The believer experiences three aspects of salvation at various times in his life, affecting different parts of his being. We see these three aspects of salvation in Paul’s first letter to Thessalonica: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  In this verse, Paul mentions three aspects of man’s being, and the comprehensive nature of God’s sanctification and preservation (salvation) of man. 

God saves us “entirely.” He saves man in all three aspects. He does not give us a new spirit and let our body decay–He resurrects our body as well. He does not resurrect our body and leave our soul unchanged–He transforms the soul as well.  

God saves us in all three aspects, but not at the same time. Salvation of our spirit comes in our past, when we are “born again”.  Salvation of our body comes in the future, when it is transformed from mortal to immortal and made in the likeness of Christ’s resurrected body. 

Salvation of the soul is another case.  The soul is not immediately renewed at the point of conversion like man’s spirit is. It is not regenerated at the resurrection like man’s body is. The soul comes into the new life as-is and it must be “renewed” over the course of our life. It must be transformed into the image of Christ (Romans 12:2). 

I am taking a few liberties with language. The Hebrew word for “soul” (nephesh) is the same word for “mind.” They are connected, interchangeable. In Greek, there are a few translations for “mind”. In Romans 8:5-7, Paul says we are to set our psuche on the Spirit to have life and peace. In this case, the word “psuche” is our attitude, or direction in life. This is an active response–we must be intentional about setting our direction in life on the Spirit for the Spirit to do His work. In Romans 12:2, Paul says we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Here, he uses the Greek word “nous”, referring to the mind as our intellect, thoughts, feelings, and will. This is more akin to the Hebrew nephesh. The transformation of which Paul speaks is a transformation of the mind and soul.  This is a more passive response from our perspective–God does the transforming. When we become believers, God begins the process of transforming the way we think, feel, and motivate ourselves. He renews our mind (soul) from its old state to a new state.

This transformation process is the essence of soul salvation. Until the point of conversion, the soul has been bound to the fleshly nature. The fleshly nature is only capable of producing dead things, for “the mind set on the flesh is death” (Romans 8:6). Upon conversion, the soul can be influenced by a new source, the Holy Spirit.  The transition from following the fleshly nature to following the Holy Spirit is neither immediate, nor easy.  It is a difficult process, requiring suffering and affliction (2 Corinthians 4:17) to teach us how to do it. There are many obstacles in the way, many temptations luring us away from the Spirit. And there are consequences if the transformation doesn’t occur.  

If the soul remains bound to the flesh instead of being led by the Holy Spirit, it will continue to generate deeds of death. The deeds of a fleshly Christian may appear like religious offerings, but in reality they are a stench. The best deeds man can do on his own are stinky clothes (Isaiah 64:6) compared against the good fruits the Holy Spirit produces. Such deeds are motivated, not by the Spirit, but by fleshly passions like immorality, impurity, sensuality, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, dissention, and envy (Galatians 5:19-21). As we will see, fleshly deeds produced by God’s people provoke God’s displeasure–not the fires of hell, but a tempered form of wrath. Only by being led by the Spirit can the requirements of law be met (Romans 8:4). Only by the Spirit can pleasing fruits be manifest in us (Galatians 5:22-23). Only deeds done by faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit are pleasing to God (Romans 8:5-8, Hebrews 11:6). Only by the Spirit can the soul be weaned away from the fleshly nature, away from being conformed to the world, and transformed into the image of Christ. As our Lord says, “it is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63).

There will be fierce opposition. The fleshly nature will fight against the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17). Spiritual and human enemies will stand in the way. The believer’s soul will be under assault from inside and out, and from spiritual and physical enemies. The believer thus finds he is in desperate need of soul salvation. His spirit was saved in the past. His body will be saved in the future. He needs salvation for his soul in the present.  

