Mind and Spirit

   

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MIND AND SPIRIT

I. JESUS’ DISCOURSE ON MIND

“My son, I have already told you much about the mind of man and the divine spirit that lives therein, but now let me emphasize that self-consciousness is a reality. When any animal becomes self-conscious, it becomes a primitive man. Such an attainment results from a co-ordination of function between impersonal energy and spirit-conceiving mind, and it is this phenomenon which warrants the bestowal of an absolute focal point for the human personality, the spirit of the Father in heaven.

“Ideas are not simply a record of sensations; ideas are sensations plus the reflective interpretations of the personal self; and the self is more than the sum of one’s sensations. There begins to be something of an approach to unity in an evolving selfhood, and that unity is derived from the indwelling presence of a part of absolute unity which spiritually activates such a self-conscious animal-origin mind.

“No mere animal could possess a time self-consciousness. Animals possess a physiological co-ordination of associated sensation-recognition and memory thereof, but none experience a meaningful recognition of sensation or exhibit a purposeful association of these combined physical experiences such as is manifested in the conclusions of intelligent and reflective human interpretations. And this fact of self-conscious existence, associated with the reality of his subsequent spiritual experience, constitutes man a potential son of the universe and foreshadows his eventual attainment of the Supreme Unity of the universe.

“Neither is the human self merely the sum of the successive states of consciousness. Without the effective functioning of a consciousness sorter and associator there would not exist sufficient unity to warrant the designation of a selfhood. Such an ununified mind could hardly attain conscious levels of human status. If the associations of consciousness were just an accident, the minds of all men would then exhibit the uncontrolled and random associations of certain phases of mental madness.

“A human mind, built up solely out of the consciousness of physical sensations, could never attain spiritual levels; this kind of material mind would be utterly lacking in a sense of moral values and would be without a guiding sense of spiritual dominance which is so essential to achieving harmonious personality unity in time, and which is inseparable from personality survival in eternity.

“The human mind early begins., to manifest qualities which are super-material; the truly reflective human intellect is not altogether bound by the limits of time. That individuals so differ in their life performances indicates, not only the varying endowments of heredity and the different influences of the environment, but also the degree of unification with the indwelling spirit of the Father which has been achieved by the self, the measure of the identification of the one with the other.

“The human mind does not well stand the conflict of double allegiance. It is a severe strain on the soul to undergo the experience of an effort to serve both good and evil. The supremely happy and efficiently unified mind is the one wholly dedicated to the doing of the will of the Father in heaven. Unresolved conflicts destroy unity and may terminate in mind disruption. But the survival character of a soul is not fostered by attempting to secure peace of mind at any price, by the surrender of noble aspirations, and by the compromise of spiritual ideals; rather is such peace attained by the stalwart assertion of the triumph of that which is true, and this victory is achieved in the overcoming of evil with the potent force of good.” (1479.6) 133:7.6

II. THE NATURE OF MIND

1. The nature of mind.

“Mind is a phenomenon connoting the presence-activity of living ministry in addition to varied energy systems; and this is true on all levels of intelligence. In personality, mind ever intervenes between spirit and matter; therefore is the universe illuminated by three kinds of light: material light, intellectual insight, and spirit luminosity.” (9.10) ) 0:6.8

2. Mortal mind a cosmic loom.

“The material mind of mortal man is the cosmic loom that carries the morontia fabrics on which the indwelling Thought Adjuster threads the spirit patterns of a universe character of enduring values and divine meanings— a surviving soul of ultimate destiny and unending career, a potential finaliter.

“The human personality is identified with mind and spirit held together in functional relationship by life in a material body. This functioning relationship of such mind and spirit does not result in some combination of the qualities or attributes of mind and spirit but rather in an entirely new, original, and unique universe value of potentially eternal endurance, the soul.” (1217.6) 111:2.2

3. The seven adjutant mind-spirits.

“The seven adjutant mind-spirits are the versatile mind ministers to the lower intelligent existences of a local universe. This order of mind is ministered from the local universe headquarters or from some world connected therewith, but there is influential direction of lower-mind function from the system capitals.

