William-MacDonald (1917-2007) was a Plymouth Brethren theologian and author of 84 published books. He served as President of Emmaus Bible College for 6 years, followed by international Bible teaching for over 40 years. [1]

This is his commentary on a key passage about biblical psychology— 1 Thessalonians 5:23:

“The apostle also prays for the preservation of the Thessalonians. This preservation should include the complete person—spirit, soul, and body. Notice the order. Man always says body, soul, and spirit. God always says spirit, soul, and body. In the original creation, the spirit was of first importance, the body last. Sin reversed the order; man lives for the body and neglects the spirit. When we pray for one another, we should follow the biblical order, putting spiritual welfare before physical needs.

“From this verse and others, it is clear that we are tripartite beings. Our spirit is that part which enables us to have communion with God. Our soul has to do with our emotions, desires, affections, and propensities (John 12:27). Our body is the house in which our person dwells (2 Cor. 5:1).

“All of our parts need to be preserved entire, that is, complete and sound. One commentator has suggested the needs for preservation as follows:

“The spirit from (a) everything that would defile it (2 Cor. 7:1); (b) everything that would hinder the testimony of the Holy Spirit to the saints’ relationship with God (Rom. 8:16); or (c) everything that would prevent the worship which He seeks (John 4:23; Phil 3:3).
The soul from (a) evil thoughts (Matt. 15:18, 19; Eph. 2:3); (b) fleshly appetites that war against it (1 Pet. 2:11); and (c) contention and strife (Heb. 12:15). The body from (a) defilement (1 Thess. 4:3–8); and (b) evil uses (Rom. 6:19).

“Some deny that the unsaved have a spirit. Perhaps they base this on the fact that they are spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1). However, the fact that the unsaved are spiritually dead does not mean that they have no spirit. It means that they are dead as far as fellowship with God is concerned. Their spirits may be very much alive, for example, as far as contact with the world of the occult is concerned, but they are dead Godward.” [2]

MacDonald was another respected Bible teacher who affirmed man as spirit, soul, and body.

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[1] Wikipedia and William-Macdonald.org

[2] Believer’s Bible Commentary: Second Edition, by William MacDonald, Arthur L. Farstad (Thomas Nelson, 2016). See the post from this commentary about Hebrews 4:12