11th July 2011
The Lord is saying. Do
not be afraid or worried, you have not got it wrong. Keep walking
in confidence. We are heading in the right direction and everything
is coming together.
Spirit, Soul, And Body
By Andrew Wommack
The most important revelation I have ever received is the understanding
that we were created by God with three distinct parts: spirit,
soul, and body. Over forty years ago, that revelation opened
the eyes of my understanding to the Bible and the true nature
of God. Everything I teach is based on the revelation of who
I am in Christ, or my born-again spirit.
We have millions of new viewers since I last taught on Spirit,
Soul & Body back in 2008, and I want to make sure everyone
knows that this truth holds the key that will unlock the treasure
chest of God’s blessings. Once you understand this, the
Bible comes alive.
For example, you already have inside of you the same power
that raised Christ from the dead, regardless of your experience.
It’s in your spirit. You also have love, joy, and peace
in your born-again spirit, although you may be suffering depression,
anger, and bitterness.
If you don’t understand what happened in your spirit,
though, you will miss these blessings. The Bible says that every
born-again believer has undergone a complete inner transformation.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17-18).
It doesn’t say that all things are becoming new or have
the potential of becoming new; they are new, the moment you
are born again. But, in order for that to make sense, you must
first understand how God created you.
God’s Word clearly teaches that we are three-part beings,
but very few Christians have a functional understanding of spirit,
soul, and body in their daily lives.Intellectually, most Christians
believe they are three-part beings, but functionally, they are
ignorant of their spiritual identity. They’ve confused
the operation of the soul and spirit, seeing them basically
as one.
Even Strong’s Concordance fails to distinguish all three!
It defines “spirit” (pneuma in the Greek) as “the
rational soul.” However, in my study of God’s Word,
I have found a very distinct difference between spirit and soul.
Your spirit is your innermost part, not your “rational
soul.”
First Thessalonians 5:23 makes it very clear that we are three-part
beings:
“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” (underlines mine).
If you were talking to me face to face, you’d be seeing
my body but speaking to my soul. The word soul is defined by
some as the mind, will, and emotions, and while that’s
certainly true, it’s incomplete. The “conscience”
should also be included in that definition, as well as the “imagination.”
The soul is really what most call the “personality.”
You can feel both your body and your soul, and you are receiving
information from them all the time. For example, if I asked
you if you were hot or cold, you wouldn’t have to pray
about it and get back to me. You instantly know that. Likewise,
if I asked how you felt emotionally, you don’t have to
study on it and tell me tomorrow. You know if you are sad or
glad at any moment.
It’s easy to know how your body feels, what’s going
on in your mind, and what emotions you are experiencing. However,
your spirit is much different; it cannot be accessed through
your five senses.
John 3:6 says,
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which
is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Jesus meant that there’s no direct connection between
the two. Spirit is spirit and flesh is flesh. You simply cannot
contact your spirit through your five senses or through your
mind, will, or emotions. This is the key that unlocked my brain.
If you don’t understand that spiritual reality can’t
be felt, then you’ll be confused when God’s Word declares
that you have, living in you, the same power that raised Jesus
from the dead (Eph. 1:18-20). If you think truth can be discerned
through your natural senses, then you’ll be baffled when
the Bible says you’re a brand-new creature who can do the
same miraculous works that Jesus did (2 Cor. 5:17 and John 14:12).
The apparent disparity between your natural experiences and
God’s Word will cause you to throw up your hands in frustration
and conclude that it must not be true. It’s the understanding
of spirit, soul, and body that unlocks who you are and what
you have in Christ.
In the natural, the spirit realm can’t be seen or felt.
The only way to accurately perceive spiritual truth is through
the Bible. Simply believe God’s Word!
Jesus said in John 6:63,
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and
they are life.”
God’s World reveals spiritual reality. If you want to
know what your spirit is like, you must find out from the Word,
not by relying on emotions or other perceptions. God’s
Word is spirit and life! When you look at your face in a mirror,
you trust what you see. God’s Word is just like that mirror;
it reflects perfectly who you are in your spirit.
“For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he
is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For
he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth
what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect
law of liberty, and continueth therin, he being not a forgetful
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in
his deed” (James 1:23-25).
You must look into God’s mirror and trust the spiritual
reality you see! It reflects your new, born-again spirit, your
innermost part.
Although full payment has been made for your glorified body
through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, you still
have a corrupted body. One day it will be redeemed and changed
into an incorruptible one, but for now, you still have the same
body.
Your soul wasn’t saved either, so you may have the same
thoughts and emotions you had before you were saved. Because
of that, some of you seriously doubt whether or not you were
saved. You don’t understand that the change took place
in your spirit. Typically, your body and soul are both impacted
by what happens at salvation, but it’s not instant or complete.
The good news is, you can change your soul as you change your
mind. In fact, you are commanded to do so.
Romans 12:2 says,
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Your soul will be transformed to the degree you renew your
mind, change your attitudes, and conform to the Word of God.
This doesn’t happen automatically when you are saved.
In your soul, old things did not pass away, and all things
haven’t yet become new. For that reason, you could actually
die from sickness or disease even though all of the power that
raised Jesus from the dead is residing untapped within your
spirit. It’s like dying of thirst while leaning against
a well full of life-giving water.
Think of your soul like the valve on a faucet: It controls
the rate and volume of the flow of the spirit into your body.
If your mind is renewed and in agreement with the Word, the
valve is wide open. But if it is in agreement with what your
body is feeling or what your emotions are experiencing, then
the valve is closed to God’s life in your spirit.
Your soul has the power to keep every drop of life-giving power
from ever reaching your physical body, or it can flood your
body with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. If
the valve is open, you’ll experience healing, deliverance,
anointing, victory, power, joy, prosperity, and more. So, keep
it open.
This revelation of the relationship of the spirit, soul, and
body has transformed my life. When I realized that God had already
given me everything I needed and it’s all contained in
my spirit, it set me free. All I needed to do was release it.
That simple understanding changes everything. It’s infinitely
easier to release something you already have than it is to get
something you don’t have.
The Christian life isn’t a process of “getting from
God”; it’s a process of renewing your mind and learning
to release what you’ve already received.
If you don’t understand that you have already received
all that you will ever need at salvation (in your spirit), there
will always be an element of doubt. You may know it’s possible
or even promised in the Word, but you’ll be trying to perceive
it in the mental, emotional, or physical realm, and that’s
a formula for failure.
That erroneous concept can also result in a performance-based
relationship with God; i.e., if you’re good enough, if
you read the Bible enough, if you pay your tithe, and on and
on it goes, in an attempt to motivate God to give you what you
need. It’s the misconception that God hasn’t already
given you everything, and somehow you have to make yourself
worthy enough to get it.
You’re already worthy because of Jesus Christ and His
sacrifice. He paid the price for everything you will ever need.
In fact, you’ve already got it. It’s just a matter
of understanding the relationship of the spirit to the soul
and body.
Understanding spirit, soul, and body is critically important
to every believer. It’s like the key that opens the treasure
chest of God’s grace. It could be a matter of life and
death, and it’s the foundation to understanding the rest
of Scripture.
In 2005, I published my book, Spirit, Soul & Body and the
companion study guide. They contain my complete teaching on
this subject. The study guide breaks the book down into lessons,
each with a lesson outline, teacher’s guide, discipleship
questions, and an answer key. In addition, it contains a CD-ROM
that you may use to reproduce the outline and questions for
those you are discipling.
