Spirit, Soul, and Body
Human life has three basic components: spirit, soul, and body.
Spirit has three functions: communion (with God), faith (towards God), and intuition (including conscience).
Soul also has three functions: thought, will, and emotion.
Body is explicit; it is our physical body, including not only our physical form and senses but also our brain.
Materialists believe that humans are just physical bodies and that human ‘soul’ is an illusion consisting of thinking or thoughts that are merely a function and phenomenon of the brain.
But God’s Word tells us that humans also have a spirit and a soul, and that the spirit and soul are not phenomena secondary to or derived from the human brain, but separate existences.
Using a computer analogy familiar to modern people, the brain is like hardware, and the soul is like software. Although software requires hardware operation to function under specific configurations, in essence, software is an independent entity that can run in other ways if necessary. Similarly, the human spirit and soul, in their current configuration in this life, are inseparable from the body, especially the brain. However, after the body dies, they can exist and manifest in alternative ways. Many testimonies of spirits and souls leaving the body after death and then returning to their bodies confirm this.
But this temporary evidence is not the key to our eternal hope. In faith, we await the final reality and the greatest testimony, which is the resurrection of the dead.
After the human body dies, the spirit and soul will leave the body and go to a temporary place (see: Sheol, Hell, Lake of Fire; Paradise, Heaven, Eternal Life), awaiting resurrection, followed by judgment.
Knowing that the soul and body are distinct and separate existences is a fundamental Christian belief. A materialist cannot be a Christian; even if they classify and label themselves as Christian, this fact remains unchanged. Believing in Jesus is not just nominal; it is believing in God and His salvation. Materialists not only disbelieve in God but also cannot truly believe in salvation. This is because the salvation mentioned in the Bible does not refer to receiving some help and relief during one’s earthly life, but rather the outcome of human life in eternity.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). If a person believes that human life is merely a physical body, then death is like extinguishing a lamp, and there will be no judgment. Conversely, if a person vaguely fears judgment after death, they are not a true materialist, even if they think they are. Fearing judgment after death is a basic expression of fearing God. Although fear itself cannot save people, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, the minimal start.
Spirit and Soul
However, many Christians, while believing in the existence of the soul, mistakenly assume that the spirit and soul are indistinguishable, treating them as one thing. This is partly related to the level of understanding of God’s Word and partly due to cultural influence.
For example, Chinese Christians may be influenced by the Chinese language itself. In most Chinese Bible translations, when the original text refers to “soul,” it is generally translated as “灵魂” (línghún – spirit-soul), and sometimes “soul” ( “魂” hún) is simply translated as “灵” (líng – spirit). This Chinese translation has its historical and cultural roots. In traditional Chinese, mentioning “魂” (hún) alone always vaguely implies a connection with “鬼” (guǐ – ghost or demon). This is evident from the radical of the Chinese character. This feeling was particularly strong when the early Chinese Union Version was formed (1919, over 100 years ago). Therefore, Chinese Bible translations deliberately avoided using the single character “魂” (hún) to prevent confusion when reading the scriptures.
At the same time, the original biblical text does not always strictly distinguish between spirit, soul, and body in every context. The Bible is not a theological or philosophical book, nor is it a human anatomy textbook, but a revelation of God and His will, including revelation and guidance regarding the reality of human life. When contrasting the soul with the body, the Bible sometimes mentions only the soul and not the spirit, and sometimes only the spirit and not the soul, depending on the emphasis of the Holy Spirit in the context. When contrasting the carnal (natural man) with the spiritual, the Bible often uses “flesh” as a general term to represent the natural man. This “flesh” includes not only the human body but also the human soul, as both are hostile to the spiritual in the fallen Adam (see Romans 8:7, which states that the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God).
However, it is an undeniable fact that the Bible clearly reveals the distinction between spirit and soul.
Moreover, distinguishing between spirit and soul has very important practical significance on a Christian’s path of life growth.
What matters is not merely the conceptual and textual difference, but the difference in practical life and practice. Some Christians, though conceptually understanding the difference between spirit and soul, cannot distinguish them in their actual lives and service. However, there are also Christians who, although lacking a clear theoretical distinction, demonstrate a distinction in their actual lives and service.
Regardless, concerning the truth, if we can have a clear understanding accompanied by humble and honest learning, it benefits us.
The Living Soul
“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 soul.” Genesis 2:7.
