The Scriptures use two more terms to describe the fallen body of man. Romans 6:6 mentions "the body of sin" and Romans 7:24 "the body of death." On one hand, the body of fallen man is a "body of sin," because it is filled with that evil element called "Sin." Therefore, man's body has become exceedingly sinful and active in sin. It actively commits sin because it is a body full of the power of sin. It is extremely alive to commit sins!
"The body of death" signifies that man's body is weak to the uttermost in doing the things of God. In regard to the law of God, the will of God, and all the goods things of God, the body is weak to the point that it is a "body of death." It is simply dead to the law, the will, and the goods things of God. It is impotent—a body of death. As far as sin is concerned, man's fallen body is very active, but as far as God's law is concerned, it is dead and powerless. In sinning, it is a body of sin; in obeying the law of God, it is a body of death.
When Satan entered man's body, he utilized it as a base to take over the soul. Man as a human being or soul, came under the influence and control of the flesh. The soul was then damaged and became the self. When the body became the flesh, it damaged, influenced, and even led the soul into captivity. Consequently, the soul became the self. We have pointed out in chapter two that Luke 9:25 and Matthew 16:26 prove that the soul of fallen human beings is the self.
Although we cannot find a verse which says that man's body is Satan, there is a verse which clearly indicates that the fallen soul, the self, is Satan. We have already seen that Satan as sin is in the body. Now, Matthew 16 shows that Satan not only has ground in the soul, but is also mingled with the soulish self. "Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan" (vv. 22-23). Then the Lord said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself" (v. 24). The two terms, "Satan" and "self," are used interchangeably in this passage. Furthermore, He said, "For whosoever will save his [soulish] life shall lose it...What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (vv. 25-26).
Four terms are in the above four verses: Satan, self, soulish life, and soul. Verse 23 refers to Satan, verse 24 to self, verse 25 to the soulish life, and verse 26 to the soul. By reading this portion carefully, we will realize that these four terms are used interchangeably. Beyond a doubt, it means that Satan is mingled with self! Self is the nature of the soulish life, and the soulish life is the life of the soul, the person.
Do we clearly see the correspondence? The Lord said, "Get thee behind me, Satan," and, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself." It means that self and Satan are mingled as one. Therefore, the very nature of the soulish life, which is the life of the soul, the man himself, is the satanic self.
The life of the soul is soulish, and the nature of this life is the satanic self. After Satan came into man's body, he used it as a base to invade the soul and even mingle himself with the soul. Hence, the satanic self is the nature of the fallen, soulish life. For this reason, the soul, or the man, is exceedingly self-centered. Self is the big "I," the "ego," the "me." Through the mingling of Satan with the soul, the soulish life has become the ugly, sinful ego. Fallen man's nature is actually that of Satan, for his soulish life is mingled with Satan in oneness. Thus, man displays the ugly self.
Now let us see the condition of man's spirit as a result of the Fall. Although the Bible clearly shows that Satan entered into man's body, using it as a base to mingle himself with the soul, we cannot find one hint in the Scriptures that Satan has ever entered man's spirit. This is very interesting. Not one verse shows that Satan has any ground in man's spirit. It seems that God must have drawn a boundary line, telling Satan to stop and go no further. Satan may be in man's body and soul, but not in his spirit.
Only one verse of Scripture says that man's spirit was defiled. Second Corinthians 7:1 speaks of the filthiness of flesh and spirit. Ephesians 2:1 and Colossians 2:13 tell us that we were dead in trespasses and sins. This certainly cannot mean that we were dead in body or soul, for the fact is that our bodies are still alive and our souls are still exceedingly active! Therefore, it must mean that we were deadened in our spirit. Fallen man's spirit has been defiled and even deadened, but it has never been taken over by Satan.
Ephesians 2 speaks of Satan being in the children of disobedience, but not in their spirit. He has come into man's body and has even invaded and taken over his soul, but there is no hint that he has any ground in man's spirit.
Since the heart of man is composed of all the parts of the soul and the conscience part of the spirit, it spontaneously becomes evil when the soul is taken over by Satan and the spirit deadened by sin. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Consequently, the mind of the heart is blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4) and becomes hardened (2 Cor. 3:14, ASV).
Thus, man who was created by God with the purpose of being His vessel to contain and express Him, has been completely damaged by the Fall. The body as the outward organ has been taken over by Satan and thereby corrupted to become the flesh. The spirit as the inward organ has been defiled and deadened—made dormant and put out of function. The soul as the person, the human being, having been mingled with Satan as one, has become the self. And the heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked, with the mind blinded and hardened by Satan. This is the condition of fallen man.