Spiritual Beings
We as human beings exist in three different aspects. The first and primary aspect is that are true man, true person or true self is our spirit. We are essentially a spirit that lives in a body which possesses a soul. The Bible describes how we were created by Father God.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm139:13-16 NIV)
We have a physical body or earth suit, as I have heard some call it. We know that this earth suit is mandatory in order to survive in this physical realm, but within our physical body we have a spirit.
Our soul is housed in our fleshly brain. The soul has freewill and the ability to think critically and reason. The Word of God is able to split asunder soul and spirit with precision like a master surgeon. (Hebrews 4:12) In other words, we as fleshly men and women tend to follow are soul, but when we are enlightened by the Holy Spirit the Bible takes on a new life and we can better distinguish between what is of God (Spirit) or man (flesh.)
God is a spirit and the Bible also says that God is love. I am convinced that love is the most powerful force in the universe. God exists in three different persons: God the Father, Jesus his Son, and the Holy Spirit. The scripture says that God made man and woman in His image. (Genesis 1:27) Original sin entered in when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Jesus was sent to earth to redeem fallen mankind from the curse of sin. When Jesus died on the cross physically, he took on all the sins of the world.
Born-Again
When we become born-again, the Bible says we become a new creation. Our spirit and God’s spirit become one. So when we believe and understand God’s Word we are able to better understand what salvation means. I believe through divine revelation and careful study of the scriptures we are able to uncover great truths regarding our redemption.
The Greek word for salvation is sozo. The definition of sozo from the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (4982) means: safe, to save (self), deliver or protect, heal, preserve or make whole. It’s always important to read scripture in context and also study what the words actually mean in Greek or Hebrew. Even different Bible translations change words and therefore meaning when translating. This is why it is so crucial that we study the Word for ourselves to be able to rightly divide the Word. (2 Timothy 2:15)
What does the Bible Say about Salvation?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save (sozo) the world through him.” (John 3:16)
There is a story in the Bible that illustrates how merciful our Lord is. There was a thief on a cross next to Jesus as he was being crucified and he cried out to the Lord to be with Him in Paradise.
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23: 39)
Even in the sinners last hour, the Lord is able to save him or her. It is by his loving kindness that many will turn to him in repentance. (Romans 2:4)
The Prayer of Faith
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save (sozo) the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:14-16 ESV)
In verse 15 of James 5 the word save is the same word sozo used in John 3:16. So if we insert the meaning of the word sozo, verse15 would read: “And the prayer of faith will save, deliver, protect, heal, preserve or make whole the sick.” The scripture goes on to say in verse 16 that the prayer of a righteous man or woman has great power. From this understanding of the word sozo and its use in scripture, I believe the prayer of faith is able to save a sick person either physically, spiritually, or both.
Since we know that not everyone we pray for is physically healed, but their body sometimes dies, does that mean the Word of God is not true? Certainly not! The Lord sees us as an eternal spirit before He sees us as just a physical body. When a saved man or woman offers the prayer of faith and anointing of oil on behalf of a sick person, the person we are praying for may be delivered from darkness into the Lord’s glorious light. A lost person may be saved as a result of the prayer of faith of a righteous man or woman of God.
Personal Testimony
I lost my little sister to Leukemia on January 30, 2014. I visited her about a month before she died and I felt the Lord impress upon me that it was very important for me to anoint her with oil and pray the prayer of faith over her. Up until this point, I don’t believe she was saved. During the week I had to visit with her, I tried to share as much as I could about Jesus and the good news of the gospel. Over the years before this time I had also shared the gospel with her and all of my family whenever I could.
As I touched my sister’s forehead with the holy oil that morning, she let out a soft groan. I wasn’t sure exactly what happened at the time, but since then I have gotten more insight on what the scripture describes in James 5:14. I of course, was praying primarily for her physical healing though I was believing for her salvation as well. I am now convinced that when I laid my hand on her forehead and began the prayer of faith the Lord was able to impart His light into her spirit and saved her from spiritual death or hell.
Although she was previously not a believer of Christ, I believe at the very moment I ignited my faith the Lord saved my sister. Salvation is multi-dimensional. When we are saved or born-again, the Lord restores our spirit and transports us from death and darkness into eternal life and light in Him.
Though my sister physically died, I know that through the prayer of faith and the anointing of oil, as well as planting the seed of God’s Word the Lord saved her spirit. I believe the Lord manifested himself to my sister in a glorious way before she passed from this earth to her heavenly home. As we were saying goodbye to my sister here, my dad and uncle were welcoming her home in heaven.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
(Ephesians 2: 4-9 NIV)
Sinners Prayer
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans10:9)
Dear Lord Jesus,
Forgive me for my sins and come into my heart today. I believe you are the way, the truth and the life. I ask you to be Lord of my life and direct my path. I believe you are the Son of God and you died for me. Help me to find Your destiny for my life in this world. Help me to have life more abundantly in You.
Now find a Bible based Christian church and begin to walk out your faith. Learn about Jesus and get to know Him. It is very important to begin reading the Bible for yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding into the Word of God. It is not about religion. It is about having a relationship with Jesus.