Dr. Ed Smith has been developing and deploying a model of therapeutic prayer since 1995. Originally termed “Theophostic Prayer (theophostic, from the Greek: “God is light”), it is now known as Transformation Prayer. After extensive dialogue and clarifications, Dr. Smith has differentiated this model from some misunderstandings and misuse.

In an earlier edition of the training manual, Smith explained the nature of soul transformation by discerning the spirit, soul, and body distinctions in man.

“Transformed living and freedom from emotional pain is a natural byproduct of the word of Truth being “implanted” in the mind [sometimes used interchangeably with “soul”]. James 1:21: [“Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.]

The mind is made new through the end planting of God’s truth resulting in “soul” salvation [deliverance from the influence of sin and deception].

The salvation of the “soul” is not referring to spiritual rebirth in this passage [James 1:21], otherwise, this verse would imply, “works salvation.” [see Romans 4:1-5].

Our true identity is uncovered by the renewal of the mind. Rom. 12:2

Our complete salvation comes in several stages. “May the God of peace sanctify you entirely in spirit, soul, and body” 1 Thess. 5:23

[Illustrated this way in the workbook]

• Spirit man: “If anyone be in Christ they are a new creature.” 2 Cor. 5:17
• Mind/soul: “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2).
• Body/flesh and blood: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.” 1 Cor. 15:30 [The body will be redeemed through being raised and glorified, Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:20.]

Smith continues to use these distinctions with a concentric circles diagram (of spirit in the soul, which is in the body).[1]

Having gone through three of his seminars, I sense this spirit, soul, body model and been beneficial in the development of Transformation Prayer. In a more recent book Smith refers to restoring the soul this way:

“The lie-based beliefs we hold in our hearts hinder us from knowing the reality of who we are in Christ and the fullness of His sufficiency. Until the Spirit persuades us of the truth, these lies will dictate how we view our needs, and disappointment will follow. If we believe [in the soul] we are unloved, rejected, empty, overlooked, lacking, deprived, unimportant, and worthless, etc., we will be blinded to the truth and continue to look to others to fulfill us. The truth is that we are already made full in Christ [spiritually] whether this feels true or not. He has provided all we need of love, joy, peace, and all the fruit of the Spirit.”[2]

For free resources on this model of healing prayer, see See TransformationPrayer.org

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[1] Ed M. Smith, Beyond Tolerable Recovery (Basic seminar workbook), (1999) pp. 28, 29
[2] Ed M. Smith and Joshua A. Smith, Effortless Forgiveness, (2018) p. 129

Bracketed content added – JBW

A. J.”Gordon (1836–1895) was an American Baptist preacher, writer, composer, and founder of Gordon College and Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary. In his book In Christ: The  Believer’s Union with His Lord, he described the whole nature of man as spirit, soul, and body.

The significance of this in unsaved man’s depravity:

“The whole course of the divine life is from Christ to self, and not from self to Christ. To begin an expiation in one’s own sufferings, hoping that it may end in fellowship and union with Christ’s sufferings, is not only to transpose, but completely to vitiate the order of grace. There is nothing of ours, soul, body, or spirit, that is without blemish.” (p. 41)

The significance of this in appreciating the believer’s union with Christ:

“Our high endeavor is not to shape our actual life in the flesh into conformity to an ideal life that is set before us in Him. It is rather to reduce our true life now hid in Christ, to an actual life in ourself. And so the summons of the gospel is, not that we behold what is possible for us in Christ, and reach forth to it ; but rather that we behold what is accomplished for us in Christ, and appropriate it and live in it. Risen with Christ, the first-fruits of our spirits already carried up with Him into glory, our life hid with Him in God, how shall not our heart [our affections] be where our treasure is? (pp.64,65)

The significance of this in the believer’s hope of bodily resurrection:

“As our whole nature, body, soul, and spirit, died in Adam, so must our whole nature, body, soul, and spirit, be made alive in Christ before our blessedness can be complete. And if we are in the Lord, our physical restitution is assured to us with equal certainty with our spiritual. For not only is it true that “he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit,” but equally that we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” [1 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 5:30] (p. 85)

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In Christ: The  Believer’s Union with His Lord  (Boston: Gould and Lincoln, 1872).

