Yes — God is just as concerned about the physical body as He is about the soul and spirit, and His plan of redemption includes all three.
Scripture speaks of believers as body, soul, and spirit, and Paul prays that the whole person be preserved blameless (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Les Feldick teaches that while the soul and spirit are redeemed at salvation, the body is still unredeemed and under the curse — but the Holy Spirit is God's down payment that He will complete the redemption of the whole person. Even for eternity, a person must have body, soul, and spirit to be a complete entity before Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 — Paul explicitly names spirit, soul, and body together, showing that God's care and sanctification extend to the physical body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — The body is called the temple of the Holy Spirit and believers are told to glorify God in their bodies because they were bought with a price.
Ephesians 5:23 — Christ is called the Savior of the body, directly answering whether God cares for the physical body.
The Bible does not limit God's concern to the inner person. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul prays that the whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of Christ. Paul also describes the believer's body as 'the temple of the Holy Ghost' — the dwelling place of the Spirit of God — and reminds us that we are not our own, for we are bought with a price. Therefore we are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Ephesians 5:23 further calls Christ 'the saviour of the body.' Hebrews 4:12 shows that Scripture distinguishes the soul from the spirit, which helps explain the three-part makeup of the person.
Les Feldick repeatedly observes that most church preaching focuses on 'the salvation of the soul.' He says he has come to see from Scripture that God is just as concerned about the body as He is about the soul and spirit — God deals with the whole man (Clips 1, 4, 5). Les explains that while a believer's soul and spirit have already been redeemed, the body is still unredeemed, still in the flesh, and still under the curse. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer is God's down payment that He will not only redeem the soul and spirit but will complete the transaction and redeem body, soul, and spirit together (Clip 2). For eternity, Les says, we need a complete entity: body, soul, and spirit. He challenges listeners to search the Scriptures for any human being having worth in this life or the life to come separated from a body, and he points to the coming new bodies in the eternal state (Clip 1). He also highlights 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and believers are bought with a price, so the body belongs to God (Clip 6).
Les teaches that the soul and spirit have already been redeemed the moment a person believes, but the body has not yet been redeemed. It remains in the flesh and under the curse. Yet God's plan is to redeem body, soul, and spirit together. The Holy Spirit living in the believer is the 'down payment' that guarantees God will complete the whole transaction (Clip 2).
Physical death, according to Les, is the separation of the body from the soul and spirit. The invisible part of the person takes flight from the body. Yet death is not the end of God's concern for the body — in the eternal state, believers will have new bodies, and body, soul, and spirit will be brought back together (Clips 1, 2, 7).
Yes. Les points to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, where the believer's body is called the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Because the believer is bought with a price and not his own, he is to glorify God with his body and spirit (Clip 6). Also, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 sets the whole person — spirit, soul, and body — apart to be preserved blameless until the coming of Christ (Clip 3).
Les notes that while many spiritual people are only concerned with the salvation of the soul, God is equally concerned about the body — we will have a new body someday. He references Ephesians 5:23, where Christ is called the Savior of the body, and connects it to the whole person: body, soul, and spirit (Clip 5).
What Happens When We Die? — 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 Explained
14 again. We've used these verses often times. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13 and 14. All with me? Now, like I've told you before, I take my time because listeners out in television, they tell me. Now don't start reading that until I've had time to find it in my Bible. So I'm doing this as much for the audience as I am for you here in the studio. Alright, Ephesians 1, verse 13.
God's Concern for the Whole Man
Les says God is just as concerned about the body as the soul and spirit, and that God deals with the whole man. He points out that in the eternal state we will all have new bodies.
Body Still Unredeemed; Holy Spirit as Down Payment
Les explains that a believer's soul and spirit are already redeemed, but the body is still unredeemed and under the curse. The Holy Spirit is God's down payment that He will complete redemption of body, soul, and spirit.
Scripture Names Body, Soul, and Spirit
Les uses 1 Thessalonians 5:23 to establish that Scripture speaks of a person as body, soul, and spirit, and Hebrews 4:12 to show the soul and spirit are distinct.
God's Concern Beyond the Soul
Les says that after years of hearing only about salvation of the soul, he now sees that God is concerned with the whole person — the redemption of body, soul, and spirit.
Christ Is the Savior of the Body
Les shows that God is just as concerned about the body, that we will have a new body someday, and that Ephesians 5:23 calls Christ the Savior of the body.
The Body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit
Les applies 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 to show the believer's body belongs to God because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit and was bought with a price.
Death Is Separation of Body from Soul and Spirit
Les clarifies that physical death is the separation of the invisible soul and spirit from the body, which sets up why the body must someday be part of the eternal entity again.
1 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.
This verse shows the whole person — spirit, soul, and body — as the object of God's sanctifying work.
1 Corinthians 6:19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
This verse identifies the physical body as the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:20: For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
This verse commands believers to honor God with both body and spirit because both belong to Him.
Ephesians 5:23: For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
This verse says Christ is the Savior of the body, showing His saving concern extends to the physical body.
Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is quick, 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.
This verse shows that the soul and spirit are distinct, supporting the three-part understanding of the person.
No. Les says God is just as concerned about the body as the soul and spirit. Scripture speaks of the whole person — spirit, soul, and body — and God's redemption plan includes body, soul, and spirit (Clips 1, 2, 4, 5).
Because the body is part of what makes a person a complete entity. Les says even for eternity we must be body, soul, and spirit together, and we are promised new bodies in the eternal state (Clips 1, 2).
The Holy Spirit indwells the believer's body, making it a temple. Les also calls the Holy Spirit God's down payment that He will complete the redemption of body, soul, and spirit (Clips 2, 6).
Les describes physical death as the separation of the body from the soul and spirit. The soul and spirit leave the body, but God's plan still includes bringing body, soul, and spirit back together for eternity (Clips 1, 2, 7).
Watch the Teaching: What Happens When We Die? — 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 Explained