transform behavior (bios life) and address the conscience (psyche). However, his framework often left the believer’s psyche and bios life under the weight of moral effort.
1. Leaving Justification (and Repentance) in the Past:
• Adams affirmed justification by faith alone but treated it primarily as a past event. For Adams, sanctification became the focus, and the means of growth often shifted to biblical counseling that emphasized obedience. While Adams viewed this as operating under grace, his method frequently relied on the third use of the law to confront sin and guide behavior.
2. Counseling the Psyche Through Bios Life:
• Adams’ approach aimed to bring change in bios life—observable actions and behaviors—by addressing the psyche through direct confrontation with Scripture. However, by leaving justification behind, Adams often unintentionally placed the psyche back under the legal promise, where transformation depended on external correction rather than the ongoing work of the Spirit through the zoe life of the gospel.
3. Jack Miller’s Critique of the Limits of Counseling:
• Jack Miller, while valuing counseling, recognized its limitations. In Repentance and Twentieth Century Man, Jack explained that counseling focused on behavior without the ongoing application of the gospel could only reach so far. True transformation required zoe life—the Spirit’s work through the gospel to free the conscience and empower faith-filled obedience.
B. Norman Shepherd: Covenant Theology and the Psyche
Norman Shepherd’s theology, rooted in a one-covenant framework, aimed to integrate faith and obedience in a way that emphasized covenantal faithfulness as a condition for maintaining and finalizing justification. Shepherd affirmed justification by faith alone at the start, but his teaching added subsequent requirements for obedience that tied justification to bios life and burdened the psyche.
1. Three Stages of Justification:
• Shepherd distinguished between initial justification (by faith alone), ongoing justification (maintained by covenantal obedience), and final justification (dependent on faithfulness). While Shepherd believed he was operating within the realm of grace, his theology effectively moved believers out of the gospel promise and returned them to the legal promise for their ongoing relationship with God.
2. Pressing Covenant Obedience on the Psyche and Bios Life:
• By emphasizing covenantal faithfulness, Shepherd focused on visible obedience (bios life) as necessary for justification. This framework weighed heavily on the psyche, leaving believers striving to maintain their standing before God through works rather than resting in the ongoing power of the Spirit.
3. Jack Miller’s Response to Shepherd:
• Jack rejected Shepherd’s teaching that works are necessary to remain in the state of justification or works are necessary for final justification. Jack understood that justification by works undermined the believer’s confidence in the gospel promise, leaving the psyche unsettled and bios life focused on performance. For Jack, the zoe life of the Spirit sustained believers in both justification and sanctification, enabling joyful obedience rooted in assurance.
C. A Shared Misstep: Aiming at Psyche and Bios Life Without Zoe Life
Despite their different starting points—Adams in counseling and Shepherd in covenant theology—both men shared a common emphasis on addressing the psyche and bios life in ways that minimized the ongoing necessity of zoe life:
1. Leaving the Gospel Behind:
• Both Adams and Shepherd affirmed justification by faith alone at the start but shifted their focus to sanctification or obedience without adequately connecting it to the ongoing power of the gospel. This left the psyche striving under frameworks that, unintentionally, operated under the legal promise.
2. External vs. Internal Transformation:
• Adams emphasized correcting bios life behaviors through counseling, while Shepherd emphasized covenantal obedience as necessary for the state of and final justification. In both cases, the transformation of the psyche and bios life became more about visible performance than the inward renewal of the Spirit through zoe life.
D. Jack Miller: Zoe Life for the Psyche and Bios
Jack Miller’s gospel-centered theology offered a transformative alternative to both Adams and Shepherd. Jack emphasized the ongoing necessity of justification by faith alone as the believer’s connection to the zoe life of the Spirit, which transformed both the psyche and bios life:
1. Justification and Zoe Life:
• Jack maintained that justification was not merely a past event but the ongoing foundation of the Christian life. Through union with Christ, believers received the Spirit’s zoe life, which freed the conscience (psyche) to rest in the gospel promise and love God’s law in joyful obedience.
2. Transforming the Psyche Through Grace:
• Jack confronted sin boldly, but always in the context of the gospel. His emphasis on preaching the gospel to oneself ensured that the psyche remained anchored in Christ’s finished work, freeing believers from fear and enabling faith-filled repentance.