Bold font- emphasis added

Adoniram Judson “A. J.” Gordon (1836–1895) was an American Baptist preacher, writer, composer, and founder of Gordon College and Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary. He pastored churches in Massachusetts, wrote 16 books and was a  speaker in D.L. Moody’s Northfield conventions.

Pastor Adrian Rogers’ biblical peaching has been highly regarded and continues to bear fruit through the radio ministry of Love Worth Finding. In 1989 he preached a message titled: “Marriage: The Real Thing.” The primary Biblical text was 1 Thessalonians 5:23:

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (NKJV).

The sermon outline was:
1. Union of Bodies
2. Union of Souls
3. Union of Spirits

This is an example of how discerning the three aspects of man’s makeup can have, and should have, practical implications. Here is an excerpt from Dr. Rogers’ message:

“When God made us, He made us in His image. And, God is a triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit … And there are three parts to your nature: you’r e body, soul, and spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 [quoted].
For a long time, I didn’t know the difference between spirit, soul, and body. I knew the difference between body and spirit, but I didn’t know the difference between spirit and soul. I thought they were basically the same thing – just an invisible part of a man, maybe synonymous … But, the Bible teaches there is a difference between spirit and soul … The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word of God is quick and powerful… and the divides between soul and spirit. What is the difference? …  With your body, you have physical life and physical relationships;… With our soul, we have psychological life. The Greek word for soul is psyche; it is the word we get psychology from and so, with your soul, you have psychological life … Our spirit is that part of our nature that truly makes us in the image of God, for the Bible says “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24). And with our spirit, we have spiritual relationships.  We know God through the spirit. The Bible says that when we get saved, God’s Spirit [bears] witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). And, the Spirit of God dwells in Christians, The Holy Spirit in the human spirit – that’s what makes us a Christian.
Now plants… have a body, but they don’t have a soul. Animals have a body and soul, but they don’t have a spirit. Only man has a spirit–and woman, of course… What does this have to do with marriage?… You are to be one, physically, one psychologically, and one spiritually….”[1]

This is another example of a prominent preacher affirming the biblical doctrine of man as spirit, soul, and body and applying it to the Christian life…in this case, Christ-centered marriage.

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[1] From the Adrian Rogers Legacy Collection, Resources for Pastors.
https://www.lwf.org/pastor-church-resources/arlc 
Under 1 Thessalonians 5:23

JBW

Sometimes those who are dogmatic in rejecting trichotomy imply that the view of man as spirit, soul, and body is naive or symptomatic of a lack of higher education.

Consider Dr. Ken Boa, President of Reflections Ministries.

“Kenneth (Ken) Boa is engaged in a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking. He holds a BS from Case Institute of Technology, a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, a PhD from New York University, and a DPhil from the University of Oxford in England. He leads four weekly Bible studies in the Atlanta area, including two men’s fellowships and one at Christ Church of Atlanta.”[1]

In his exposition of Colossians, he teaches on “The New Self” in chapter 3.

In minutes 13-17 Dr. Boa explains the new self with the illustration from Hebrews 4:12. What the marrow is to the bone, the human spirit is to the soul. He agrees with the ontological distinction of spirit and soul.

Dr. Boa is the author of a dozen books, including Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation (Zondervan).

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[1] https://kenboa.org/about/ken-boa/

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess. 5:23 “Larkin was born October 28, 1850, in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Clarence Larkin was an American Baptist pastor, Bible teacher, and writer. Larkin was converted to Christ at the age of 19 and then felt called to the Gospel ministry. The Clarence Larkin Books and  Clarence Larkin Charts have been extremely helpful resources for Christians since they were first published.  … During the last five years of his life, Larkin’s books became in great demand and and that made it necessary for him to give up the pastorate and devote his full time to writing. Some of the more detailed are books in themselves. They reveal Larkin’s vast knowledge of the Bible and phenomenal insight into prophecy.” [clarencelarkincharts.com] This is his chart on the design of man: [ For more on pastor Larkin, see www.larkinestate.com A full set of downloadable diagrams is at BlueLetterBible.org

God has created us with amazing brains (which hopefully our minds use quite a bit). It is marvelous. (However, an examination of the physical aspects of the brain, its amazing design (such as the the right and left hemispheres) and functionality is a separate study.)

