How You Interact with the Spirit Realm Daily (Body, Soul, and Spirit Explained)

The sources reveal a critical framework for Christian living: understanding the tripartite nature of humanity—body, soul, and spirit—and recognizing that genuine spiritual life flows from the union already established with the Holy Spirit. This understanding empowers believers to move beyond religious striving and live from a place of maturity, boldness, and influence over the material world.

The Tripartite Nature of Man: Body, Soul, and Spirit

Scripture, specifically 1 Thessalonians 5:23, describes three distinct aspects of a single human nature. Understanding these facets is essential for living in alignment with God’s will:

1. The Body: The Earth Suit and Temple of God

The body is your “earth suit,” the means by which you interact with the material world and exist on this plane. It is how you experience the physical environment.

• Distinguishing Flesh: It is crucial to distinguish between the physical body and the concept of “flesh”. In the New Testament, “flesh” sometimes refers to the physical body and other times refers to the sinful nature. Mixing these terms can lead to the false belief that the body is inherently wicked or evil.
• The Dwelling Place of God: In reality, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is the dwelling place of God’s glory and can be used as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. The body is a reflection of the nature of God and a gift to be used for His glory.

2. The Soul: The Realm of Decision

The soul encompasses the mind, will, emotions, and personality. This includes:

• Mind: What you think.
• Will: What you desire.
• Emotions: What you feel.
• Personality: How you are.
• Free Will: The soul is the realm of decision where you exercise the power of free will. Choices, whether godly or ungodly, begin in the mind and are exercised in the will, although the soul may use the body as the vehicle for expression. God created every individual with a specific, unique personality, reflecting the variety within His creation.

3. The Spirit: True Identity and Divine Union

The spirit is the innermost being, the source from which “rivers of living water” flow (John 7:38).

• Born Again: Before a person receives Christ, they had a physical body and a soul, but they were “dead in the spirit”; they were not alive unto God. When born again, the spirit comes alive, uniting with the Holy Spirit.
• Complete Union: He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17). This union is described as two glasses of water poured into a single vessel, where the two become one and the same, impossible to separate.
• Spiritual Security: Because of this union, Jesus does not mention the spirit when discussing what can be destroyed in hell, implying that those alive in the spirit do not go to hell.

The Shift from Striving to Surrender

Christianity is not an attempt to connect with God; it is living out of the union that you already have. Many Christians are “stuck in that mind frame” of striving to get God’s attention or be accepted by Him.

• Rest in the Finished Work: Acceptance is based on Christ’s finished work, which meets the standard of perfection that humans cannot achieve. Believers must place their faith in Him, experience the miracle of salvation, and receive this new nature.
• Living from Connection: We do not pray, read the Bible, or worship to connect with God; we pray, embrace the Word, and worship from connection with God.
• Surrendering to Influence: The goal is to surrender to the influence of the connection that already exists, allowing the inner divine life to dominate all aspects of your being.

The Perfection of the Spirit Man

In the spirit, believers have and are everything God desires. This state of spiritual fullness means:

• You are the righteousness of God in Christ.
• You are seated with Him in heavenly places.
• You are healed, delivered, and part of the royal priesthood.
• You already possess all spiritual gifts, boldness, holiness, peace of mind, and love for others and for Jesus.

Because the spirit is already mature and united with Christ, believers do not need more love, power, grace, or gifts; they need more surrender to the Holy Spirit’s influence.

• Spiritual Growth is Alignment: Spiritual growth is not the spirit itself growing; it is the outer shells (body and soul) catching up with who you already are in the spirit.
• Revelation is Understanding: Revelation is not technically receiving new information; it is when the truth already known in the spirit is finally understood in the natural mind.