In 1 Corinthians 11.3 Paul goes on to say, "But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your thoughts should be corrupted from the singleness and the purity which is toward Christ." The Greek word translated "singleness" can also be translated simplicity. It refers here to the believers' single-hearted loyalty, single-minded faithfulness, toward Christ. Paul had a deep concern that the Corinthians would be able to gracefully receive his admonitions especially so since they were somewhat grievous to them, and he was fearful that the enemy would be able to overturn the positive and constructive teaching he was constrained to give them in view of the many situations they were in which were seriously disorderly. There was even a questioning of Paul’s apostolic authority which might well have led to the discrediting of his teaching and building work in general. Paul's concern was that the thoughts of the believers at Corinth would be corrupted. They were a pure virgin to Christ, but as the serpent deceived Eve, so their thoughts might be corrupted from the singleness and purity toward Christ. In fact, some of the Corinthians had already been corrupted in this way. Thus, here Paul seems to be saying, "Dear Corinthians, my concern is that you would keep your singleness and purity toward Christ. You should forget about Judaistic teachings and religion and be single toward Christ. Christ is your dear Bridegroom, and you simply need to love Him."

By this time Paul had gained much experience of the enemy’s subtlety in the manipulation of the believer’s minds, the interjecting of spurious thoughts, the raising up of questionings, and planting seeds of doubt in those members who were yet unable to discern the source of their thoughts and feelings. When he wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, he was able to reveal to them and to us that our soul is often the fundamental problem of our relationship to the Lord and to other members of the Body. It is a great problem because unless the Spirit as the Word “pierces to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and (makes) able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb.4.12)”, it is impossible to live according to the divine life by which we were regenerated. We need to see that our soul is the sphere in which we primarily have our expression as human beings. However the soul which expresses the natural life or the flesh is fundamentally and irrecoverably corrupt and evil because its expression has become the “flesh”- Romans 7.18 says, ”For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells.” Here Paul was careful to say that it is in the flesh, not in man's whole being, that nothing good dwells. Good does exist in other parts of man's being. The will desires to please God (vv. 18-21) according to the good law in the mind (vv. 22-23), but it is impossible to perform this good through the body, for the body has become the flesh, where sin dwells.

The flesh here is the fallen and corrupted human body with all its lusts. This flesh was not created by God but is a mixture of God's creature and sin, which is the life of Satan, the evil one. God created man's body a pure vessel, but this vessel was corrupted and transmuted into the flesh by Satan's injecting himself into it at the time of the fall. Now Satan as sin personified is in man's flesh, making his home there and ruling as an illegal master, overruling man and forcing him to do things that he dislikes. It is this indwelling sin, which is the unchangeable evil nature, that constitutes all men sinners (Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be constituted righteous.)

So we see that Paul had every reason to be concerned about the corrupting of the Corinthians thoughts because it might be that they would be condemned by Paul’s admonitions in that they had not yet recognized that the source of their self-condemnation, and therefore their shame, was the manipulation of the enemy in attempting to force them to abandon the way of faith in Christ. Paul himself had to be delivered from the hopelessness of the despair he expressed in Ro. 7.23-24, where he stated, “But I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” This is the death caused by sin through the weapon of the law, the death of being defeated, the death of trying to keep the law to please God but instead being made a captive by the law of sin in our members. This is the death that is working in our flesh this very moment.

In Romans 6:6 our fallen body is called “the body of sin.” Here it is termed “the body of this death.” The body of sin is strong in sinning against God, but the body of this death is weak in acting to please God. Sin energizes the fallen body to sin, whereas death utterly weakens and disables the corrupted body, so that it cannot keep God's commandments. To attempt to keep the law by the flesh results in death and wretchedness. Man has become fleshy, sold under sin (v.7.14). In man's flesh nothing good dwells (v.7.18), and man is unable to master sin (vv.7.15-20). If man in such a condition tries to fulfill the law of God, he will surely fail. Moreover, a person who is independent of God cannot deal with the law of sin in the flesh, for this law is the powerful person of Satan himself. In effect such a one even becomes the expression of Satan. Such is the case with the vast majority of mankind.

