"God breathed life into man, and he became a living soul." Genesis 2:7
Our spirit is what gives us life. We serve a Triune God. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit all have a part in our salvation. The Father sent His Son as Savior of the world, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, and the Holy Spirit transforms us.
Yet in the spiritual sense, scripture tells us all, that our spirit is dead, until it comes alive in Christ!
The Spirit Gives Life to the Body
In John 6:63, Jesus stresses the role of the Spirit in our salvation. He said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you, are Spirit and bring Life." From this verse, we can draw important principles for our lives:
1. We must receive everlasting life from the Holy Spirit.
2. The Holy Spirit himself, is the Seal of our salvation.
When we believe in Christ, the Spirit does His work. The Spirit regenerates us. We become transformed sons of God. This makes the new birth and brand new life in Christ, possible.
3. We must realize that we cannot rely on the flesh.
Jesus says, "the flesh profits nothing." That is, human flesh and human nature do not profit. They cannot do anything to bestow eternal life. Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3:6), "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
Our tendency is to rely on everything but the Spirit of God to gain life. Many rely on wealth and possessions, physical pleasures, relationships with the world, and many other factors. The idea that salvation is the free gift of God through faith, is difficult to grasp. However, true salvation comes through the Spirit. We cannot rely on anything or anyone else. Eternal life comes from the work of the Holy Spirit.
4. The flesh of Christ has a special role in our salvation.
When Jesus died on the cross, His entire Person was involved–body, soul, and spirit. The flesh of Christ included His body and His human nature. This is why we say, His "flesh" was involved in our salvation. The flesh of Christ was uniquely indwelled with the Spirit. The flesh of Christ by itself would be insufficient for salvation, but with the Spirit, His sacrifice gives life.
5. The words of Jesus are vital to our spiritual life.
Jesus declares, "The words that I have spoken to you, are from the Holy Spirit, and are life." They testify of the life of the world-to-come, and eternal life. God communicates Spirit and life through the words of Jesus. Unless we hear His words (Romans 10:14), we will not have eternal life.
Earlier, Jesus said (John 6:54), "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." We eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ by believing in Him. When we believe in Christ, we exalt Christ. And, when we believe in Him, the door is opened for the Holy Spirit to do His work. At this moment, the Spirit gives us life. It is the Spirit, who dwells in them and acts through them; and for this reason, they communicate life.
So now we can see that the Spirit draws us to Christ, exalts Him as the living Lord, empowers His words, and transforms our lives, when we believe. We worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Together, they provide our full salvation.
