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Subject: Overcoming - mind in general including the
human mind
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Introduction: A more descriptive title for this theme
would be "Mind of the Overcomer" instead of just "Overcomer". Several articles
have been written that attempt to show from a variety of perspectives the role
of the human mind in all we do including experiencing God, interpreting or
understanding the bible, and becoming Christ Like. The emphasis of these
articles is the role of the human mind. Because the human mind has a critical
part in our salvation for example, does not mean that the steps and
understanding regarding salvation as explained in the New Testament are no
longer valid. Just the contrary. When we properly understand how the human mind
participates then the steps are proven to be absolutely necessary. In the first
century church they inherently understood the necessity of how the way we think
must complement the manifestation of God in our lives. The writers of the New
Testament not only assumed this but addressed issues of the mind in every
matter. Sometimes this was a direct approach where the mind was actually spoken
about and in many cases they either appealed to and tried to make sense to the
minds of their readers, inferred things about the minds of their readers, or
made references regarding behavior under control of the minds of their readers
and others. In many other ways the role of the human mind was imbedded in their
teachings and to be affected by their teachings.
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What does the term "mind" mean. The term "mind" encompases
our thoughts, feelings, and emotions which find expression as attitudes,
motivations, and finally behavior or conduct with others. Mind is also
described by many as not only made up of thoughts, feelings and emotions but
also managing our thoughts, feelings, and emotions or what becomes these. It
does this management as two layers we define as a division between conscious
and unconscious. There is really no division but there is a reason for making
such a distinction so we can talk about and study two very unique kinds of
mental operations. Also, using this model there are multiple layers but there
is no value in trying to explain the mind in more than just two divisions or
layers. Even the term layer is misleading as we say the top layer is the
conscious and the bottom layer is the unconscious. We are simply trying to set
up a mental framework or model useful for two very unique kinds of mental
operations which are just two aspects of an integrated mind in operation. But
it helps to distinguish mental activity tied to words and pictures called
conscious with mental activity that is happenning so quickly that words and
pictures are inadequate. We simply refer to this latter activity of mind as the
unconscious layer and it defines our attitudes and motivations. So these terms
conscious and unconscious are somewhat arbitrary divisions which will shortly
be further explained. We have a need to communicate both with ourselves as well
as others. This gives us a sense (or self image or identity) of who we are in
the midst of all about us we experience. The conscious division of mental
activity is for that purpose - basically a wrapper around a subconscious
derivation of meaning - that which has significance, value, and purpose.
Concurrent to the conscious expression of thought, feelings, and emotions is a
powerful undercurrent of thought, feelings, and emotions that constitute the
majority of our mental energy. This is the unconscious division of the mind.
In the bible the unconscious part of mind is referred to as our
"heart". Our will or decision making attribute is our "spirit" like the wind
moving the leaves on the trees and like the breath of air that gives life to
the human body. The intellect is said to be the organization or mapping of our
knowledge (analogous to the leaves) to rational thought that is an imaginative,
analytic and decisive response to experience as well as the faculty which
develops feelings mapped to emotional expression. Feelings (we are not
referring to sight, smell, and touch here but rather a heavily unconscious
sense of knowing) are just the unconscious complexes of meaningful (to us)
rational output and emotional assignment becoming available at a conscious
level. We see differences between people in how the intellect manages where
some people are extremely analytical and some are extremely emotional. We also
see differences where some people are very decisive and some cannot make
decisions. We see many other differences. These attributes when expressed as
actions impacting others get called by others our personality.
The
conscious level of mind is therefore our awareness of our deeper decision
making and resolution of experience coming out of the intellect as driven by
the will. The intellect is spread across both the conscious and unconscious
aspects of the mind. Many attribute very logical and methodical thought as a
superior intellect or the essense of the intellect. But the term intellect is
just part of the mind model and if others wish to use a different model to talk
about the mind then let them. Their problem will come when they try to
communicate something about the mind and everyone else is using a different
model. They will then have to explain their model to others before they can
communicate. They would be better served to simply add to the very vague
existing model as defined in exhaustive encyclopedic dictionaries.
We
develop a self image of who we are relative to the world we experience.
Sometimes there is not an alignment between the conscious and unconscious
representation of this self image of who and what we are. The two levels are
interactive and modify each other. (that is true only because there are not two
physical layers there is just one integrated mind involved in several very
unique and differing operations). As we mature the conscious level of this
image becomes dominant and is capable of modifying the underlying self
image.
In all of this we have only defined the mind from the standpoint
of how it manages itself. We have not said the mind is the brain. This is where
we make our break with the majority of psychologists and philosopers of the
world- especially the so-called behaviorists that attribute all mind activity
to the brain, chemical/electrical actions regarding the nervous system in and
into the brain, and regions of the brain dedicated to specific functions. The
brain is the mind's interface to the physcial body and its sensual detectors
like the eyes and touch for example.
