Salvation of Our Souls

By Tammy Lacock

Warren Litzman starts off this week’s podcast by explaining that the true gospel isn’t being preached today. Today there is a commingling of gospels in the Church. One that says we must live by the law (what we do or don’t do) to be saved, and one that says that, as believers, we are saved by God’s grace through Christ. Because of this, there is not much distinction between the law and Christ today.

In fact, there is much confusion!

The Apostle Paul (believed to be the author of Hebrews) set out to make this most important distinction in the powerful verse of Hebrews 4:12, where he highlights God’s Word as dividing soul and spirit. As believers, we must understand what takes place in our souls and what takes place in our spirits as we grow up in Christ.

“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)

By the Word of God, Who is Christ, our souls and spirits are now divided. In the Old Testament, there was never a distinction between soul and spirit. They were used interchangeably. But now, after the pivotal work of Christ on the cross, soul and spirit are separated.

This division officially took place on the Day of Pentecost. It was then that after His death, burial, and resurrection, Christ returned to the Father and a new body was formed called Christ. By Christ sending the Holy Spirit, those who now believed in Him would instantly be saved in their spirits. There was an exchange of nature that took place in our spirits. Just as through one man, Adam, all of humanity was cursed by him believing Satan, so too are we saved from this curse (death) by believing in one man, Jesus Christ. As believers, our sin (Satan) nature is replaced by Christ’s nature in our spirits. There is never a dual nature in man; either Satan is operating, or Christ is operating. God created us for this void to be filled by the simple simple act of believing.

“For by one Spirit [the Holy Spirit] are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit [Christ].” (1 Corinthians 12:13)

However, we must understand that there are three tenses of deliverance. In 2 Corinthians 1:9-10, Paul speaks of the tripartite (meaning three parts) man, which is made up of body, soul, and spirit. Although not separate, we are very much distinctive, and each is delivered at different times.

“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death [in our spirits], and doth deliver [in our souls]: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us [in our bodies].” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10)

Paul says we are saved (from death by the curse of Satan through Adam) instantly in our spirits by God placing in us His holy seed, Christ (our new life; our rebirth), yet our souls are continually being saved presently through the work of the Holy Spirit in our minds, wills, and intellect, and our bodies will be saved on the resurrection morning of Christ’s return.

Paul tells us through his epistles that our souls (man’s mind, will, and emotions) need God’s ongoing work transforming and maturing us for deliverance from old knowledge and old identity. Yes, we are saved, born-again, by the birthing of Christ in our spirits. By Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, we too died and arose to a new life in Him here, now, and for eternity. We’re going to Heaven! We’re bona fide children of God now!

Yet the deliverance of our souls (mind renewal) is an ever-present journey in our lives. Through the circumstances and situations of life and by the help of the Holy Spirit, we will have our minds renewed if we give ourselves over to Christ. We will get to know Him more and more. And as we do, we will inevitably love Him more and more.

And knowing and loving Him is what life is all about!