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The Salvation of Spirit, Soul, and Body

Discussion in '2003 Archive' started by KenH, Jun 20, 2003.

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  1. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    Someone passed this article along to me. I would interested in any comments on this subject - favorable or unfavorable:

    a) Spirit

    Man's sin in the garden in Eden produced death. Man died the day he ate of the forbidden fruit. Since his body continued to live, revealing that his soul -- the life-giving principle in the blood (Lev. 17:11; cf. Gen. 9:4) -- remained unchanged with respect to life (natural life), it is evident that it was his spirit which died.

    The spiritual nature is that part of man which links him directly with God. "God is spirit," and man's worship of God must be "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24, NASB). The death of Adam's spirit separated him from God (establishing the primary meaning of "death" in Scripture -- separation from God), and this death (this separation from God) "passed upon all men" (Rom. 5:12).

    Scripture speaks of an unsaved person as being "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). With an unredeemed, inanimate spirit (spiritually dead), he is alienated from God, separated from God (Eph. 2:12).

    But once the person has been born from above, he is then spoken of as having passed "from death unto life," as having been "quickened" (John 5:24; Eph. 2:5). Possessing an animate spirit, possessing spiritual life (having been made alive spiritually), he is no longer separated from the One Who Himself is "Spirit" (John 4:24).

    This aspect of salvation is brought to pass through the Spirit of God breathing life into the one having no life, based on Christ's finished work at Calvary; and once this has been accomplished, everything surrounding the work effecting this aspect of salvation has been completed, with this work existing in a finished state (as previously seen through the use of the perfect tense in Eph. 2:8).

    Thus, the salvation experience which man enters into at the time of the birth from above is a work of the Spirit, based on a previous work of the Son. It is a spiritual birth and has to do with man's spirit alone: "...that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6b).

    b) Soul

    The salvation of the soul, on the other hand, should never be associated with the past aspect of salvation. Scripture carefully distinguishes between the soul and the spirit, never using the words interchangeably in this respect (cf. I Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12). And Scripture also carefully distinguishes between salvation in relation to the spirit and salvation in relation to the soul. Salvation in relation to the spirit is always dealt with in a past sense, but not so with the salvation of the soul. Rather, the salvation of the soul is always dealt with in a future sense:

    "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (I Peter 1:9).

    "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).

    "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe [are faithful] to the saving of the soul" (Heb. 10:39).

    The statements and exhortations in these verses pertain to Christians alone -- those whose spirits have already been saved and whose souls are in the process of being saved, with the salvation of the soul being realized only at a future time.

    c) Body

    The salvation of the body presents very few problems for the majority of Christians. Very few Christians contend, contrary to Scripture, that the body has either already been redeemed or is in the process of being redeemed. Scripture places the redemption of man's body entirely in the future (Rom. 8:23).

    The Christian's body is presently in a continuous state of deterioration. The body grows old and weakens with time; and the body is subject to sickness, disease, and eventually death. This must ever remain the case as long as the body remains unredeemed. The "wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23), and the unredeemed body must pay the price which sin requires.

    Within this unredeemed body lie two opposing entities, each seeking dominion -- a redeemed spirit, and an unredeemed soul. The unredeemed soul is housed in an unredeemed body, and the two are mutually compatible. But the redeemed spirit housed alongside an unredeemed soul in an unredeemed body experiences no compatibility with either of the other two at all. Compatibility is not possible, for "what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" (II Cor. 6:14).

    This heterogeneous union is what produced the cry of the Apostle Paul in Rom. 7:24,

    "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

    - www.inthebeginning.org/kingdom/chitwood/salvationofsoul.htm
     
    #1 KenH, Jun 20, 2003
  2. Tim

    Tim New Member

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    KenH,

    You've been a good ally on other issues, but it looks like I'll have to disagree with you on this one.

    I'm not convinced that Paul is describing himself in Romans 7 (the wretched man). I think he is entering in to the thoughts of a man who tries to live by the Law. Because the Law gives a man no power to live a righteous life, Paul expresses the great frustration such a man is destined to have--and then points to the solution in Christ. This leads him naturally into his discussion of the Spirit-led life in Rom. 8, which is the life of a Christian.

    Rom. 7 may have described Paul (as Saul), the carnal legalist, before his conversion, but I don't think it is the life we should anticipate as a Christian.

    I know this goes against traditional teaching on this passage, but it is my personal conclusion after studying Romans myself--a book with a central theme of the superiority of the Spirit over the Law.

    In Christ,

    Tim
     
    #2 Tim, Jun 20, 2003
  3. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    There is no agreeing or disagreeing with me on this one. I have not heard of this presentation of body, soul, and spirit before. So I sincerely want to know what other people think about this presentation. I have no "horse" in this race. [​IMG]
     
    #3 KenH, Jun 20, 2003
  4. Me2

    Me2 New Member

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    Ken, I agree with your bases of presentation.

    and also Paul was comparing the remnants of the mindset of the "old man" which has been taught to please God via the desire of following the law, along side the opposite choice of resting in humility of the finished work of Christ.

    All christians who enter into the sanctification process is confronted with the temptations of satan to follow the flesh. met alongside the choice of resting in christ.

    that is how everywork of the flesh is defeated.

    the battle of satan and the holy spirit using the law of the flesh and the power of the resurrected spirit.

    that is the laws "job". to defeat the works of the flesh. that is satans "job" to tempt and to accuse.
    and the law is at the forefront verses grace.

    oh wretched man.
     
    #4 Me2, Jun 20, 2003
  5. Tim

    Tim New Member

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    KenH,

    As long as you're not riding this horse--let me add another critique:

    I'm not convinced that Man is tripartate. The only phrase that seems to possibly indicate it is IMHO "the dividing of soul and spirit" by God's Word, but that may be simply a figure to emphasize the piercing, convicting power of the Scripture. The context of Heb. 4 doesn't seem to be addressing the nature of Man.

    I'm even more unconvinced that a man can have two "natures". Certainly we have sinful habits we need to break, but is it really my nature as a Christian to continue in sin? I believe 1 John teaches otherwise. My new nature wants to serve the Lord--the only "natural" condition for a Christian. Sin (albeit too common) should be considered an aberration for believers, rather than merely doing (or doin') what comes naturally.

    In Christ,

    Tim
     
    #5 Tim, Jun 21, 2003
  6. go2church

    go2church Active Member
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    Why the division of the spirit and the soul to begin with? In my opinion this ia a false premise to begin the discussion with.
     
    #6 go2church, Jun 21, 2003
  7. Artimaeus

    Artimaeus Active Member

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    [​IMG] That was an excellent presentation. The Bible clearly distinguishes between the soul and the spirit (animals have souls but not spirits). Traditionally mankind has generally used the terms interchangeably and it is difficult sometimes to seperate "what I have always heard" from what scripture actually says. Your presentation is the way I have always envisioned it (at least pretty close) but never able to articulate as well.
    Thanks, Joe
     
    #7 Artimaeus, Jun 21, 2003
  8. Aki

    Aki Member

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    guys [​IMG]

    i am not learned in this topic. but i know of a single trivia which concerns Christ, upon His death, as to where His body, soul and spirit went.

    Christ's body went to the grave:

    Christ's soul went to Hell (or Hades)

    and finally, Christ's spirit went to God the Father.

     
    #8 Aki, Jun 24, 2003
  9. Graceforever

    Graceforever New Member

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    Tim, there is also this verse to suggest that man could be tripartite, although I haven’t studied enough on this to voice much of an opinion….

    1 Thessalonians 5: 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
     
    #9 Graceforever, Jun 24, 2003
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