Perfect In Spirit, Perfecting in Soul
By Tammy Lacock
Warren emphasizes two scriptures this week for the very purpose of understanding what God is doing in our lives now.
“Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.” (2 Corinthians 1:10 KJV)
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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.” (Hebrews 4:12 KJV)
Warren explains that the writer of Hebrews is presenting a new gospel, one that must divide our understanding of soul and spirit if we are to understand what God is doing. The Word of God, who is Christ, is so quick and sharp and powerful that He even distinctly divides soul and spirit.
As we explored in last week’s podcast, soul and spirit was used interchangeably in the Old Testament. Now, by Christ’s death and resurrection, we are to divide soul and spirit to understand Him and who we are now as believers.
By just believing in Christ, we had an exchange of nature: Satan’s sin nature is put out, and Christ’s divine nature is put in. This is what it means to be born again. This exchange of nature takes place solely in our spirits. As a tripartite being (three parts: spirit, soul, body), only our spirits are now perfect by Christ’s nature in His seed planted in us by God. However, our souls (where our minds, wills, and intellects reside) are maturing in the knowledge of Christ now. It’s an ongoing process as we get to know our new Christ-nature and, by the help of the Holy Spirit, let go of our old sin-nature minds. The Apostle Paul calls this the renewing of our minds. In fact, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:10, that our spirits are delivered by Christ, our souls are being delivered (presently in our lives) and our bodies will be delivered on the resurrection morning. These are three distinct deliverances.
We must understand this separation of soul and spirit so that being born again (in spirit), we realize God’s complete work in our spirit and His ongoing work in our souls (minds). We are delivered and perfected by God’s work and not by something we do or don’t do to please God. Christ did the work on the cross. He is our salvation. We are perfect in God’s sight by Christ joined to our spirit, by our new birthing. We cannot sin in our spirits. Our souls, however, are perfecting (maturing) as we grow up in what Paul calls “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ,” who now lives in us. This takes place in our minds, the soul part of us. While we may sin in our souls, by our new birthing of Christ in our spirit, we are spiritually secure. We are continually forgiven by the righteousness of Christ in us.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)
With the separation of soul and spirit, Paul tells us that by Christ in us in spirit, we stand perfect before God now. This exchange of our old sin nature to Christ’s nature in our spirits is where we stand as perfect, eternal children of God. It’s in our souls where we grow up in Him. This is where we get to know Him and develop our love affair in Him. By this growing love affair, Christ flows out of our spirits where we are perfect and grips our souls where we are becoming perfect.
