Body, Soul and Spirit

People today put a lot of emphasis and authority on the body and their feelings, rather than on their thinking, reason and truth. Feelings have become the prime authority in modern-day culture. Our society, on the whole, has given up on in-depth rational thinking. Feelings are the basis for what many people believe rather than reason. Many people try to manage their lives by managing their feelings rather than managing their thinking, and then the feelings follow. Feelings follow thoughts; if our thoughts are distorted, so will our feelings. Thinking based on truth will lead to good feelings. Jesus said, “The Truth will make you free”(John 8:32). God is love. God, by his nature, is love and is happy.

However, thinking and reason based on truth can result in a sense of wholeness and desires that are awakened to goodness and toward God and his love, and it is experiential in this life. Philosopher Blaise Pascal says, “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Taking time to think and be quiet may give room for God to interject in our lives. As Marcina Wiederkehr says in The Song of the Seed, “There are some things we can learn only in silence.”

All humans have a spirit that is given by God to connect with God, and thus, mankind is a living soul. However, not all people have the Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit or God’s Spirit. Our spirit can be spiritually dead until awakened by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We have to respond to God’s grace to be awakened. The spirit of man is eternal and will either spend eternity in heaven or hell.

Man is given a body by God, and we are to look after it. Speaking to the Christian, the Bible says the body is “The temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). I don’t believe we should deface the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says we are also not to dedicate it to sin. (1 Corinthians 10) The Apostle Paul, speaking particularly about marriage, says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Of course, if you are already married and are in this situation, you are to honour your covenant, if your spouse is willing. (1 Corinthians 7:12-16)

The soul is like the hard drive of the operations of the human. It is not just the brain, it is the thinking, feeling, desires and the operations of life. The soul integrates the whole body, soul and spirit. However, the soul could be nothing but become a robot without the Spirit, which is given to man by God. All human beings have a spirit, and another name for it is the God-given gift of will and the essence of being. Without the spirit, we would cease to exist. Note what is said in the Bible in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” There is a spirit given by God to all men, and then there is the Holy Spirit given to those in Christ. (Many scriptures make this distinction) This Spirit is eternal. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) As God’s word says, “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7)

The soul of man is thoroughly corrupted by sin. However, in this life God does give grace to man so that he can do some good. Many people take credit for this goodness of God to themselves. (Romans 3:10-18) If man were totally left to himself, even in this life, it would be an absolute hell. Hell is being separated from God’s goodness and God. However, God can restore the soul in Christ. (Psalm 23:3)

For the body, soul, mind and spirit to be redeemed and restored, it must be baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Mark 12:30-31; Corinthians 12:13) Every Christian has been baptized with the Holy Spirit, and then they must learn to walk in the Holy Spirit. “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Romans 8:9). Then we go on to be water baptized as a public disciple of Jesus. Using football as an analogy, some Christians are at their team's 5-yard line, and some are at the 5-yard line near the touchdown area. Some Christians by choice never get out of the end zone. It has to do with diligence, maturity and walking in the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:10)

It is not that Christians need more of the Holy Spirit to grow in holiness; it is that we need to be more in sync with the Holy Spirit. This occurs when we seek his glory instead of ours or someone else's. It is when we surrender our will to God and therefore trust him. It is when we grow in grace and knowledge. The intent of the heart is very important, and God changes the intent of the heart as we cooperate with him in this process of being conformed to the image of Christ. This is the beautiful life.

Have you experienced the beauty of a love fellowship with the living God here on earth? Nothing is more valuable than God and his presence in this life. Out of that fellowship comes peace, joy and power to be transformed into the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29) Character and virtue are intended for this life in Christ as well as the ministry of evangelism and discipleship of self and others.

Where will your body, soul and spirit spend eternity? Do you care? Someday you will. The Christian goes to heaven immediately at death, and then at the second coming of Christ, each will receive an immortal resurrected body for eternity. (Philippians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-55) However, at death, we step into God’s time.

Your spirit must be raised from Spiritual death to Spiritual life. This is what it means to be born again. (John 3:3). This is a supernatural work of God in response to a sincere intent to turn from sin and worship God, especially in Jesus Christ and receive him as Savior and Lord. We place our faith in Jesus rather than in ourselves. We, in a sense, turn from the worship of self, satan and things.

When we get to heaven, will God say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant You have been faithful over little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of the master. (Matthew 25:21) Have we shown respect for Jesus expressed in gratitude and love, or have we spurned his grace in vain? (2 Corinthians 6:1) There are givers and takers; are you both or just a taker?

Our body, soul and spirit are very important and should be taken care of, although they also must be set in order of priority. Our lives show our priorities and who we love the most. Narcissism is a hard habit to break without the love of God and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Paul says that all the things in the flesh are rubbish compared to knowing Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality” (Colossians 3:23-24).

“We are fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). This includes the body, soul, social, mind, and spirit, which includes the will, which makes up the whole person. We are not changed deep within by the will, but thinking and experiencing truth and entering into the person of the truth, which can change the will. Those without the Holy Spirit will not come to wholeness as God intended and will be separated from God and his goodness. Turn to him, for he will receive you if you come in truth, especially as it relates to Jesus’s gospel. (Genesis 4:7)

Resource:-

Living the Eternal Life Now, Dallas Willard. Teaching series on YouTube.