The concept of the three aspects of salvation is illustrated below. It is interesting to see how the members of the Trinity participate in the salvation of the spirit, body, and soul. God is the primary actor in our spirit salvation, for He causes us to be born again (1 Peter 1:3-9). Jesus says He will raise up His followers on the last day (John 6:40,44). The Spirit gives life in the present (John 6:63).

Let’s take a more in-depth look at the three aspects of salvation.

PAST TENSE (SPIRIT) SALVATION

When a sinner repents and comes to Christ, this is nothing short of a miracle. This is what happened when the Christians at Ephesus experienced salvation. They listened to the message of truth, the gospel of salvation, and believed (Ephesians 1:13). These were non-believers before they heard the gospel. When they heard it, their hearts were pierced through, and they repented. 

God gives us many examples of unbelievers receiving the promise of this salvation in their hour of conversion.  The crowd in Jerusalem, pierced to the heart when they realized the magnitude of their sinful rebellion against Jesus Christ, asked Peter “what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”, and, “…be saved from this perverse generation!” (Acts 2:37-40). The Philippian jailor, relieved beyond measure when his prisoners he thought were long gone appeared before him, felt the conviction of God and cried out, “what must I do to be saved?” to which Paul replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30). 

Saved in Spirit

This miraculous conversion experience is seen as a piercing of the inner man, a deep conviction within the heart. It can be thought of as an awakening of man’s spirit. Paul says that before we become believers, we are like dead men: “you were dead in your trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). In that sorry state, we have no ability to commune with or please God, nor can we enjoy the life He offers (Ephesians 4:18). Thankfully, God performs a miracle in the hearts of His chosen ones–He brings new life to “dead” people: “…when we were dead in our transgressions, [He] made us alive together with Christ…” (Ephesians 2:5). God speaks and the dry bones come to life (Ezekiel 37:1-10). God causes people to be “born again” (John 3:3)–a rebirth involving a new spirit, not flesh and blood.

In the eyes of the believer, the conversion experience is an event that happened sometime in his past. In this context, salvation of spirit is a “past tense salvation”.  It is a one-time event that secures a man’s destiny for eternity.  Nothing can ever change this state. 

Salvation of spirit is so important, it is sometimes necessary for people to suffer in the flesh so that they might someday be saved in spirit. People who are so in love with pleasures of this life they may be ill-prepared to experience the far greater joy of salvation of spirit.  Paul had to pray that a certain, reprobate believer would experience “destruction of the flesh” by Satan himself in order for him to have a chance to experience salvation of spirit (1 Corinthians 5:5).

Saved by God’s Will

Salvation of spirit is an act of God’s will, not the so-called “free will” of man. As John says, we were born, “not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). We are “born again” (John 3:3), a miracle birth of our spirit that is only possible with God. As Paul says, “by grace you were saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as the result of works that no man can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). As James says, “…in the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth…” (James 1:18). As Peter says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Chrsit, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope…” (1 Peter 1:3). God causes spirits to be born again.

It is good that God, not man, saves the spirit.  Man is fickle and given to emotional highs and lows. He is mostly incapable of keeping his own promises and often goes back on his word.  On the contrary, God never goes back on His word: “has He said it, and will He not do it?  Or has He spoken and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). When God makes a covenant with man, He always holds up His end of the deal even when man falls short. One who is chosen by God for salvation cannot lose that salvation.  Speaking of His sheep who follow Him (which we can infer are “born again”), Jesus says, “…no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:29). 

FUTURE TENSE (BODY) SALVATION

The believer has been saved in spirit. However, his body is aging. Inevitably, it will shut down. He will die, be buried, and undergo decay. But there is resurrection–a “future tense” salvation. In this salvation of the body, believers will receive a glorified, imperishable body unlike the present body which is full of sin and decay. Body salvation is what Jesus describes when He says, “an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29). Jesus raises the bodies of deceased believers on the “last day” (John 6:40,44). This is the salvation of the body we will experience in the future. When Paul says, “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9), he is speaking of this same future salvation of the body. 