“On an evolutionary world much, very much, depends on the work of these seven adjutants. But they are mind ministers; they are not concerned in physical evolution, the domain of the Life Carriers. Nevertheless, the perfect integration of these spirit endowments with the ordained and natural procedure of the unfolding and inherent regime of the Life Carriers is responsible for the mortal inability to discern, in the phenomenon of mind, aught but the hand of nature and the outworking of natural processes, albeit you are occasionally somewhat perplexed in explaining all of everything connected with the natural reactions of mind as it is associated with matter. And if Urantia were operating more in accordance with the original plans, you would observe even less to arrest your attention in the phenomenon of mind.” (738.4) 65:7.1 Isa. 11:2, 3.

4. The superconscious mind.

“Only in the higher levels of the superconscious mind as it impinges upon the spirit realm of human experience can you find those higher concepts in association with effective master patterns which will contribute to the building of a better and more enduring civilization. Personality is inherently creative, but it thus functions only in the inner life of the individual.” (1220.4) 111:4.5

5. Marring of mortal mind.

“Mind, on Urantia, is a compromise between the essence of thought perfection and the evolving mentality of your immature human nature. The plan for your intellectual evolution is, indeed, one of sublime perfection, but you are far short of that divine goal as you function in the tabernacles of the flesh. Mind is truly of divine origin, and it does have a divine destiny, but your mortal minds are not yet of divine dignity.

“Too often, all too often, you mar your minds by insincerity and sear them with unrighteousness; you subject them to animal fear and distort them by useless anxiety. Therefore, though the source of mind is divine, mind as you know it on your world of ascension can hardly become the object of great admiration, much less of adoration or worship. The contemplation of the immature and inactive human intellect should lead only to reactions of humility.” (103.4) 9:5.6

6. Comparative evaluation of human mind.

“In the mind’s eye conjure up a picture of one of your primitive ancestors of cave-dwelling times—a short, misshapen, filthy, snarling hulk of a man standing, legs spread, club upraised, breathing hate and animosity as he looks fiercely just ahead. Such a picture hardly depicts the divine dignity of man. But allow us to enlarge the picture. In front of this animated human crouches a saber-toothed tiger. Behind him, a woman and two children. Immediately you recognize that such a picture stands for the beginnings of much that is fine and noble in the human race, but the man is the same in both pictures. Only in the second sketch you are favored with a widened horizon. You therein discern the motivation of this evolving mortal. His attitude becomes, praiseworthy because you understand him. If you could only fathom the motives of your associates, how much better you would understand them. If you could only know your fellows, you would eventually fall in love with them. (1098.2) 100:4.5

III. CHARACTERISTIC FUNCTIONS OF MIND

1. The ability to learn.

“The acquisition of the potential of the ability to learn from experience marks the beginning of the functioning of the adjutant spirits, and they function from the lowliest minds of primitive and invisible existences up to the highest types in the evolutionary scale of human beings. They are the source and pattern for the otherwise more or less mysterious behavior and incompletely understood quick reactions of mind to the material environment. Long must these faithful and always dependable influences carry forward their preliminary ministry before the animal mind attains the human levels of spirit receptivity.” (739.2) 65:7.6

2. Human mind functions.

“The evolution of mechanisms implies and indicates the concealed presence and dominance of creative mind. The ability of the mortal intellect to conceive, design, and create automatic mechanisms demonstrates the superior, creative, and purposive qualities of man’s mind as the dominant influence on the planet. Mind always reaches out towards:

1. Creation of material mechanisms.

2. Discovery of hidden mysteries.

3. Exploration of remote situations.

4. Formulation of mental systems.

5. Attainment of wisdom goals.

6. Achievement of spirit levels.

7. The accomplishment of divine destinies—supreme, ultimate, and absolute.” (483.1) 42:12.1

3. Mind as a co-ordinator of realities.

“Mind is the technique whereby spirit realities become experiential to creature personalities. And in the last analysis the unifying possibilities of even human mind, the ability to co-ordinate things, ideas, and values, is supermaterial.” (140.4) 12:8.8

4. Far-flung relationships of mind.

“It is the purpose of education to develop and sharpen these innate endowments of the human mind; of civilization to express them; of life experience to realize them; of religion to ennoble them; and of personality to unify them.” (192.7) 16:6.11

