Having taken a quick look at the brain (Pt. 1) and the human spirit (Pt. 2), it’s now time to consider the third of the five aspects of our spiritual nature and sanctification: the mind. But first, a brief review.

Think of the brain as a seemingly infinite number of points (neurons) that exist in three-dimensional space. A pretty good analogy is to think of all the stars in the night sky: although we can see only a few thousand (at most) with the naked eye, there are actually (to quote a dead man) “billions and billions” of them. Our brain has 100,000,000,000 or so of these “points” scattered throughout its four-pound mound of gelatinous mass.

Of course, the night sky does not exhibit any visible signs that there are connections that exist between these billions of stars. Our brain, however, does have connections. Lots of them. Or, more accurately, it has channels of potential connections that exist, awaiting only some activation to establish a connection. Not all the points or neurons are connected to each other - at least, not directly - but the number of channels and connections are staggering. More than can be counted on your fingers and toes. Or the fingers and toes of everyone on the planet.

Some of these neurons and channels exist in areas of the brain that seem to be the triggers for various mental functions, such as sight, hearing, touch, feeling, thinking, and adjusting our underwear in public. And we seem to have connecting thoughts and feelings about our activities, as well as similar behaviors in others when we catch them.

What causes the creation of these connections via the channels is the human spirit, along with internal and external stimuli. Think of the human spirit as an immaterial cause and the other two as material causes. But not only does the spirit initiate, it also superintends or governs the connections at various points along the way. We are generally aware of this activity due to the phenomenon of consciousness, although there may be other things that our spirit does of which we are not always conscious.

Now we turn to the mind, which according to Rom 12.1-2, is an important element in our spiritual growth and maturity. (Of course, the heart and soul are also involved in sanctification, but that’s a different part of my dissertation. I’ll only say that it’s really cool the way I conceptualize all of that. Sorry.)

Basically, the mind is the architecture or configuration that results from the interaction of the spirit and the brain over the course of our lifetime. It is not just the connections that exist but also - and more importantly - the non-activated channels between the various neurons. This organization of the brain is sometimes called schemas and exists in vast networks and constellations of channels and momentary connections.

As stated previously, the more frequently a channel is employed the greater the possibility that it - along with all associated connections - will be used again. A channel that may start out as a faint trail across a virgin field can develop into an eight-lane freeway. With apologies to Robert Frost, we normally take the road most easily traveled.

A channel can also start out as a veritable autobahn, however. Remember the first time you decided to lick a metal pole on a cold, cold day? How many times did you have to do that to come to the conclusion that maybe this was something to tell someone else to do, but not to do again yourself? That is because the brain marks some signals with powerful chemical indicators that this seeming good idea is not so good after all. That marking is permanent and powerful.

So we have a mind, semi-ordered or disordered as the case may be, which is largely a result of our experiences. Our minds are created and activated by our spirits in interaction with our brains, giving us the incredible diversity among people. After all, how many different ways are there to organize 100 billions neurons? Well, more than a few.

And this mind (along with the heart and soul) is the key to our sanctification.


2 Cor 1.13