Featured New Birth vs. Soul Salvation

Thank you for the thoughtful response agedman. I believe that the verse that you reference here is 1 Corinthians 5:5:

"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

I also believe that this pertains to preservation. Once a man has been born of God, he is eternally secure. Not because he perseveres in working out his salvation, but rather because God preserves him. The immoral church member in the above verse obviously failed to "keep in memory" what was preached to him:

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

The erring brother may have once received "the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls", but he didn't keep it. Because of this, his soul was no longer saved in the New Testament sense of the term. He needed to be converted "from the error of his way" or else death was the only option. There is a "sin unto death". God will not allow us to continue sinning to the point that we would be condemned with the world:

"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." 1 Corinthians 11:30-32

God will keep us preserved blameless unto Christ's coming, body, soul and spirit. There is nothing that we can do to change that, He will do it.

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. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

How smoothly this ride goes depends on us though. We can judge ourselves, or we can be judged.
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
"The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God".

 

It's the second birth that secures the final salvation of a human being in his entirety. But there is more than one aspect of salvation.

First, I'd like to point out an important distinction. Christ came to save us from sin. Our deliverance from Hell is just the resulting effect.

Secondly, God "made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Our salvation, from sin, is located in Christ.

Now, when we were born again, a "new man" was "created in righteousness and true holiness". The Bible describes it as "a new creature". Our "new creature" is "in Christ" and is completely saved from sin:

"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." 1 John 5:18

However, this is not our whole being. The Bible is clear that we are still sinners even after the new birth:

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8

There is still a part of us that has to be saved from sin, even after we've been born again. And James 1:18-21 refers to it as our "soul":

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth... Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

God calls us to work out our own salvation from sin in this respect. We have to put off the "old man" and put on the "new man". And since this "new creature" is "in Christ", when we put him on we also enter into Christ. It is only "in Christ" that we are saved from sin, which is why we're told to "abide in Christ". And if we fail to do this? The wages of sin is death.

 

What are your thoughts on this interpretation? Does it seem solid? If not, what holes do you see in it? What concerns does it raise?