Yes — God may permit the destruction of the physical body while preserving the soul and spirit.
The body is separable from the soul and spirit. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul says an unrepentant believer could be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, yet his spirit would be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Job’s account shows that God set limits on Satan’s physical harm, while the inner man remained untouched. Physical death is simply the separation of the body from the soul and spirit.
1 Corinthians 5:5 — This verse separates the destruction of the flesh from the saving of the spirit, directly answering why physical harm does not equal spiritual harm.
1 Corinthians 3:17 — It warns that defiling the temple of God — the physical body — brings destruction, without saying the soul and spirit are destroyed.
Job 2:6 — God permits Satan to touch Job’s body but commands him to save his life, showing physical harm is limited and spiritual life is preserved.
Scripture distinguishes the physical body from the soul and spirit. In 1 Corinthians 5:5, Paul writes that a believer can be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, while the spirit may still be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. This plainly separates the destruction of the flesh from the salvation of the spirit. In 1 Corinthians 3:17, Paul warns that if any man defiles the temple of God, God will destroy it — and he identifies that temple as the believer’s body. The book of Job shows the same boundary: God allowed Satan to touch Job’s body and possessions only within clear limits, but told Satan to save his life. Physical destruction, therefore, does not equal spiritual destruction.
Les Feldick emphasizes that God is concerned with the whole man — body, soul, and spirit — not just the spiritual side. He teaches that the physical body can be judged or destroyed without annihilating the believer’s soul and spirit. In 1 Corinthians 5, Les shows that the man delivered to Satan was still a believer, and the destruction of his flesh was not a destruction of his spirit. He also uses Job to illustrate that Satan can only go as far as God permits, and physical death is merely the separation of the body from the soul and spirit.
Les explains that when Paul says to deliver the unrepentant man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, it refers to the physical body or physical life, not the soul and spirit. The man in Corinth was still a believer, but because he would not repent of open sin, Paul said to turn him over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, with the goal that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Les reminds us that in Job’s case, Satan could only go as far as God permitted. God said, ‘Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand’ and later, ‘Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.’ So physical harm is allowed within a boundary, but spiritual life is preserved.
Les teaches that if a true believer continues in open sin and brings reproach on the name of Christ, God will first discipline him. If he remains unrepentant, the sin can become a ‘sin unto death’ — meaning God may take the believer out of this life physically. This is what Les sees in 1 Corinthians 5, where the man’s flesh is to be destroyed while his spirit is still saved.
No. Les emphasizes that physical death is the separation of the body from the soul and spirit. God is concerned with the whole man, and after the resurrection every believer will have a new body. The temporary destruction of the body does not mean the destruction of the soul and spirit.
Defiling the Body as God’s Temple
Les explains that when Paul says God will destroy the man who defiles the temple, he is speaking of the physical body, not the soul and spirit.
Delivering the Sinning Believer to Satan
Les teaches that the destruction of the flesh refers to physical life, not the believer’s soul and spirit.
God’s Limit on Satan and the Spirit Saved
Les uses Job to show Satan can only go as far as God permits, and stresses that destroying the flesh does not annihilate the spirit — the spirit may still be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
The Whole Man — Body, Soul, Spirit
Les explains that physical death is the separation of the body from the soul and spirit, showing the body can be destroyed without destroying the inner man.
Sin Unto Death
Les teaches that some sin is so gross God will take the believer out physically, but the spirit is still saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
God Permits Satan to Touch the Flesh
Les points out that in Job’s case God permitted Satan to touch him, and in Paul’s case a messenger of Satan was allowed to buffet him, showing physical harm is distinct from spiritual loss.
God’s Discipline of Believers
Les teaches that when a true believer brings reproach on Christ, God’s first response is to discipline, which fits with the idea that God may judge the body but not destroy the spirit.
Body Alive While Seeds of Death Are Within
Les describes Adam after the fall as physically functioning but with the seeds of death within, illustrating that the body is separate from the soul and spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:17: If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
This verse is the foundation for Les’s teaching that defiling the physical body brings physical destruction without implying spiritual destruction.
1 Corinthians 5:5: To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
This is the clearest biblical statement that the flesh can be destroyed while the spirit is still saved.
Job 1:12: And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
It shows God setting a boundary on physical harm, allowing Satan to touch Job’s possessions but not his body at first.
Job 2:6: And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
God permits Satan to touch Job’s physical body but commands that his life be preserved, illustrating the limit on physical destruction.
No. In 1 Corinthians 5:5, Paul says the purpose of delivering the unrepentant man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh is that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Les Feldick emphasizes that the soul and spirit are not the same as the flesh, so physical destruction does not annihilate the spirit.
Les teaches that if a believer defiles the temple of God — the physical body — God may destroy that temple. In 1 Corinthians 5, an unrepentant believer could be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. Les calls this a sin unto death when the sin is gross enough and the believer refuses to repent.
Les points to Job’s example, where God gave Satan boundaries, and to 1 Corinthians 5, where Satan is the agent of physical destruction. The key is God’s permission and God’s limits — the soul and spirit are not touched.
Watch the Teaching: Your Body Is God's Temple — What 1 Corinthians 3 Really Means