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. (1 Thessalonians 5:23, KJV)
The Bible says that we all possess three parts that make up our being: spirit, soul, and body. The spirit is the life-giving breath given to all of God’s creatures (Genesis 6:17; Genesis 7:22; Job 27:3; Acts 17:25; Daniel 7:15). The soul is the real you—your true self and identity before God—that contains your will, emotions, heart, mind, strength, and so on (Genesis 2:7). When we die, our spirit returns to God, and the soul departs from the body and flesh, “as her soul was in departing (for she died)” (Genesis 35:18). Your soul is what will live on forever, either in heaven because of your faith in Jesus Christ or in hell because of your rejection of Him: “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell” (Psalm 16:10).
Jesus Christ taught that it is the soul and body of mankind that God will destroy if they refuse to believe in Him with their whole heart: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28, KJV). The body (flesh) is simply the physical part that contains and holds the spiritual parts inside. These parts are independent of each other, and when we die, the body is the part that is buried in the ground and subject to corruption (decay). It is also referred to as the part that “sleeps”: “thou shalt be buried in a good old age” (Genesis 15:15); “Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers” (Deuteronomy 31:16); “lest I sleep the sleep of death” (Psalm 13:3); “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11); “David… fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption” (Acts 13:36).
The soul is the part of us that gets saved, delivered, redeemed, reconciled, forgiven, justified, and receives salvation.
“Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9, KJV);
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit” (1 Peter 1:22).
It is our soul that departs to either heaven or hell upon death. The good news for those of us who have repented and trusted Jesus Christ to save our souls is that, upon death, we will immediately go to heaven and not to hell:
“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:23-24, KJV).
But the opposite is true for those who reject Jesus. Upon death, they will go to hell and not to heaven:
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, KJV).
My hope and prayer for you today is this: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask God to forgive you of your sins, and receive His Son into your heart as your Lord and Savior.
In love, Brother Carlos
