You aren’t in the process of trying to get anything from God. Everything you’ll ever need in the Christian life is already present in its entirety in your spirit!… The rest of your Christian life isn’t learning how to get from Him but rather discovering how to release what He’s already placed within! (Andrew Wommack, Spirit, Soul & Body, p. 9-10, 16)
Continuing on from here, one way of reconciling and understanding how one can have everything in Christ yet still need to ask for “more” is through understanding Andrew Wommack’s Spirit, Soul & Body model. I call it Wommack’s model not because it originated from him or because it’s unique to him, but because he’s one of the clearest exponents of it that I’ve come across – and I learned it from him. Wommack argues that when we’re born again, our spirits are perfected but not our soul and body. All the New Covenant truths are true even if we don’t feel it – because they are true of our spirits. We may not experience or feel the perfection because what we feel is normally in the realm of the body and soul, whereas the perfection is in our spirit. That’s why we still struggle (in our soul and body) a lot and don’t minister like Jesus, etc. To experience more perfection in our soul and body, we are to grow and bring these from the spirit and into the soulish and physical realms.
Therefore, the “more” and the “growing” is all about living out that perfection that is already in our spirits – i.e. bringing more of that perfection from our spirits into our soul and body. We’re not getting “more” of something we don’t already have in Christ in our spirit. We have everything in Christ already in our spirits. The “more” is in releasing more (of the everything we have in Christ in our spirit) into our soul and body. That’s why Mike Reyes’ response to me about the place for asking more was that the “more” is in “seeing” more, not in “getting” more – for we already have everything in Christ. But how do we “see” more (perfection, healing, joy, peace, etc.)? We’ll see more healings when we get more of the everything we have in our spirits to flow out of our spirits (through our minds – that’s why renewal of the mind is imperative – Rom. 12:2) to our bodies and into the other person’s body. Wommack’s tripartite model of spirit, soul and body is an interesting way of looking at it. As in all models, it may not be perfect, but could help in us understanding things. And it helps us understand what the “more” is. Whether one adopts Wommack’s model or not, one can’t deny that there is still a sense in which there’s “more” for Christians. Yes, we have everything in Christ, but there’s still somehow “more” for us – more of releasing or tapping upon this everything that’s already in us.
I’ll try in a subsequent post in this series to touch on how one can release and live out that perfection that is already in our spirits. While I like the theoretical stuff, I love the practical too and this (how one can live out that perfection) is something I’ve been reflecting upon and learning about the past few months – and trying to practice too!
P.S.: At this moment in my Christian life, I’m quite influenced by the above model and way of seeing things. Of course there’s so much to learn about this area (as in all areas!). I’m aware that there are different views out there in relation to this topic (which is closely related to Sanctification). In the first place, many theologians – e.g. the Reformed-Charismatic Wayne Grudem – would argue against viewing a person in a tripartite fashion. I’m sure that different views result in different applications and practices for the Christian and so it’s important to get one’s understanding right. I’m certainly no expert in this area, nor have I reflected enough on this. But I think in general Scripture does point to the New Covenant truths of having everything in Christ, yet also points to the need for “more” in a Christian’s life. And I think Wommack’s model is helpful when trying to understand how to reconcile the two.
Jonathan,
Have you read Cheryl’s copy of Spirit Life Training yet?
Tim
Hey Tim,
I’ve read a bit of it already and loved it so far. I want to finish reading your one-of-a-kind practical book before writing a subsequent post on the more practical aspects of how one can release what’s already in us.
If you are on facebook..please add me… I have been following you since early summer and really enjoyed this. I have really loved what you have said and really in agreement with you about curry and bill johnson. I attended the brownsville revival in the 90’s and during the prayer time we was encouraged to go after more of Him and more of GOd….I think what you are sharing is what I think they were saying.
Thanks again,
Charles
Hi Jonathan,
I agree entirely. I had this revelation about Spirit, Mind, Body in late 2009 only, and it revolutionised my life. (I prefer to call the soul the mind, as many can misunderstand it to think it is the spirit). I haven’t read Andrew’s book, but have it and will read it soon. (Right after reading Bill’s book “Secrets to imitating God”). But I personally believe this is the key to understanding the “asking for more” when we have already been given everything in Christ already at the Cross.
Your posts are outstanding. Especially these on this subject. Thank you.
Hi again,
I also have been studying the tripartite nature of Man as body soul and spirit. It think it is a fascinating model of human makeup. It is definitely different than the dualistic model of body/soul that the western world and church is accustomed to (Which actually was inherited from Greek philosophy rather than the bible). I have never heard Andrew Wommacks teachings on this subject and I probably will take some time to get acquainted with them in the future. Most of my learning comes from the teachings of Gene Edwards in his book “The highest life” (highly recommended) and the teachings of Watchman Nee.
Are you familiar with Watchman Nee? I ask because he is a Chinese Christian who lived from the 1903 to around 1960s and suffered/died under the Communist revolution in China. I think all Chinese Christians should be familiar with his work because he has left them a wonderful legacy.
Anyways he taught extensively about the body/soul/spirit nature of man (but he wasn’t a charismatic…I actually don’t think his teachings fit squarely with any known denomination today).
Concerning the release of our spirits and appropriating all that we have been given in Christ, Watchman Nee has a great little book called “Release of the Spirit through the breaking of the outer man.” The outer man is our soul and our flesh/body. He teaches that sometimes the greatest obstacle to the work of the spirit is not the devil but SELF. Even the good works that we try to do for God through our strength can become obstacles to the work of the spirit. To release our spirits we need to die daily to self and carry our crosses. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24. If this was true of Christ then it has to be true of us as well. He pictures the christian like a seed and the spirit is trapped inside the seed’s shell. Unless the shell is broken and the christian dies to himself and is burried, the life in the seed cannot be released.
When he talks about dying to self he is talking about bringing the soul and body in subjection to the spirit by dying to our desires for glory and recognition. I would love to say more about this but its hard to explain and I am still learning. I don’t think I can explain it as well as Watchman Nee has done in his book. I believe that dying to self and knowing how to lose is one of keys to spirituality that needs to be recovered in the church today.
Does wommack teach this as well?