Recently, some of the men in our church had a good discussion about the issue of Body, Soul, and spirit/Spirit as it came about from reading a portion of a book (On The Inside Looking Out by Carlton Arnold) along with the Bible. I thought it might be helpful to sort through all the comments and summarize them to determine where all this leaves us.

Human Beings consist of:

Body – which is merely the earthly residence for who we are, all provided by God at conception.

Soul – who we are consists of (not mutually exclusive; some overlap):
Our mind
Our will
Our heart (not the organ)
Our personality
Our temperament.
Our emotional make-up
Our conscience
Our spirit

spirit – small “s” (meaning a human’s spirit as different from God’s Holy Spirit)
Some writers of scripture say there is a human spirit that is “outside” of our Soul (called Trichotomy – meaning Body, Soul & spirit), but most writers of scripture are content to consider our spirit to be part of our Soul or the same as the Soul (called Dichotomy – meaning Body & Soul), as I’ve listed it above.
Others consider an individual’s spirit to be what contains our Soul. Still others see our spirit as our “life force” or our life’s energy from God, and our Soul as who we are and who we become as we go through life.

It seems to me that this Trichotomy – Dichotomy discussion is a bit too academically fanciful or artificial. That is to say, all points of view acknowledge there is a human spirit, and admit our spirit, whether the same as the Soul, part of the Soul, or encompasses the Soul, goes to the eternal world for judgment, reward, etc., when our “residence” (body) ceases to function on earth. Why? Because scripture supports the idea that the non-physical part of us goes to be with the Lord after earthly death (2 Cor 5:6-8). And both the spirit and the Soul are non-physical. So, making the distinction between our spirit being part of our Soul, or vice-versa, or separate is frankly a distinction without a meaningful difference for this discussion.

Not incidentally, the Soul of all humans is eternal, redeemed or not.
As one country church sign-board in North Georgia once humorously but so accurately declared:
“Eternity – Your Choice! Smoking or Non-Smoking?”

The real issue that all this brings up is what changes within us when we finally “get it”, then repent and ask Jesus to forgive our sins, and He saves us, regenerates us, redeems us? What follows is the summary of our conclusions:

At conception, God provides us a body and a soul in the womb. Our spirit is not tuned in to God’s Holy Spirit – or Spirit, capital “S” – because from scripture (and personal experience) we know our spirit is “dead” in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1) – thanks to the first Adam disobeying God in the Garden. We are not tuned in to God, we are tuned-in to ourselves (our will, our mind, our emotions, our wants and desires, etc.). That is why the Apostle Paul and other Biblical writers refer to our Souls as “flesh”. We are self-centered, not God-centered. So, the things of God, which are spiritually discerned, cannot be discerned accurately or reliably by our pre-salvation, unregenerate spirit. In a very real sense, we’re not on God’s wave-length.

BUT, when we turn to God in repentance asking Him to forgive us and become our Saviour and Lord, He forgives us our sins and changes the nature of our spirit from being “dead” to God, to “alive” to God. He essentially flips on the holy light-switch
(Eph 5:8,9). We can then see increasingly clearly those things of God that were hidden before. Some men exclaim that they can read the Bible for the first time with understanding (most of us were like that). Why? Because its author, the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in us. Our spirit is alive to His Spirit. Our direction changes. Our wants and desires change. Our spirit is counselled by His Spirit into a whole new way of thinking and acting. Our once “dead” spirit is now alive to God (Eph 2:4-6). The miracle of redemption!!! We are truly born again; the first birth into flesh, the second into the Spirit.

As Paul says in Romans 8:9 we are no longer in the realm of the “flesh”, but we are, at that point, in the realm of the Spirit. Our spirit is now alive to the Holy Spirit of God (1 Pet 3:18). Our new life in Christ has begun and we will be His for all Eternity,
as long as we continue to follow Him (see the paper ‘Once Saved, Always Saved’ for more on this aspect of our followership). Sadly, choosing not to turn to God in repentance to receive His marvelous forgiveness and redemption, dooms us to be in an eternity without God – which is Hell.

Let me try to put this into the format of an equation.
Before Salvation: Humans = Body + Soul (w/our spirit not tuned to God).
After Salvation: Humans = Body + Soul (w/our spirit alive to God) + the Holy Spirit.

So now you see:
We are not Human Beings on a spiritual journey,
We are Spiritual Beings on a human journey.

Tom McDonald
11/29/18 (Original)
8/5/20 (Updated)

ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED? (w/Addendum)

Original May 14, 2019 – Updated April 19, 2023

Most of us Christians have heard that many times in our lives.  And most of us probably believe it’s true.  What brings me to this subject is when our Sunday study of Romans came to chapter eleven, we had to wrestle with this issue.  I decided as a teacher, I should do some additional research of scripture to help us all understand what God wants us to understand about this phrase and this idea.  This paper contains the results of that research.  I have used God’s Word, Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, and The Complete Biblical Library.  Man’s opinions are suspect.

