Are We Living for the Outer Person or the Inner Person?

The outer person is our physical body. It needs food, clothing, and rest. Over time, it grows old and weak. People want a comfortable place to rest, good food to eat, and nice clothes to wear. They seek wealth, recognition, and power so they can have more and live more comfortably. Living for the outer person means making physical comfort and satisfaction the purpose of life.

But the life of the outer person will end one day. No matter how much people accumulate or enjoy, they cannot take it with them when they die. The body is buried, and everything they once possessed is left behind. If those things were their only purpose, they have spent their lives pursuing what cannot last.

What, then, is the inner person? In this reflection, the inner person refers to our soul. The outer person reaches the end of life on earth, but the soul saved through Jesus Christ will live forever in heaven. Yet people often devote their attention to feeding and clothing their bodies while neglecting their souls.

Physical comfort and prosperity do not necessarily mean that the soul is doing well. A life spent caring only for the outer person is like an empty husk of grain. Full grain and empty husks may look similar on the outside, but what is inside makes the difference. Full grain has a kernel inside; an empty husk does not. If God sees only an outward appearance, with an inner person who does not reflect His character, that life is like an empty husk that is discarded.

This is why the inner person must first come alive and receive eternal life. Through Jesus Christ, we receive forgiveness of sins, salvation, and new life. The inner person must then grow in that new life, with hope in the resurrection and eternal life.

For the soul to flourish means for the inner person to become more like Jesus in character and to turn away from sin. It means letting go of sins such as anger, hatred, and envy, and learning to love, forgive, and live at peace with others. It means more than listening to God’s Word; our attitudes and actions must change as we put it into practice. God desires our souls to flourish in this way, so that we may be like full grain and enter heaven.

People want their outward lives to be peaceful and comfortable. Yet God uses the circumstances of life to transform the inner person. David experienced both good times and difficult times. Through them, God shaped him and taught him to depend on Him. The trials we face can also become part of that process. Even in hardship, we can give thanks because God is guiding us to recognize and turn away from sin and become more like Jesus.

When we reflect on the teaching that things go well with us as our souls prosper, we should first consider the condition of the inner person. The question is not simply whether our circumstances have improved, but whether we are turning away from sin and becoming more like Jesus.

Living for the outer person means living for the physical body. Living for the inner person means living for the life of the spirit.

Are we living only for the outer person, which will return to dust? Or are we living for the inner person, with our hope set on eternal life in heaven?

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NASB)