IV. MIND RELATED TO TIME AND SPACE

1. Mortal mind as related to time and space.

“Relationships to time do not exist without motion in space, but consciousness of time does. Sequentiality can consciousize time even in the absence of motion. Man’s mind is less time-bound than space-bound because of the inherent nature of mind. Even during the days of the earth life in the flesh, though man’s mind is rigidly space-bound, the creative human imagination is comparatively time free. But time itself is not genetically a quality of mind.” (135.4) 12:5.5

2. Gravity relations of mind.

“As the mind of any personality in the universe becomes more spiritual—Godlike—it becomes less responsive to material gravity. Reality, measured by physical-gravity response, is the antithesis of reality as determined by quality of spirit content. Physical-gravity action is a quantitative determiner of nonspirit energy; spiritual-gravity action is the qualitative measure of the living energy of divinity.” (140.1) 12:8.5

3. Relation of mind to energy and spirit.

“While mind is energy associated in purely material beings and spirit associated in purely spiritual personalities, innumerable orders of personality, including the human, possess minds that are associated with both energy and spirit. The spiritual aspects of creature mind unfailingly respond to the spirit-gravity pull of the Eternal Son; the material features respond to the gravity urge of the material universe.” (104.3) 9:6.5

4. The differential functioning of mind.

“The greater the spirit-energy divergence, the greater the observable function of mind; the lesser the diversity of energy and spirit, the lesser the observable function of mind. Apparently, the maximum function of the cosmic mind is in the time universes of space. Here mind seems to function in a mid-zone between energy and spirit, but this is not true of the higher levels of mind; on Paradise, energy and spirit are essentially one.”(104.5) 9:6.7

V. THE COSMIC MIND

1. The cosmic mind.

“The cosmic mind. This is the sevenfold diversified mind of time and space, one phase of which is ministered by each of the Seven Master Spirits to one of the seven superuniverses. The cosmic mind encompasses all finite-mind levels and co-ordinates experientially with the evolutionary-deity levels of the Supreme Mind and transcendentally with the existential levels of absolute mind — the direct circuits of the Conjoint Actor." (481.3) 42:10.6

2. Evolutionary and cosmic minds.

“When an evolving mind becomes attuned to the circuits of cosmic mind, when an evolving universe becomes stabilized after the pattern of the central universe, when an advancing spirit contacts the united ministry of the Master Spirits, when an ascending mortal personality finally attunes to the divine leading of the indwelling Adjuster, then has the actuality of the Supreme become real by one more degree in the universes; then has the divinity of Supremacy advanced one more step toward cosmic realization.” (1278.3) 117:0.3

3. “Kindred spirits” explained by cosmic mind.

“The fact of the cosmic mind explains the kinship of various types of human and superhuman minds. Not only are kindred spirits attracted to each other, but kindred minds are also very fraternal and inclined towards co-operation the one with the other. Human minds are sometimes observed to be running in channels of astonishing similarity and inexplicable agreement.” (191.6) 16:6.3

4. Mind anticipates cause and effect.

“The selective response of an animal is limited to the motor level of behavior. The supposed insight of the higher animals is on a motor level and usually appears only after the experience of motor trial and error. Man is able to exercise scientific, moral, and spiritual insight prior to all exploration or experimentation.

“Only a personality can know what it is doing before it does it; only personalities possess insight in advance of experience. A personality can look before it leaps and can therefore learn from looking as well as from leaping. A nonpersonal animal ordinarily learns only by leaping.” (193.1) 16:7.2

VI. MIND IS SUPERMATERIAL

1. The universe is divine-minded.

“To assume that the universe can be known, that it is intelligible, is to assume that the universe is mind made and personality managed. Man’s mind can only perceive the mind phenomena of other minds, be they human or superhuman. If man’s personality can experience the universe, there is a divine mind and an actual personality somewhere concealed in that universe.” (30.6) 1:6.7

2. Mind is not mechanistic.

“There exists a great cosmic gulf between matter and thought, and this gulf is immeasurably greater between material mind and spiritual love. Consciousness, much less self-consciousness, cannot be explained by any theory of mechanistic electronic association or materialistic energy phenomena.” (1228.5) 112:2.10