Material and immaterial aspects: brain and mind

The physical brain is obviously in the material aspect of a person, yet the mind comprises the immaterial side.

A materialistic worldview denies the spiritual aspect of life. Yet even scientific research shows the inadequacy of materialism. Heather Zeiger observed,

“The results of experiments with OCD, phobias, depression, and the placebo effect do not make sense to materialists because the mind seems to affect the physical brain. However, we know from Scripture that the mind, or the soul, is an essential part of our being. James 2:26 and Luke 8:55 show us that when the soul leaves, the body is dead, and when the soul returns, the body is alive. Also, passages such as Matthew 26:41 and Romans 8:10 and 11 tell us that our spirit can affect what our bodies do and keep us from sinning. Passages about the resurrection such as in 1 Corinthians 15 discuss the distinction between our spirit and our physical body.” [1]

Non-physical aspects of man

In a more precise understanding of how we are made, the immaterial aspect of man has two distinguishable parts–soul and spirit (1 Thess. 5:23).

The human spirit is distinct from the soul. Note the need for spiritual revelation in addition to the natural mind: “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man [literally, “soulish man]” does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:11 -14).

Hebrews 4:12 affirms, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow…”  In the immaterial side of a person, the human spirit can be conceived as “in” –yet distinct from–the soul. Similarly, the marrow is in the bone, yet not all bone is marrow.

In the passage about the proper use of spiritual gifts the apostle Paul states, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Cor. 14:4). In this scenario, the human spirit is engaged in speaking an unlearned language that is not intelligible in the natural (soulical) mind.

Illustrations of material and immaterial aspects of man

Although no analysis or illustration completely describes the nature of man, illustrations can be useful. The most familiar one is that the believer is compared to the Old Testament Temple–God’s dwelling place. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Cor. 6:19). The Tabernacle and (later) Temple had an outer court, Holy Place and Holy of Holies. These illustrate the human body, soul and spirit respectively. See the section of BiblicalPsychology.net devoted to the symbolism of the Tabernacle.

A contemporary illustration of body, soul and spirit is the design and function of the “brain machine” known as a computer.

The physical brain is like a computer’s hardware Humanity has used their brains to invent an inferior brain-like machine, the computer, that has become a huge part of modern life.

The soul is like a computer’s software.  The machine is useless without installed programming–software. Software is similar to the the human soul (made, will, and emotions).

The human spirit is like electricity.  Without electricity the hardware and software have no “life.” As electricity is distinct from the computer’s software, likewise, the human spirit is distinct from the soul.

A science course observes, “Both [a computer and the brain] use electrical signals to send messages. The brain uses chemicals to transmit information; the computer uses electricity. Even though electrical signals travel at high speeds in the nervous system, they travel even faster through the wires in a computer. Both transmit information.”[2]

Christian psychiatrist and Bible teacher, Dr. Tim Jennings, uses this computer analogy (hardware, software and electricity) to illustrate the distinctions of body, soul and spirit.[3]

The human brain is a marvel. 

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well” (Psalm 139:14 NKJV).

The brain is also a metaphor when compared to a computer, and the computer can illustrate the interdependent (yet distinct) body, soul and spirit.

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by John Woodward

[1] The Spiritual Brain” by Heather Zeiger, July 5, 2008
https://probe.org/the-spiritual-brain/

[2] (secular} https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bvc.html

[3] Cited from Dr. Jennings seminar, “God and Your Brain.” See ComeAndReason.com

For More on the marvels of the brain, see Cross-Wired Mind: A Study for Finding a Right Relationship with God through the Mind He Intended Us to Have, by Mary Kay Thomas at http://fbcproctorville.com/

One of the criticisms of the view of the trichotomous nature of man is that sometimes soul and spirit are used interchangeably. Although there is a consensus that the connotation of man’s “spirit” relates to God (who is Spirit) and soul connotes the psychological aspect (as indicated by the English term “psychology”), there is resistance to believing that man’s spirit and soul are ontologically distinct. Note that the primary use of these terms as nouns in Scripture (pneuma and psuche is consistent with their familiar use as English adverbs and adjectives.

The dichotomist view is that the nouns spirit and soul are merely synonyms. There is a difference in emphasis and function of man’s immaterial side. One of the main reasons for this view (that became mainstream after Augustine) is that sometimes these terms seem to be used in a synonymous or interchangeable manner.

