There is a difference between these three entities. Matt.10:28 makes an interesting statement when it warns us "... do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell." That verse does not mention that the spirit is killed, destroyed, or in hell. While it is true that the term 'spirit' and 'soul' are interchanged many times in Scripture, there should be some verses which treat them as separate entities if indeed they are different. The prophet Isaiah divides them in Is.26:9 as follows: " My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you." Mary treated them differently in Lk.1:46-47 when she said, "My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior."
More to the point, Heb.4:12 tells us that "... the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit" (emphasis added). While the Word can in fact divide the spirit from the soul, I Thes.5:23 shows us that in addition to being three separate entities, it is God's desire to keep them together. "(M)ay your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Until that time you are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (see also II Ki.23:25 & Mk.12:23). All three components are to be totally dedicated to the Most High.
He cares for all three, and there is a salvation spoken of in Scripture for all three; past - present - future. In referring to Christ's deliverance of Paul in II Cor.1:10 the KJV shows just such a threefold concept by stating "... who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver; and in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us (emphasis added). This verse refers to more then Paul's physical hardships alone. I Thes.5:9 says that God has not appointed us to suffer His wrath, but to obtain (Greek word peripoiess = to acquire) salvation by Jesus Christ. While this was written to believers who had already accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, there was some 'additional' salvation to which they were being directed.
Eph.2:8 specifically says: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast" (emphasis added). The salvation spoken of here is by grace, not works, and it is past tense in nature. Yet, Ja.2:24 clearly says "... a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." If that isn't direct enough, Phil.2:12 states "... continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (emphasis added).
How can that be? One verse says works and the other says not by works. One is dealing with past (have been saved - grace) and one is dealing with present (continue to work - works). (Note, this is not referring to "good works" in hopes of "earning" salvation.) One is dealing with salvation of our spirit, which is past tense and by grace, and the other is dealing with the salvation of our soul, which is present tense in nature and is related to works. There is still a future salvation for the body which is spoken of, but we will get to that in a moment.
Let's first address the present tense - on going salvation -which deals with our soul. As was stated earlier, when Paul wrote I Thes.5:9 he was writing to people who had already been saved, yet he was clearly telling them that there was something additional (see also 1 Cor.1:18). Ja.1:21 shows us that this additional salvation is of the soul. "Humbly accept the Word planted in you which can save your souls." WHICH CAN SAVE YOUR SOULS. Not "has saved your spirit," but "which can save your souls." I Pe.1:9 confirms this for us when we read "... for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (emphasis added - see also Heb.10:38-39).
Soul salvation is present tense, and is the work of the Holy Spirit. Whereas, the salvation of our spirit, which is past tense in nature, has already been accomplished by Jesus. Recall for a moment the purposes for which the Holy Spirit has come. They include: convicting the world of guilt in regard to sin (John 16:8), regenerating the believer (Titus 3:5 - see also Col.3:10 & Eph.4:23), leading the believer (Gal.5:16-18), reminding us of what Jesus said and teaching us all things (John 14:26), guiding us into all truth (John 16:13), revealing unto us that which our natural mind cannot understand (I Cor.2:9-10), and providing us with wisdom and knowledge (I Cor.12:8 & Eph.1:17). Carefully note that most of what He does affects are ability to perceive, to know, to understand. In short, these things work upon our mind. Not just the physical gray matter called our brain, but our whole thought process. This whole process is our soul.
At this point allow me to review that portion of Chapter 4 entitled "Revealed Glory" which discusses this issue. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to understand the Word of God (I Cor.2:12; Ps.119:130; Col. 1:9 and I John 2:27). We are to put on a new self "... which has been renewed in knowledge ..." in the image of God (Col.3:10). We are made new in the attitude of our minds (Eph.4:23). In short, our mind is worked upon by the Holy Spirit.
The Greek word for soul is pysche from which we derive the word 'psychology,' or study of the mind. This word is itself translated "mind" in Acts 14:2 (see Phil.1:27 KJV). The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace (Ro.8:6). Once we were alienated from God because we were enemies in our mind. Now we are blameless in the mind if we continue in our faith (Col.1:21-23). Our faith is increased if we hear the Word (Ro.10:17). The Holy Spirit works on our soul (psyche / mind) so that when we hear the Word our faith will grow. We must have the Holy Spirit in order to understand the Word (I Cor.2:14). This is why both I Pe.1:9 & Ja.1:21 said that the goal of our faith is the salvation of our soul.
We must take an active part in this faith building process. We must not abandon the faith (I Tim. 4:1), or stop "working out" our salvation. Ps.119:9 informs us that living according to the Word plays an important part in this process. I Pe.1:22 then specifically tells us that our souls are purified by obeying the truth, and we know from John 16:12 that it is the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of Truth, who guides us on this journey. The works spoken of earlier are found in Ja.1:22 wherein we are admonished not to be hearers only of the Word, but doers also. In the past our souls/minds were guided by the natural realm, ie. that which we could see, hear, taste, touch, or smell. Now however, our mind is to be renewed and guided by the Spirit. That is how our soul is purified. As a body of believers, the Church will be spotless and without wrinkle (Eph.5:27 & II Pe.3:14) when we have all "worked out" this salvation with fear and trembling.
On the other hand, our spirit was saved by Christ's death and resurrection. Jesus said in John 19:30, "It is finished. With that he bowed His head and gave up His Spirit" (see also John 4:4 & 5:36). When Jesus placed His blood before the altar in heaven (before the Father), He did "... by one sacrifice ... make perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Heb.10:14 - emphasis added). Notice two very important things about that verse. One is past tense, and one is present tense. One has been made perfect forever, and one is being made holy.
Jesus' work is completed (Heb.10:13). He is seated with the Father (John 14:28; 16:7 & Acts 1:11); whereas, the Holy Spirit is here now, and will be forever (John 14:15). More specifically, Heb.12:23 shows us what has been made perfect when it says, "... you have come to God, the Judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect" (emphasis added). Remember, as we have already seen, by one sacrifice Jesus made perfect forever those who are being made holy. That explains how Paul denies being perfect in Phil.3:12, when Heb.10:14 shows us that we are perfect now. In Phil.3:12 Paul was referring to his soul, which had not yet been perfected, while the Hebrew's verse is referring to the spirit, which had indeed already been perfected by the sacrifice of Jesus.
In Ro.13:11, Paul refers to yet another aspect of salvation. This verse, written to believers, says that "Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believer." This salvation, which is future tense, deals with our body. We introduced this topic in Chapter 4, and will be discussing it in more detail in future studies. For now I merely wish to call your attention to several verses:
Ro.12:2 "... be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Ro.8:23 "... we ourselves ... wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."
I Cor.15:53 "For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality."
We have previously said that Jesus was our Passover Lamb (I Cor.5:7). The Holy Spirit is our Pentecost experience (Acts 2:1&4). And dealing with the Father will be our Tabernacle experience. However, before our bodily salvation can take place, notice what must first occur.
Rev.19:7 says the "... bride has made herself ready." This must be in the soul realm (work out your salvation with fear and trembling), for in the realm of the spirit we see that salvation is by grace. What this means is that before there can be the salvation of the body, there must first be that purification of the soul spoken of in I Pe.1:22. This is why I John 3:3 says that whoever has the hope of being like Jesus when He returns (glorified body, spotless & without wrinkle) "purifies himself just as He is pure." Heb.9:28 pointedly says that when Jesus returns He is bringing salvation to those who are waiting for Him. He is bringing BODILY salvation to those who are already saved in Spirit, and are in the process of saving (purifying) their souls. In terms of the old tabernacle, first came salvation of the spirit Jesus - Passover - Outer Court. Second comes salvation of the soul: Holy Spirit - Pentecost - Middle Court. Finally comes the salvation of the body: Father - Tabernacles - Holy of Holies.
