Communion with the Creator
Dr RJ Sing · 1 min read
“May the God of peace Himself make you entirely pure and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again.”
Paul here put together the three elements that make up a complete human personality, listing them in descending order from the highest to the lowest: First, Spirit; Second, Soul; Third, Body.
The spirit is part of the human personality that was directly breathed into man by God at creation. It is therefore capable of direct union and communion with the Creator. In 1 Corinthians 6:17, Paul said, “But if you give yourself to the Lord, you and Christ are joined together as one person.” It would not be correct to say “one soul with Him” Only man’s spirit is capable of direct union with God. In the original pattern of creation, man’s spirit related upward to God, his Creator, and downward to his own soul. God communicated directly with man’s spirit and through man’s spirit, with his soul.
Together, man’s spirit and soul expressed themselves through his body. Let me give you three definitions of the functions of spirit, soul, and body-definitions that are simple but no less helpful. The spirit is God-conscious. The soul is self-conscious. The body is world-conscious. When the spirit of man is brought back into union with God, it is rekindled to become a lamp, which the Holy Spirit fills up, shedding light on man’s whole inner being. (See Proverbs 20:27)
From the December 2017 issue, themed Jesus the Lord of My Life.
