Whilst the salvation of the SPIRIT takes place at a "point” IN TIME, the salvation of the SOUL takes place as a "process” OVER TIME

"But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the LORD, one day IS as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." - 2 PETER 3:8.

     This heartfelt supplication is addressed to none other than the “BELOVED”. A “beloved” is no less than one who is GREATLY loved, who is very dear to the heart. Being dear to one’s heart indicates being extremely precious, being highly cherished, the object of one’s most earnest affection. As such, we can fully trust that this ardent petition is made with only the most considerate wellbeing in mind for the beloved. And the chief purpose of this sincere entreaty is that, of all things, that this ONE THING should not be forgotten. And this one thing is this. That with the LORD, one day IS as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

     At the same time, when it comes to the Word, the Word of God also says, “Do not merely LISTEN to the word, and so DECEIVE yourselves. DO what is says.” – JAMES 1:22. As the beloved of Christ, being ALL extremely precious, highly cherished and greatly loved, 1 THESSALONIANS 5:23 plainly declares that “at the coming of the LORD”, we ALL need to present our WHOLE being as blameless. Namely, not just “the spirit”, but also “the soul and the body” too, being all that makes up the whole of our being. All three need to be presented as blameless at the event of His great second coming. With this in mind, when it comes to presenting all three “blameless”, the "salvation of the spirit" deals with overcoming the PENALTY of sin. The "salvation of the soul" deals with overcoming the POWER of sin. And the "salvation of the body" deals with overcoming the PRESENCE of sin. And with that being said, when it comes to the matter of “OVERCOMING”, the Word of God says that, "He who OVERCOMES, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne" - REVELATION 3:21.

     In making the deliberate distinction between the “salvation of the SPIRIT” and the “salvation of the SOUL”, there are some very notable differences. Whilst the salvation of the SPIRIT takes place at a "point” IN TIME, the salvation of the SOUL takes place as a "process” OVER TIME. Also, the salvation of the SPIRIT is through “faith” IN Christ - ROMANS 10:10, whereas the salvation of the SOUL is through "faithfulness” UNTO Christ - 2 CHRONICLES 16:9. Furthermore, the salvation of the SPIRIT is about being "rightly related" TO God. This is legal or POSITIONAL. This focuses on the LAW. This is necessary because when it comes to the law, “Think not that I came to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to FULFILL.” – MATTHEW 5:17. On the other hand, the salvation of the SOUL is about "relating rightly" WITH God. This is RELATIONAL. This focuses on the PERSON.

     Another major distinction is that whereas the salvation of the SPIRIT is a choice between "heaven and hell", the salvation of the SOUL deals instead with a daily choice between eating either from "the Tree of Life” or from “the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”. This is the personal choice between either renouncing all independence from God (DYING to the soul self), or choosing rather the sovereignty of self (PRESERVING the soul self). This is what God refers to when He says, “Whoever seeks to keep his life (soul) will lose it, and whoever loses his life (soul) will preserve it.” – LUKE 17:33. This is about either living according to what GOD says is good and evil, which is about living by the conscience of God (dependence on God). Or it is about deciding for yourself what is good and evil, or right and wrong instead. Which is living instead according to your OWN conscience (independence from God). And of the choice to instead decide for oneself what is good and evil, God says, “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and LIVE FOREVER: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.” – GENESIS 3:22-23.

     This is especially why God also says in PHILIPPIANS 2:12 that we are to "WORK OUT" our salvation with "FEAR AND TREMBLING". And just as with LUKE 17:33, this scripture refers specifically to that part of our salvation which deals with the "salvation of the SOUL". The reason why we have to firstly WORK IT OUT, is because whilst the SPIRIT belongs to God, it is by the design of free will that the SOUL purposefully belongs to man. This is seen even with Jesus Himself, where when it came to His crucifixion, as God the Son, being both divine and human in nature, Jesus is recorded as having said, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." – LUKE 22:42. The will is part of the soul. The soul is made up of the mind, the emotions and the will.

