THE WHOLE PERSON II

Continuing from yesterday’s Journal entry on the three-part person… the whole person from 1 Thessalonians 5:23: “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.”

‘Those who believe that human nature is a trichotomy typically believe the following: the physical body is what connects us with the physical world around us, the soul is the essence of our being, and the spirit is what connects us with God.’

The soul is often said to be our ‘mind, will and emotions’ or it is our person, who we are. The spirit is that place within us, some call it our heart, the inner person or our conscience, where it is possible for the Spirit of God to touch and combine with our spirit.

This has always been interesting to me in light of the text from Paul, an apostle, in Hebrews 4:12:
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.”

In this passage, ‘Word of God’ refers to His revelation in a general sense, meaning any method God uses to communicate with humans. Our primary exposure is through His written Word, the Bible. That is logos, and when he speaks that is rhema. Either of these can ‘penetrate to the very division of soul and spirit.

Nothing hides from the Word of God.

“He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.” Jesus