3. Empowering Bios Life Through the Spirit:
• Jack’s focus on zoe life naturally renewed bios life, as external obedience flowed from inward transformation. By keeping the gospel central, Jack avoided the pitfalls of counseling or covenantal frameworks that relied too heavily on bios-level performance.
4. Sharpened by Westminster Debates:
• Jack’s theology was refined through his engagement with both Adams and Shepherd. These debates sharpened his focus on the faith-building power of the gospel and its ability to transform the psyche and bios life through the Spirit’s ongoing work.
Conclusion
Jay Adams and Norman Shepherd sought to provide biblical correctives, addressing sin and obedience through counseling and covenant theology. However, both left justification by faith alone behind after initial justification, unintentionally placing the psyche and bios life back under the legal promise. Jack Miller’s theology offered a liberating alternative, rooted in the ongoing necessity of zoe life through the gospel promise. His emphasis on the Spirit’s transforming power provides a model for addressing the psyche and bios life with assurance, joy, and freedom in Christ.
4. Paul’s Vision of Life: Romans 7–10
A. Romans 7: The Fractured Psyche
Romans 7:7-25 vividly captures the turmoil of a psyche (self) striving to obey God’s law but enslaved to sin. Paul portrays the inner conflict of a person caught between the desire to do good and the inability to carry it out:
• The Divided Self: “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). This reflects the psyche’s alienation from God and the inability of bios life to overcome sin’s power apart from zoe life.
• Despair and the Cry for Deliverance: Paul concludes, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). The phrase “body of death” underscores the futility of bios life disconnected from God’s zoe life. Paul’s cry anticipates the solution found in Christ and the Spirit.
B. Romans 8 to 9: Life in the Spirit and Sovereign Grace
Romans 8 provides the answer to Romans 7 by introducing the work of the Spirit, who restores zoe life and transforms both psyche and bios. Romans 9 builds on this by connecting God’s sovereign grace to His covenantal promises.
1. No Condemnation in Christ: Romans 8 begins with a triumphant declaration: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Through justification by faith alone, believers are reconciled to God and set free from the law of sin and death.
2. The Spirit’s Transformative Power: Sanctification is driven by the Spirit, who enables believers to put sin to death and live according to zoe life (Romans 8:13). This new life reshapes both the psyche’s orientation and bios life, as believers walk in union with Christ.
3. Hope and Sovereign Grace: Romans 8 closes with the assurance of future glory, when the redemption of bios life in resurrection will fully manifest the Spirit’s work. Romans 9 underscores that this salvation depends on God’s mercy, not human effort: “It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16). This covenantal clarity ensures that righteousness comes through faith in God’s promise, not through works.
C. Romans 10: The Faith-Building Power of the Gospel
Romans 10 emphasizes the transformative power of gospel proclamation in creating and sustaining faith:
1. Faith Comes by Hearing: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The proclaimed gospel is the Spirit’s instrument for imparting zoe life, renewing the psyche, and sanctifying bios life.
2. Preaching the Gospel to Yourself: Jack Miller emphasized that believers must regularly hear and declare the gospel, both personally and communally. For Miller, Romans 10 teaches that the gospel is not just a message for conversion but the ongoing source of faith and spiritual growth.
3. The Spirit’s Work Through the Word: Romans 10 highlights how the Spirit uses the proclaimed Word to convict, transform, and sustain believers. This proclamation aligns the psyche with God’s promises, enabling Christians to live out the fullness of zoe life in Christ.
5. Toward Broader Renewal
A. Jack Miller and Renewal Through Gospel Power
Jack Miller’s ministry exemplifies how recovering the greatness of the gospel can renew both individuals and churches. His emphasis on justification by faith alone and sanctification by faith in partnership with the Spirit safeguarded the distinction between law and gospel. Miller saw the gospel as the source of zoe life, which transforms the psyche and sanctifies the believer’s life in the Spirit.
B. Jay Adams and the Third Use of the Law
While Jay Adams made valuable contributions to biblical counseling, his emphasis on the law’s third use as a guide for sanctification sometimes risked blurring the distinction between law and gospel. Sanctification, while involving obedience, is fundamentally driven by faith and the Spirit’s work, not legalistic striving.