In the Chinese Union Version Bible, “living soul” is translated as “有灵的活人” (yǒu líng de huó rén – a living person with a spirit), but the original Hebrew meaning is “living soul” (most English Bible translations use “living soul,” which is closer to the Hebrew original). From a purely spiritual interpretation, the Chinese translation is actually good, because God’s “breath” is God’s Spirit. When God’s Spirit was breathed into Adam’s nostrils, man also received a spirit, so Adam was indeed a “living person with a spirit”.
But the problem is that “living person with a spirit” does not accurately describe the essence of human life. Genesis 2:7 clearly tells us that the essence of man is spirit, soul, and body.
First, as mentioned above, when God’s Spirit was breathed into Adam’s nostrils, man also received a spirit; this is a direct result. When God created other creatures and animals, He did not mention breathing His “breath” (Spirit) into their nostrils. Only man was created this way.
However, importantly, after God breathed His “Spirit” into Adam’s nostrils, Adam not only received a spirit (directly), but God also created the human soul through the fusion of spirit and body. Adam became a living soul. The human “soul” is the result produced within man after God’s Spirit was breathed in; it is the interface between spirit and body, and the center of human identity and self-awareness.
Thus, man became a complete being: spirit, soul, and body, representing the complete order God bestowed upon man in love.
Life is an order, and its most fundamental function is communion. Communion is always two-way. According to God’s decree, only the existence of the same kind can commune with each other. The “body,” being physical, can commune with the physical universe. The “spirit,” being spiritual and from God, allows the human spirit to commune with God. The “soul” can commune with the self (this is human self-awareness and the ability for introspection) and also with other “souls” (people).
Sin and Death
However, a tragedy occurred in the Garden of Eden. Because man listened to Satan’s lies and betrayed God, his communion with God was broken. Essentially, his spirit died. The essence of life is communion; the interruption of communion means death. This is an objective reality, not an insult. Some people get offended or angry when told their spirit is dead. But if you ask them, “Do you know what God has said?” they reply, “God? What God? Said what?”.
But after Adam sinned, his soul was still alive. His body continued to live for 930 years. (God said that on the day Adam sinned, he would surely die, so his spirit died that day. This is the spiritual reality. His body and soul remained alive but did not live past 1000 years, because one day for God is 1000 years on earth, and the body is earthly, so God gave Adam nearly 1000 earthly years according to one heavenly day.).
The “soul” is the interface between the “spirit” and the “body.”. The Bible often uses “soul” to represent a person because the human soul is the most fundamental definition of a person—the sum of their thoughts, will, and emotions.
The human soul, situated between the spirit and the body, acts as an interface, a channel, and translator between two different realms. Body and spirit belong to entirely different realms. Without the intervening soul, the body and spirit would have no relationship, meaning no information exchange. But when the human spirit is alive, and the soul functions normally, the life substance of the spirit can be healthily and accurately expressed in the soul, and the body becomes the outermost expression of life.
This was God’s perfect design, but it was all corrupted by sin.
The sinner’s spirit died. The original functions of the spirit—communion with God, faith in God, and intuition about the unseen spiritual realm—were lost. Communion was broken, faith vanished, and intuition fell weaker than that of animals.
Simultaneously, the human soul, having lost the healthy atmosphere and wisdom provided by the spirit, began to degenerate, becoming self-centered. Furthermore, the fallen body filled the soul with contradictions and anxiety, exhausting it. Many even indulge their fallen bodies, leading to total corruption of the flesh.
Spirit Saved
But God has a glorious plan to save humanity. See: God’s Plan for Man, History, and End.
Those saved in Jesus Christ begin by having their spirits revived. Just as Adam received life because God’s Spirit was breathed into him, the salvation of fallen Adam’s descendants also comes from being born of the Spirit, born from above (John 3:5-8). But the regenerated life is not merely the restoration of Adam’s life; it is receiving the life of God’s Son, Jesus Christ—the resurrection life—and having the Holy Spirit indwell thereafter. Adam’s was the old creation; regeneration is the new creation.
Man has a spirit. What is the relationship between the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) and our human spirit? Is it correct to say, “Our originally dead spirit came alive again,” or “God gave us a new spirit?”.
These are good and fundamental questions, but what truly relates to our lives and is crucial are not abstract concepts, but how the Holy Spirit operates within humans to bring salvation. The best answer regarding this issue is found in Romans Chapter 8.
