Becoming Whole in Body, Soul and Spirit

Many times when we surrender our life to the Lord, we are fragmented in our soul with pieces of our life scattered here and there. The power of scattering is linked with a curse that has right because of sin and iniquity in our life. When we sin, pieces of the person God intends for us to be are left behind connected to the time we missed the mark and acted in our own strength. We trade purity, blessing, health, and/or a part of God's perfect plan for our lives for a moment when something of lesser significance temporarily satisfies our desire. Therefore, parts of the whole person that we should be lie scattered along the paths of our lives at each place where temptation led us to sin.

Although we in the Western world tend to compartmentalize our lives into physical, mental and spiritual (or body, soul and spirit), the fact is that a proper Biblical worldview is one of a unified, whole person in whom these parts are not separate entities, but are interconnected. First Thessalonians 5:23 says, 'Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus.' Here we see that God's interest in sanctifying is not limited to the spiritual being of a person, but the whole person. The concept of dealing with a person holistically did not originate in the Far East or in New Age thinking; it originated with God.

In fact, Jesus' message was one of wholeness. Many times He would respond to those whom He touched by saying, 'Your faith has made you whole.' Why? As previously mentioned, sin can leave us scattered. Sin affects each part of us. Sin is not just a dark blot on the invisible realm of the soul; it can affect us physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. Many people are facing illnesses today because of sin in their lives. For this reason, we must transcend our Western mind-set and realize that we need restoration and wholeness to be brought to every part of our being. E. Anthony Allen, in the book Transforming Health edited by Eric Ram, states:

The ways people think, feel, relate and mange their lifestyles can maim and even kill. But divine healing and renewed hope can transcend normal healing processes. Divine forgiveness, reconciliation, deliverance, restoration and renewal bring healing. Where God reigns there is healing. Wholeness comes not by 'treating' but by healing.
That is why Jesus said, 'Your faith has made you whole.' When He heals, He also restores. Restoration is a holistic process. Only God has the power to gather the scattered pieces of our sin-ridden lives and bring them back into wholeness.

( Chuck Pierce )