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In my first blog, I described the condition of our spirit when we receive Christ as our Savior.  When we are saved the Holy Spirit comes to dwell with our spirit. In Ephesians 1:13, the Apostle Paul tells us, “In Him you also when you hear the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” This action makes us holy, righteous and in right standing with God.  It also makes us 1/3 perfect, as our spirit is one of our three parts: body, soul and spirit. 

Now this can pose some tricky interactions with our fellow Christians.  Many years ago my husband and I were leading a very successful ministry at our church. We had nearly 100 participants per week in several different groups learning and growing in their walk with Christ. Then suddenly after 9 years, we were asked to leave that church. It was then that the Lord revealed to me that Christians are not all of the same understanding or level of spiritual experience.

All of us have different paths in life and have been exposed to various teachings.  Some of us study our Bibles, memorize scriptures and regularly attend church and some of us don’t. Some of us have never picked up a Bible but we still go to church and call ourselves Christians. Some have learned man-made religious doctrines and are taught to keep various traditions. Some have been to Seminary or Bible college, but have never had a personal encounter with Jesus.  

Considering all this, the one thing that is non-negotiable in the growth of every believer is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  If you have Him, and you know you have Him, then you have access to Truth. Jesus said Holy Spirit would be our Counselor and our Teacher.  Having Him Is one thing but knowing Him and gaining understanding of Him is quite another. 

About now you might be thinking, I thought you were going to talk about the soul. And that I am. 

The soul is also composed of three parts, the mind, the will and the emotions. It is a storehouse of everything that’s ever happened to you and everything you’ve ever done.  In the diagram below, notice that the three parts of the soul are also parts of the human heart, which interact with your conscience and your spirit. Heart change and soul healing happen when God’s Spirit is sealed with our spirit. 

In his book, The Ant and the Elephant, Vince Poscente describes the enormous power and potential of the subconscious mind. The ant represents the conscious mind and the elephant, the subconscious mind. He cites Dr. Lee Pulos, PhD, a clinical psychologist, who revealed in 1992 that in one second of time, the conscious mind (the ant) uses about two thousand neurons.  In that same second, the subconscious mind (the elephant) uses four BILLION neurons. Therefore, the subconscious mind influences our behaviors and emotions often without our conscious awareness and it is powerful in driving our habits and reactions, both positive and negative. This reveals the capacity of the soul – the subconscious mind – to direct our lives.  

Enter into Christian life.  Now, you have the Helper, Counselor and Teacher to sort through your subconscious and enable your sanctification process. What a wonderful advantage God has given us!  And in case you didn’t know, this is spectacular and famously known as The Good News.  We are all born into this world which is Satan’s kingdom, a cesspool of sin. There is no way out – except for Jesus.  

The interaction between a spirit made holy and the human soul is what transforms us into Christlikeness, as we learn and grow in our Christian walk.  Day by day, step by step, as we commit to the narrow way where Jesus leads us and Holy Spirit teaches us, we find our words, thoughts and actions becoming less like flesh and more like Him.

The interaction between a spirit made holy and the human soul is what transforms us into Christlikeness.

Another perspective on the soul was written by author Katie Souza, Healing the Wounds of Your Soul.  In it she shares her testimony about being a criminal and her time in prison and how through it all God gave her a successful ministry – simply by healing her soul with the power of the Holy Spirit.  I highly recommend it to anyone who is struggling with issues from their past.  A soul wounded by sin – either your own, or someone else’s – can cause you to sin.  Soul wounds can negatively control your emotions, your relationships, your health and even your finances.  

The sanctification process of every individual is unique.  But it’s also the same.  Each of us has to submit to the process and die to our “selves.” Dying to ourselves means no longer going our own way and living life on our own terms, but allowing God to teach and counsel us with His Spirit.  He will give insight through circumstances and situations that will cause you to think in a new way, a higher way.  You will come to know your true value and the plans God has for your life.  When that happens, the lies of the world in your soul will fade away and be replaced with the Truth, as the Holy Spirit leads us into all Truth. John 16:13 tells us: “However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all Truth.  He will not speak on His own, He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”  

The main way God counsels and teaches us is when we read, study or listen to His Word, the Holy Bible. Most people recommend to start Bible study with the Gospel of John in the New Testament.  It provides an easy-to-understand presentation of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.  His life and miracles are the foundation the Christian faith. 