Romans Chapter 8 is the chapter that most emphasizes and details how the Holy Spirit is within us, working through our own spirit to save us. See Romans Chapter 8 Bible Study Notes.
When we speak of “spirit,” whether the Holy Spirit or our own spirit, we first need to distinguish between two aspects: personhood and function (power). The Holy Spirit has both personhood and function, and our own spirit also has personhood and function. Regarding the Holy Spirit, our core focus should first be recognizing and respecting His personhood, followed by His function. But for our own spirit, it’s the opposite: our core focus should primarily be its spiritual function, not its personhood, otherwise we become self-centered.
Many heresies throughout history have arisen from confusing these key points. Some confuse the Holy Spirit with our spirit, some confuse the personhood of the Holy Spirit with His function, some emphasize the personhood of their own spirit, leading to arrogance, while others overemphasize the function of the human spirit, forgetting that when the Holy Spirit communes with us, He respects the personhood of our spirit—God desires a personal relationship, not merely a mechanical display of function.
Regarding our own spirit, one of its main functions is faith. True faith can only come from the spirit, not merely human psychological activity (although true faith will manifest in our soul and body). See Faith, Belief, Faithfulness.
The function of the spirit is to commune with God, just as the function of the soul is to commune with people (including communion with others and self-communion like introspection), and the body’s function is to commune with this physical world.
It is precisely in terms of losing the function of communion with God that the conclusion is drawn: since Adam sinned, the spirits of all humans have died.
Salvation begins when the Holy Spirit starts to commune with the spirit within us. When we say “the inner man came alive again,” this is what it means.
In worldly concepts, our understanding of “life” and “death” always refers to an isolated state. But God’s Word defines life and death more fundamentally and profoundly, referring to a state of relationship. The life and death of the spirit are defined by its relationship with God. The life and death of the soul are defined by its relationship with others and itself. The life and death of the body are defined by its relationship with this physical world. The characteristic of a living relationship is communion. The characteristic of a dead relationship is the cessation of communion.
Therefore, a human spirit that communes with God is alive; one that does not commune with God is dead. This is very practical and doesn’t require abstruse philosophy to answer.
In this practical sense, making a literal distinction between saying “our originally dead spirit came alive again” and “God gave us a new spirit” has no real meaning, because essentially they mean the same thing.
From Romans Chapter 8, we can see that for the saved, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (not indwelling in Godhead, but in power) should be the norm. And our own spirit, and only our spirit, can commune with the Holy Spirit.
A crucial point here is that our focus should be on the fact and function of communion with the Holy Spirit, not on our own spirit itself. Many people strive for so-called spiritual feelings, always exploring “Where is my spirit?”, searching for their spirit within their self-perception, which itself is not a spiritual state. By the time we have clear and realistic self-perception, we are already in our soul. God certainly delights when the efficacy of our spirit manifests in the feelings of our soul (this is actually an important sign of our soul’s salvation and blessing), but our spirit does not exist within the feelings of our soul, meaning it’s not within our subjective feelings.
However, our spirit is real, possessing both function and personhood. Loving the Lord with all our heart, approaching Him in faith, praying to Him, feeding on His Word, and communing with His body, the Church —all these manifest in the soul and body but can only begin from the spirit. A person’s knowledge of God in life begins entirely from the spirit, but God’s will is for it to ultimately reach our soul and body; otherwise, it’s not complete salvation.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!” 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
The Soulish Man
A regenerated, saved Christian, although their spirit is saved, their soul is not automatically saved. The salvation of a person’s soul is an accumulation of lifelong experiences and the focus of the Holy Spirit’s work in them.
Soulish Christians are not only possible but common.
The soul comprises human thoughts, will, and emotions. A person with new life should normally love the Lord, think of Him, and contemplate heavenly and spiritual matters. But people often fall into the world or even the bondage of sin because they are soulish; their soul has not yet experienced salvation. A soulish person sometimes shows a clear disinterest in spiritual things, but sometimes it’s more hidden: appearing interested in spiritual matters but actually only interested in religion, where the human flesh magnifies itself through religion.
Clear disinterest in spiritual matters is often obvious; Christians can be alert to this, and most gatherings and teachings emphasize warnings against it. But a soulish person’s fleshly interest in religion can often deceive—not only others but the person themselves.
Religious things are inventions of the human soul to satisfy itself (actually originating from Satan), are soulish, not only not spiritual but enemies of spiritual life.
