Journeys of the Soul
Journeys of the Soul
In this study, we look at a second false idea about the spirit or soul of man. This is the belief that the human mind and soul is the fleshly brain.
It is a common idea today that the mind and brain as one and the same. The mind is viewed as a result of electro-chemical processes in a physical organ of the body.
Although everyone speaks of "mind and body" as though they were separate entities, most people conceive of the mind as something produced by a part of the body. They see the mind as part of the flesh, not separate from it. The mind is the brain, rather than the brain being merely the body's interface that allows the mind to associate with the body and function within it.
The Bible teaches that the mind is not an organ of the body, but distinct from the body and superior to the body.
Paul, for instance, regards the fleshly body as subordinate to the spiritual mind, and he distinguishes the spiritual mind from the fleshly members of the body. For example Paul says, "I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law which is in my members" (Rom 7:23). He goes on to show that, through Christ, the mind can conquer the flesh. This sort of talk would hardly make any sense if Paul believed his mind to be a fleshly member of his body. He would be saying that a war is going on between his brain and the rest of his body.
God is spirit (Jhn 4:24). A spirit does not have flesh and bones (Lke 24:39). It is safe to say therefore that God does not have a brain, since the brain is flesh but God is not. Yet God manifestly has a mind. We see then, that the idea that mind is an electro-chemical phenomenon does not fit with the revealed nature of God.
In the Bible, the word "heart" is often used figuratively for the mind. For instance note a few occurrences in the book of Acts: "my heart rejoiced... they were of one heart and one soul... whose heart the Lord opened... to weep and break my heart" (Acts 2:26, Acts 4:32, Acts 16:14, Acts 21:13). If the brain is the mind and soul why not just say, "my brain rejoiced" or "the Lord opened her brain"?. Why use one physical organ as a figure of speech for another?
Jesus once asked the rhetorical question, "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mrk 8:36-37). It hardly makes sense to say that Jesus is talking about the brain, since everybody does lose it at death and it cannot be helped.
Jesus was asked to select the greatest commandment. He chose, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Mtt 22:36-37). It is hardly likely that he quoted the words “heart“, ”soul“, and ”mind”, believing that the passage meant, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your brains."
FALSE: The Spirit is Breath