The mind- what and where is it in a man?

Biblically, Man is described as being tripartite in that He is a spirit, he has a soul, and he lives in a physical body … I Thess. 5:23 Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonian that they be sanctified in all aspects of life,  spirit, soul and body.

The spirit is the God-consciousness of man, but then he possesses a soul, both of which live in a physical house, the body.

The soul, which is the personality of man, consists of the mind, thoughts, will and emotions.

The mind is the intellectual seat of the man, the reasoning and thinking faculty of man. Conscience is the voice of the spirit, reason is the voice of the mind, and feeling is the voice of the body.

Mind denotes generally speaking, the seat of reflective consciousness, comprising the faculties of perception and understanding, and those of feeling, judging and determining.

The mind has the faculty of knowing, the seat of understanding.

The mind has counsels, purpose, (Rom. 11:34,  I Cor. 2:16 NKJV)

– the thoughts and counsels of God dictates what the law of the Spirit should be.

– There has to be a synchrony between the laws of the human mind and that of law of the Spirit of God. In this can the new nature truly flourish. (Rom. 7:23 NKJV)

The mind can also signify:–

• the faculty of knowing, understanding, or moral reflection

• sentiment or disposition

The physical organ behind the mind is the brain; the mind can be likened to the functioning of the car’s engine(brain). The brain just like the engine in itself is totally incapable of validating the purposeful use of car. It will need to be in the right state as well as have the right functioning of other aspects of the vehicle in order to be fit for purpose.

 

Prov. 23:7 says that as a man thinks so is he

The mind is the thinking and reasoning faculty of man, and that reasoning and thinking center can be transformed by the word of God – Rom. 12:2. Spiritual transformation starts in the mind and heart. The believer has to make a choice to daily renew his or her mind with the word of God, so that his/her thinking can be aligned with God’s word and thoughts. As such know and do God’s perfect will for us.

The renewal of the human mind can be a spiritual exercise. This is to transform us more and more into the likeness of what God originally intended for man. This is re-echoed in Ephesians 4:23

The mind is the decision making area of the natural man. It also seems to be the connecting link with God. ‘You will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You’ Isaiah 26:3(NKJV)

What other biblical takes of the mind do you know? Give us your philosophical, metaphysical or other takes on this fascinating topic of the mind.