C. Norman Shepherd and the One-Covenant Framework
Shepherd’s theology conflated the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, collapsing the distinction between law and gospel. His one-covenant framework led to the addition of works to justification, resulting in confusion about the nature of God’s promises. While Shepherd sought to emphasize covenantal obedience, his approach undermined the gospel’s free promise of zoe life through faith alone.
• Clarity from Jack Miller: Miller rejected Shepherd’s expansion of a Reformation understanding of justification by faith alone to three justifications, affirming that while sanctification involves cooperation with the Spirit, justification is always by faith alone. Miller’s emphasis on the faith-building character of the gospel guarded against legalism and maintained the distinction between justification and sanctification.
6. Conclusion: The Gospel and Renewal in Zoe Life
The interplay of zoe, bios, and psyche provides a powerful framework for understanding the transformative power of the gospel. Romans 7 captures the plight of the fractured psyche under the law, while Romans 8-10 reveals the Spirit’s role in bringing zoe life, reconciling psyche and bios, and restoring identity in Christ. This gospel-centered vision is essential for addressing the cultural and ecclesial crises of identity that plague the church today.
A. The Gospel Call to Evangelism as the Foundation of Discipleship
Christian leaders bear the responsibility of proclaiming the greatness of the gospel and modeling the fullness of zoe life. Like Jack Miller, we must:
1. Preach and keep on preaching the Gospel Boldly: Emphasize the faith-building power of the gospel, trusting the Spirit to transform lives through the declared Word.
2. Guard Against Legalism: Maintain the distinction between justification and sanctification, ensuring that the gospel remains central in both.
3. Model Gospel Renewal: Lead by example, showing how union with Christ transforms every aspect of life.
4. Pray, pray individually and corporately, and keep on praying.
B. Toward Broader Renewal
The lessons from Westminster’s second generation of leaders remind us of the importance of theological clarity and spiritual vitality:
• Jay Adams’s Contributions: Highlighting the authority of Scripture in counseling.
• Norman Shepherd’s Cautionary Example: Avoiding theological frameworks that blur the legal promise and the gospel promise.
• Jack Miller’s Legacy: Centering ministry on the greatness of the gospel and the Spirit’s work.
C. A Vision for Renewal
The church’s low view of the gospel and over-reliance on bios-level psychologically based solutions leave many Christians as sheep without a shepherd. By recovering a high view of the gospel and the fullness of zoe life, we can address the root issues of identity and renewal. Preaching the gospel to oneself and others is not a mantra but a Spirit-empowered practice that sustains faith and transforms lives.
The call is to proclaim Christ as the source of zoe life, pointing people to the greatness of the gospel, where the fractured psyche is healed, bios life is transformed, and the glory of God’s omnipotent grace is revealed in His people.
In doing so, we reflect the fullness of the Good Shepherd who came to give life abundantly—for the joy of His people and the glory of His name.
Final Reflections: Toward Zoe Life in Christ
Jesus’ lament over the crowds—“like sheep without a shepherd”—captures the urgency of our task as leaders today. Many sit in churches with bad consciences, overwhelmed by bios-level struggles and unfulfilled psyches, because they lack a vision of zoe life in Christ. They are offered moralism, therapeutic deism, or external behavior management when they need the transformative power of the gospel.
The call for Christian leaders is to recover and proclaim the greatness of the gospel, leading ourselves and others into the fullness of life in Christ. This involves not only addressing surface-level conflicts but also exposing these conflicts to the life-giving power of the gospel message to heal the deeper fractures of the psyche and soul through the Spirit’s work.
The sadness you feel over the church’s condition is not without hope. It reflects Christ’s own compassion and call to action. Like Jack Miller, we must first preach the gospel to ourselves (one another as the church), allowing the gospel’s power to renew our own own hearts and lives and ministries, so we can declare the glory of that same gospel message to others with clarity and conviction and the fulness of life in Christ.
In doing so, we proclaim not just solutions to life’s struggles but the ultimate gift of zoe life—eternal communion with God through Jesus Christ, for the glory of the Giver of grace and the joy of His people.
