Salvation of the Soul: Saving of the Life

“The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching all the inner depths of his heart.” Proverbs 20:27

Arlen L. Chitwood’s book, Salvation of the Soul: Saving of the Life, presents an explicit body/soul/spirit view of man. He graduated from Tennessee Temple and completed is formal education at Bob Jones University. Chitwood is a preacher and author of many books, publishing through The Lamp Broadcast based in Oklahoma.

Chapter one has the subheading, “The Tripartite Nature of Man.”

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thess. 5:23). Chitwood is explicit in applying this model of man:

“Man is a tripartite being comprised of spirit, soul, and body; and the salvation of man within its complete scope (past, present, and future) pertains to the salvation of man with respect to his complete being” (p. 3).

Chitwood gives a thorough explanation of creation, the fall, regeneration, sanctification and future glorification as clarified by the makeup of man. Regarding the Fall and regeneration, for example, he notes:

“The death of Adam’s spirit separated him from God (establishing the primary meaning of “death” in Scripture — separation from God), and this death (this separation from God) “passed upon all men” (Rom. 5:12). Scripture speaks of an unsaved person as being “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). With an unredeemed, inanimate spirit (spiritually dead), he is alienated from God, separated from God (Eph. 2:12). But once the person has been born from above, he is then spoken of as having passed “from death unto life,” as having been “quickened” (John 5:24; Eph. 2:5). Possessing an animate spirit, possessing spiritual
life (having been made alive spiritually), he is no longer separated from the One Who Himself is “Spirit” (John 4:24)” (p. 7).

Regarding the soul/spirit distinction he observes,

“And Scripture also carefully distinguishes between salvation in relation to the spirit and salvation in relation to the soul. Salvation in relation to the spirit is ALWAYS dealt with in a past sense, BUT not so with the salvation of the soul. Rather, the salvation of the soul is ALWAYS dealt with in present and future senses:
“Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (I Peter 1:9).
“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).” (p. 8).

Noting the three tenses of salvation Chitwood summarizes:

Within man’s triune being (body, soul, and spirit [I Thess. 5:23]), the eternal salvation which he either already has or can have through faith in Christ has to do, during present time, with his “spirit” alone, not with his “soul” or “body” (John 3:6). Salvation in Scripture is seen inseparably associated with the complete gospel message, the complete preaching of the cross, the complete man (spirit, soul, and body) comprising past, present, and future aspects of all. We have been saved (past, having to do with “the spirit”), we are being saved (present, having to do with “the soul”), and we are about to be saved (future, having to do with the realization of the salvation of “the soul,” along with “the body”). (p. 161)

A major orientation of his writings is the Kingdom of God, especially in its future expression.


Arlen L. Chitwood, Salvation of the Soul: Saving of the Life, The Lamp Broadcast, 1983; revised 2020. www.lampbroadcast.org/pdfbooks.html

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