The resurrection of Lazarus shows that raising dead bodies from the grave is not a problem for God. God gave Jesus the ability to raise Lazarus even though he had been dead and buried for four days. This is why Jesus is known as the “Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25,39-44). When Jesus called, Lazarus stood upright, walked to the mouth of the tomb, and resumed his active relationship with Christ in his resurrected body. He shared a meal with Jesus, and people flocked to see him (John 12:1-9). 

As remarkable as this was, Lazarus was raised in his natural body, not a transformed body. He eventually died a second time. Our resurrected bodies will not be like our natural body–it will be an entirely new body. Paul says we will be “sown a perishable body” but “raised an imperishable body”, and, “the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed.” Our bodies will be transformed into conformity with the body of His glory (Philippians 3:20). In other words, our new body will be like Jesus’ risen body. In His glorified body, Jesus passed through walls (John 20:19,26), had visible scars (John 20:20), and ate bread and fish (John 21:12-14).  

This will happen “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 52). The Lord will “descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God…then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). In that new state, we will see God “face to face” compared to the dim view we see today (1 Corinthians 13:12). This is the day for which Christians, together with all of creation, eagerly wait (Romans 8:19,23; Titus 2:13). This is the day of “revealing” of the true sons of God (Romans 8:19).

PRESENT TENSE (SOUL) SALVATION

Upon conversion, the new believer is given a new spirit. He is “born again.” His spirit was “dead” in sin, but God made it alive with Christ (Ephesians 1:1-5). In the future, he will be given a new body in the manner of Christ’s resurrection. However, the soul is not regenerated at conversion, and it is not given a new body in the resurrection. The believer’s soul comes into the new life unchanged, and is not resurrected with our body in the end times. The soul needs a different kind of salvation–a salvation in the present.

The salvation experience is an amazing and wonderful beginning of a Christian’s new life.  However, we should not think every mention of “salvation” in scripture is referring to the conversion experience. Often in scripture, it is the believer, not the unbeliever who is asking for salvation. The Old Testament writers often refer to salvation, not as a conversion but as a daily need in their present reality. These are godly men, already chosen by God, already secure in their future with God, but crying out for salvation. These authors use the terms “salvation” and “save/-d/-s” over 180 times, most often in three books: Psalms (115), Isaiah (43), and Jeremiah (20). By comparison, New Testament authors use these terms 75 times. Is this just a statistical observation, or is there some subtle but significant truth for believers here?  If these godly men whose future was secure desperately sought God’s salvation, why do we think Christians are any less in need?

These men of old sought salvation from enemies. This same kind of salvation is urgently needed by believers as well. There are many enemies, and the believer is more often the target of their attacks. Thankfully, Jesus is in the business of saving us from enemies. Zacharias said that Jesus is the fulfillment of many prophecies for “salvation from our enemies” (Luke 1:71). 

We do not stop needing salvation after conversion. In fact, we need it more. The new Christian must prepare himself for an onslaught of challenges from many enemies including his own fleshly desires, nasty people he comes in contact with, the general spirit of ungodliness present in the world, and the arch-enemy Satan himself and his minions. Believers are always faced with challenges, and often will find themselves in a desperate situation. It is in these moments the believer must cry out for salvation. He must pray, not a prayer of conversion all over again, but of deliverance from the dark place in which he finds himself. 

This is not to say the salvation of believers is not assured, fixed, nor guaranteed once accomplished. I am not arguing that a believer can lose his eternal destiny with God.  I am saying that a believer can be assured of his salvation, his eternal rest with God, and yet need a different form of salvation in his present reality.  

The Difficult Process of Transformation

For the entire physical life of the believer, from infancy to the point of the conversion, the soul has been led by the fleshly nature. Upon conversion, the believer now has an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to influence his soul. It is the Spirit who gives life, not flesh (John 6:63). So we must learn to walk in the Spirit.