     So even Jesus as the Son of Man had to die to His own will or soul. In the same way as for every other man, Jesus had to deny his own will or soul for the sake of the will of God His Father. Which is effectively God sacrificing His own soul (Son) for the sake of man’s life. As such, because the soul belongs to man, and not to God, WORKING IT OUT requires that man needs to deliberately and willingly "choose" by himself whether to either keep his own will (life) NOW, and thereby ultimately lose his soul (life) LATER, or to lose his soul life NOW, and work out his LATER salvation together with the LORD, where the LORD is the one who IS faithful, and who WILL also do it - 1 THESSALONIANS 5:24.

     Further testimony to the PROCESS (working out) of the salvation of the soul is found in MATTHEW 16:24. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, if any MAN will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” The Word emphasizes “man”. “Man” is one who has a spirit, a soul and a body. Jesus says THREE distinct things here. The first thing He says is that man is to “deny himself”. This refers to man renouncing the authority of his own will or soul (or his independence from God). It is effectively giving back to God what God has given to man. Then He says man is to secondly “take up his cross”. Taking up one’s cross means the twin process of dying to self (or starving one’s soul from eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil), and simultaneously coming alive to the resurrection life and conscience of God (or eating from the Tree of Life). Whilst the cross is frequently confused by some with DEATH only, the cross also represents new LIFE. The complete process of taking up the cross represents a combination of both the death of one kind of life, as well as the coming alive of a life of another kind. It represents the death of “the soul life” and the simultaneous receiving of “the resurrection life of God”, being the life that ultimately has the power over death and the power of eternal life. The third thing Jesus says is that man is to “follow Him”. This refers to fulfilling the will of the Father for your life just as Jesus did. Jesus’ life was exclusively and singularly about fulfilling His Father’s will. Because in so doing, He proved the good and acceptable and perfect will of His father, which was He proved He loved His Father, which is what we all need to do too. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – JOHN 6:38.

     And finally, when it comes to why we need to work out our salvation “WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING”, the WHEN part we already know to be "at the coming of the LORD". Which also signifies the onset of "the Kingdom of Christ" (or otherwise referred to as the Millennium era foretold in REVELATION). The Word shows that when the Lord comes, that He will reward each according to his works. "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and the He will reward each according to his works." – MATTHEW 16:27. The reward for overcoming the "salvation of the soul" is that the "work" of saving man’s soul will be rewarded. And this reward is being allowed to rule side-by-side with Christ the King, as joint kings, over the world, during the millennium period. In REVELATION 5:10, the Word of God says, "They will rule as kings on the earth." And it says "on earth", not "in heaven". So this is during the millennium period.

     So why then the entreaty of working out our salvation with “FEAR AND TREMBLING”? The millennium is a period of a thousand years. In the context of the average lifespan of man, a thousand years is a substantial period. This is the time that will be spent WITH the LORD reigning “on earth” before the final judgment. This is also why Jesus is bringing ALL departed Christians back here with Him at that time – 1 THESSALONIANS 4:14. This is so that ALL who, like the second Adam, have overcome can all be rewarded for their overcoming, and in doing so, that REVELATION 5:10 and REVELATION 3:21 can be fulfilled. "He who OVERCOMES, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne" - REVELATION 3:21. "They will rule as kings on the earth." – REVELATION 5:10.

     But what of those who at the second coming of the LORD have NOT overcome the soul life? What of those who, like the first Adam, have NOT overcome the temptation to KEEP their soul life? Is it not possible that compared with the soul pleasure of reigning alongside Jesus for a thousand years, that for those who are without that reward, that a day in the millennium will be for them as long as a thousand years? But for those who ARE rewarded, that the reward will be SO FULL that a day would be like a thousand years? Is it also not possible that at the end of the thousand years reign, that when the LORD brings all others to life for the final judgment, that for all who have NOT overcome who have passed from this life, that for each of these, that from that day onward, a day will be as a thousand years? But for those who HAVE overcome, that a thousand years will be as a day?

"But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the LORD, one day IS as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." - 2 PETER 3:8.

     As a gesture of our immense gratitude for the greatness of our THREE salvations, we should all have THREE objectives: (1) to make God FAMOUS for all, (2) to make God FIRST and FOREMOST for all, and (3) to make God FATHER of all. May this be Your reward, our dear FATHER who art in heaven.

To God alone be all the glory. Forever and ever. Amen and amen.

God's richest blessings. Wayne Biehn.