This is an extremely important phenomenon: human-invented religion, some appearing powerful (like Asceticism), some seeming beautiful (like religious rituals and environments), regardless of the spiritual decoration used, are not spiritual.
Therefore, we need the Word that can divide spirit and soul (see below).
However, we also need to note that not everything found in the human soul is necessarily soulish.
This is because “effective in soul” and “soulish” are two different concepts.
In fact, what is spiritual, originating from the Holy Spirit and entering the human spirit, according to the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s work, is ultimately intended to enter the human soul. This is the path to the salvation of our soul (thoughts, will, emotions).
Conversely, things that are mystical and abstruse but actually cannot work effectively in the human soul, or in worse cases, merely manipulate and destroy the human soul, are not truly spiritual.
So, the key is not whether something is found in the spirit or the soul. The key is where it comes from and what it does (what effect it produces) after it arrives.
For all this, God has given us the Holy Spirit, His Word, brothers and sisters, and the time for fruit to manifest—all are means for testing these things. I can say I haven’t learned well, but I cannot complain that God hasn’t provided.
To test something, often the first checkpoint is our spiritual intuition (we must never say we don’t have this intuition; though perhaps underdeveloped, it definitely exists), then God’s Word, then prayer and fellowship. These don’t necessarily happen sequentially and individually but interact.
But ultimately, everything must lead to life.
And life manifests both internally and externally. Internally, life must involve the work of the cross (dying to sin, living to righteousness in Christ). Externally, life will bear fruit.
If, after persisting in something for a long time, life does not grow within me, nor does it bear fruit externally, then I must return to the beginning and re-examine. The longer the time, the more necessary this becomes. I cannot cling to a set of spiritual theories that I particularly like and admire but in reality not alive.
It’s possible that sometimes, even if the theory itself is correct, Satan still exploits my pride, creating a “religion” within me. If so, woe is me; I must ask God for mercy and start anew through the cross.
In God’s Word, we are told to test the spirits (1 John 4:1), test others (especially those who call themselves apostles, Rev 2:2), and test ourselves (2 Cor 13:5), but not to test God and the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:10; Acts 5:9).
But our problem is that we don’t know how to test spirits, we dare not test others, we can’t bear to test ourselves, yet we dare to test God and the Holy Spirit.
The Word that Divides Spirit and Soul
To deal with our soulish man, human flesh and human theories are ineffective. We need the Word from God that divides spirit and soul.
In Hebrews Chapter 4, the first 11 verses discuss God’s rest, but verses 12 and 13 abruptly speak of God’s Word being like a two-edged sword, dividing spirit and soul, while verse 14 begins discussing Christ as our High Priest.
The Holy Spirit’s thought here has profound coherence. The scripture here not only manifests God’s wisdom and power but also overflows with the Holy Spirit’s care and sympathy for those belonging to Christ, because the Spirit foreknew the doubts we might face and provided the answer in Christ before we even asked.
Before Hebrews 4:12, the rest in eternity is revealed. This is God’s rest. This rest is essentially spiritual, not carnal. The flesh does not understand this rest, does not desire it, and cannot enter it.
Now the saints are brought before this rest. Although they haven’t finally entered it, the spiritual person understands this rest and desires to obtain it. This is the basic premise of the Holy Spirit’s tone here.
Right here, the Holy Spirit, with God’s unique love and sympathy, anticipates the challenges and doubts a serious spiritual person will encounter when facing this revealed truth.
This is the challenge: If entry is solely by faith, will the flesh exploit loopholes? That is, will the flesh pretend to have faith, pretend to be spiritual, slip through the cracks, and mingle into this rest, thus muddying the spiritual rest’s outcome? (This question might sound strange; we might think a serious Christian wouldn’t ask such a question, but it’s actually a very common hidden problem: outwardly we worry about distinguishing truth from falsehood in faith, but secretly we doubt God’s ability to discern.).
Hebrews Chapter 4, with astonishing wisdom and grace, clarifies the assurance from God for the spiritual person, answering the above question.
Hebrews 4:12-13 gives an unequivocal conclusion: the carnal has absolutely no chance of entering God’s rest. The falsehood within human flesh is useless; even if it deceives others or oneself, it cannot deceive God.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13.
In the original text of verse 12 of Hebrews chapter 4, the first word is a conjunction “for,” clearly indicating the relationship between these verses and the preceding ones.