A soul that conquers the world, the flesh and the Devil is a marvelous and miraculous thing. Having a healed mind and emotions can make powerful changes in a person’s life, affecting all of their relationships. The most important relationship being the one between you and your Savior.  If you have a soul in need of healing, consider God’s word for the very best method of healing that will change you for the better – for all eternity!

Yes, you read that right. You are not a sinner if you have ever sincerely received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. If you disagree, the trouble may be that you received Jesus as a child, invited Him into your heart – as many are instructed to do – and then continued to grow up without a real relationship with Him, which will only develop as you personally study His Word and fellowship with other believers.

Others who have, “received Christ,” are continually taught from the pulpits and in church classrooms, that they need to remember they are, “poor old sinners.” My husband and I have even witnessed the pastor of a five-thousand member church pray from the pulpit for all of us sinners! And I instantly said, “You’re not praying for me!” I based that rebellious statement on these two facts:  Jesus sealed me with His Holy Spirit at the time I received Him as my Savior and Lord. (Ephesians 1:13) That fact makes my spirit perfect, which assists my soul and body to become sanctified.  And secondly, Apostle Paul writes letters to the early believers and he calls them as saints. (See Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, etc.)  I believe that is true for me and every other sincere believer today.

Speaking of my husband, we have been married 23 years. Early in our marriage I was struck by how much he loved spending time in God’s Word. He was always reading his Bible. I knew he had the teaching gift but Holy Spirit gave me the revelation that if you are called to teach, you are also called to study. That made perfect sense.

In recent years, he has attended as many as 15 men’s meetings per week. If that sounds like he’s in men’s ministry – he is! As he continues to do this, he gathers empirical research with men as a mentor, in prayer groups, bible studies and book study groups. These men have been from various denominations, including Baptist, Catholic, Wesleyan, Episcopalian and others, plus one secular group.

One week after two back-to-back less than inspiring men’s meetings, he told me what he was seeing. He witnessed men coming to the meetings who are genuinely seeking answers to the frustrations and difficulties of life. There, they are met with a pastor, teacher or group facilitator who sets them straight about why they are having problems and it’s simply because they are sinners. One teacher told them, “It’s stupid for you to think you can be like Jesus!”  But isn’t that exactly Who we are supposed to be like?  After witnessing something like that, they leave the meeting more depressed and confused than when they arrived. What a disservice to the Body of Christ!

Considering this and my own experience with Christian leadership, I have become passionate about this issue. After living the Christian life for nearly 40 years, studying the Bible, leading a ministry for 12 years and being married to a man who is passionate about God’s Word and washes me with it, I’ve concluded that the Body of Christ is being oppressed.

If Jesus did actually come to Earth to set us free, why does The Church in America keep Christians in bondage?

So then, how can believers in Jesus Christ understand that they are now considered saints, according to the Apostle Paul and not sinners, as taught by their Pastor or Sunday School teacher? It will be, and it has been, a hard sell. That was exactly what the pastor of a Baptist church told my husband several years ago when we met with him to discuss this very topic. He told us, “I don’t disagree with you, but it will be a hard sell.”

Another Biblical scholar teaches that as you pursue a dream or a vision in ministry, you will endure contradiction, and that has been so true.

If Jesus actually did come to Earth to set us free, why does the church in America keep Christians in bondage? Or, is it just too difficult for humans to believe that we are truly free from our sin, all of our sin – past, present and future – especially when our humanness seems to creep up on us consistently? Jesus tells us He has placed our sins, “as far as the East is from the West.” In reality, those two points never meet, but in the Christian world it seems they are bound together pointing a guilty arrow right over our heads!

Here’s a disconnect: how about the songs we sing in church?  “Jesus Paid it All,” “Power in the Blood,” and “Victory in Jesus” – to name a few.  It seems those lyrics just evaporate when we stop singing.  If we took them to heart, wouldn’t it prompt questions from those who are told they are sinners?  I think far too many individuals who believe they are Christians just check the box that they attend church regularly and the only Bible teaching they have is 40 minutes on Sunday.  They spend far more time in the World, than in the Word.  If we can improve on that, saints can better function in this World as God intended.

Those of us who know that sin has been defeated should tell the others, and keep on telling them. They may have had the sinner input over many years and it may take many years to reverse it. But won’t it be worth it when the light bulb appears over their heads instead of the guilty arrow?

Next time we’ll look at The Human Soul.  It plays a big role in everyone’s life.