The Saving of the Soul

The title of this book is “The Truth About Salvation”. However, I must take you on a particular path, in order for you to understand the totality of being made in the image of God. Therefore, I am going to start with a subject whose authenticity is being challenged on every hand: the saving of the soul. This is the great mystery that was hidden in God until the forming of the Church. The revelation of the saving of the soul is the great mystery of godliness revealed. Therefore, I want to get right to the heart of the matter. This chapter is designed to reveal the knowledge of the mystery of Christ that was hidden in God until the establishing of the Church. It is the responsibility of true apostles to install this mystery in the Body of Christ. So, let’s start with the saving of the soul. There is much controversy regarding the salvation of man from his wretched sinful state.

I think most schools of thought agree that there was nothing man could do to free himself from the captivity in which he lived.

Ephesians 2:12

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world

I guess this settles the suggestion which implies, saved or unsaved, we are all God’s children. Before salvation we were all alienated from God. Sin separated us from Him and each other. Mankind was hopelessly doomed and destined for total damnation.

St. John 3:16

But God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This is the good news. Man is given another chance to live. But how would this be accomplished?

Psalm 116:4

4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

John 3:3-4

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

We have failed to see the fullness of the ‘born again’ message. The first man Adam was a “living soul.” What does this mean? Well, when God created Adam’s body it was just a lump of clay. It had no life in it. That in itself is a very important point. The body without the soul is lifeless. Thus, it has no wants, likes or dislikes, and neither feelings of pain or pleasure. But moreover, I want to take this opportunity to persuade you that the soul is the master of the flesh. He is the life that is expressed through the flesh. The body is the temple of the soul. It allows the soul to live in this world. Nevertheless, it is the soul that must give an account for the deeds done in the flesh.

Consider the following scriptures:

Leviticus 5:2

2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.

How does a soul touch an unclean thing? It does so by using the hands of its body. The body has no desires; these are found in the soul. Therefore, it is the soul that is judged as guilty.

Leviticus 5:4

4 Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.

How does a soul swear? He does so with the lips of his body. But the soul itself is judged as guilty.

Leviticus 5:15

15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:

How does a soul sin? He does so by using his body to disobey God. When the body is in physical pain, it is the soul that mourns.

Job 23:13

13 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.

Whatever the soul desires, the body is used to fulfill. The soul cannot live on earth without a body. Man is body, soul and spirit. These three are one. When the soul departs from the body it goes into eternity, whether that eternity is heaven or hell. The body that gave it life goes back to the dust from whence it came. The point of all this is that man is a soul given expression or life in this world through a body. The unregenerated man is a living soul, and it is his soul that is dark in sin and trespasses. It is the soul that is held in captivity by the spirit of bondage. It is also the soul that cries out to God for deliverance.

Psalm 6:4

4 Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: o save me for thy mercies’ sake.

It is the soul that is responsible for the things done in the body. The real essence of this is that the body has no desire of its own. It is completely controlled by the soul. Therefore, it is ludicrous to blame the flesh for sin. It is the soul that uses the body to do its bidding. This is a point we must remember in moving forward in this discussion. Nevertheless, having sinned against God, it is the soul that cried out for mercy. Not because I am good, and not because I deserve it, but remember your mercy oh Lord, and save me. I am in the flesh and the motions of sin are working in my body. Who shall deliver me from this body of death? This was the cry of our soul as we heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our faith in God came by hearing the Word of the Lord. We heard and we believed the report. But what does it really mean to believe? The scripture declares that if we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth, then we would be saved.

Romans 10:9

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

The word “believe” means to commit unto, to commit to one’s trust. It is an action word in the salvation experience. To believe is to trust God. If our trust is in God, then we commit ourselves to that trust. To believe is to commit the soul to God for safekeeping or preservation.

Hebrews 10:39

39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

The plea of the soul is, “take me out of this body, but don’t let me perish. Forgive me for all the sins I committed in this life (body) that you gave me. One day this body will die, and I will surely go into eternal damnation. Lord, save my soul. Deliver me from this body of sin and death.”

THE ATONEMENT

Now the great mystery begins to unfold. How will the Father answer the cry of His lost creation? The solution is Jesus Christ. Before the foundation of the world, He was ordained to be the propitiation for sin.

1 John 5:11-12

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

We know that God loved the world so much that He gave His son Jesus so that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but indeed can be saved. This is the condition for salvation. The soul cannot be saved unless it believes on Jesus Christ as its redeemer. Remember, to believe is to trust and commit to Him that you trust.

Now before we go any further, I need to insert a very important element that might explain why it is so hard for some people to get saved.

Luke 14:26-27

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

This is another portion of the gospel that oftentimes is not ministered at large crusades or altar-calls. God is offering us another life in a kingdom where we have no earthly mother, father, sisters or brothers.

