December 27: Entirely blameless

Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this. (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24 — New English Translation)

The apostle Paul, who helped to found the church in Thessalonica, prays for its members to be completely holy — spirit, soul, and body. All aspects of a Christian’s life should demonstrate that he or she belongs to God, that their lives have been set apart for Him. Paul prays for these people to be blameless at the Lord Jesus’ coming — this does not mean that they are sinless, but rather that they are forgiven of their sins, and consequently, will make it to heaven.

This is the only verse in the Bible that states the three parts of a person so clearly. Like God is three persons but one god, we are three parts but one person. Our spirit is that part of us that connects with God (faith and supernatural vision). Our soul is our mind, emotions and personality. Our body is the physical part of us. All three have different needs: our spirit feeds on the Word of God, on His presence, on prayer, and faith; our soul feeds on knowledge, entertainment, friendships, and family; the body needs food, sleep, and air to survive. 

So many times people take care of their body and soul, and ignore their spirit — it’s easy for some to go for long periods without ever reading the Bible, seeking God’s presence, praying, or attending a church service. Some have never done any of these things. Without realizing it they are cutting off a third of their life, the most important third. No wonder they have chronic boredom, emptiness, fear, and confusion — though some would not admit to these feelings because they’re too busy smoothing over their unhappiness with shopping, careers, entertainment, alcohol, prescription drugs, and so forth.

Paul ends this passage with a bold statement of God’s trustworthiness. He guarantees that God will find us blameless on the day of His return as long as we allow our holiness to affect all areas of our lives. Remember that you are made up of three very important parts, and our faith in God needs to spread to all three.

I’m determined to be blameless on that day, how about you?