Genesis 1:26.  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:

God as a trinity has a body, Jesus; soul, God the Father; spirit, Holy Spirit. To make man in his image, the only image of God is that of Jesus and ‘after their likness’ would be a trinity. Man therefore is a trinity of a body, soul and spirit.  I Thessalonians 5:23.  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sanctification is a process of three steps; past, present and future. Being born again the spirit is sanctified and blameless, however, daily we are trying to sanctify our soul. There is no good thing in the flesh and it and the soul will not be sanctified until death.

Genesis 2:7.  And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Here we have man formed with a body and a spirit when God breathed into his nostrils and that made man a living soul. The spirit is what connects the physical man with the soulical man. The Holy Spirit entered Adam at that time.

John 20:22.  And when he (Jesus) had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. This pictures the events in Genesis 2 and Acts 2 when man was able to receive the Holy Spirit as a permanent indwelling.

The Tabernacle is a picture in type of the trinity of man and his salvation. The Tabernacle has three parts, outer court which pictures the body. All of the people were allowed to look into the outer court of the Tabernacle picturing us being able to see our bodies. Within the outer court were the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Curtains covered the entrance to the Holy Place so that people could not see into that part of the Tabernacle. A vail separated the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. These two compartments picture the soul and the spirit respectively. Only the High Priest could go into the Most Holy Place and that was allowed just once a year. That is a picture of the Holy Spirit indwelling our spirit. I Corinthians 3:16.  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 

Once a year the high priest would offer a blood atonement for Israel to pay for their sins and this blood was placed on the altar in the Most Holy Place. It was in the Most Holy Place that God would dwell with the people of Israel. Today, those who have accepted Jesus’ blood as payment for their sins have the Holy Spirit dwelling in their spirit.

All children are born with a body, soul, spirit, and the Holy Spirit within their spirit.

Deuteronomy 1:39.  Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

Canaan (the promised land) pictures the life of victory which should be the goal of every believer. In Canaan the Lord gave rich possessions and fought all their battles for them. Canaan is called in several verses the land that floweth with milk and honey. It represents a person living in constant fellowship with the living God and Father, has conscious communion with Jesus Christ, and receives daily blessings from the Holy Spirit.

Children who are not yet of the age where they have no knowledge between good and evil would be allowed to go into Canaan (the promise land), which is in type a picture of heaven. These children who have no knowledge between good and evil have the Holy Spirit within their spirit.

When the child does have knowledge between good and evil, their relationship with God and the Holy Spirit changes. They sin and their spirit dies (spiritually) and the Holy Spirit leaves them. The soul and body continue to live, only now ‘in sin’. To be ‘born again’ tells us that something would have been born, then ‘died’, and now must be ‘born again.’ The body does not die and the soul does not die, only the spirit. They experience a spiritual death just as Adam and Eve did in the garden the day they sinned against God.

Genesis 2:15.  And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17.  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. That day they died spiritually. Not the body, not the soul, but only their spirit. Their spirit is dead to God.

Genesis 2:25.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (They did not know they were naked.)

Genesis 3:7.  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Why could they now see their nakedness? Because of their sin against God, they spiritually died. What does that mean? Their spirit died (towards God), the Holy Spirit left them. God’s righteousness left them and their nakedness could be seen.)

Matthew 17:1.  And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. 2.  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

Revelation 3:18.  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Revelation 19:7.Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Before Adam and Eve sinned their righteousness was what covered their nakedness. That righteousness was from themselves and the Holy Spirit.

All men from Genesis chapter 2 through to Acts chapter 2 were dead spiritually. The Holy Spirit did come and leave men in the Old Testament but none were permanently indwelled.

Romans 7:9.  For I was alive without the law once (as a child having no knowledge between good and evil, Paul’s body, soul and spirit was alive): but when the commandment came (knowledge between good and evil and the need to obey the law), sin revived, and I died (only the spirit died, not the body or the soul). 10.  And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death (dead in trespasses and sins). 11.  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. (not his body and soul) 12.  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13.  Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me (in his spirit) by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful (that is the purpose of the law, to make sin exceeding sinful). 14.  For we know that the law is spiritual (and his death was spiritual) : but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15.  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16.  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17.  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me (in his body and his soul, he still has his thoughts, emotions and free will). 18.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me (by his soul); but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19.  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20.  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21.  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man (the soul is the inward man, the spirit is the innermost man): 23.  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind (soul), and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (body). 24.  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25.  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind (soul) I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh (body) the law of sin. It’s obvious that Paul is not physically dead, he has thought and the ability to write, so his statement that he died can only mean his spirit died, not as a organ but towards God. 

John 3:3.  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4.  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5.  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water (first birth from their mother’s womb) and of the Spirit (second birth, your spirit born again), he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh (first birth from their mother’s womb); and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (second birth, your spirit born again). 7.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8.  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit (born again).

Titus 3:5.  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration (regeneration, is to be made alive, the spirit was made alive), and renewing (the spirit is born again and now the Holy Spirit can be renewed, once again dwelling within the believer) of the Holy Ghost; Neither the body nor the soul died, they don’t need to be regenerated; only the spirit needs regenerated then the Holy Spirit can be renewed.

When the spirit dies a spiritual death, towards God, from sin, the Holy Spirit leaves the person because nothing Holy can touch anything of sin. Our spirit must be separated from our soul and flesh before the Holy Spirit can come into our spirit. Circumcision is the cutting of the flesh which is a picture of Spiritual Circumcision. Spiritual Circumcision is cutting the soul from the spirit. The soul is still sinning but the spirit must be cut lose from the soul in order for the Holy Spirit to indwell the born again spirit of the believer.

Hebrews 4:12.  For the word of God is quick (to make alive), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now that the sinful soul has been circumcised from the regenerated spirit the Holy Spirit can again indwell the man.

I John 3:6.  Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Verse 9  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. What part of you is not sinning? Your flesh and soul are still sinning but the spirit is born of God and does not sin.

I John 1:8.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

I John 5:17.  All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. 18.  We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not (do you sin? if you say no you are a liar, maybe you’re not born again !!); but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

Has the wicked one touched you lately? maybe you’re not born again !! If your body was born again it would not sin. If your soul was born again it would not sin. How are you doing !! Only your spirit has been born again. Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Thank God, your spirit is born again, separated from your sinful soul and body. Before the high priest could go into the Most Holy Place he had to have his sins forgiven. This is a picture of our spirit being free from sin so that the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer.

Romans 8:16.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

John 6:63.  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Ezekiel 36:26.  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27.  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

I Corinthians 15:42.  So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43.  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44.  It is sown a natural body (now); it is raised a spiritual body (then). There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45.  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (in order to quicken our spirit) 46.  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47.  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48.  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49.  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50.  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51.  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52.  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (Now you have a new body and soul). 54.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Now you are saved.

Hebrews 10:36.  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37.  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38.  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39.  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Have patience salvation will come.

James 1:21.  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.  Your soul will be saved but was never dead.

James 5:20.  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. Absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

I Peter 1:7.  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

 8.  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

9.  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. The salvation of the soul comes at the end of your faith. Your faith ends when you see Jesus.