Chapter 2
2 Rightly Dividing Man: Spirit, Soul, and Body...........
Evil spirits are fallen beings or disembodied spirits.
As disembodied spirits, they seek to inhabit man in
order to have a greater range of expression. As fallen
beings, evil spirits seek to oppress, obsess, and if
possible, to possess mankind.
In order to understand how demons and evil spirits
can affect mankind, you need to understand the
difference between the spirit, soul, and body of man.
And you need to understand the difference between
demonic oppression, obsession, and possession.
Let's begin by looking at the difference between the
spirit, soul, and body of man. When we understand that
man is a spirit, he has a soul, and he lives in a body—
we can understand how believers can give place to the
devil in their souls and bodies (Eph. 4:27).
Man Is a Spirit Being
Someone has said that man is a three-part being:
part is spirit, part is soul, and part is body. But I don't
like to say it that way because it's misleading. Actually,
man is a spirit; he's not part spirit. He's a spirit being.
He has a soul—mind, will, and emotions—and he lives
in a body.
When expressed like that, the true nature of man
takes on a different significance than just saying "part"