This takes practice. Christians do not automatically follow the Spirit. The believer must learn to “set his mind on the Spirit” and not on his fleshly nature  (Romans 8:5-8). If it were automatic, there would be no reason for Paul to urge believers to set their minds on the Spirit. It is a learning process. 

God is the architect of the transformative process in new believers. Paul says we must not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). The process of transformation is not easy. God uses trials to facilitate the transformation. Transformation is a long and perilous journey every new believer must face if he desires to live a godly life, for all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). Suffering is an important part of transformation. Believers’ souls are preserved (saved) when they endure suffering in faith (Hebrews 10:39). If they remain faithful through trials, believers will obtain the “salvation” of their souls (1 Peter 1:3-9). 

There will certainly be opposition. The believer who seeks to grow to mature faith will be confronted by many enemies, spiritual and physical, internal and external.

The Internal Enemy – the Fleshly Nature

The internal enemy is the fleshly nature. Though his eternal future is certain, the believer still has a fleshly nature that seeks to control and corrupt our soul.

Fleshly lusts “wage war” against our soul (1 Peter 2:11). The flesh sets its desire against God’s Spirit: “these are in opposition to one another” (Galatians 5:17a). The fleshly nature is corrupt and deceitful. It is the heart full of iniquity and deceit described in the inspired words of David and Jeremiah (Psalm 51:5, Jeremiah 17:9). Whereas the Spirit is truth (John 14:17) and wants us to be truthful and know the truth (John 16:13), the flesh wants us to conceal our true nature, as Ananias did when he concealed his true intentions from the church (Acts 5:1-5).

The fleshly nature wants to control us, but not for our good. It wants to please itself (Galatians 5:17b). If we succumb and allow our soul to be ruled by it, it will produce all kinds of unsavory behavior that displeases God, such as immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, enmities, strife, jealousy, angry outbursts, dissensions, envying, and drunkenness (Galatians 5:17-21). A man with his mind set on the fleshly nature cannot please God; and in fact, his soul is hostile to God (Romans 8:7-8, Hebrews 11:6). The only works his fleshly nature can produce are unrighteous deeds that dishonor and provoke the Lord.

Such hypocritical behavior in fleshly believers invokes God’s wrath. This is why Paul’s gospel to the Romans centered on living in faith in the resurrected Christ and the Holy Spirit. Only in this way can a believer receive God’s righteousness, avoid unrighteousness, and escape God’s wrath (Romans 1:16-18). This is why Paul passionately rebukes the Galatians for “deserting” their faith in Christ (Galatians 1:6). It is why he urges them to “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). Only then can believers produce spiritual fruits that please God (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Fleshly Nature and God’s Wrath

Living by the fleshly nature invites God’s wrath. This is true for a believer or unbeliever. Paul says, “…there will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil…for there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:9,11). Every soul who does evil will experience wrath–whether that soul believes in God or not. Sin is sin in God’s eyes. Christians who do evil will experience God’s wrath in the same way as non Christians.

This in fact is the gospel spoken to the believers in Rome.  Paul warns all to be saved from God’s wrath, and the only way to do that is by believing in God and living by faith (Romans 1:16-18). Those who resist these things, suppressing the truth of their sin and need for God, spiral downward into depravity and lawlessness (Romans 1:18-32). When Paul says, “…because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5), he is saying Christians who are stubborn and unrepentant will experience God’s wrath. He also says Christians who are “selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness” can expect “wrath and indignation” (Romans 2:8). What Christian can say he is never unrepentant?  What Christian can say he is never selfishly ambitious from time to time?  What Christian can say he always obeys the truths of God’s word?  In his moments of living by his flesh, in stubbornness, unrepentance, selfishness, and disobedience, the Christian is exposed to God’s wrath. The Christian is only saved from wrath when the resurrected Christ lives within them (Romans 5:9).