To use an analogy, the mind
matures in this physical environment (our perceived body and world) like a
chick matures in an egg. All things, even this "egg" which is analogous to the
physical universe, coheres and has it's very being in God who is "spirit". The
term "spirit" is defined in the articles introduced here and which you can
access in the URLs further down. But briefly put. We cannot comprehend God or
define "spirit" from within this "egg". We can only comprehend "spirit" which
is the source of the "egg", by the egg's resulting form. We infer back and use
human terms to understand purpose and plan. Form is the creative product of the
Divine (incomprehensible and all giving) Spirit we call God. Divine Spirit then
is a referent word to a force and source that is directly unknowable to the
human mind other than by its affect in the universe created by the force and
source, which is the beginning and the end, the alpha and omega, the one and
only true God who revealed himself as the "I AM that IAM". His "glory" which is
the expression of His being and creation is so awesome and yet hid from the
creation that He is holy (distinctive and set apart from) as said in the Book
of Revelation 3 times.
The physical universe and our planet within it
are the creation of this Divine Spirit. This is better explained in the "Dream
Analogy" also to be found in these articles. The "egg" is not God but exists in
and of God just as your dreams are not you but they exist in and of you. This
is not Pantheism, this is Christian theology. Nothing is autonomous and
separate from the Divine Spirit which is God inspite of the babblings of many a
preacher to the contrary. Paul very clearly said this to the Greek philosophers
on Mars Hill when he said, "for in him and of him are all things", or "In him
all things exist and have their very being (existence)". This is more properly
translated, "for all things cohere in God". He did not say "cohere as God"
which is Pantheism. Unfortunaely, a lot of people believe that God was over
there and made the world or universe over here. That put's God and the universe
in the same fish bowl so to speak and God is contained in space and time
resulting in a contradiction with the bible and giving the skeptic the
criticism that Christians worship a make believe God. The skeptic believes the
fish bowl is the universe and contains the world. Also, to say God is "apart"
from an autonomous universe He created is to define God in physical dimensions
and deny he is the source of all things - the beginning and the end.
Alternatively, to say that God's power and not God himself holds the universe
together is begging the issue for God's power (scientifically speaking the
ability to do work in this case create) cannot be separate from God. God being
the beginning must create by extending himself. This can be restated. The
Divine Mind can extend Himself to form according to His own pleasure. I give a
personal non sexist "Himself" as oppossed to "Itself" to indicate source we
should acknowledge has purpose and plan for mankind as opposed to a force and
source that is incapable of personal involvement with
mankind.
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Theologically these distinctions are extremely important
because they are the explantion of how we can be currently seated with Christ
in the heavenlies or how we can be "one" with God through Christ and even how
we by being one with God now have and will inherit eternal life. There are vaey
good reasons why the Apostle Paul stated, "Let this mind be in you which was in
Christ Jesus". Jesus was God incarnate. That means his mind was an extension of
God's mind - mathematically "one". But this is only an introduction. You will
have to read the articles to get clarification on all these issues. In
addition, other sections of the OOLSB will explain the hermeneutics, exegesis
and etymology used and why it is scripturally valid to think this
way.
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Before bringing the introduction to a close let us
quickly look at one example of the role of the mind in "salvation". In the
terms of the New Testament, the collection of writings teach that we should
acknowledge that we are sinners, repent, believe that Jesus Christ is God
incarnate the Messiah that came to save, receive and be baptized by the Holy
Spirit, be imputed by God with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, be
transformed to the mind and character of Jesus Christ becoming perfect as he is
perfect, love each other and everyone with the love of God, be one with God
through Christ by means of the Holy Spirit and one and of one accord with other
believers through the Holy Spirit and as such be a member of the Body of Christ
which collectively is a corporate incarnation of Christ- the Kingdom of God,
demonstrate in our life the fruits of the spirit, and witness by example as
part of the Body to bring unbelievers into the Body. Most evangelists get to
the part of being imputed with the righteousness of Christ and ensure their
audience that they have automatically received the Holy Spirit and the promise
of eternal life. So we will take it that far and stop there. You will have to
read the articles to get the rest.
