I agree with Dennis G. in questioning Lyn Mize. I have studied his writings in the past and at first he seems to have something but the conclusion that must be drawn at the end of it all is difficult to merge with scripture. In the scriptures there are but two ends for every person. Two kingdoms that we must choose between to belong to and end up eternally in one or the other, heaven or hell. In Mize's view there seems to be a third end called outer darkness which is some sub-set of heaven.
The idea that it is easy to become "spirit saved" and requires no repentance on our part but is entirely a work of the Holy Spirit does not seem to line up with scripture either as stated by Mize and highlighted again by Dennis as follows:
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...The Christian's spirit has been made alive by the work of the Holy
Spirit. REPENTANCE WAS NOT A REQUIREMENT for this regeneration to take
place. It was the Holy Spirit's work, and THE INDIVIDUAL HAD NOTHING TO DO
WITH IT. Repentance is a work that a person can perform after he has been
spiritually regenerated.
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Jesus spoke this following example of unbelievers' need to repent:
Luke 13
1. There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3. I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5. I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
In modern times there has been an emphasis on being "born again" with no need of repentance because this you can do later if you decide you really want to let God control your life but it is not necessary as a step in salvation initially. Jesus never preached it that way.
The idea that someone can get "spirit saved" but subsequently lose their soul and still enter heaven as some soul-less being for eternity is something that I have never found anywhere in scripture. If this were so, following the logic put forth by Mize, the vast majority of inhabitants in heaven would fit this description because the numbers of "spirit saved" people in heaven would far outnumber those who later went on to become "soul saved" as well. Therefore the "outer darkness" portion of heaven must be the larger part. While I do understand that there will be various degrees of rewards and glories in heaven and some will rise to greater glories than others, I find nowhere in scripture that outer darkness is any part of heaven at all but rather the opposite. Heaven is described as having no darkness at all.
Revelation 21:
23. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
This kind of teaching comes about in my opinion as the result of people not wanting to accept the truth that Jesus gave about how many would be saved. It suggests that millions will be "spirit saved" but not "soul saved" when Jesus never suggested any such thing. He said that few would find salvation period, during the church age because men prefer darkness to light. He suggested that salvation was the result of "striving" to enter the straight gate. This new teaching seeks to answer the question of how someone can lose their salvation because there are obvious warnings against allowing it to happen in the Bible so it suggests that only the person's soul is being addressed but not their spirit which is said to be eternally secure. I just think this is a distortion. According to Jesus you are either gathering into Jesus' kingdom with your life or else you are scattering abroad. What fellowship hath light with darkness? Even the idea that we "were saved," "are being saved" and "will yet be saved" is only true of the person who is in Christ and has the spirit of Christ in them as an "all or nothing" covenant as you notice the word NONE:
Romans 8:
9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
These words seem to me to be all inclusive of the individual. Rather than suggest that your spirit only is eternally secure but your soul remains to be saved I think the point here is that salvation is an ongoing process that begins in your spirit and must continue to claim your soul or risk losing the whole thing.
I would offer this testimony of a man who visited heaven and was shown the following:
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As the saints were being admitted, I was wondering why I was not being allowed to do what I came to do. I was so impatient to get my request before God that I missed the whole point of what I saw. This point was so important that the Holy Spirit told me Himself. I watched the fifty saints enter Heaven, but the point I missed was the time frame involved. It was explained to me that at the same time those fifty saints died on Earth, 1,950 other humans also died; or only 50 out of 2000 made it into Heaven. That other 1,950 were not there. Where were they? That was only 2 ½ percent going to Heaven! Ninety seven point five percent did not make it! Is that representative of the entire world today? If so, 97 ½ percent of the population of this world today is not ready to meet God. The sad part, my friend, is that it is exactly representative of this Laodicean Church Age in which we live today. We are now in the time when the great majority of church goers are only “mouth–professors” and not “heart–possessors.”
At the outset, I stated that I would not try to convince anyone of anything I said. However, I would like to offer as evidence the parable of the sower as told by Jesus in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Matthew. If you read this chapter closely, you will notice that three out of every four people who heard the gospel preached, turned it down. That is seventy–five percent anyway you look at it. I am talking about three out of every four people who bothered to hear the gospel, turned it down! The sad part about this is the overwhelming majority of the people that did turn the gospel down, do not know that they have turned it down! They have bought a lie of satan and have been deceived. They have been led to believe something that is not the truth and they been fooled by satan into rejecting the gospel! Place the seventy–five percent who turned down the gospel with those in the world who made no pretense of hearing the truth and you have the overwhelming ninety seven and one-half percent of the population today!
As I contemplate this fact. I now understand the Lord’s disgust with the Laodicean–type Church. I also clearly understand the verses of scripture in Matthew 7:22-23 that describes how many people will stand before the Throne at the Judgment pleading. “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy Name? And in thy Name cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?” only to have the Lord say to them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity…”