Since we are of three parts, the Lord in His salvation takes three steps to deal with us. These are: (1) regeneration in our spirit, (2) transformation in our soul, and (3) transfiguration in our body. With every part of our being, the Lord has a specific dealing. Our spirit is the innermost center of our whole being and our body is the circumference. Between the center and the circumference is the soul. The Lord starts His salvation from the center by regenerating us in our spirit (John 3:6). At the very moment we receive Christ as our Savior, the Spirit of the Lord comes into our spirit to regenerate us by imparting Christ into our spirit as life. By this divine act our deadened spirit is not only made alive, but the life of God with its divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4) is put into it. Thus, a change of life is begun from the very center of our being.
From the moment we are regenerated in our spirit, it is the Lord's desire that this change of life continue by spreading into our soul, that our mind, our emotion, and our will may all be transformed. Our spirit is regenerated and changed, but our mind, emotion, and will are not transformed and still remain the same. We have Christ as life in our spirit, but we do not have Christ in our soul. We need Christ to continually expand from our spirit into our soul till every part of our soul is transformed into His image (2 Cor. 3:18, ASV). Then we will think as He thinks, love as He loves, and choose as He chooses. We will have the likeness of the Lord in our practical life, because our soul is thoroughly saturated with His divine elements.
We may be regenerated in our spirit, yet not transformed in our soul. Our spirit is renewed, but our soul remains old. Our way of thinking, loving, and choosing may still be one hundred percent old. The Lord is in our spirit, but what about our soul? Thus, we need the renewing or the transformation of the soul.
Romans 12:2 says, "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." You have been regenerated, but, may I ask, has your mind been renewed? Do you have a new mind, or do you still have the old mind? If our mind remains old, it means that we are not being transformed in the soul. It is quite possible for us to be regenerated in the spirit, but still be old in the mind, emotion, and will. There is no change in our thinking, our loving, and our choosing. In these things we are just the same as the unbelievers. The only difference is that we have been regenerated in the spirit and they have not. As far as the soul is concerned, our way of thinking, our way of loving, and our way of choosing are the same as theirs. This is the reason Romans 12:2 says: "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." If our mind is renewed, then our soul will be transformed.
How can our mind be renewed? Romans 8:6 says, "The mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace" (ASV). We may have the mind of the flesh, or the mind of the spirit. When our mind cooperates with the flesh, it becomes the mind of the flesh, but when our mind cooperates with the spirit, it becomes the mind of the spirit. The mind is neutral. The question is whether the mind will stand with the flesh or with the spirit. If our mind submits to the desire of the flesh, it becomes the mind of the flesh, resulting in spiritual death. But if our mind submits to the spirit, it will be controlled by the spirit and become the mind of the spirit, resulting in life and peace.