3. Physics and chemistry cannot explain mind.

“Physics and chemistry alone cannot explain how a human being evolved out of the primeval protoplasm of the early seas. The ability to learn, memory and differential response to environment, is the endowment of mind. The laws of physics are not responsive to training; they are immutable and unchanging. The reactions of chemistry are not modified by education; they are uniform and dependable. Aside from the presence of the Unqualified Absolute, electrical and chemical reactions are predictable. But mind can profit from experience, can learn from reactive habits of behavior in response to repetition of stimuli.” (738.1) 65:6.8

4. Will is superior to mind and matter.

“In the cosmic evolutionary laboratories mind is always dominant over matter, and spirit is ever correlated with mind. Failure of these diverse endowments to synchronize and co-ordinate may cause time delays, but if the individual really knows God and desires to find him and become like him, then survival is assured regardless of the handicaps of time. Physical status may handicap mind, and mental perversity may delay spiritual attainment, but none of these obstacles can defeat the whole-souled choice of will.” (740.1) 65:8.5

5. Mind and spirit evolve the soul.

“There is a cosmic unity in the several mind levels of the universe of universes. Intellectual selves have their origin in the cosmic mind much as nebulae take origin in the cosmic energies of universe space. On the human (hence personal) level of intellectual selves the potential of spirit evolution becomes dominant, with the assent of the mortal mind, because of the spiritual endowments of the human personality together with the creative presence of an entity-point of absolute value in such human selves. But such a spirit dominance of the material mind is conditioned upon two experiences: This mind must have evolved up through the ministry of the seven adjutant mind-spirits, and the material (personal) self must choose to co-operate with the indwelling Adjuster in creating and fostering the morontia self, the evolutionary and potentially immortal soul.” (1216.3) 111:1.2

6. Mind the arena of eternal choice.

“Material mind is the arena in which human personalities live, are self-conscious, make decisions, choose God or forsake him, eternalize or destroy themselves.” (1216.4) 111:1.3

VII. RELATIONS OF MIND AND SPIRIT

1. The insight of spirit transcends mind.

“The absolute mind is the mind of the Third Person; it is inseparable from the personality of God the Spirit. Mind, in functioning beings, is not separated from energy or spirit, or both. Mind is not inherent in energy; energy is receptive and responsive to mind; mind can be superimposed upon energy, but consciousness is not inherent in the purely material level. Mind does not have to be added to pure spirit, for spirit is innately conscious and identifying. Spirit is always intelligent, minded in some way. It may be this mind or that mind, it may be premind or supermind, even spirit mind, but it does the equivalent of thinking and knowing. The insight of spirit transcends, supervenes, and theoretically antedates the consciousness of mind.” (102.2) 9:4.2

2. Mind is meaning—spirit is value.

“Cosmic force responds to mind even as cosmic mind responds to spirit. Spirit is divine purpose, and spirit mind is divine purpose in action. Energy is thing, mind is meaning, spirit is value. Even in time and space, mind establishes those relative relationships between energy and spirit which are suggestive of mutual kinship in eternity.” (102.5) 9:4.5

3. Mind functions in spirit and material realms.

“Mind transmutes the values of spirit into the meanings of intellect; volition has power to bring the meanings of mind to fruit in both the material and spiritual domains. The Paradise ascent involves a relative and differential growth in spirit, mind, and energy. The personality is the unifier of these components of experiential individuality.” (102.6) 9:4.6

4. Correlation of spiritual influences.

“The ministering personality of the guardian seraphim, the God presence of the indwelling Adjuster, the encircuited action of the Holy Spirit, and the Son-consciousness of the Spirit of Truth are all divinely correlated into a meaningful unity of spiritual ministry in and to a mortal personality. Though hailing from different sources and different levels, these celestial influences are all integrated in the enveloping and evolving presence of the Supreme Being.” (1245.6) 113:4.6

5. Mind is the instrument on which the will plays.

“Mind is the cosmic instrument on which the human will can play the discords of destruction, or upon which this same human will can bring forth the exquisite melodies of God identification and consequent eternal survival. The Adjuster bestowed upon man is, in the last analysis, impervious to evil and incapable of sin, but mortal mind can actually be twisted, distorted, and rendered evil and ugly by the sinful machinations of a perverse and self-seeking human will. Likewise can this mind be made noble, beautiful, true, and good—actually great—in accordance with the spirit-illuminated will of a God-knowing human being.” (1217.1) 111:1.6

