You are three wonderful but separate parts!
“May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thes.5:23 NIV)
According to the Bible, you are made up of three distinct parts: Spirit, soul, and body!
Understanding what this truth means to you personally, and as a follower of Jesus Christ, has great potential to help you tremendously!
Defining your three parts
1) Spirit
The part of you that you cannot see because it is invisible.
Your spirit is like a radio or TV signal in that you cannot see them either, yet they exist and are very real. The Bible says that what you see (the physical world) is only “temporary” and what you cannot see (the spiritual world) is “permanent.” (2 Cor. 4:18)
This spiritual-world concept is a little hard for some to comprehend because they cannot physically see the spiritual world. But, it is true! The Bible tells us that God, Himself, is “spirit” and that we must “worship Him in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
Inside each one of us is our own spirit which is the part of us that gets transformed when we become “born again”. Jesus explained this truth to Nicodemus in John 3:1-12.
Made brand new and perfect!
You become a new creature by Jesus, (2 Cor. 5:17), your spirit becomes instantly brand new and perfect, (1 John 4:17, 1 Cor. 6:17, Eph. 4:24)
And after that your spirit is sealed, protected, and kept by the Holy Spirit.
“After that you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Eph. 1:13 KJV)
2) Soul (your mind)
The part of you that thinks and reasons, which is your human mind.
Your mind is not transformed instantly as your spirit is, when you receive Christ. You must continually work daily to bring your thinking into alignment with God’s Word, which is a lifelong process (Phil 1:6). This continual process “renews your mind” and enables you to “prove (demonstrate) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:2 NKJV)
This process, or lack of it, explains why some born again Christians continue to struggle with fear, sin, and addictions, even though they are actually redeemed. The better you get at “transforming your mind” and bringing it into agreement with God’s Word, the more victorious you will be in life and as a Christian.
3) Body
The physical part of you.
Your body, the third part of you is the easiest part to understand because you can see and feel your human body. If I ask you how you feel you can easily know and tell me. If I ask you if you are cold or warm, you can easily answer.
This part of you, (your body) is not transformed when you become a Christian. If you are fat, skinny, tall, young, or old, when you are born again, you will be that way afterwards. The Bible calls your body “the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), and also only temporary as in “jars of clay” (2 Cor. 4:7). We are told to take care of our bodies and someday they will die and our spirits will leave them (2 Cor. 5:6).
There will eventually come a day at the appearing of Jesus that our bodies, too, will be transformed and we will then have brand new transformed ones, (2 Cor. 5:3).
To recap
The Bible says, “as long as we are in this earthly tent” (your body), you must work to do everything you can do to serve God faithfully until He returns, (Heb. 3:14-18).
You must study your Bible to discover God’s truths (2 Tim. 2:15) and apply them to your thinking to transform your mind (Rom. 12:2).
You must pray for and about things (spirit), (1 Thes. 5:16-18).
God will do it!
And, finally, the next verse following today’s promise about your spirit, soul, and body says that God Himself, will make it happen for you “He will do it”, because He is “faithful!”
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Thes. 5:24 NIV)
And, that too, is an amazing and wonderful promise!