The lesson to the Hebrew church suggests the same thing–Christians who are fleshly are exposed to God’s wrath. In Hebrews 3 and 4, the author uses Psalm 95:9-11 to make his case: Israel had seen God’s great works, and yet did not believe He could give them water at Meribah. God said they “erred in their heart” and as a result, He swore in wrath they would not enter His rest. The author of Hebrews related this story to the Christians reading his letter, warning them that an unbelieving heart, hardened by sin, can incur God’s wrath (Hebrews 3:12-13). In this case, “salvation” is entering God’s rest. It is a soul experience of righteousness, peace, and joy.  Believers can only experience the blessings of rest when they are submissive, faithful and obedient.

In Hebrews 10, we shudder to read that if we “go on sinning willfully after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27). We like to think the “adversaries” are heathen non-Christians. But as we have seen, Christians can be hostile to God whenever they live by their flesh (Romans 8:7-8). Hebrews 10 says that Christians who sin willfully can expect fire and judgment. In that moment, they are no longer under the cover of Christ, for they have spurned His sacrifice for sins. Their spirit is saved from an eternal perspective, but the soul is open and exposed to God’s wrath. We should be terrified of this possibility, let the fear of God inform our decisions, and cry out to the Holy Spirit for help. Instead, the modern church has grown lax, believing there is no way God is ever angry with us, no way we could ever be judged.

Jesus also speaks of wrath. He says believers experience God’s wrath whenever they waver in unbelief or refuse to obey Him (John 3:36). We read passages like John 3:36 and think we are the ones who “believe” and have eternal life while the pagan unbelievers are those who do not obey and feel the effects of the wrath of God. But the Hebrews 3 passage we read earlier suggests Christians don’t always believe. Often we live in unbelief, and for a time, we can become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and even fall away from the living God. And, like the Israelites, Christians sometimes disobey God. This suggests that the wrath of God could abide on Christians who are not believing in nor submitted to the living Christ in their daily life.

Jesus’ death propitiated God’s wrath (Romans 3:25). But we should not think that means Christians are never again exposed to wrath. Jesus embodies propitiation, and so it follows that Christians who are “in Christ”, who abide in Him, believing Him and living in submission to His authority in the moment–these are the ones who escape the wrath of God. There is great urgency for believers everywhere to abide in Christ. This is why Jesus must give the command for us to abide in Him (John 15:4-5). It is not automatic. Apart from Christ, we are in the flesh producing all kinds of bad fruits and acting as if God were the enemy. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing.

These passages suggest that Christians are not immune to God’s wrath. By living according to the fleshly nature, the Christian can store up wrath against Himself, and experience the effects of God’s heavy hand in their lives. This highlights the believer’s need for present-day soul salvation.

External Enemies

Not only do we have the internal enemy of our fleshly nature, we also have external enemies. These include the spirit of our corrupt world and Satan with his hordes of helpers. These are powerful foes that are dead set against God and His people. Satan has been an enemy of God from the beginning. He has many schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11) by which he attacks the soul. James says alignment with the world is “hostility toward God” (James 4:4-5). There are also human enemies like a difficult coworker or boss, an unfriendly neighbor, an unkind brother in the church, or even a family member who is cross, rebellious, bitter or angry. External enemies cause great suffering, which is why the psalmists often refer to God’s people as the “afflicted” or “needy.” 

The war with enemies is most clearly seen in the Psalms, where godly men convinced of their chosen position suffered affliction by external enemies. In the Psalms, we see numerous appeals of godly men calling God to save their soul: 