Luke 14:33

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

If the soul wants to be saved, it must be willing to give up every aspect of the life it lived in the flesh. Some find this hard to do even as the rich young ruler did. Light has come, but some prefer darkness. There is one other condition, you must be willing to suffer. There is a cross, designed especially for you, and you must be willing to bear it. Therefore, before you make a decision, count up the cost and consider whether you are willing to forsake this world and walk with God. If there is a yes in your heart, then you are a candidate to be a partaker of the atonement of Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:8

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I just want to inject here that some believe Christ only died for those of us who actually receive salvation. But that is not the case.

1 John 2:2

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Romans 5:9-11

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

The word atonement means reconciliation and exchange. In layman’s terms, it simply means to be at-one-with. If the death of Jesus is the atonement for sin, then we must become at-one with that great sacrifice. Below is scripture that goes straight into the heart and mind of the Father regarding salvation. It is essential that you understand these passages if you are to ever comprehend the mystery of Christ.

Romans 6:3-7

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death,we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

This is the plan of God. This is the great mystery that was hidden from men. God would take the soul of man out of the flesh and put it in the Spirit of Christ. The word baptized means to sink deep into or to be clothed in. We (our souls) are buried, totally submerged in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of Christ is an eternal Spirit. It is omnipresent. The scripture says, “He that is joined to Christ is one spirit.” Once we are placed in Christ, we live in eternity past and present. Therefore, it can be declared that we were in Christ before the foundation of the world. To believe is to commit to trusting in what He did for us. Through faith in Jesus Christ we are able to partake of the sacrifice. Remember the question Nicodemus asked Jesus? He wanted to know if a man had to re-enter his mother’s womb in order to live again. He realized that the flesh gave birth to the soul. Jesus’ response was, that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (St. John 3:6).

The soul must be reborn in the Spirit (the Holy Ghost). When this regeneration is accomplished it will no longer be a living soul, but a quickening spirit. In the 17th chapter of St. John, Jesus asked the Father to make us one as they are one. Well, beloved, that prayer was answered when we were joined to the Lord. The Body of Christ has studied, read and taught the following scripture dozens of times. But please bear with me, and maybe this time we will allow it to open the eyes of our understanding.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Christ is a life-giving Spirit. He was always a quickening Spirit. He is the Word of God, who is God, who came to earth to live in a human body. It was the Holy Ghost who overshadowed Mary and placed the Word in her womb so that she could provide it with a body of flesh and blood. The fact that He was in a human body did not change who He was. Even in the body, He was the Lord from heaven. “As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy.” Is not this the same thing Jesus said to Nicodemus? “That which is born of flesh is flesh…” When Paul says, “as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly,” he is in agreement with John who says, “as he is, so are we now in this world.” Could he also be in agreement with Jesus who says, “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”? This also bears witness to the fact that the new creature is a spirit:

1 Corinthians 6:17

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:50

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

I can hear some saying, “Where are you going with this, Dr. Banks? Well, my friends, I am going straight for the jugular. We live in the Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost, which is the Kingdom of God.

Romans 14:17

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

But if flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom, then we must be something other than flesh and blood. It seems to me the scriptures do not include the flesh when identifying the sons of God. Could it be we are indeed quickening spirits likened unto our Father who by the way, is the Father of spirits?

Hebrews 12:9

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

Again, the flesh is corruptible, it has proven to be so, and therefore it is not a part of our final inheritance. The flesh is vulnerable to sickness and disease. It ages and it will eventually fall prey to death. Could that explain why we have another body “eternal (incorruptible) in the heavens”?

2 Corinthians 5:1

1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Now my next slash at the jugular of tradition and false doctrine is the scriptures below:

2 Corinthians 5:21

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The new creature, that quickening spirit, is also sinless. He is the righteousness of God revealed. He is perfect and complete in Christ. He is everything that Christ is. He is one with the Father and the Son. In my excitement, I am getting ahead of myself. We must not end this discussion until we have seen this marvel called salvation through the eyes of the Spirit.

Hebrews 9:14

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The work of the Lord was thorough. He freed our conscience from the power of sin.

All things pertaining to the new creature are new, and all things are of God. But where is the new creature now?

Ephesians 2:5-6

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus

The Holy Ghost is that Heavenly place. We are in Christ and He is in us. He is the first of many brethren. He was the first begotten of the Father. You may not know which number you are, but just be glad that you have become the son of the Living God. The soul has been saved, which means it has been healed, made whole, protected and preserved. It lives in the Holy Ghost

Galatians 5:25

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Our life (soul) is hid with Christ in God. The new creature can rejoice in the fact that he is no longer trapped in a sinful body. He is reborn in the Spirit, which gives him life. He is free and all He wants to do is tell the good news.

Psalm 16:1

1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are