The Reason for overlapping usage of spirit and soul

The reason for occasional overlapping of these terms is that, conceptually, just as the immaterial aspect of man is “in” the body, so the human spirit is “in” the soul. This model can be illustrated by concentric circles.

So, if a reference that may be expected to use the term “spirit” may use “soul” instead, this would not contradict a more precise meaning of these terms.

A biblical illustration of the subtle distinction of spirit and soul is the Old Testament Tabernacle (and later, the Temple).

The Tabernacle was one building, yet with two distinct rooms. Only a curtain separated them. Similarly, the believer, who is a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19) has two aspects of his immaterial being–soul and spirit. The whole Tabernacle would be considered The Holy Place, yet the innermost room was distinct as The Holy of Holies.[1]

A Defense of Trichotomy in light of some overlapping of terms

In another post (Sept. 4, 2022), Lehman Strauss made the case for man as spirit, soul and body by noting that he is made in God’s image. God is three-in-one, the Trinity. Now we consider a parallel between our biblical evidence for God being Triune and man as a triune being created in His image.[2]

If some interchangeable use of soul and spirit disproves man as trichotomous, the same argument could be used to dispute the doctrine of the Trinity (and we accept the biblical view of God as triune). Consider these theological basics.

God is one: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut. 6:4).

The first person of the Godhead is the Father (John 5:16-45). The Father and the Son are distinct ontologically, yet are one God (Heb 1:1-3; John 11:1,14).

The Father and the Son are ontologically distinct from the Holy Spirit. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16,17).

The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons in the Godhead. “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:16; see Acts 1:4,5).

Now we observe that the names of the Godhead are sometimes used interchangeably.

The Son is prophetically called “The Everlasting Father” in Isaiah 9:6. In John 10:30 “Jesus declared ‘I and My Father are one.'” John 14:8,9 records, “Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”‘?”

God the Father is “spirit” and “holy.” “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). “Holy Father…” (John 17:11).

The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the Spirit of Christ. “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1 Pet 1:10,11).
“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you…” (Rom. 8:9,10)
“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Gal 4:6. See Gal. 2:20).

The Son is described as life-giving spirit. “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam [Jesus, Son of God] became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45).

Although the names of the Godhead are sometimes used interchangeably, God’s unity is maintained: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name [singular] of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).

Conclusion

Since the occasional interchangeable use of the terms Father, Son (Christ) and Holy Spirit does not disprove God’s triune nature (the Trinity doctrine), even so, some interchangeable use of soul and spirit does not disprove man as triune (ontologically spirit, soul and body). [3]

-JBW

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[1] For more on the symbolism of the Tabernacle and sample quotations from five authors, see this blog site’s heading–“The Tabernacle.”

[2] The three aspects of man need not require a de-emphasis of his fundamental unity. We maintain that man is one in personhood, with two separable sides, yet three distinguishable aspects — holistic trichotomy. Just as the dichotomist can emphasize the holistic nature of man while accepting the biblical teaching that he has a material side and immaterial side (e.g., 2 Cor. 5:8), so the trichotomist can and should be holistic as well.

[3] This conclusion is based on inductive biblical theology, the testimony of expositors, and is consistent with the view of the early church (before Augustine).

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:26,27).

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground [material aspect], and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [spiritual aspect]; and man became a living being [psychological aspect]” (Gen. 2:7). Yet man is considered one in personhood.

One of the implicit evidences of man as spirit, soul and body is that he/she is made in the image of God, who is triune. Dr. Lehman Strauss included this reasoning in his series about “Dead and Afterward.” He affirmed:

Man is a triune being because he is created in the image of God. “God said, Let us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1:26). We know that God is a Trinity. The Holy Trinity is clearly set forth in the Apostle Paul’s benediction that closed his Second Corinthian Epistle: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14). Our Lord Himself said, in what we call “The Great Commission”: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). Created in the image of God, man is likewise a trinity. He has a spiritual nature that is separate and distinct from the body in which it dwells.

