The Passion: Three Dimensions of Salvation

Study The Word

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.

There is a dimension of understanding about salvation that every believer needs to grasp. The Bible says, “May the very God of peace sanctify you wholly — spirit and soul and body.” Three parts. Three distinct dimensions. And each one of them has a different process and a different responsibility. This is incredible! The salvation of your human spirit, the salvation of your soul, and the salvation of your physical body — they are not all the same, and they do not all happen the same way. Glory to God!

Let’s start with the spirit. The salvation of the human spirit is God’s responsibility. The Bible says you are saved according to the working of God. When you believe and you receive the gospel of Christ, the Holy Spirit works in you and gives you a new spirit which makes you a new creation. You cannot do that for yourself! That is the power of God that works with the message of the gospel. God is the one that gives you a new spirit when you are born again according to the working of His power. So the Father has His responsibility. As John 3:16 says, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. He gave. He did His part. And that recreation of the human spirit happens according to His working using efficacy of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the implications of it’s reality and the power of the Holy Spirit behind it that produces new spirit in everyone that hears the message and believes. All this is by God’s divine wisdom and design, and the principle of how this works is explained in Romans chapter 10.

πνεῦμα  pneuma  spirit  –  the spirit, the rational soul, the vital principle, the part of man that is born again

Now the second part: the salvation of the soul. Your soul is your mind, your will, and your emotions. And here is the key — the salvation of your soul has to do with the renewing of your mind with the Word of God. This takes place whenever you take what the word of God says and allow it to become your way of thinking and living. And that responsibility is not God’s responsibility! That responsibility was given to you! God is not going to renew your mind for you. Jesus is not going to renew your mind for you. The Holy Spirit cannot override your free will because it goes against the law and the principle of God of free will. Your mind, your soul, is the seat of your free will. So God cannot override that and renew your mind for you. You are the one that is supposed to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling and ensure that you do that! The Holy Spirit was given to help you, but He cannot do it for you.

ψυχή  psuche  soul  –  the soul, the seat of the mind, will, and emotions, the inner life, the self

And then the third part: the salvation of the physical body. Now who is responsible for this? That is Jesus! Because the Bible says that when He shall appear, that is when we shall be changed. This mortality shall put on immortality. Jesus Christ is the one who is going to activate that transfiguration of the physical body into an immortal body. Without the appearing of Jesus Christ, you are always going to have this mortal body. But in the meantime, the Holy Spirit that is in you gives your body incorruption — that is the Greek aphtharsia. Incorruption means the Holy Spirit overpowers mortality. When sickness attacks this body, the Holy Spirit overrides and repairs. As Romans 8:11 says, if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also give life to your mortal body by His Spirit that dwells in you! That scripture describes to you the current state that the entire body of Christ is in – the state of incorruption aphtharsia. Incorruption also includes the preservation of your spirit and soul from going to hell, instead, in the event that your spirit departs from your body it will be taken to heaven. But now immortality — that is athanasia — that is the glorified immortal body, the bible says that that will only happen when Jesus appears again the second time. (Hebrews 9:28)
1 Corinthians 15 from verse 51 says Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

ἀφθαρσία  aphtharsia  incorruption  –  incorruptibility, the Holy Spirit’s sustaining power that overrides mortality in the physical body, and exemption from going to hell

So also understand that: your body receiving its glorified, immortal state does not mean your mind is automatically renewed. One day there will be people with glorified bodies and unrenewed minds – what a combination! So the sooner you get with the program of listening to and imbibing the word of God, digesting it, learning it, applying it, and renewing your mind, the better. The Father saved your spirit. You must save your soul by renewing your mind. And Jesus will save your body when He appears. Three responsibilities. Three dimensions of salvation.
All made possible by the passion of Christ. Hallelujah!
That’s why we celebrate Easter, and I trust that this devotional series blessed you and gave you a better understanding of what happened and why, and also how relevant important it is to us in our lives today.
God Bless you.

Pray The Word
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the complete salvation of my spirit, soul, and body. I thank You that You have saved my spirit by Your power, and I take responsibility to renew my mind daily with Your Word. I trust that when Jesus Christ appears, He will transform my mortal body into an immortal body. I commit to working out my salvation with diligence, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Speak The Word
My spirit is saved by the power of God! I take responsibility for the renewal of my mind through the Word of God. I work out my own salvation with fear and trembling. The Holy Spirit in me gives life to my mortal body, overpowering mortality with incorruption. And when Jesus Christ appears, this mortal shall put on immortality! I embrace all three dimensions of my salvation, in the name of Jesus Christ!