• Psalm 6:4 – “Return, O Lord, rescue my soul, save me…”
• Psalm 7:1-2 – “Save me…or he will tear my soul like a lion.”
• Psalm 49:15 – “God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol”
• Psalm 55:16-18 – “I shall call upon God and the Lord will save me…redeem my soul in peace from the battle against me.” 
• Psalm 57:1,4,6 – “…my soul takes refuge in You…He will send and save.”
• Psalm 62:1-2,5-6 – “My soul waits in silence for God…from Him is my salvation…He only is my rock.”
• Psalm 69:18 – “O draw near to my soul and redeem it; ransom me because of my enemies!”
• Psalm 74:19 – “Do not deliver the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast…”
• Psalm 86:2,4,14,16-17 – “Preserve my soul…I lift up my soul…arrogant men have risen up against me…save the son of Your handmaid.”
• Psalm 94:17,19 – “If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence…when my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”
• Psalm 97:10 – “…hate evil, you who love the Lord, who preserves the souls of His godly ones” 
• Psalm 109:26-31 – “Save me…He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.”
• Psalm 116:4-8 – “I beseech You, save my life!…for You have rescued my soul from death.”
• Psalm 119:81 – “My soul languishes for Your salvation.”
• Psalm 120:2,6 – “Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips…a deceitful tongue…too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace.”

This spiritual battle is illustrated in many examples in the history of the Israelites. Moses taught that possessing the Promised Land involves driving out enemies (Deuteronomy 6:19). After giving them the land of promise, God provided His people multiple lessons about war. God kept enemy nations around Israel to “test” them (Judges 2:22-23). He left the adversarial nations to give the younger Israelites opportunities to learn to fight (Judges 3:2). But instead of fighting, they joined the other side! When they turned away and followed after foreign gods, they wound up in captivity, giving them great distress. When they finally cried out to God, He sent deliverers, stirring them up by His Holy Spirit to rescue them (Judges 2:11-18, 3:1-10). 

Like the Israelites, believers are in a war against external enemies. However, many Christians today do not even know they have enemies, much less that they are in a war. I’ve talked with fellow church members who cannot name a single enemy that concerns them. Most are content in their life–they have a job, a nice home, a family, vacations, and money to spare. They feel secure–there are no roaming bandits or oppressive government officials banging on their door at night.  There is no threat of enemy invasion or active terrorist cells thriving in their neighborhoods. Yet scripture tells us we have many enemies assailing us all the time. We need to be alert, not ignorant of Satan’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11, Ephesians 6:11) and the powerful forces at his disposal. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against powerful rulers and forces of darkness and wickedness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-12). These are powerful foes with deadly weapons, including “flaming arrows” launched at the souls of believers (Ephesians 6:16). Against these foes, Paul fought with spiritual weapons (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). He teaches us to be strong in the Lord and put on His armor so that we can stand firm against the assaults of the devil (Ephesians 6:13-17).  We ought to understand who our assailants are, what they are trying to accomplish, and how strong they are. This will give us a greater appreciation for our need for God’s daily salvation.

In summary, internal and external enemies gang together to target the soul of the believer.  The believer is thus surrounded, with enemies inside and out. His soul is under constant bombardment. His situation is perilous. In moments of intense affliction, the believer must cry out for salvation like the psalmists of old. It is not a prayer of conversion all over again but one of deliverance from his enemies. 

SPIRIT, BODY, AND SOUL SALVATION IN THE CHURCH

An Example in the Corinthian Church

We see the three aspects of salvation in Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. Paul quotes, “…at the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you” (Isaiah 49:8) and says “now is the ‘day of salvation’” (2 Corinthians 6:2).  Why would he mention “salvation” here? The Corinthians are believers. They are already saved. Why is “today” the day of salvation?  They have received the grace of God in the past tense (2 Corinthians 6:1).  They must do something in the present.  

In the Corinthians’ case, their present-day challenge was daunting. They had multiple internal and external enemies. In Paul’s first letter, we see the Corinthians were still fleshly as seen by their tolerance for sin, adultery, arrogance, idolatry, and dissention. They lived in a deplorable culture that elevated sensuality. Satan was working overtime, disguising himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), scheming to disrupt and corrupt the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 2:11), buffeting and tormenting Paul himself (2 Corinthians 12:7). Their outlook was bleak, so Paul encouraged them to see today as the “day of salvation”.  The Corinthians needed to be saved from their partnership with the world, their worldliness, and Satan. They needed a clean break from the world, to be distinct, to come out and be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17). They needed repentance from their sins. They needed rescue from Satan’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11).