In regards to the past tense salvation of our spirit, allow me to reflect upon several important Scriptures which deal with this topic. First of all, it is important to realize that there is not one verse which ever says or even indicates that any human spirit is now, was, or ever will be in hell, Hades, sheol, or the lake of burning fire. Do not misunderstand what I have just said. There are verses which say that the body and soul can be destroyed in hell, but not one verse says that this is either the temporary or final resting place for the human spirit.
Note carefully that it was the soul of the rich fool that was demanded of him, not his spirit (Lk. 12:20 see also Ez.18:4&20). Likewise, in Lk.21:19 Jesus refers only to soul salvation when He says, "by standing firm you will save your souls" (emphasis added). We know from II Cor.1:24 that we stand by faith, and as we have said previously in this lesson, the goal of our faith is the salvation of our soul. The KJV uses the word 'perseverance' in Lk.21:19, and from Ja.1:2 we know that perseverance is developed through the testing of our faith. Perseverance must finish its work in order for us to be mature and complete (Heb.5:14). From this we can see the direct relationship between perseverance and faith. The point is still the same. No mention is made of any human spirit being lost; whereas, both the loss of, and salvation of the soul is specifically mentioned in this regard.
There is only one verse which could even remotely be interpreted to indicate the presence of human spirits in hell. I Pe.3:19 says that Jesus "... made alive by the Spirit, ... went and preached to the spirits in prison." (Note: The word translated "preached" when it says that Jesus "preached" to the spirits in prison is also used in I Cor.15:11. That preaching led to the establishment of the Church at Corinth. That is also the word used for 'preach' in the great commission of Mk.16:25.) The question now before us is this. Is the 'prison' of I Pe.3:19 in fact that place we normally think of as hell? The word 'prison' (Greek word phulake) which is used there is never, I repeat never, translated as 'hell', 'Hades' or 'sheol' anywhere else in the New Testament. On the otherhand, the Greek words for 'hell' (gehenna), 'Hades' (Hades), and 'deepest pit' (tartaro) are NOT used in I Pe.3:19. If Peter were referring to 'hell' in I Pe.3:19, why didn't he use one of the other words for hell like he did in II Pe.2:4? If he was referring to hell, why would the Holy Spirit have Peter use the word phulake, which is never translated as 'hell' or `Hades' in any other verse of Scripture?
If in spirit Jesus preached to the spirits in prison, and this prison was not hell, am I saying that Jesus did not go to hell during His three days in the grave? Absolutely not, but I am saying that His spirit did not go there, IT WAS HIS SOUL. Turn to Acts 2:27 & 31. Those verses say that Jesus' soul was not abandoned to Hades. It was there, but it was not abandoned there. In Hades Christ's victory was announced. Yet this verse does not say that Jesus' spirit was there. Isaiah 53:10-12 clearly states that it was the suffering of Jesus' soul which was counted as the guilt offering (Matt.20:28), and that happened on the cross. Remember also that according to Lk.23:46 Jesus commended His spirit to the Father, not satan. The Father did not send Jesus' spirit to Hades to announce the defeat of satan, it was His soul.
Let's look at this from a little different angle. We have been sent forth to preach the Gospel, but are we trying to save spirits or souls? Titus 2:11 says that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. If salvation of the spirit is by grace, and that grace has already appeared to all men, maybe the spirit of man has already heard the good news and we have been sent forth to win souls, not spirits. While that may sound far fetched, I urge you to consider Col.1:23. "This is the gospel that you have heard and that HAS BEEN PROCLAIMED TO EVERY CREATURE UNDER HEAVEN, and of which I Paul have become a servant" (emphasis added).
It is not possible to reconcile Eccl.12:7 which says "... the spirit returns to God who gave it" with the teaching which holds that human spirits are in hell. On the basis of that verse alone we cannot say it is returned to God, judged, and then sent to hell. As we have just seen, there is no verse which shows a spirit in hell. Furthermore, the Hebrew word translated as return is shuwb, and this word does not indicate a temporary stay. Note also that this verse makes no distinction between the spirits of believers and those of non-believers.