Basically, I found that the title phrase isn’t true unless the phrase “as long as we continue to believe in and follow Jesus” is added.  Following Him means doing what He tells us He wants of us as detailed in His scripture and through prayer insights. Being neither lukewarm nor cold.

So, let’s capture here several of the scriptures that inform our knowledge of this truth.  Is it possible that those who have at one time “believed in” (Pisteuon = believe on, commit to, entrust to; as in John 3:16) Jesus as Savior can turn away, can deny Christ, by not following Him?  Of course, that’s possible.  NLT quotes from 1 Tim 4:1, 2 Tim 2:12 and then Matthew 10:33. (Words of Jesus will be in boldface)

“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true Faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.”

“If we endure hardship, we will reign with Him.  If we deny Him, He will deny us.” 

                      “But everyone who denies Me here on earth,
                        I will also deny before my Father in Heaven.”

Obviously, God sees unproductive Faith as “dead and useless” (see James 2:17).  As James in 2:18 says, “I’ll show you my faith by my works.”  Now if that is so, does that mean God will not bring someone who once was “saved” (but has now walked away from Christ) into Heaven when they die?  Let’s look at that…

In the letter Paul wrote to the Gentile believers in Rome, he said these startling words in Chapter 11, verses 21 and 22.

       “For if God did not spare the original branches (the Jews, whom
He cut off the Vine because of unbelief), He won’t spare you either.
Notice how God is both kind and severe.  He is severe toward those
who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in His kindness.
       But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.” (NLT)

One of the great “assurance” verses is from Jesus’ words in John 10:27-29:

      “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.  No one can
snatch them away from Me, for my Father has given them to Me,
and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch
them from the Father’s hand.” See also Isaiah 43:13 (NLT)

Sounds like a rock-solid assurance for followers.  And it is – for followers.  As long as a believer remains a follower, a sheep in the Father’s flock, no one – not even the devil, his demons, or the world’s corrupt system  – can snatch us away from God’s loving hold on us.  But when we, on our own, walk away from Christ either deliberately or carelessly and begin to walk with the world and its ways, we will have removed ourselves from His hand.  No one will have “snatched” us away; we will have taken ourselves away from Him.  We will then have denied Christ by not believing, trusting and following Him.  We are then wholly vulnerable to the wiles and lies of the devil, the world, and our own flesh.  

Jesus is trying to tell us in many places that there is an “IF” to salvation.  It is serious business to forfeit our salvation by walking away from our Faith, either carelessly or deliberately.  Knowing our righteous God is a demanding God, why would anyone not believe Him when He says follow Me to your end of days IF you want to join Me in My Heaven?

There are those who cite the four scriptures that speak of God sealing  us who have received His Son as our Lord and Savior.  Those four are 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13 & 4:30, and 2 Timothy 2:19.  These are all written by Paul as reflected in the NASB and earlier translations.  No other writers use this term for these verses. The NLT, for example, in 2 Corinthians 1:22 says “and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.”   But Paul also wrote in 2 Timothy 2:12b, “If we deny Him, He will deny us.”  So, again, the “sealed” that some cite as proof that once saved is always saved is false. 

Remember, Jesus says in Matthew 10:33 “Deny Me on earth, I will deny you before my Father.” In Revelation 2:10 Jesus says, “But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.”  Again in John 15:6 Jesus says, “Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.”  In John 15:10 Jesus defines what He means by “remain” – “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love…”  It cannot be made more clear – those who are once saved must, MUST, remain obedient followers of Jesus to insure joining Him after our mortal death here on earth.  Don’t let Paul’s “sealed” mislead you teachers and preachers.

Let’s look at some powerful words from Paul’s magnificent letter in Romans 8:12-14 NLT.  
        “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what
your sinful nature urges you to do.  For if you live by its dictates, you will
die.  But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of
your sinful nature,  you will live.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God
are children of God.”  

Then Romans 8:35a,38a,39 NLT. 
        “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?  And I am convinced
that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky
above or in the earth below – indeed nothing in all creation will ever be
able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus
our Lord.”