Thankfully, godly sorrow had produced in them “repentance without regret, leading to salvation” (emphasis mine) which was demonstrated in their vindication, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, and avenging of wrong (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). The Corinthians appeared to be winning the fight and experiencing present-day salvation of the soul. 

This was happening because of their reliance on the Spirit. Paul encourages them to submit to the Spirit who gives life and not live by the law (2 Corinthians 3:6-7). He argues that the law is a ministry of death and condemnation. The soul cannot be saved that way. But reliance on the Spirit is a ministry of righteousness (2 Corinthians 3:7-9). In other words, the Spirit doesn’t just help us live righteously; He is our righteousness. The Spirit is transforming us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18) so that as the outer man decays due to suffering, the inner man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). This is the essence of soul salvation.

Paul is also speaking of present-day soul salvation when he talks about how his own afflictions are helping his personal transformation process. The afflictions were having the positive result of helping him die to self so that the power of Christ may be manifest (2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:11-12, 16-17). He describes it as a transformation process, dying to self to be progressively more alive in Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:10-11,16).

An Example in the Roman Church

We see the three aspects in Paul’s detailed account of salvation in his letter to the Romans. Salvation from the wrath of God, past, present, and future is the theme of Romans. Paul writes,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…” (Romans 1:16-18)

Contemporary Christians base their understanding of salvation on verses 16 and 17, not verse 18. But verse 18 is connected. The word “for” connects the thoughts. Salvation is all about faith in God’s righteousness, from the initial conversion, to living the new life until the final day of resurrection. Living by faith is the necessary means of escaping God’s wrath in all cases. 

Paul shows the Romans that salvation from wrath is three-fold. It is: 

1. Past tense (spirit) salvation is when we first believed the gospel (Romans 1:16). By faith, we received righteousness from God (Romans 1:17, 4:3-5). We are justified (Romans 4:5, 5:9a) and have a basis by which to escape God’s wrath (Romans 1:18). 
2. Future tense (body) salvation is seen when the sons of God are finally revealed in glory and our bodies are redeemed (Romans 8:18-23). If we have continued submission to truth and thereby avoided stubbornness in the present tense (see below), we escape God’s wrath in the final day (Romans 2:5).
3. Present tense (soul) salvation is the transformation process in which our mind (soul) is renewed (Romans 12:2). It is learning to live the new life with the resurrected Christ (Romans 6:8) by which we are saved from the wrath of God (Romans 5:9-10). It is continuing to live by faith in God’s righteousness (Romans 1:17) even when it doesn’t make sense to do so (Romans 4:18-22). It is learning to live by the Spirit instead of the flesh since that is the only way to fulfill the Law and please God (Romans 8:4-8). It is continuing to submit to the truth rather than suppressing it in stubbornness, criticism, and unrepentance so that we continue to escape God’s wrath (Romans 1:18, 2:1-5). 

CONCLUSION –  THE THREE ASPECTS OF SALVATION

We are saved in spirit when we are born again and become alive in spirit. This is an aspect of salvation that a believer can look back on and recall the day it happened. It is salvation of the spirit and it happens in the past tense. We wait for a day in the future when our old body will be transformed into a new body like that of the resurrected Christ. This is an aspect of salvation that a believer looks forward to in hope. It is a salvation of the body and it happens in the future. In the meantime, we struggle with our fleshly nature, suffer trials and tribulations, and engage in spiritual warfare against enemies inside and out. We are called to wage war against these foes, persevere, and cry out to the Lord for help. This is an aspect of salvation that a believer needs right now. It is the aspect of salvation the church needs to preach more liberally, for the souls of believers are engaged in a perilous fight and in desperate need of salvation.