The two following passages from the Bible clearly establish the fact that man is a triune being composed of spirit, soul, and body:

I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow (body), and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

In spite of the erroneous teaching of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” and of other false sects that “no man has a soul,” the Bible states emphatically that man was created a trinity of spirit, soul, and body even as the eternal God is Himself a trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The trinity of man is an essential part of the image relationship between him and God. Life is not ultimately physical and the body is not the whole man. And we might add that neither the body in itself, nor the soul in itself, nor the spirit in itself makes up the whole man, but he is “spirit and soul and body.” This must be seriously considered and definitely agreed to before we can comprehend with any accuracy the subject of life after death…[1]

Although God’s three-in-one nature is not conclusive proof of man’s triunity, it should be considered supporting evidence in favor of holistic trichotomy.

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[1] Lehman Strauss, an excerpt from “Man A Trinity (Spirit, Soul, Body)”
https://bible.org/seriespage/2-man-trinity-spirit-soul-body

Lehman Strauss (1911-1997) taught Old Testament history for eight years at Philadelphia Bible Institute, and for 18 years served as pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in Bristol, Pennsylvania.

Greek expert, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, was General Editor of The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. This quote is part of the article that defines the New Testament use of “spirit” as it relates to biblical psychology:

Spirit (Pneuma) B) rational spirit…element of life. 1) Generally, spirit distinct from the body and soul. See also Luke 1:47; Hebrews 4:12. Soul and spirit are very closely related because they are both immaterial and they both contrast with body (soma) and flesh (sarx). Scripture, however, introduces a distinction between the two immaterial aspects of man’s soul and spirit. They that they cannot mean the same thing is evident from their mention together in 1 Thess. 5:23: spirit, soul, body. The same distinction is brought out in Hebrews 4:12. The spirit is man’s immaterial nature which enables him to communicate with God, who is also spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 states that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God” because “they are spiritually discerned.” What is translated “natural man” in Greek is psuchikos, or … soulish, meaning the soul of man. The soul is the aspect of his immaterial nature that makes him aware of his body and his natural, physical environment. The difference between soul and spirit is not one of substance [both are the immaterial side]  but of operation.”

Thus, this reference book agrees with holistic trichotomy: man is one in personhood with two divisible parts (material and immaterial), yet three distinguishable parts (spirit, soul and body).

“Spirit”. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Gen Ed. Spiros Zodhiates with Dr. W. Baker, and Dr. G. Hadjiantoniou, (Chattanooga, AMG Publishers, 1993). Bracketed words added

Neil Anderson gives a summary of the spiritual life with spirit, soul and body discernment.

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See Galatians 5:22-23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

The spiritual person also has a body, soul and spirit. Yet this individual has been remarkably transformed from the natural person he was before spiritual birth. At conversion, his spirit became united with God’s Spirit. The spiritual life which resulted from this union is characterized by forgiveness of sin, acceptance in God’s family, and the realization of personal worth.

The soul of the spiritual person also reflects a change generated by spiritual birth. He can now receive his impetus from the Spirit, not just from the flesh. His mind is being renewed and transformed. His emotions are characterized by peace and joy instead of turmoil. It is our responsibility to choose not to walk according to the flesh, but to walk according to the Spirit. As the spiritual person exercises his choice to live in the Spirit, his life bears the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23).

As a spiritual person, your body is the dwelling place of God. We should offer our bodies as a living sacrifice of worship and service to Him. The flesh, conditioned to live independently from God under the old self, is still present in the spiritual person. But he responsibly crucifies the flesh and its desires daily as he considers himself dead to sin.

“That all looks and sounds great,” you may say. “But I’m a Christian and I still have some problems. I know I’m spiritually alive, but sometimes my mind dwells on the wrong kinds of thoughts. Sometimes I give in to the deeds of the flesh. Sometimes I entertain the desires of the flesh instead of crucifying them.”

The description of the spiritual person is the ideal. It’s the model of maturity toward which we are all growing. God has made every provision for you to experience personally the description of the spiritual person in His Word (2 Peter 1:3). You will grow as a spiritual person and glorify God in your body as you learn to crucify the flesh and be filled by the Spirit.

Prayer: Loving Lord, it is liberating to know that Your Spirit actually dwells in me. I choose to walk as a spiritual person today.

from Daily in Christ, by Neil and Joanne Anderson, June 17. Bold added for emphasis – JBW

https://freedominchrist.com/search.aspx?find=daily+in+christ