These words from the verse-by-verse commentary on Romans 8:13,35,36,38,39 in my 40-volume “The Complete Biblical Library”* should prove helpful.  8:13. “To allow the things of the world to completely dominate one’s spiritual life is spiritual suicide.  This verse is perhaps the clearest, most concise statement of the way a person once in grace can lose his salvation.”  8:35,36. “The perils mentioned by Paul may not be common to us where we live, but we are faced with numberless spiritual perils which threaten our relationship.  The one thing that can separate us is spiritual death, described in verse 13.  The believer can choose to leave Christ out of his life; then he is separated from salvation by his own will.”  8:38,39. “The secret is to remain “in Christ.”  Eternal Security is provided, but it is only available as long as we remain “in Christ.”  By the decision of our will, we came into the relationship of being “in Christ.”  By a decision of our will, we can choose to terminate that relationship.  If we do that, we have lost our security.  In summary, there is nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of Christ outside of ourselves.  The only thing that can effect that separation is human will.”   

     *used in my doctoral studies at Trinity Seminary & Bible College near
Evansville, Indiana.

Are there other scriptural proofs of this notion that we can lose our salvation?  There are others, many others.  God would not let us miss something as important as this by not giving us plenty of warning with corroboration.  

The Greek phrase “work out” means “to continually work to bring something to fulfillment or completion.”  In other words, our salvation requires attention, just like a garden needs attention to grow and mature.  We must work at it by staying close to Jesus, by doing those things He calls us to do, and to always have a healthy fear of offending God and to have an awestruck reverence and respect for Him (Pr 1:7, 9:10; Is 66:1-3a).  Each of us is responsible for keeping and maturing our salvation.  An excellent statement is verse 13 in Philippians, chapter 2:  “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” (NLT)

Some say Hebrews supports an unqualified “Once Saved, Always Saved.”  But does it?  Let’s look at Hebrews 6:4-6.

       “For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once
enlightened – those who have experienced the good things of heaven
and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the
word of God and the power of the age to come – and who then turn
away from God.  It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance;
by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the
cross once again and holding him up to public shame.” (NLT). 

Though others cannot bring back such a one, the person himself can come back to repentance.

Let’s look at Hebrews 10:26,29,31,38,39 (parallels the thoughts of Habakkuk 2:4b).
       “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received
knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover
these sins.  Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those
who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the
covenant, which made us holy, as if it  were common and unholy, and
have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to
us.  It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.…my
righteous ones will live by faith.  But I will take no pleasure in anyone
         who turns away.  But we are not like those who turn away from God
to their own destruction.  We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be
saved.”  (NLT)

One more scripture to show that we must stay a firm believer and follower of Jesus if our salvation is to be viable and active for bringing us home to be with Him upon our mortal death.  This one is from Colossians 1:22b,23:
       “As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy
and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. But you
must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.  Don’t drift
away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.” (NLT)

Paul goes on to say in Colossians (1:27; 2:6-8; 3:1-4; 4:2) that because Christ lives in you, you have the assurance of sharing His glory, but that is only so, if you stay in Christ.  Verse 6 of Colossians 2 says plainly: “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus, as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him.” (NLT)

Basically, what all of these verses are saying is that we can lose our salvation assurance of going to Heaven if we drift away from following Jesus Christ as our Lord.  We must follow Him to the end of our lives.  As Paul says so well, we must run the race all the way to the finish line.
Would God spend so much time and ink with so many different writers
warning us about something that some today think can’t happen?

Paul and other New Testament writers strongly encourage believers to root themselves in the faith and hope of the gospel in order to persevere to the end.  “Today in the Word” commentator Doug Moo puts it this way:  “God does, indeed, by His grace and through His Spirit, work to preserve His people so that they will be vindicated in the judgment; but, at the same time, God’s people are responsible to persevere in their faith if they expect to see that vindication.”

The danger of believing this Once Saved, Always Saved pretense is that it can mislead some to think they can go on about their business and think that no matter how they live, they are saved.  As you see from the scriptures, that is a fraudulent view.  In addition, that statement leads some of us to think that when someone who has been saved starts sinning, we say, “Oh, well, he must not have been saved after all.”  Which is a statement that is intended to “protect” the lie of “Once Saved, Always Saved”…. And that is simply not so, and is, therefore, dangerously misleading. Someone who is saved can walk away from Christ, as these scriptures have told us.  And there are many others; here’re some, all Jesus words:    Matthew 10:22,33,38; 13:20,21; 24:10.

If one of us walks away from our Faith in Christ, can we repent and return – and  will He forgive us and take us back?  If we repent, He promises to always forgive us, cleanse us and bring us back into His family.  The Heart of Jesus is that He wants none of us to perish (2 Pet 3:9).  As long as we don’t commit the unforgiveable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, then Christ will always take us back.  One of the purposes of the powerful Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is to clearly show us that our Father will always take back His repentant son, even after the son has turned away in complete denial of his father and his father’s ways, and was considered “dead and lost” (vs 24).  To God alone be the Glory!  See also Colossians 2:6-10.

