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| PentecostalTheology.com
CLARIFYING SPIRITUAL REALITIES – Ray E Horton
Many believers have difficulty coming to grips with sinless perfection of the Born-Again human spirit yet a soul and body that will still sometimes sin. For clarity, we need to recognize that we are tripartite beings, made up of spirit (our identity), soul (comprised of mind, will and emotions), and body.
You now have the hope and motivation to trust the Lord to help you grow more Christ-like in your everyday walk
When you are Born Again, you receive a new spirit and become a new creation, and the old man is dead and gone. Who you are, your spirit, is now perfect in Him with the gift of His righteousness. No more growth or maturity needed at that level – you have arrived, and heaven is your home – you already have eternal life, all by grace through faith, not works. You were not worthy, and you did not do it. Jesus did it, and you received it by faith.
But you do not see your spirit. What you are in touch with is your soul and body. Unlike your spirit, your soul is in process. Your soul must mature and grow to be more and more like your spirit as you spend time with the Lord and renew your mind in His Word.
Knowing Your Spirit Is Already Perfected
Motivates You to Work Out Your Salvation
So, since you are already a saint by your new identity in Christ, you have the hope and motivation to trust the Lord to help you grow more Christ-like in your everyday walk. You but choose, then trust the Holy Spirit within to give you what is needed to change.
As you look into the mirror of God’s Word, wherever it tells you who you have become in Christ (perfected spirit), you grow from glory to glory (soul), a lifetime process of tapping into the spiritual realm within for what is needed to change. Then, one day, when you graduate to heaven, your body will be glorified as well, and He will be able to present you blameless, spirit, soul, and body.
Both instant and progressive
It is the old argument about sanctification. Some say you are instantly sanctified, and some say it is a process. The truth is it is both. Your spirit is instantly sanctified when you are Born Again, and then you enter the lifelong process of the sanctification of your soul.
Scripture is available to support all that I wrote here. But this time around, I wanted to make it a clear and easy read. I had written this earlier as a comment in response to another post and felt it might be helpful to all my friends, either for your own understanding, or to help you articulate these truths to others.
