THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOUL
It is the popular belief in Christendom, that all that’s necessary is that we be saved and go to “heaven.” That is not exactly what the Bible teaches. A careful study will show that there is much more to do having being saved than just the initial act of being saved.
The Bible tells us how one gets saved, by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31). There is where we receive the free gift of a redeemed spirit:
1 Cor 12:13
13 For by one 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 .
KJV
Having now being born into the family of God, this is where the “new life in Christ” begins; from here on we have to work out our (sou’sl) salvation:
Phil 2:12
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
KJV
This is the “salvation” that is realized at the end of one’s faith (end of your Christian walk); this is where you know if you are approved or cast away.
1 Peter 1:9
9 Receiving the end of your faith , even the salvation of your souls.
KJV
1 Cor 9:26-27
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
KJV
In this respect “salvation” is really a lifelong process.
1 Thess 5:23
23 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.
KJV
It doesn’t consist of one simple choice, but thousands upon thousands of choices. It happens something like this: Our spirit is saved at our new birth, the moment we choose to believe in Christ and receive His Spirit. This is called “justification”. Our soul – which is made up of our own natural thoughts, emotions, and desires – is in the process of being saved through the process referred to as “sanctification,” the process the Christian presently undertakes. And our body – will be saved in the future at the resurrection which is often referred to as “glorification” [Glorification is much more than that but we will study that at a future date]. Just give it a thought, if “resurrection” and “glorification” were one and the same, the unsaved man would also be glorified at his resurrection.
Scripture tells us that all three of these parts of our beings must be presented “blameless” unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23). Therefore, if our soul is really made up of our natural thoughts and emotions, then we can see with the many bad thoughts and emotions; our souls like our decaying bodies are not yet redeemed. The spirit on the other hand, is the gift of God and therefore the work on that is complete. To put it in summary, the Christian’s spirit is saved, while his soul and body are being saved.
So, the first step of salvation – justification – means receiving God’s eternal Life in our spirits. It means we have passed from death (separation from God) to Life (God is, once again in us); whereas, the next step in salvation “sanctification” means seeing that the Life of God begin to actually transform our soul – really being able to live God’s Life. My understanding of 1 Peter 1:6-9 is that we cannot claim the salvation of our souls until the “end of our faith” at the judgment seat of Christ.
Be sure to understand that this does not affect our “Eternal Security,” because we have a saved spirit – the gift of God and it’s on that merit we are eternally saved. But soul salvation has to do with the Millennial kingdom, that “rest” that remains for the people of God (Heb. 4:1), let us do all we can not to allow it to slip. Our mind, emotions and spiritual life are changing and we are becoming more like Him – that’s the way of a Christian that is seeking for the salvation of his soul. This is how we become partakers of Christ’s very nature – beginning to reflect His Love, His power and His wisdom to all wit whom we come in contact. But you may ask, “what if we don’t?” The answer is simply, “we will not be partakers with Christ in His coming kingdom.”
Heb 3:14
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
KJV
Please note that little word “if” in this verse and it would do us well to look at some of the “if” passages in Scripture. Something happens “if” we do so and so; and the same is true; it won’t happen “if” we don’t.
Thus the salvation of the spirit – justification – is not the end of the race; it’s only the beginning of our walk with the Lord. [Too many Christians have stops there]. But receiving the Holy Spirit in our spirit is like the down payment, the pledge or the seal of a much greater commitment that is yet forthcoming:
Eph 1:13
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
KJV
The union of our spirits is simply a symbol of our “betrothal.”
Once we are justified, God can begin the process of sanctification where He literally makes us in character and action, righteous, holy and set apart. He does this work in our lives by the power of His Holy Spirit, but we have to choose to allow Him to work His work in us. This transformation does not happen automatically. We must choose to allow God to remake us into righteous and holy vessels, reflecting Him in all we do.
Justification (spirit salvation) is a free gift that we simply receive and embrace, whereas, sanctification (soul salvation) is the process that will outwardly reveal our walk – if it’s in the spirit or in the flesh.
John 13:35
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
KJV
Justification will surely get us into “heaven,” it opens the door for us, but sanctification will make us those overcomers who rule and reign with Christ in the Millennium.
The word “sanctification” (Strong’s #38, hagiasmos) simply means to be “separated to God.” See 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; and 1 Peter 1:2. Positionally this happens at our new birth when our spirit is sanctified, experientially, the sanctification of our soul takes a lifetime. See 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; Romans 6:19, 22; Hebrews 12:14. Sanctification is a relationship with God that is entered into at our new birth, but is demonstrated by a changed life. The sanctification of the soul is God’s will for every Christian. It is the process by which God conforms us back into His image, which was lost when Adam and Eve sinned. It’s the means God uses to make us partakers of His Life so that we can become the overcomers who inherit the Millennial Kingdom. The goal of sanctification then, is to make us more like Christ.
Sanctification refers to an inward change – a metamorphosis – brought about apart from the natural strength of the individual. Our fulfillment, our meaning and our significance in this life and the next will all rest upon this transformation process.
The measure of our inclusion in Christ’s coming kingdom, will be found in the measure of our sanctification here and now. Thus, it’s important to always keep the big picture in mind. We are saved with a view towards realizing our inheritance as co-heirs of Christ’s heavenly kingdom at a future date – you are not saved just to go to “heaven.”
