It's impossible for an animal to change his nature, not that he needs to do so. "Can the leopard (change) his spots?" asks God, in Jer. 13:23. The leopard fulfills his destiny by obeying the desires of his flesh, his physical nature---not so with humans.

If we were merely animals, we could do what comes "naturally," but when we do that, we act worse than animals. Who ever heard of a homosexual chimpanzee? Or a rebellious sheep? But human? They defy description in the level to which they can descend.

Not only is this true physically, but mentally as well. If we let our appetite run away with itself, we can become terribly overweight or seriously ill. If we let our minds become undisciplined, anxiety and depression are the result.

The law of nature makes the animal kingdom harmonious: the law of nature (according to Paul) decrees that those who follow their basic, undisciplined desires become the "children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3)

Anyone can prove his three-fold nature. If we don't believe that we have a soul, let's try living as though we're only a body. Or, try living as though we don't have a body, and we'll become ill---our ignored nature will cry out for attention. Soul, mind, and body----these three are the three sides of the human triangle---remove one side and the other two collapse. This three-sided pattern shows up in three distinct ways in Paul's letter to the Ephesians: (1) Past---present---future; (2) Body---mind---soul; (3) God---ourselves---others.

At this point in Paul's letter, the secret, the mystery, and the hidden wisdom began to clear up. It's God's eternal purpose to bring all these different (and sometimes warring) elements together to create unity. Ah, yes, to create not only compatibility, but unity.

We might even insert a modern word---synergy. The law of synergy says that three things brought together become more than the sum of the parts---they create something new.

To illustrate: A pile of bricks isn't a house; a hundred bags of mortar mix are not a house; a mason is not a house. But a mason takes the bricks and mortar and creates a house. The three elements must be brought together to create something that no one could do by itself.

As Paul contemplates this, he's overwhelmed with the miracle: But God, who's rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 24-6).