1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We need to understand the make-up of man for us to fully understand and grasp certain truths of the Bible. It will also help us to know how faith in God works, how to live a victorious Christian life that overcomes sin, and how to be led by the Holy Spirit. All of us are a three-part being comprising of body, soul and spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:1,6 (NKJV) For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Physical body: We have a physical body that enables us to exist and function on earth. We can breathe, see, smell, feel, and hear through the five senses. The Apostle Paul refers to this body as a tent, a temporary home while we are on earth. The body is perishable, temporal and mortal. The Old Testament records the deterioration of the body and how the life span of man had been decreasing ever since sin entered the world after the fall of man.
Soul: The soul comprises of the will, emotions and intellect. The soul helps us to be in touch with ourselves and to develop inter-personal relationships.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Spirit Man: The new creation is found in the spirit man. It is where God removes the sin nature and gives us His nature. The spirit man helps us to connect with God in the spiritual realm. This is the part of man that is meditating and practising the Word. The Holy Spirit lives and communicates through the spirit of man.
We all have a lifespan, and when we die, our physical body will decay and remain on earth, but our spirit will depart to be in the presence of God, so our spirit is the part of man that will live for eternity. Sadly, many of us have neglected developing this part of man where faith is developed, through which we are led by the Holy Spirit and where the gifts of the Holy Spirit operates. Thus, we need to understand our spirit man to be effective in living out our new life in Christ, and sensitive to how the Holy Spirit is leading or prompting us.
As believers, it doesn’t matter whether our earthly bodies are cremated or buried because what matters most is the seal of the Holy Spirit in our hearts or spirit man. We as born-again believers have the imputed righteousness and are sealed with the Holy Spirit for salvation. We are seen as righteous in Christ!
Sermon Series: The Make-up of Man (Part 1)
身体、魂与灵
帖撒罗尼迦前书5:23 愿赐平安的神亲自使你们全然成圣。又愿你们的灵与魂，与身子得蒙保守，在我们主耶稣基督降临的时候，完全无可指摘。
我们需要了解人的构成，以便我们完全理解和掌握圣经的某些真理。它也将帮助我们了解对上帝的信心是如何运行的，如何活出一个胜过罪的得胜的基督徒生命，以及如何被圣灵引导。我们所有人都是由三个部分组成的：身体、魂与灵。
哥林多后书5:1,6 因为我们知道，我们世上帐篷若被毁坏了，我们有一个上帝所造的居所，不是用手造的，永恒在天上的。
肉体：我们有一个肉体使我们存在于这个地球上。我们通过五官来呼吸、看、闻、感觉和听。使徒保罗称这个身体为帐篷，是我们在世时的临时住所。这个身体是会朽坏的、暂时的和必死的。旧约中记载了身体的退化，以及自从罪随着人类的堕落进入世界以来，人类的寿命是如何缩短的。
魂：魂由意志、情感和智力组成。魂帮助我们与自己保持联系并发展人际关系。
灵人：新造的人是在灵人身上发现的。是神除去罪性并将祂的本性赐给我们的所在。灵人帮助我们在属灵的领域与上帝联系。这是人在默想和实践话语的部分。圣灵住在人的灵里面，并藉着人的灵沟通。
我们人人都有一定的寿数，我们死后身体将腐烂并消融于地土，而我们的灵将离开身体来到神的面前，因此我们的灵才是将永远活着的那部分。悲哀的是，我们许多人忽视了培养人的这一部分，即培育信心，并藉以得到圣灵的引导，以及圣灵恩赐的运作。因此，我们需要了解我们生命的这一部分，才能有效地在基督里活出我们的新生命，同时敏锐于圣灵的引导和激励。
作为信徒，我们是火化还是埋葬并不重要，因为最重要的是圣灵在我们心中或灵人身上的印记。重生的信徒拥有归算的义，并得了圣灵所封印的救恩的印记。我们在基督里被视为义人。
讲章系列：人的构成（第一部分）