Spirit, soul and body
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23 NIV)
Even though I work to post different promise topics daily, there are some that bear repeating because they are life changing. And I have new people coming on, and I want them to understand and apply them, too. Also, some things are to be repeated as reminders, so they become established. The apostle Peter said this: “Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. (2 Peter 1:12-13 NLT). Understanding that we have three parts made up of spirit, soul, and body is one of those life-changers.
We are three parts
According to the above passage we are made up of three distinct parts, spirit, soul and body.
1. Spirit: You cannot see or feel this part of yourself. Like God, it is invisible. Inside each one of us is our own spirit which is the part of us that gets transformed when we become "born again". Jesus explained this truth to Nicodemus in John 3:1-12.
Made brand new and perfect!
You become a new creatures by Jesus, (2 Cor. 5:17), your spirit becomes instantly brand new and perfect, (1 John 4:17, 1 Cor. 6:17, Eph. 4:24)
“But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.” (Job 32:8 ESV)
“And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Eccles. 12:7 ESV)
“For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 2:11 ESV)
“But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Rom. 8:10 ESV)
2. Soul: The seat of your thoughts, affections, and reasonings.
Your mind is not transformed instantly as your spirit is, when you receive Christ. You must continually work daily to bring your thinking into alignment with God's Word, which is a lifelong process (Phil 1:6). This continual process "renews your mind" and enables you to "prove (demonstrate) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” (Prov. 23:7a NASB)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:2 NKJV)
This process, or lack of it, explains why some born again Christians continue to struggle with fear, sin, and addictions, even though they are actually redeemed. The better you get at "transforming your mind" and bringing it into agreement with God's Word, the more victorious you will be in life and as a Christian.
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deut. 6:5 NASB)
3. Body: Your physical self. Your body, the third part of you is the easiest part to understand because you can see and feel your human body. If I ask you how you feel you can easily know and tell me. If I ask you if you are cold or warm, you can easily answer.
This part of you, (your body) is not transformed when you become a Christian. If you are fat, skinny, tall, young, or old, when you are born again, you will be that way afterwords. The Bible calls your body "the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), and also only temporary as in "jars of clay" (2 Cor. 4:7). We are told to take care of our bodies and someday they will die and our spirits will leave them (2 Cor. 5:6).
There will eventually come a day at the appearing of Jesus that our bodies, too, will be transformed and we will then have brand new transformed ones, (2 Cor. 5:3).
Therefore
The Bible says, "as long as we are in this earthly tent" (your body), you must work to do everything you can do to serve God faithfully until He returns, (Heb. 3:14-18).
You must study your Bible to discover God's truths (2 Tim. 2:15) and apply them to your thinking to transform your mind (Rom. 12:2).
You must pray for and about things (spirit), (1 Thes. 5:16-18).
God will do it!
And, finally, the next verse following today's promise about your spirit, soul, and body says that God Himself, will make it happen for you. “He will do it”, because He is “faithful!”
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." (1 Thes. 5:24 NIV)
And, that too, is an amazing and wonderful promise!