I apologize for not being on in some time, but internet access is not constant for me. Let's think about answering this question...Is there any scripture to suggest that the holy earthen vessel of God was ever a motivator of God? What would we call an earthen vessel (made of earth) that has no power to motivate the soul/spirit? I call this dead flesh, because it can be likened to a vehicle made of lifeless parts, and the earthen vessel of God is approachable even for us. A vehicle/vessel must have an operator/driver in order to do anything. This makes the vehicle itself something that is not alive. Even considering a clay vessel that holds liquid, it still needs someone to carry it. The clay pot is a vehicle that transports oil/water. The clay pot is not alive, it's dead, and the oil/water overflowing out of it makes the inside and outside covered with life. If what is inside the pot is contaminated, then the pot is then a dead vehicle that spreads death/disease/killing/stealing/destroying, because even the contents are death. The next thing to understand is when God died for us, and so we must consider the foreknowledge of God to be accurate in finding out exactly when God died for us.Heb 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. We also cannot base our decisions upon the assumption that because the works were finished from the foundation of the world, the works were not finished before the foundation of the world. So what does scripture have to say in answering the following questions.....Did God die for us when the earthen vessel of God shed blood and did not operate for a while? Yes. (I hope I don't need to post scripture to prove that one)Did God know that was going to happen without any chance of it not happening? Yes.When did we need God to die for us, and when was the beginning of our existence?Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. When God decided to create this best case scenario, (God has no beginning or ending) that is the point when gifts and callings were given, and those gifts and callings are without repentance. It was all done, and just needed to appear. Before God made us, God decided to make us. Before God decided to make us, God knew He would have to die for us. When God decided to make us, God had already decided to die for us, and God did die for us when that decision/gift was given. It's not so hard to understand, just very hard to comprehend the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!Before God decided to die for us, some part of God existed that could be dead, otherwise God would not have been able to decide to suffer/die for us. Can God die? No. Then how can God die for us? To clarify.... God cannot be dead (cease to exist), and God cannot die (become inoperable). A part of God cannot cease to exist, but a part of God can be not operating from a certain perspective (ours, our eyes of flesh). One of these parts that can exist and yet not operate from our perspective is the earthen vessel of God. God has always had an earthen vessel, and will always have an earthen vessel. Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.So the final question is this....Is the earthen vessel of God a vessel that holds an operator/motivator/driver? Yes, otherwise the earthen vessel of God would never have stopped operating from our perspective. The Word of God did not stop operating, but the earthen vessel of God did for a few days from our perspective. Can the earthen vessel of God operate without God? No, otherwise it could not have been temporarily allowed to be disabled. If the earthen vessel of God could operate without God, then the earthen vessel would be God, but the earthen vessel is a vessel, not God. A vessel is only a vessel of life when life is in it. The vessel itself deserves no glory, but the life in the vessel deserves all the glory. An earthen vessel can be an example of everlasting life, if everlasting life is in it.What do we call something that is lifeless by itself? Do we not call it dead? Notice that the following word is a describing word.dead [ded] Show IPA adjective, dead·er, dead·est, noun, adverb adjective 1. no longer living; deprived of life: dead people; dead flowers; dead animals. 2. brain-dead. 3. not endowed with life; inanimate: dead stones. 4. resembling death; deathlike: a dead sleep; a dead faint. 5. bereft of sensation; numb: He was half dead with fright. My leg feels dead. The way I am using the words "dead flesh" is an attempt to emphasize what the dictionary does not cover, which is motivational power. The previous definitions in the dictionary do not include the ability for something dead to motivate/be not lifeless/not inanimate. For instance....What do you call dead things (like dust, trash, paper, shoes, coats) that influence decisions? When a house gets cluttered and dead stuff is scattered everywhere, then that dead stuff can influence you to organize the dead stuff, throw it away, destroy it, etc., and it can also motivate you to be overwhelmed and continue to pile it up into a bigger mess. Dead stuff that has the power to motivate/be not inanimate is still dead/inanimate, but at the same time it is animate when it has the power to motivate. This means that earthen vessels can be dead and alive both at the same time, depending on specific perspective. When I stub my toe, I feel it, my flesh merely shows the damage. When a car is wrecked with somebody in it, that somebody feels it, and the condition of the vehicle is a good indication of what the person inside felt. If the vehicle is completely destroyed, and is ripped apart, and fluids are everywhere, then the vehicle is not operational until it's fixed by someone who knows how to fix it, and has the appropriate parts to replace. Some vehicle problems cause the operator to not feel much at all, and some are very painful. It's the same with our earthen vessel. I can feel normal, hot, cold, pain, etc. A car can be cold, be hot, etc., but a car cannot feel. The car feels hot when I am in it. The car feels cold when I am in it, but again the car does not feel. The car feels cold, and the car does not feel cold, and both are true.That's the best I can do right now to hopefully allow others to understand where I am coming from. It's an identity thing. Both of the following statements are also true depending on what perspective you're talking about...... I am a vessel (the soul is a vessel that holds a measure of The Holy Spirit, and the soul can also hold a measure of a spirit that is not holy), and I am not a vessel (I am a measure of the immeasurable Holy Spirit of God). I am identified as a spirit in a living vessel (soul), and the spirit/soul combo is currently in an earthen vessel which is dead and yet can be an example of life by what is found in it. If my earthen vessel starts to motivate my soul, then it is called dead and not inanimate at the same time. Earthen vessels/vehicles which motivate the soul are not inanimate, even though they are also considered dead. Both are true.The holy flesh/earthen vessel of God has always been completely dead, with no power to motivate the soul. Obviously when somebody points to me and refers to me as Jonathan, they are seeing the outward appearance (which can be called Jonathan), but I do not know my real name (the name of the living vessel (soul) combined with my specific measure of the Holy Spirit of God. God has a name for me (The living me), and when I get a new earthen vessel it will not be corruptible anymore, because what is in it is everlasting life. If everlasting life is constantly flowing out of the earthen vessel, and never stops, then the earthen vessel also will not be corruptible, even though it is a vehicle that is motivated by the spirit/soul.