Because God’s Word, empowered by the Holy Spirit, has such discerning power, God will not fail to recognize the truly spiritual and will surely accept them into His eternal rest, no matter how unseen or even despised by the world they are. At the same time, God will not fail to recognize the unspiritual and the carnal (soulish), and therefore will absolutely not accept them into His eternal rest.
This is power of the two-edged sword.
The apostle places before us the instruments God uses to judge unbelief and all activities within the human heart. Human unbelief and natural mind activities often cause believers to deviate from the position of faith, tempting them to satisfy their flesh and causing them to halt in the wilderness and seek rest there.
It’s not that the flesh dislikes rest. But the flesh desires its own rest. Walking in the wilderness, the flesh feels hardship and rejects the promised rest ahead, hoping to find rest in its current wilderness location. This is the trap the flesh falls into! Those who pursue the rest the flesh desires will ultimately not enter the true rest.
For a believer with an upright heart, this judgment from God is extremely valuable because it enables them to discern all tendencies that might hinder their progress or cause them to slacken their pace. This is God’s Word, God’s revelation, the expression of Himself (what He is) and all that surrounds Him, and the expression of His will in all our circumstances. God’s Word constantly judges everything in the human heart unrelated to God. God’s Word is more penetrating and dissecting than a two-edged sword. God’s Word is full of life and vitality, dissecting even the most closely linked elements of our spirit and soul.
Whenever the natural “soul” and its natural emotions intertwine with spiritual things, God’s Word brings the sword of His eternal truth between them, judging the hidden motives and actions of the heart concerning these matters, discerning all thoughts and intentions of the heart.
But God’s Word has another characteristic: because it comes from God, it brings us into God’s presence. Our conscience is also revealed before God’s eyes. Before God, nothing is hidden; everything is naked and exposed; we cannot escape His gaze.
For God’s people, this is not bad news but precisely good news, because it is true help, God’s powerful instrument for judging everything within us. It powerfully judges the adverse factors (flesh, soul, Satan’s temptations) that hinder us from continuing forward in the wilderness with joy and faith. God’s reliable, precious instrument! Stern and impartial in its operation, but its effect is priceless and infinitely blessed.
This is the marvelous work of God’s Word. It does not allow the “desires of the flesh and the heart” free reign or proliferation; it does not allow the heart to deceive itself. But this very restraining power strengthens the spiritual person, freeing us from evil thoughts and intentions before God, enabling us to press forward with joy and spiritual energy.
Spiritual Pride
However, regarding spiritual matters, we must distinguish between spiritual life and spiritual knowledge. Spiritual life is often accompanied by spiritual knowledge and can benefit from it, yet spiritual knowledge cannot guarantee spiritual life.
Moreover, mere spiritual knowledge not only cannot guarantee spiritual life but easily breeds spiritual pride.
One of the most contradictory and troubling experiences in Christian life is discovering spiritual pride in a Christian. The very existence of such pride is perplexing because “spiritual” and “pride” should not coexist.
But so-called spiritual pride is actually disguised spirituality, essentially rooted in the corrupted human soul. Spiritual pride is simply more hidden and destructive than other corruptions of the soul.
Don’t we know that in the fortress of each of our souls, the enemy has left a secret passage—pride? Other sins are mostly fought on open battlefields; the light of truth leaves the enemy nowhere to advance or hide. But pride is Satan’s own core attribute, residing in Adam and his descendants, hidden there, ready to collude with the enemy from within and without because they share the same nature, same attribute, frequency, and password. Once connected, general teachings of truth cannot move them.
Because human pride can find hiding places even in the most spiritual doctrines.
Spiritual pride always lurks among God’s children, causing destruction to individuals or groups when it takes root and grows. Spiritual pride is particularly damaging because it is a deceptive impostor of truth disguised as knowledge.
Thus, spiritual matters are not an external label but an internal reality.
Without spiritual reality, one cannot distinguish truth from error, let alone life from death. For example, without seeing the spiritual reality, one cannot differentiate between “stubbornness” and “steadfastness.” We might conceptually know stubbornness is bad and steadfastness is good, even clearly understanding that stubbornness is a passive reaction of being bound by sin, while steadfastness is active faithfulness released by grace. But in practice, without the manifestation of spiritual reality, we lack the ability to distinguish.
In spiritual reality, the Holy Spirit reveals. If not revealed in truth today, it will be revealed tomorrow in efficacy (fruit).
