The spirit of a person, is the breath of God’s Spirit alive in that man. The soul of a person, is the mind of a person, which consist of his/ her thoughts, feelings and emotions. The body of a person, is outer vessel that embodies both the spirit and soul; it contains the spirit and soul of person. In other words, the spirit of a person is given by God, and he/she possess a soul, which is his/ her free will; and the body embodies the spirit and soul of a person, so that they can legally function on the earth. It can be compared to a present given to you at Christmas. Inside the present, is the main gift(perfume), and the main gift is packaged in a attractive box; the box with the perfume, is finally wrapped in a Christmas wrapping paper. Now, although the perfume and the box are two separate items, wrapping them up together with the wrapping paper, allows them to be presented as one package. This illustration of the gift, box and wrapping paper; although much serious than that, best portraits the relationship and connection amongst these three separate entities (spirit, soul, body). The spirit, soul and body make up a living person. Each one of us, has a spirit, a soul and a body; which that enables us to live on the earth and have life. Without our spirits, souls and bodies, we will not be able to function the way God created us to from the beginning.
What is the Importance of the spirit, soul and body?
1. The spirit: The bible tells us in Genesis 2:7, “Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”. This means that man is part of God. When God gave us life through His breathe, we came alive in our bodies. However, when God gave us His Spirit, our spirits connected with God, until man sinned in the Garden of Eden. When man sinned against God by adhering to the devil’s deceit, and eating the fruit of knowledge; man’s spirit became disconnected from God through sin. When we repent from our sins, and surrender our lives to God. by making Jesus our Lord and Saviour; it is only our spirits that is changed, and not the soul or body. In other words, our spirits are cleansed and tuned back in fellowship to God. Our spirit are before God always because nothing is hidden from Him. Proverbs 20:27, “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the innermost parts of his being”. The spirit of a person lives forever. 1 Peter 1:23, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God”. The spirit of the righteous is ever longing for God’s love, affections, fellowship and goodness; waiting in earnest for the day it is finally reunited with the God.
2. The soul: When Adam and Eve sinned against God, which resulted in the loss of their fellowship with God; it was their souls that sinned and not their spirits. The soul is a freewill given to man by God; so that man may have the right to freely choose, think and feel as he wanted. The soul of a person is free to act as he/she wishes. God gave us this freewill because He is a fair and just God; who wants us to serve Him because we freely love Him, and not because we are compelled to. 1 Peter 1:22, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart”.
Our souls can be very stubborn and decisive; and the consequences its decision can positively or negatively affect our spirits and our bodies. The soul of a person is crucial and detrimental to where he/ she goes after death. The soul determines whether we go to Heaven and blissfully live with God, or to Hell and be tortured by the devil. The soul of a person lives forever. Psalm 19:7, “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple“. And in 1 Corinthians 15:45, “So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit”.
There are two kinds of souls, and each soul is determined by the condition of its heart. A soul is either saved or unsaved. An unsaved soul is one who has not repented from his/her sins, and has bluntly refused to surrender his/her to God; through His Son Jesus Christ. A saved soul is one who has consciously repented from his/her sins; and has made peace with God, through the acceptance of His Son Jesus Christ. The soul is easily influenced, and it is work to try and change it. Consistency is the key to changing the condition of any soul and heart. Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh”.
3. The body: After God gave man both His spirit and the soul, He gave man the body to function legally on the earth. The body is the outer covering of both the spirit and the soul of a person. The body is not the true identity of a person; the spirit and soul of that person are. I would classify our souls and spirits as “who we are”; and our bodies as “what we are”. When our spirits are recoiled back to God through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, our souls, although still sin conscious, gradually begins to adjust from its sinful nature, to a godly nature. The spirit and soul of a person is subject to change, and not necessarily the body. The body remains the same, but our spirits and souls are changed from its sinful state to a godly state by the Holy Spirit of God. The condition of our outward appearance, does not in any way, affect the way our spirits and souls operate. When a person’s spirit and soul leaves his/her body, they die a physical death on the earth. The body is temporary and is discontinued. 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. And in Ecclesiastes 12:7, “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it“.
Every living person on the earth, possesses a spirit, a soul and a body, regardless of its age, race, religion, status, possessions or title. Our spirits require our souls to operate positively, and in an edifying manner; so that we may be fruitful and live meaningful lives. It is of great benefit to know that our souls require our constant supervision and care; just like little babies. This is because they are the biggest Pets of all. The bible reminds us to watch over our souls because out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”. and in 3 John 1:2, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul“.
All souls are possessed either by God or the devil; but it has not middle grounds. Joshua 24:14-15, “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord“. A person’s spirit is leaned towards God; therefore, his/her spirit is always wrestling with his/her soul to do the right and not wrong things. But the soul is independent of the spirit, and it does what it wills.
Remember I wrote earlier, that are souls are the biggest Pets ever; and just like our pet dogs, cats and plants; it too needs training, grooming, nurturing, cultivating, pruning, watering, decorating and encouraging. Let us Invest in making sure that our souls are conformed to godliness, and are pleasing to our God. One major way for us to invest in the edification of our spirits and souls, is through prayers, fasting, studying the bible, praises, and doing good deeds. It is the Will of the Father God, that all people be saved, and come back to Him through Jesus Christ. When Jesus paid the price to reconcile us back God with His Blood, our spirit-man was the most grateful; because it had missed fellowshipping with its Creator (God). 1 Corinthians 6:17, “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him”.
Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”.
Revelation 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Praise God!
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