Acknowledge that we are sinners. Any
kind of acknowledgement or agreement of this sort regarding ourselves involves
the human mind. It is a form of introspection. It involves an assessment by our
mind of the attitudes and motivations that form in our minds as well as the
resultant behavior that impacts others. The result is that we may agree or
disagree that we are sinners - people separated from God in a personal way, in
a way where God manages our life. Just this concept alone of God managing our
life, a life of obedience to the Divine Will, requires some degree of
understanding of the mechanics of how that will happen. It happens of course
only after receiving the Holy Spirit sent to us from God by Jesus Christ. But
still, what are the mechanics. Most evangelists simply say that the Holy Spirit
will reveal himself to the new believer and teach them. This is not much of an
answer. In point of fact, most Christians will admit that over time their
thoughts and feelings, attitudes and motivations change (as they wait upon God)
to reflect God's will in their lives which most agree must not contradict
scripture. All these terms regarding the so called mechanics of understanding
the Divine Will are terms which apply to the human mind. It is the human mind
which get's transformed so that it exists in a state of synchronicity and
alignment with the Divine Mind. But we have jumped ahead of "repent" to what
will happen if we repent. If we don't think ahead that then how can "repent"
and it's consequences be understood. Again, "understood" - a mental thing. In
order to agree which is an act of will (also a mental thing) we need also to
understand (also a mental thing). To go along with this whole thing the
evangelist says we have to believe and this is more than just an intellectual
assent as it involves faith which is the resolved expectation that God will
somehow manifest in the prospective believer the will and undertanding or power
to carry through from repentance to being a "saint". "Just make the decision",
says the evangelist "and God will do the rest - you will see", also says the
evangelist. Well decision making is a character of the intellect or mind.
Expectation be it intense, diligent, undoubting, trusting, or whatever, is also
a process within the mind. Telling oneself to "just take the leap" from sinner
to accepting Christ is just another way of telling someone that you cannot
"reason" this all out, you have to jump into the pond and get wet before you
know what wet really means. But this does not change the fact that the human
mind has to make this determination. The evangelist may give many examples and
explanations why this should be an acceptable action for the prospective
believer but the evangelist is simply "selling" the "notion" of salvation. Just
like any other decision the prospective believer has to use his mental
faculties to hear and understand the evangelist, evaluate and make decisions,
and finally commit or establish an attitude and motivations to a whole as yet
unknown experience.
Even if the evangelist credits this whole process
to the Holy Spirit it does not change one iota the role of the human mind in
this process. The prospective believer is asked by the evangelist to come out
of the crowd and down to the pulpit as a public commitment. Whether the
prospective believer is responding to the evangelist, the Holy Spirit, both or
even a general persuasive environment created by the attending crowd, the point
is still that the mind of the prospective believer is key to the outcome. The
prospective believer must voluntarily make this decision. Some may get picky
and say God is key and the believer is secondary. They miss the point if they
do so. We are discusssing the role of the human mind in this issue. We are not
trying to change the role of the Holy Spirit or belittle the role of the Holy
Spirit but we are trying to recognize and understand how important the human
mind is to all these sort of things. We have already covered the "mechanics"
issue a bit so we won't go back to it other than to say that the average
Christian finds this part the most challenging. So we are looking ahead a bit.
This is the most important part, the part after the decision. Yet for many
Christians it is the most challenging. They generate questions like, "How can I
ever be 100% sure that my feelings on this issue correctly reflect the Divine
Will?" "How can I know absolutely that these thoughts came from God?" How do I
know that I am hallucinating or my imagination is over active?" These and
similar doubts plague many Christians especially if they run with their
convictions and discover that the outcome was disappointing - not acceptable to
them or others. Do they then say the outcome was supposed to be disappointing
or do they doubt their convictions which were supposed to be God's Will
revealed in their life through their thoughts and feelings? We don't answer
those questions here but I wish to point out how critically dependent the
resolution of these issues is on one's total state of mind.
So we got
as far as making the decision that Christ is to be Lord of our life and we
should repent and then we jumped the whole issue of "righteousness" and
"perfection" and many other important issues and just peeked ahead into the
lives of most believers struggling to have God's will revealed in their
individual lives. The articles get into this but we did this little partial run
through on "salvation" just to give you the reader the sense of importance of
the human mind in the whole Christian experience of God.
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The
following are URLs to articles that show the role and importantance of the
human mind. Many of the imbedded URLs will result in an error. We are working
on the problem. Until these references are ready the documents will be
temporarily altered to point to empty document stubs.
Click
here to find out all about becoming a Christian
Click here
for a Christian lifestyle overview
Click here to
understand God, the human mind and how to alter it
Click here for
scriptural proof that the issues of mind are fundamental to our Christian
experience
Click here for Oswald
Chambers "Philosophy of Sin"
Click here for "Seeking
God"
Click
here for "You set your mind - you are responsible"
Click here for
the "Culture Christians Should Be Living In"
Click here for the
"Theology - The New Reality and the meaning of life"
Click here for The
Big Picture - Does your lifestyle find favor before God?"
Click here for The
Love Of God - Does your lifestyle find favor before God?"
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