The Brain

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Wednesday June 11, 2008

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NIV)
23. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have established the fact that the spirit and the soul are separate; they are not the same thing. According to Hebrews 4:12, they can be divided:

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to DIVIDING SOUL AND SPIRIT, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

We have established that the new birth happens in the spirit of man, changing his nature, but that the soul of man still needs to be dealt with after the new birth; through the renewing of the mind.

I've heard some people ask, Since the mind is in the "soul", does that mean your brain is your soul??

No; the fact is, your brain is part of your BODY. You don't think with your brain. You don't even hold memories in your brain. Your brain is made up of physical matter that deteriorates when you die. Your memory and ability to think continue on after your body is dead and your brain has deteriorated into nothing.

The Bible illustrates this fact in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus tells the story of a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus:

Luke 16:19,20 (NIV)
19. "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores"

Notice that this story is NOT a parable. Parables are always comparisons, that start out with " is like " (The Kingdom of Heaven is like... )
This is NOT a parable. Jesus starts out with, "THERE WAS...". That means if there WASN'T, and Jesus said there WAS, He would be a liar. And we know Jesus is not a liar. So that means Jesus was actually passing along a story of something that actually happened already!

Anyway, both of the men in the story died, and Jesus tells us clearly that the rich man was BURIED:

Luke 16:22 (NIV)
"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried."

Jesus then tells how the rich man-- without his physical brain-- remembered Lazarus:

Luke 16:23,24 (NIV)
23. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24. So he called to him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

Not only that, but then the rich man thought of an idea to save his brothers who were still alive on earth:

Luke 16:27
27. "He (the rich man) answered, `Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28. for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

This is conclusive proof that you do not think with your brain, nor do you store memories in your brain.

Your brain is the physical mass that connects your soul to your body. When you want to do something, your brain reacts to the thought in your mind (which is in your soul), and sends a message to the physical body. You could say the brain is the translator between the soul and the physical body.

Science has even concluded that there is no part of the human brain dedicated to the initiation of thoughts or actions. Science recognizes that there is a need for an outside entity (the soul) to cause the brain to function.

So your mind is NOT your brain! Your mind is part of your soul, and you will not lose your memories or your ability to think when your body dies!

PRAYER
Thank You Father for Your life-giving Word. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to save me by His work at the cross. Thank You for making me a new creation in Christ Jesus. Help me to "put on" the "new self" by receiving with meekness Your Engrafted Word, thus renewing my mind.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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