At this point I would ask you to turn your attention to Eph.4:7 wherein we read, "... when He ascended on high He led CAPTIVES in His train and gave gifts to men" (emphasis added). Who were the captives He led in His train? Does it seem right to call Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph "captives"? If they were captives who were the captives preached to in I Pe.3:19 through 4:6? Remember, those captives had been judged according to God in regard to the body, but LIVED according to God in regards to the SPIRIT. Body judged, spirit lived. Would it be correct to say that the dead preached to in I Pe.4:6 are a different group from those in I Pe.3:19? How can we say that those in I Pe.4:6 were the occupants of Abraham's bosom when the verses immediately prior to vs 6 definitely refer to non-believers? If it is still argued that those "captives" were the believers held prisoner in Abraham's bosom, then who are those referred to in Isaiah 42:7 wherein we see that Jesus was sent to "free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness?" (emphasis added). Surely it can't be assumed that Abraham's bosom was also a dungeon as well as a prison, and that its occupants sat in darkness?
If Abraham's bosom was in the upper half of the lower earthly regions (which is a traditional concept derived by combining Lk.16:23; John 3:13 & Eph.4:9), Elijah could not have been there, for it is written in II Ki.2:11 that he went "up into heaven." I would assume the same is also true of Enoch (Heb.11:5). Were they then in heaven by themselves until after Jesus ascended with the "captives" (all the inhabitants of Abraham's bosom) following along behind? When Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration as recorded in Lk.9:30-31, are we to assume that Elijah came down from heaven, and Moses had to be brought up from the place where he had been held captive all those centuries since he had died? Does that follow, especially when we see that both were clothed with glorious splendor (vs.31)? Was Moses a captive who had to be led to heaven, while Elijah was already there?
If Abraham's bosom was not in the "upper half of the lower earthly regions," where was it? Before I answer that question let's take a look at the apparent discrepancy between II Ki.2:11 which told us that Elijah was taken into heaven, and John 3:13 which says that "No man has ever gone into heaven except the One who came from heaven - the Son of Man." Where did Jesus come from? John 1:1 tells us that "the Word was with God and the Word was God." John 17:11 says that Jesus and the Father are one. The Word clearly shows us that Jesus, in his manifestation as the Son of Man, proceeded from the Father. Where was the Father? In heaven! Of course, but what PART of heaven? Isaiah 6:1, Ez.1:26 and Rev.3:21 clearly tell us that it was the THRONE of heaven.
Could Elijah, who went up into heaven, as well as the other occupants of Abraham's bosom, have been in some other part of heaven, but not on the throne? I submit that the answer to that question is "Yes". Where? PARADISE Look at II Cor.12:4 wherein Paul says that he was "caught up to paradise." Now look at vs. 2 and see where in heaven that paradise was located. "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven."
I do not believe that this is the third heaven in the sense that there is the sky above us, the universe beyond that, and then God's dwelling place. It is said that this is a Jewish tradition, and that this is the concept Paul was using when he wrote these verses. However, Paul was not writing to Jews in this letter. Furthermore, several ancient Jewish traditions would indicate that there are seven levels of heaven, not just three.
Therefore, Elijah, Abraham and the other believers who had died prior to the time of Jesus were in heaven, but they were not on the throne. Even now, there is more waiting for them. Heb.11:40 says that "only together with us would they be made perfect" The point is, Abraham's bosom was not in the "upper half of the lower earthly regions." That region was described in Lk.16:23 as hell or Hades, and it is a place of torment. Hades is never described as a place where half is bad and half is good.
I also believe that it would be incorrect to say that "paradise" was ever located in some place other than heaven, and then moved there by Jesus when he ascended. No where do I find a Scripture which says that heaven has ever been anything less than complete and perfect at all times. That would be saying that God had a mansion prior to Jesus' ascension but then put on a few new rooms later. Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for His disciples, not to build a new one. Besides, that brings us back to the dual problem of Elijah and Moses being in different places, and the occupants of Abraham's bosom being called "captives."