What God desires is that we be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God (Col 1:9-10). But a gathering secretly hijacked by pride gradually manifests a different state. Brothers and sisters, in an environment long deprived of oxygen (lacking spiritual communion), become disheartened; the more God’s will is preached, the more confused they become. Under prolonged sharp criticism, their hearts grow bitter, unable to bear fruit; simultaneously, their mouths taste bitterness, unable to discern the fruit borne in good works. Individuals bound by pride experience the same.
May the Lord help us follow the conviction given by the Holy Spirit today, and be willing to accept correction tomorrow based on the actual effects occurring in life and the body of Christ, not falling into the trap of pride.
This does not mean we shouldn’t pursue God’s eternal will and share Christ’s mind. On the contrary, we must diligently do both.
We must pursue truth and life, starting from the spirit, ultimately actualized in the soul, so that our soul life undergoes genuine renewal through the cross—death and resurrection—not just intellectual knowledge.
May the Lord help us distinguish truth from knowledge. May He grant us truth but save us from the pursuit of vain knowledge.
Truth and life are compatible. Truth requires great humility and brings humility; truth requires love and brings love; truth requires the Holy Spirit’s guidance and leads us to trust the Spirit; truth increases the beauty of Christ’s body and respects the life of each member because this is the Spirit’s work; truth glorifies Christ and unites Christ’s life in each individual member (rather than alienating).
In contrast, knowledge can contradict life. Knowledge can bring pride and extinguish love. Knowledge can usurp the Holy Spirit’s place, elevate the self, bring distrust, and always lead to self-justification.
Truth is what God wants. Knowledge is what man wants.
The Ascended Christ, Assurance of Soul Salvation
Since God’s Word dividing spirit and soul is so precise, and our flesh (including the fallen soul) is so corrupt and flawed, who can guarantee they will surely enter this rest? This might be a more common question because, at any stage of our spiritual growth, such uncertainty can arise to some extent.
The book of Hebrews tells us our assurance lies not in our actions or feelings but in Christ. Because Christ is the High Priest who can sympathize with us.
The Old Testament reveals to us that without a priest, the Israelites could not have passed through the wilderness without being destroyed, as they couldn’t approach God for help on their own. In that great and terrible wilderness, without God’s help, they couldn’t survive even a day.
The book of Hebrews begins this theme in chapter 4, verse 14, continuing it over several subsequent chapters.
We have a High Priest who has passed through the heavens, just as Aaron entered the Most Holy Place through the Tabernacle. What a glorious blessing this is.
Therefore, since our High Priest is there, we can boldly approach the throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in time of need: mercy because we are weak and prone to waver; grace because the battle we engage in is God’s own battle.
Thus, we directly reach the throne of grace, which is God’s rest and also our rest.
Rest is essentially divine, heavenly, and spiritual, but God’s plan is for our spirit, soul, and body to fully enter rest. For this reason, we must set our minds on things above. This contemplation must not only originate from the spirit but ultimately be implemented in the human soul—in thoughts, will, and emotions.
If the human soul doesn’t understand this, it will tend to think and act according to its own nature, becoming uninterested in heavenly and spiritual matters, or merely interested in religion, even falling into sin and transgression. The final result is that the human soul cannot enjoy the joy and effectiveness of full salvation.
“Once Saved, Always Saved”?
“Once saved, always saved” is a widely accepted teaching or belief among Christians, especially evangelical Christians. But many accept it without understanding the true meaning of the term “saved.” Some related teachings and understandings are even carnal, self-centered fallacies that damage life.
These issues are related to the failure to distinguish between spirit and soul.
Before delving into the discernment of truth (see Once Saved, Always Saved?), we first need to acknowledge a stark reality: the teaching and belief of “once saved, always saved” has degenerated into the theoretical foundation of hyper-grace, becoming one reason for hindering spiritual growth and even stifling life among mainstream Christians. The original motivation and effect of this saying might have been good, but the spiritual state we face today is alarming: this teaching has been twisted and exploited by the enemy, causing destruction.
Let us strictly seek and follow God’s Word, lest we suffer loss in life. We need to break free from preconceived notions about familiar words and concepts, avoid biases and human-made narrowness, and strive to understand their precise definitions and meanings according to God’s Word to avoid and eliminate misleading interpretations and misunderstandings.
In the common understanding of many Christians, especially in sayings like “once saved,” it refers to the salvation of the human spirit, not, and cannot be, the entirety of salvation.
