The number 3 seems quite important in the Bible. God is three in one: God the Father, His Son and His Holy Spirit (See Matthew 28:19 for example). Humans also have three parts: body, spirit and soul (See 1 Thess 5:23).

We also find that the number three is important in nature. Water consists of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 atom of oxygen. Even with one atom gone, it would no longer be water! The egg also consists of three parts: The yoke, the egg white, and the shell.

Speaking of eggs, I encountered some super smart birds while in New Zealand. They don’t incubate their eggs, but they hatch anyway.

Impossible you say?

It’s true. They are found in Wai-O-Tapu in New Zealand. Above one of the thermal collapsed craters, holes can be found where starlings, shallows and mynahs lay their eggs. Thanks to the heat that rises up from the hot spring below, the eggs are incubated. No sitting required. Shopping here I come! Beware earthworms!

There has been much confusion about the three parts of humanity, the body, the soul, and the spirit. Some believe there are really only two parts, the body and the spirit, and the two parts come together making up the third, the soul. They base this belief on Gen 2:7: “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (or soul in the original text).” (NIV).

The only problem with this two parts making up a third part explanation is that an important omission is ignored: Yes, the soul and the body are referred in this text, but nowhere can the Hebrew “ruach” or spirit be found. Instead it uses the word “nishmat” or breath, which combined to “chayiym” or life refers to the breath of life from God Himself.

In other words, this text doesn’t speak of all three parts of humanity. It is simply telling us how the body came to life, how it became a “lanephesh chayaah” or living soul. In order to do so, we needed the life-force that flows in us from God Himself. This, in itself, is a vitally important concept! We are really nothing (Unalive, if there is such a word), without God!

All over God’s Word it is clearly indicated that God is the One who gave us life. “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4 NIV).

This is why we can truly say of God: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Ps 139:14 NIV)

But there is still another, separate part of human life: our spirit.

It’s through our spirit that God communicates with us. We were spirit-led beings at first, united with the Most Holy One: “But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.” (1 Cor 6:17 NIV) and this is still a possible state of being. Unfortunately, as we will see later on in this series, sin has marred this relationship.

Interestingly, the Hebrew word “ruach” as well as the Greek word “pneuma” are the same, referring both to both man’s spirit and to God’s Spirit. It is in our spirit that we are to relate to God’s Holy Spirit: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Rom 8:16 NIV)

But then sin invaded our home and soon we found out that we were not spirit-driven any longer. Our souls (‘nephesh” in Hebrew and “psuche” in Greek”) took over. In essence, our soul refers to the processing mechanism of our whole being, including the mind, emotions, and the will. It is, so to speak, our computer’s “main frame”.

Interestingly, all of our issues of addictions and strongholds can be found in our soul.

Sin has disrupted our whole being. Our communication with God through our spirit was broken and we began to perceive life through our distorted souls that emphasized man (“selfishness”) a bit too much more than it emphasized God.

We once were like those birds in Wai-O-Tapu: care-free and enjoying the gentle heat provided by God Himself. But then that kind of relationship was broken and communication was interrupted.

The good news is that God has re-established this connection through His Son Jesus the Christ. Once again, we can enjoy His Holy Spirit that wants to dwell in us. Once again we can start our road to recovery and let God’s Spirit change us once again into a living soul.

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Cor 3:16 NIV)

Would you like to taste a thermal egg?

Rob Chaffart


(To access the entire “Digging Deeper Into Victory” devotional series, please click here.)