Is it possible that the spirits of those non-believers who died prior to Christ's death and resurrection were the spirits preached to, and that they were the captives who were in His train when He ascended? Look at Acts 17:29-30. "Therefore, since we are God's offspring we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by man's design and skill. IN THE PAST GOD OVERLOOKED SUCH IGNORANCE" (emphasis added). How can it be said that God overlooked the worship of idols? Look at Deut.20:16 and you will see that He called for the total annihilation of the idol worshipping nations who inhabited Canaan. As to the Israelites who engaged in such practices, we see in Ex.32:28 that 3,000 were killed on one day alone.
I and II Kings and I and II Chron. are filled with stories of the punishments which were meted out by God as a result of idolatry. In the body and soul realm these people were destroyed and will suffer in hell. How can we now say that God "overlooked" such transgressions? The answer to that question is found in I Pe.4:6 which tells us that the dead were preached to so that they could live according to God in SPIRIT, but be judged according to the body. Likewise, Ro.3:25 says that in His forbearance, God left sins committed before the time of Jesus unpunished. Yet we clearly see that in the physical realm, the people of Israel and other nations suffered the consequences of their sins. In regard to the soul and body, punishment was meted out. In regards to the spirit, the transgressions were overlooked. Therefore, it seems clear that even the unbelievers received some benefit from Christ's victory.
I Tim.4:10 supports this by reminding us that Jesus is the Savior of all men especially of those who believe. Carefully note that it says 'especially,' not 'only.' The Greek word translated 'especially' is malista which means "in the greatest degree, or particularly." In every other verse of the New Testament in which this word is used, the smaller group receives more than the larger group; however, the larger group is definitely mentioned as either receiving a portion of the benefit, taking part in the action described, or doing that which the smaller group was doing more of. Therefore, it appears that there is something provided for all mankind through Jesus, but that more of it goes to the believers (small group) than non-believers (large group), but the non-believers do get some of it. How can that be? Spirit saved - that's past tense, and benefits all men. Soul being saved - that's present tense, and is available only to believers. Body saved without first tasting of death - that's future tense, and is available to those members of the final generation who have been fully renewed in the mind (soul). II Sam.14:14 tells us that "God does not take away life; instead, He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged." (see also John 12:32).
Along a similar vein, examine Ro.5:10: "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life." In order to appreciate what this verse is saying, we need to look at the Greek word translated as "reconciled." It means "returned to favor with God," "to receive one into His favor," or "to be restored to favor with God." (see Bauer's Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature and Thayers Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament)
When we examine Ro.5:10 in light of this definition for the word 'reconciled' we see four things:
1) At one time we were God's enemies. Col.1:21 tells us that this was the case because of the condition of our minds. 2) Even when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled, ie. restored to God's favor. 3) This was done through Christ's death, and as we have seen, His death made us perfect in spirit. In other words, our spirit was saved while our mind (soul) was still God's enemy. 4) There is more than this reconciliation, even though this reconciliation restored us to God's favor. The 'more' referred to above is the salvation of the believer's soul, and eventual redemption of our bodies.
The point I am trying to make is this, "We should not blindly accept all that we hear without checking the Scriptures." The Scriptures clearly show a separation of Spirit, Soul, and Body. We cannot dismiss the verses which tell us that the Gospel has already been preached. We cannot ignore the total lack of verses which would indicate that human spirits are in hell. Nor can we find one which says Jesus' spirit was there, when in fact there are specific verses which tell us that it was His soul which was. Remember, we accept the Word which can save our soul. First our mind (soul) is renewed, then we can stand for transformation of our physical body. At that point all three will be complete: Spirit, Soul, & Body.
Jesus Holy Spirit Father
Spirit Soul Body
Outer Court Middle Court Inner Court
Justified Sanctified Glorified
Ro.5:9 Ro.15:16 II Pe.1:17
Passover Pentecost Tabernacles
Righteousness Peace Joy
Past Present Future