The Bible tells us how one gets saved, by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31). There is where we receive the free gift of a redeemed spirit:
1 Cor 12:13
13 For by one 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 .
KJV
Having now being born into the family of God, this is where the “new life in Christ” begins; from here on we have to work out our (sou’sl) salvation:
Phil 2:12
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
KJV
This is the “salvation” that is realized at the end of one’s faith (end of your Christian walk); this is where you know if you are approved or cast away.
1 Peter 1:9
9 Receiving the end of your faith , even the salvation of your souls.
KJV
1 Cor 9:26-27
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
KJV
In this respect “salvation” is really a lifelong process.
1 Thess 5:23
23 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.
KJV
It doesn’t consist of one simple choice, but thousands upon thousands of choices. It happens something like this: Our spirit is saved at our new birth, the moment we choose to believe in Christ and receive His Spirit. This is called “justification”. Our soul – which is made up of our own natural thoughts, emotions, and desires – is in the process of being saved through the process referred to as “sanctification,” the process the Christian presently undertakes. And our body – will be saved in the future at the resurrection which is often referred to as “glorification” [Glorification is much more than that but we will study that at a future date]. Just give it a thought, if “resurrection” and “glorification” were one and the same, the unsaved man would also be glorified at his resurrection.
Scripture tells us that all three of these parts of our beings must be presented “blameless” unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23). Therefore, if our soul is really made up of our natural thoughts and emotions, then we can see with the many bad thoughts and emotions; our souls like our decaying bodies are not yet redeemed. The spirit on the other hand, is the gift of God and therefore the work on that is complete. To put it in summary, the Christian’s spirit is saved, while his soul and body are being saved.
So, the first step of salvation – justification – means receiving God’s eternal Life in our spirits. It means we have passed from death (separation from God) to Life (God is, once again in us); whereas, the next step in salvation “sanctification” means seeing that the Life of God begin to actually transform our soul – really being able to live God’s Life. My understanding of 1 Peter 1:6-9 is that we cannot claim the salvation of our souls until the “end of our faith” at the judgment seat of Christ.
Be sure to understand that this does not affect our “Eternal Security,” because we have a saved spirit – the gift of God and it’s on that merit we are eternally saved. But soul salvation has to do with the Millennial kingdom, that “rest” that remains for the people of God (Heb. 4:1), let us do all we can not to allow it to slip. Our mind, emotions and spiritual life are changing and we are becoming more like Him – that’s the way of a Christian that is seeking for the salvation of his soul. This is how we become partakers of Christ’s very nature – beginning to reflect His Love, His power and His wisdom to all wit whom we come in contact. But you may ask, “what if we don’t?” The answer is simply, “we will not be partakers with Christ in His coming kingdom.”
Heb 3:14
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
KJV
Please note that little word “if” in this verse and it would do us well to look at some of the “if” passages in Scripture. Something happens “if” we do so and so; and the same is true; it won’t happen “if” we don’t.
Thus the salvation of the spirit – justification – is not the end of the race; it’s only the beginning of our walk with the Lord. [Too many Christians have stops there]. But receiving the Holy Spirit in our spirit is like the down payment, the pledge or the seal of a much greater commitment that is yet forthcoming:
Eph 1:13
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
KJV
The union of our spirits is simply a symbol of our “betrothal.”
Once we are justified, God can begin the process of sanctification where He literally makes us in character and action, righteous, holy and set apart. He does this work in our lives by the power of His Holy Spirit, but we have to choose to allow Him to work His work in us. This transformation does not happen automatically. We must choose to allow God to remake us into righteous and holy vessels, reflecting Him in all we do.
Justification (spirit salvation) is a free gift that we simply receive and embrace, whereas, sanctification (soul salvation) is the process that will outwardly reveal our walk – if it’s in the spirit or in the flesh.
John 13:35
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
KJV
Justification will surely get us into “heaven,” it opens the door for us, but sanctification will make us those overcomers who rule and reign with Christ in the Millennium.
The word “sanctification” (Strong’s #38, hagiasmos) simply means to be “separated to God.” See 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; and 1 Peter 1:2. Positionally this happens at our new birth when our spirit is sanctified, experientially, the sanctification of our soul takes a lifetime. See 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; Romans 6:19, 22; Hebrews 12:14. Sanctification is a relationship with God that is entered into at our new birth, but is demonstrated by a changed life. The sanctification of the soul is God’s will for every Christian. It is the process by which God conforms us back into His image, which was lost when Adam and Eve sinned. It’s the means God uses to make us partakers of His Life so that we can become the overcomers who inherit the Millennial Kingdom. The goal of sanctification then, is to make us more like Christ.
Sanctification refers to an inward change – a metamorphosis – brought about apart from the natural strength of the individual. Our fulfillment, our meaning and our significance in this life and the next will all rest upon this transformation process.
The measure of our inclusion in Christ’s coming kingdom, will be found in the measure of our sanctification here and now. Thus, it’s important to always keep the big picture in mind. We are saved with a view towards realizing our inheritance as co-heirs of Christ’s heavenly kingdom at a future date – you are not saved just to go to “heaven.”
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