The Bible says that there are three parts to every person. We have a body, spirit, and soul (1 Thes. 5:23). The Bible can be hard to understand if we do not know who we are. Here some of the differences between our three parts.

 

1. Your body.

It is easy to see that every person has a body. It is what you see when you look in a mirror. Your body is much like a house for your spirit and soul. When a person chooses to believe in Jesus, their body does not change. If they were a man before they believed in Jesus, they will still be a man afterward. Your body will not live forever like your spirit and soul. We can see that our bodies are not perfect right now. However, for all who go to Heaven, Jesus will one day transform our bodies to be perfect like His (Phil. 3:21).

 

2. Your spirit.

We are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26). God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and each person He created also has a spirit. Every person is born with sin (Ps. 51:5). Sin makes people dead in their spirit (Eph. 2:1,5; Col 2:13). And when you are spiritually dead, you are separated from God. If your body dies while your spirit is dead in sin, you will go to hell.

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However, when you believe in Jesus and receive salvation, you become a new person in your spirit (2 Cor. 5:17).  Your spirit is made new and alive (Eph. 2:1). It is called being “born again” (John 3:1-21). You are not born again as a baby, but you are born of God and become a child of God (John 1:12). Being born again means your spirit no longer has sin. Your new spirit is perfect just like Jesus is perfect (1 John 4:17). And your spirit is made righteous and holy (Eph. 4:24). In addition, your spirit becomes one spirit with God (1 Cor. 6:17). When you believe in Jesus, the Spirit of God lives inside you (Rom 8:9-11,16; 1 Cor. 3:16).

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In fact, a born-again spirit is so perfect that it will not need to change when you go to Heaven. The spirit you have after receiving salvation is the same spirit you will have in Heaven. The real you is your spirit and soul inside of you. Your current body is temporary and will pass away. But your spirit and soul will live forever. As a believer in Christ, your old spirit is dead and gone and you have a new perfect spirit that you will keep forever (Rom. 6:6)

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Having a perfect spirit does not mean that your body is perfect. It does not mean you will never sin again. Sins are things we do that God says are wrong. Lying, stealing, cheating, and not honoring your parents are examples of sin. The Bible says that all people have sinned (Rom. 3:23). Jesus was the only perfect person to live on earth. However, when you sin, your spirit is still perfect (Rom. 6:6). Sin cannot change your spirit.

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This does not mean that we can do what we want and not care if we sin. When we truly believe in Jesus and love Him, we will want to listen to Him (1 John 2:3-6). We cannot keep sinning on purpose (Heb. 10:26). The Bible says, “We can be sure that we know God if we obey his commands” (1 John 2:3 NCV). Obeying God’s Word is proof that we are saved, but it is not how we are saved. Salvation (or being saved from sin) is the free gift from God that we receive when we believe in Jesus (Eph. 2:8).

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God looks at you and sees your perfect spirit. When you believe in Jesus, you are made a child of God (Gal. 3:26). God loves you just as He loves His Son, Jesus. Don’t be afraid that God will stop loving you every time you sin. “If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins” (1 John 1:9 NIrV).

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When you put your faith in Jesus, don’t think of yourself as a sinner anymore. Don’t call yourself a sinner. Look at yourself the way God looks at you. You are the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21), and God loves you no matter what happens!

 

3. Your Soul.

The third part of you is your soul. It includes your mind, emotions, will, and conscience. Your soul is where you learn, make choices, have feelings, and have thoughts. Your soul lives forever just like your spirit. But it is not immediately changed when you believe in Jesus. However, it can and should be changed.

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If you spend time studying the Bible, the way you think can be changed to match the Word of God (Rom. 12:2). The Bible can change your soul to be more like Jesus. But this change will not happen instantly like the change with your spirit. If you don’t try to change your soul to the likeness of Jesus, our minds (which is part of the soul) can be led to sin (2 Cor. 11:3). It is very important to control what you think about. In your mind is where Satan tries to trick you. If you think about sinful things, you will make sinful choices (Rom. 8:5-6). To have a changed soul, it’s important that your fill your mind (and heart) with the Word of God.

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Just as we will receive transformed (or new) bodies, we will also receive a transformed soul when we are in Heaven with Jesus (1 Cor. 13:9-12). 

 

Even If You Can’t Feel It

Everyone can look in a mirror and see that they have a body. If someone taps you on the shoulder, you can feel it. You know that to step on something sharp feels bad. And you know that a soft, fuzzy blanket feels good when it’s cold. You can feel things that happen to your body very easily.

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You can also feel things in your soul. You know when you are happy, sad, angry, afraid, or excited. Your soul can even be hurt if someone says unkind words to you.

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However, we cannot feel things in our spirit. The Bible says you are a new creation when you trust in Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). But what if you don’t “feel” new? What if you feel the same as you felt before you believed? This can be confusing if you don’t understand that you cannot feel your spirit.

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The Bible also says that, as a believer, you have the same power inside you that raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:11). If you don’t understand that you can’t feel your spirit, you may wonder where this power is. The power is still available to you even though you can’t feel it in your spirit.

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When you understand your body, spirit, and soul, you can begin to understand who you are as a believer in Jesus Christ. You can’t just rely on what you feel. God’s Word is the only way to find out what your spirit is like. When you look into the Bible, it is like you are looking into a mirror for your spirit.

 

The Spiritual Realm

In the book of 2 Kings 6, it tells about a man named Elisha. He was a prophet of God. A prophet is a person who gives people messages from God. The king of Syria was trying to start a war with Israel (God’s people). Every time the king would make plans to attack, Elisha would warn Israel to stay away. Elisha was ruining the plans of the king. Finally, the king found out what Elisha was doing, and he sent a large army to find Elisha.

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One morning, Elisha’s servant got up early and saw a huge army with horses and chariots surrounding them. The servant was frightened and asked Elisha what they should do. Elisha told him, “Don’t be afraid…Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16 NIV). But the servant looked around and saw only two of them. And he saw thousands of soldiers ready to attack them. He thought, how could there be more of us when I count only two?

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Then Elisha prayed and said, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” The Bible says, “Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17 NIV). The servant’s eyes had not been closed. He was looking around with his eyes  the whole time. God allowed the servant to see what was happening in the spiritual world. There were only two of them in the physical world (or the world they could see with their eyes). But there were thousands of angels in the spiritual world that they could not see with their physical eyes.

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The spiritual world is very real. God, angels, Satan, and demons are in the spiritual world. We cannot see this world by looking with our physical eyes unless God allows us to. While you are reading this sentence, you may have at least one angel sitting next to you if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. This is a great thing!

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When we read the Bible, pray, make decisions, and speak words, it is important to understand that there is a spiritual world. Just as it was for Elisha and his servant, what happens in the spiritual world is more important than what we see in the physical world. Therefore, what the Bible says should be more real to you than what you see or feel.