The salvation of the spirit begins with regeneration in the spirit. This concerns a person’s position in life, the position of justification in Christ. This relates to God’s election, and God does not regret His choices. The regeneration of the human spirit is a mysterious event we cannot fathom. Human inquiries into this matter from the flesh and soul are presumptuous and inappropriate. In eternity, if we are surprised by the final answer, we might find we underestimated God’s guarantee for the regenerated spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:5, where Paul mentions the man whose body was destroyed but whose spirit was saved, is a clue.
However, the regeneration of the human spirit is the beginning of salvation, not the end. God saves us through our faith in Christ, saving our soul through our lifelong experiences (1 Peter 1:9 – original text is “soul,” not “spirit-soul”). Finally, when Jesus Christ returns, our bodies will also be saved.
The soul encompasses our thoughts, will, and emotions. The soul is the primary content of a person’s life because the soul defines human personality. The soul is also the garment of the human spirit. Just as a soul without a body is a naked soul, a spirit without a soul is a naked spirit. Therefore, the salvation of the human soul is the core purpose of the Holy Spirit’s work in a person and the hope for which we willingly endure all hardships, tribulations, and trials on earth.
The salvation of the human soul is a gradual process of change, not a sudden spark. Soul salvation is also a cumulative result; ultimately, there will be distinctions between richness and poverty, not merely a simple binary of saved or unsaved.
Regarding the salvation of our thoughts, will, and emotions (soul), if influenced by erroneous concepts leading either to hopelessness (thinking my thoughts, will, and emotions cannot change) or indifference (thinking merely accepting Jesus Christ is sufficient), it will become confusion and bondage on our earthly pilgrimage, ultimately resulting in life loss.
See more: Once Saved, Always Saved?
Spirit, Soul, and Body Fully Saved
What God has promised and prepared for people in Jesus Christ is complete salvation—the full salvation of spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Today, we who are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus have already obtained a position in heaven. “And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6. This is our eternal position with Christ in heaven.
In a spiritual sense, we have already been resurrected; heaven is within and around us today. The reason we cannot see or touch heaven now is not because heaven is physically distant, but because our physical bodies and heaven are not in the same dimension. Our current physical bodies, before the final resurrection, are separated from the spiritual realm and do not communicate with it. Not only separated,
The spiritual man can discern heavenly things (the deep things of God, 1 Corinthians 2:10) because their spirit has followed Christ, being lifted to the heavens. This is an elevation of life dimension, not a physical ascent. Nor is it an elevation where spirit, soul, and body are separated. But even for the spiritual person, their spirit still temporarily resides within their soul and body, awaiting the final redemption—the personal return of the Lord Jesus to finally bring us into eternity, the new heaven and new earth. “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:23. Then heaven will be fully revealed, and our whole being (spirit, soul, body) will enter heaven.
Now, our spirit is already regenerated, having heavenly communion with God through the Holy Spirit. Regarding our spirit, we would rather leave this world and be with the Lord in heaven, free from the limitations of the finite physical body. But our spirit must temporarily reside in this physical tent because our soul and body are still temporarily on earth. This is not because God cannot rescue us, but because God has a more complete and glorious plan in Christ. God’s plan is for our spirit, soul, and body to be fully saved in the end. This is the mission of our already saved spirit on earth.
Therefore, in this sense, our spirit temporarily endures limitations and hardships for the sake of our own souls’ salvation, while our soul temporarily endures restrictions and hardships for the sake of our bodies’ salvation. But all this is in Christ, because Jesus and His Spirit, for the salvation of our spirit, soul, and body, not only experienced the suffering of the cross but also continue in long suffering today, accomplishing the final, exceedingly great weight of glory in infinite love.
All earthly circumstances, including hardships and persecutions, are for our benefit in the salvation of our souls and bodies. Not only does the salvation of our spirit depend entirely on faith and grace, but the salvation of our soul and body also relies on faith and grace. All our experiences following the Lord Jesus on earth are opportunities to experience God’s grace in Christ more deeply through faith.
Faith is a function of the spirit, not human psychological activity. Faith originates from the Holy Spirit and takes place within our spirits, but must operate within our souls (i.e., our thoughts, will, and emotions).
“Obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:9.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!” 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
We await here the end of all things. Eternal life is in the new heaven and new earth, in Christ, where all things are subjected to God the Father—this is the final outcome of the complete salvation of our spirit, soul, and body.
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