OUR BODIES Devotion 1 of 15 The scope of our salvation is exceedingly broad. It reaches farther than men are prone to think. The Spirit alludes to salvation's extensive nature in the following expression. "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" (1 Thess 5:23). Man is a complex creation, consisting of three fundamental parts. These are listed in order of their priority: "spirit, soul, and body." The "spirit" is the inmost part of our being, and the "body" the outmost part. The "soul" is the expressive part, consisting of at least intellect, emotion, and will. While we are in the body, the soul is not yet saved, being capable of degenerate thoughts as well as holy ones. It is obvious that our bodies are not yet saved. WHY STUDY THIS SUBJECT? Some might wonder why it is necessary to look into the matter of our bodies. It is necessary because they constitute our vulnerable part. Yet, salvation does not ignore that vulnerability. In salvation, provision is made for the subduing of the body, the anticipation of liberation from its influence, and the prospect of a new body in the resurrection. In other words, salvation has not yet been completed in us. Just as Israel could not fully possess the promised land while the Canaanites remained in it, so we cannot possess the fulness of salvation while we remain in the body. It is this circumstance that those who insist we are locked into salvation overlook. – Tomorrow:
" . . . Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body . . . Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? . . . Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:13-20, KJV)
Some do not distinguish between the "spirit" and the "soul," teaching that man has only two parts – one seen, and one unseen. However, in a poignant declaration of the power and effectiveness of the Word of God, the Spirit affirms, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to THE DIVIDING ASUNDER OF SOUL AND SPIRIT, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb 4:12). Other versions read "the division of soul and spirit" (NKJV/NASB), and "it divides soul from spirit" (NRSV). The distinction between these two unseen parts cannot be determined by language or word studies. It cannot be established by lexical definitions. The division of the two can only be established by the Word of God, and the Word will not do it by providing an academic definition. It is the piercing of the Word that discovers the deepest part of our being, dividing it from our souls. That piercing has to do with conviction, persuasion, and confidence.
The entirety of our person was corrupted by sin – spirit, soul, and body. In our spirits, we became dead – alienated from God, and immersed in trespasses and sins. Our souls gravitated to the earth and its vast variety of appeals. We thought wrong, felt wrong, and wanted wrong. Our bodies are subject to death. Referred to as our "outward man," they are said to be perishing (2 Cor 4:16). The primary and dominating desires of the body are corrupt, pulling us even further from the Lord. A way must be provided to gain control of our bodies (1 Cor 9:27), and subordinate their inherently corrupt desires. Sin has effected the whole man!
It should not surprise us that salvation involves the sanctification of the whole man. It addresses every part contaminated by sin, and gains the triumph in all of those areas. Initially, our spirits are affected, being regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit, by means of the Word of God, and through personal faith. As it is written, "Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen . . . Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever . . . For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal 6:18; 1 Pet 1:23; Gal 3:26).
The salvation we presently enjoy is only in our spirits – mathematically one third of our persons. Now we have "the first fruits of the Spirit," and not the whole of the harvest. As it is written, "And not only they (the impersonal creation), but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom 8:23). In this first fruit experience, the Holy Spirit witnesses to the reconciled part of us – our spirits. Thus we read, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom, 8:16). Through His indispensable ministry, we also subordinate our souls and bodies, being led by Him in this essential work. "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom 8:13-14).
All of this is being accomplished only while we are dominated by hope. Such hope includes the joyful anticipation of complete righteousness, with the total absence of every competing influence. As it is written, "For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness" (Gal 5:5, NASB). Presently, we are not what we ought to be. Nor, indeed, are we what we want to be. However, by the grace of God, we are not what we were. Nor, indeed, are we what we are going to be!
This particular series of devotions will focus upon our most vulnerable part – our bodies. They are the weak link in our present experience. If the holy, spiritual, and good Law of God was "weak through the flesh" (Rom 8:3), you may be sure the body will bring no essential asset or advantage to you! The more it dominates you, the further you will be from God – and the benefits that come from God cannot be obtained while you are at a distance from Him. The more you, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, the more communion you will enjoy with the Lord – which communion is an aspect of your salvation.
These devotions will affirm how the body is to be used, and what provisions and enablements are found in our salvation to accomplish this work.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to see my body as it really is, and through Your Spirit, grant me grace to subordinate it to Your will.