Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Truth to Learn
God is the one who makes us holy and keeps us to the end.
Behind the Words
“Completely” is from holotelēs, made up of holos, meaning “all, or the whole” and telos, meaning “the end point.” Thus, holotelēs means “completely to the very last part.”
“Spirit” is translated from pneuma, meaning “a breath of air.” It is that part of man which gives life to all animal life (see Genesis 2:7; 7:15, 22).
The word “soul” is translated from psuchē (or psyche). This word refers to the affections, desires, and emotions, which distinguish mankind from the rest of the animal world.
“Body” is from the Greek word soma, which refers to the physical part of man.
The word translated “kept” is from tēreō, which means “to guard and keep from loss or injury.”
Amemtōs is the Greek word translated “blameless.” It is made up of the negative particle a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of memphomai, meaning “to find fault.”
Meaning Explained
Having finished his teaching to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul now expresses a prayer for them (and us). He prays for complete sanctification for the saints. As we have noted a number of times, sanctification refers to the state of “being set apart from sin and its consequences.” This is not, as some churches teach, a condition in which we have so completely turned from sin in our life that we become completely sinless. Notice that we are not the ones who set ourselves apart; that is God’s doing alone. Also see that this complete sanctification occurs when our Lord comes for us.
Almost since the day Paul wrote this letter, there has been an ongoing debate among Christians as to whether man is made up of two parts (soul and body) or three parts (spirit, soul, and body). The main argument for the two-part theory is the fact that soul and body are contrasted a number of times in the Bible (Job 7:15; Psalms 31:9, 44:25; Isaiah 10:18; Micah 6:7; and Matthew 10:28), whereas this is the only verse where all three are listed. Notice, however, that in 1 Corinthians 15:44, Paul refers to our earthly body as a natural body (literally soul body) and our resurrected body as a spirit body. If the soul and the spirit are the same, then so will our heavenly body be the same as our earthly body. Also note that the writer of Hebrews indicates that the Word of God can divide the soul and spirit. Given these two facts alone, it is reasonable to conclude that man is made up of spirit, soul, and body.
Finally, notice that Paul tells us that it is God who preserves us blameless. He is the one who has declared us to be righteous (without sin), and He is the only one who can prevent the loss of that righteousness until the coming of the Lord.
Application
As we study who and what God is, and as we continue to submit ourselves to Him, we come to realize more fully how powerful and righteous He is and how weak and sinful we are. We also become more and more aware of how undeserving we are of the legal righteousness and the salvation that has been given to us.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved