To simply say, “I am a spiritual and eternal being” is pretty vague.
It’s one thing to acknowledge that we are spiritual beings. It’s another thing to understand our God-designed composition.
*1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NLT) - Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
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I am a triune being. My life contains three parts; a spirit , a soul, and a body.
1. God Gave Us A Spirit
My spirit was dead until I invited Jesus to come in and fill me. My spirit has a very specific and incredible ways it engages with God.
When we invite Jesus to come and live inside of us, He brings to life to what was a lifeless spirit in us.
We have the privilege of communicating with God through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks to my Heavenly Father on my behalf.
2. God gave us a physical body.
*My physical body is dying on the earth but is transformed in eternity. It is not a perfect body, but the Holy Spirit lives within. (We have this treasure in jars of clay. 2 Corinthians 4:7)
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3. God gave us a soul.
*Genesis 2:7 - 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 person (or soul).
Your soul makes up your mind, your will and your emotions.
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This is very different from your spirit. Your soul is where regeneration takes place. The Bible says we are a “new creation” once we accept Jesus Christ into our lives.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
When Jesus comes to live inside of you, your spirit becomes “born-again.” At once! It doesn’t need to be regenerated or renewed because it is brand new and works perfectly.
Romans 6:7-8;11 - For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus
Your spirit has been born-again, but your soul must be transformed.
Romans 12:2 (NLT) - Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
“If I really am a new person, a new creation, a person that Jesus has freed from sin, what else is there to “work-out” in my salvation as the Apostle Paul also tells me to do?”
Before the Fall - Adam and Eve’s Sin:
The spirit in man was the master (it heard clearly and effortlessly what the Spirit of God was saying)
The Soul served the spirit
The Body served the soul and the spirit
We were designed to be “Spirit Led People.”
After the Fall:
There is an instant spiritual death that takes place
No life in the Spirit of Man
The soul exalts itself just like Satan said it would (you should be able to know right from wrong for yourselves.)
We become “Soul-led” people instead of “Spirit- led” people
Exalting our own feelings / thoughts / and logic above the will and wisdom of God
We must bring the functions of the soul under the influence of the Holy Spirit to get in right order.
We must train ourselves to become Spirit-led people.
This is what Paul is explaining when he tells us to take every thought captive:
2 Corinthians 10:5 - We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Our souls are like sponges, they will soak up whatever we choose to fill them with.
Traumatic experiences, past wounds, falsehoods that we have believed all cause our soul to filter information in a skewed way that contradicts God’s truth.
Jesus is the good shepherd who wants to lead our souls to rest and right order.
Psalm 23:3 - He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
*1 Peter 2:25 - For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.*
Our soul is in our control.
WE HAVE TO INVITE THE GOOD SHEPHERD (JESUS) TO COME AND HEAL AND REMOVE WHAT ONLY HE CAN.
We chose as an act of our will to release FEAR / UN-FORGIVENESS / SELF-HATRED / CONDEMNATION / ANGER / DISAPPOINTMENT from our souls and allow the life of the Holy Spirit and the truth to come and fill those places of our soul that need healing.
Group Questions:
Feel free to discuss as much of these as your group feels comfortable sharing.
How has Jesus expanded your understanding of your body, soul, spirit make-up as a result of this teaching?
When the Bible talks about us becoming new creations, what part does Jesus make brand new and what part needs continual restoration?
Read 2 Corinthians 10:5
How does this passage help deepen your understanding of growing in spiritual maturity or being a “spirit-led” person?
Are there specific areas you feel the Holy Spirit pinpointing that need restoration. Areas that need a fresh perspective, greater healing, or need to be humbled or submit to the Lordship of Jesus?