I am one of many who have listened to episodes of the Thru The Bible broadcast of J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988). Listeners are invited aboard “The Bible Bus.” Consider the scope and influence of this Bible teaching ministry:
“THRU the BIBLE is a Bible study program founded by Dr. J. Vernon McGee. This program started on radio in 1967 and covered all 66 books of the Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in a five-year period. Dr. McGee had a passion for telling this story of the Bible systematically and believed that staying close to Jesus required staying close to His Word. McGee’s country preaching, simple ways, and endearing mannerisms drew listeners from around the world who were seeking a deeper understanding of God’s Word. Today, THRU the BIBLE continues to tell this simple yet profound story in over 250 languages across nearly every nation on Earth….” 1
Dr. McGee’s Thru the Bible Commentary acknowledges the soul/spirit distinction in these passages:
1 Thessalonians 5:23: “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.”
“Man is a triune being; body, soul (mind), and spirit. ‘Sanctify you wholly’—not perfectly, but we are to reach a place of maturation. We should not continue to be babes in Christ; we should be growing to maturity.”
Hebrews 4:12: “Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.”
“There are times in the Scriptures when ‘soul’ and ‘spirit’ are used synonymously. There are other passages where it is clear that the soul and spirit are separate and are not the same thing. Only the Word of God can divide soul and spirit. “Of the joints and marrow.” The Word can get right down even in this flesh of ours and make a distinction (see Ps. 32:3). 2
The current doctrinal statement of this ministry also affirms a soul/spirit distinction:
We believe that at death the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified body when Christ comes for His own, whereupon soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory; but the spirits and souls of the unbelieving remain after [physical] death conscious of condemnation and in misery until the final judgment…” 3
JBW
2 Thru the Bible: Genesis Through Revelation (5 Volumes. Thomas Nelson, 1981)
3 https://help.ttb.org/en/articles/10708033-the-eternal-state
(emphasis and parenthesis added)
Header image: solar powered Thru The Bible audio with Bible by Megavoice
Biblical Psychology 