The Bible clearly teaches that man is tripartite: body, soul, and spirit (1Thes. 5.23 5:23 And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.) However, very few Christians are able to distinguish between the soul and spirit; even many so-called teachers of the Word maintain they are the same. But if there is never to be made a distinction between soul and spirit all children of God would unconsciously be held captive by the power of the indwelling sin- the evil one, even though they aspire to keep God’s law, the law of the mind mentioned by Paul which corresponds with the law of God and responds to its demands by trying to keep it.

According to the fact mentioned in v. 20, Paul discovered that the law of sin was the sin that dwelt in him, and was the evil that was present with him. In v. 23 he realized that this law was the law of sin in his members. This must be the evil life, nature, and character of Satan himself, who is the indwelling sin in us. When sin is dormant within us, it is merely sin, but when it is aroused in us by our willing to do the good, it becomes “the evil.” Therefore man’s plight is hopeless unless there comes a differentiation between the Satan dominated soul and the Holy Spirit regenerated human spirit, and there comes a recognition that there is a higher and more powerful law indwelling the human spirit which can not only enable the regenerated and mingled spirit to overcome the law of sin but also bring about the ability of the renewed mind to discern the source of the thoughts that come up in the mind. The issue of the growth in life is wholly a matter of the application of the law of the Spirit of life to the fallen mind, emotions and will such that there is a renewing in these faculties as a result of the Spirit’s infusion by such a law so that even the mind can become the mind of the Spirit. Rom. 8:27 “But He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to God.” This mind is not the mind of the Spirit that is independent of the believer. It is the mind of the Spirit that has been mingled with our mind (v. 6) and has become a part of our heart. The Spirit not only has mingled Himself with our spirit; He has also mingled His mind with our mind.

There are three different laws in the three different parts of the believer's being. As revealed in Romans chapters 7 and 8; these three laws derive from the three parties in the universe: The law of sin and death in the believer's members (v. 23), that is, in his body, derives from Satan, who as sin dwells in the believer's flesh. The law of good in the believer's mind (v. 23), that is, in his soul, derives from the natural human life, that is, from man himself as a vestige of the life imparted to Adam before the fall. The law of the Spirit of life in the believer's spirit derives from God, who as the Spirit dwells in his spirit (8:2, 16). These three parties with the three laws are now present in the believer in much the same way that they (God, man, and Satan) were present in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3). In addition to the three laws within the believer, there is also the law of God outside of him (Rom.7.22, 25).

Thus it is that the warfare spoken of in 7.23 is between the law of sin in the members of our body and the law of good in the mind of our soul. It is absolutely a matter of sin in our flesh fighting against good in our natural being; it is not at all related to our spirit or the Spirit of God. The warfare which takes place when a believer does come to have the discernment of the Life of the Spirit in his mingled spirit is spoken of in Galatians 5.16-25. This warfare ought to proceed unto victory whereby the last vestige of death is swallowed up and the soul becomes the full expression of the Spirit.

This needs to happen in a certain number of God’s children as a matter of recovering the original purpose of God in His creation of man. This happens as we simply take Christ Himself as the unique Husband for us to love. We should belong only to Him. As long as we have been brought as a pure virgin to this Husband and love Him, appreciate Him, and belong to Him, we shall be preserved. This will keep us, sanctify us saturate us, and transform us. As we recover the proper function of our soul we will be fully drawn to this lovely Person, the unique, universal Husband. We all have been presented as a pure virgin to Him. We are for Him, and we should be attracted to Him, loving Him, appreciating Him, and treasuring Him. This will preserve us and help us to be sanctified and transformed. We are the Lord’s loving and pure virgin who is only for Him, loves Him, and allows no one to replace Him in our hearts. Furthermore, our love for Him should be pure, our mind should be single, and our entire being should be focused on Him. This will preserve, sanctify, saturate, and transform us. Praise the Lord, this is His recovery!