The church must teach the truth of God’s Word and not man’s words on any topic.  Otherwise, some having come to faith might believe the lie of Once Saved, Always Saved, and decide that they can return to their former life of sin and its supposed pleasures (2 Pet 2:22) falsely believing they can do that because they will always be saved no matter how they live.  That is a lie from the pit of hell.  A backslidden “Christian” is a terrible witness to the world.  Psalm 73:27 says:  “Those who desert Him will perish, for You destroy those who abandon You.” (NLT)

I hope you now see this critical issue in the light of God’s Word.  Once we are saved, we will be forever saved – as long as we continue to follow Jesus.  As long as we entrust Him with our lives by living for Him.  Our very life eternal with God depends on our living our Faith in Him alone.  The fact that we may sin occasionally, does not deny our Faith in Him.  It upsets our relationship with Him, but by repenting and asking His forgiveness we re-establish that close relationship with Him in salvation.  “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9, NLT)   But, as Revelation 2:10,11 and 21:8 make clear, those who deny their Faith in Christ will not go to a heavenly home to be with Him for eternity, but such deniers will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.  God’s Grace is Priceless! 

So, walk with The King today and every day so as to be a blessing for the rest of your life!

Tom McDonald, Christ Follower.  Bible Student & Teacher
Original: May 14, 2019.  Updated: April 19, 2023
Note: If you believe this view is incorrect, I welcome a scripture-based correction. Thank you….
Soli Deo Gloria…

Addendum – Detail for the “Once Saved, Always Saved?” Paper

What follows is an addition for emphasis to my paper on this topic.  The purpose here is to highlight the words of Jesus as He speaks to being faithful to Him all the way to the rapture, or our mortal death, whichever comes first. 

The obvious point is: The words of Jesus are ultimately authoritative and take precedence over any human’s interpretation of other words, such as the Apostle Paul’s.  Paul is the only one who used the word “seal”, only to have it mis-interpreted to mean “locked-in” rather than the intended “identified”.  The bottom line is again that anyone who comes to Christ and then falls away or denies or fails to follow Him, will not be claimed by Jesus and will not enter His rest in Heaven (or the New Earth). The only people who should be concerned about this are those who are not, will not, and have not followed Christ after their genuine conversion experience.   

These are Scriptures that speak of Believers needing to stay Followers of Christ, once saved – to be qualified to come home to Him after our mortal death.  Words of Jesus are in red and italicized.  

Psalm 73:25-27 “Those who desert Him will perish, for You destroy those who abandon You.”

2 Peter 1:10,11 “So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen.  Do these things, and you will never fall away.  Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”   

Matthew 10:22,33,38
22. “And all the nations will hate you because you are my followers.  But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.”
33. “But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.”
38. “If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine”

John 10:27-29
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.  No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else.  No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.” 

Also, Isaiah 43:13
“From eternity to eternity I am God.  No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.  No one can undo what I have done.”

But then John 15:6 & 10
6. “Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.  Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.”
10. “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”

Revelation 2:10,11
“Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer.  The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you.  You will suffer for ten days.  But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.  Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.”

Matthew 24:10
“And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.”

2 Timothy 2:12,19 (Paul’s last letter makes clear he knows denying Christ is possible)
12.   “If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will
deny us.”
19.  “But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription:
“The Lord knows those who are his.’ And ‘All who belong to the Lord must
turn away from evil.’”

Now let’s look at the several verses that Paul uses in his writings that use the word, “sealed” or “seal”.  In the NASB they are:
     “also sealed us”    2 Corinthians 1:22.
               “sealed in Him”     Ephesians 1:13
                          “you were sealed” Ephesians 4:30
                                      “having this seal”  2 Timothy 2:19

The word “sealed” as used in the NASB and earlier versions of the Bible, is from the Greek word esphragisthete.  It is defined by several words: seal, seal up, set a seal upon, affirm, authenticate, certify, acknowledge.  Another is identify as used in the NLT Bible.  Another is secured as used in the Amplified Bible.  The principal purpose of the use of this word was to show that once a person is saved, he is “identified” as belonging to the family of God.  It does not convey a meaning of “locked up” or “forever belonging to God”.  Even the word “secured” used in the Amplified Bible does not mean “locked up” or “Christ’s forever” considering the other scriptures that do not subscribe to the once saved, always saved pretense, as provided earlier in the main paper.  If more is needed, I have covered this point thoroughly in paragraph three on page two of the main paper, “Once Saved, Always Saved?”.

In my continued reading of the Bible, I have come across other scriptures that speak to this very important issue; I present their addresses here:  Psalm 73:25-27; 2 Peter 1:10,11; 1 John 2:24,25; 3:6-10; Galatians 5:4; John 11:26; 12:26;  Colossians 2:6; Hebrews 3:12,13; Matthew 24:10-13. 

Hoping this provides some additional light on the topic.0.

Tom McDonald, April 19, 2023