6. Ranges of mind stability.

“Evolutionary mind is only fully stable and dependable when manifesting itself upon the two extremes of cosmic intellectuality—the wholly mechanized and the entirely spiritualized. Between the intellectual extremes of pure mechanical control and true spirit nature there intervenes that enormous group of evolving and ascending minds whose stability and tranquility are dependent upon personality choice and spirit identification.” (1217.2) 111:1.7

VIII. ADJUSTERS AND THE MIND

1. Adjusters have no special functional mechanism.

“The Thought Adjuster has no special mechanism through which to gain self-expression; there is no mystic religious faculty for the reception or expression of religious emotions. These experiences are made available through the naturally ordained mechanism of mortal mind. And therein lies one explanation of the Adjuster’s difficulty in engaging in direct communication with the material mind of its constant indwelling.” (1104.5) 101:1.2

2. Adjusters work through material minds.

“Though the work of Adjusters is spiritual in nature, they must, perforce, do all their work upon an intellectual foundation. Mind is the human soil from which the spirit Monitor must evolve the morontia soul with the cooperation of the indwelt personality.” (1216.2) 111:1.1

3. Mind relationships with Adjusters.

“You as a personal creature have mind and will. The Adjuster as a prepersonal creature has premind and prewill. If you so fully conform to the Adjuster’s mind that you see eye to eye, then your minds become one, and you receive the reinforcement of the Adjuster’s mind. Subsequently, if your will orders and enforces the execution of the decisions of this new or combined mind, the Adjuster’s prepersonal will attains to personality expression through your decision, and as far as that particular project is concerned, you and the Adjuster are one. Your mind has attained to divinity attunement, and the Adjuster’s will has achieved personality expression.” (1205.3) 110:2.5

4. Co-operation with Adjusters.

“But man does not passively, slavishly, surrender his will to the Adjuster. Rather does he actively, positively, and co-operatively choose to follow the Adjuster’s leading when and as such leading consciously differs from the desires, and impulses of the natural mortal mind. The Adjusters manipulate but never dominate man’s mind against his will; to the Adjusters the human will is supreme. And they so regard and respect it while they strive to achieve the spiritual goals of thought adjustment and character transformation in the almost limitless arena of the evolving human intellect.” (1217.3) 111:1.8

5. Human will is captain of the ship.

“Mind is your ship, the Adjuster is your pilot, the human will is captain. The master of the mortal vessel should have the wisdom to trust the divine pilot to guide the ascending soul into the morontia harbors of eternal survival. Only by selfishness, slothfulness, and sinfulness can the will of man reject the guidance of such a loving pilot and eventually wreck the mortal career upon the evil shoals of rejected mercy and upon the rocks of embraced sin. With your consent, this faithful pilot will safely carry you across the barriers of time and the handicaps of space to the very source of the divine mind and on beyond, even to the Paradise Father of Adjusters.” (1217.4) 111:1.9

IX. SPIRIT DOMINANCE

1. Through mediation of mind, spirit seeks mastery.

“In the evolutionary superuniverses energy-matter is dominant except in personality, where spirit through the mediation of mind is struggling for the mastery. The goal of the evolutionary universes is the subjugation of energy-matter by mind, the co-ordination of mind with spirit, and all of this by virtue of the creative and unifying presence of personality. Thus, in relation to personality, do physical systems become subordinate; mind systems, co-ordinate; and spirit systems, directive.” (1275.1) 116:6.1

2. Spirit dominance partnership of Creator and creature.

“This union of power and personality is expressive on deity levels in and as the Supreme. But the actual evolution of spirit dominance is a growth which is predicated on the freewill acts of the Creators and creatures of the grand universe.” (1275.2) 116:6.2

3. Spirit dominance of survival minds.

“In the inner experience of man, mind is joined to matter. Such material-linked minds cannot survive mortal death. The technique of survival is embraced in those adjustments of the human will and those transformations in the mortal mind whereby such a God-conscious intellect gradually becomes spirit taught and eventually spirit led. This evolution of the human mind from matter association to spirit union results in the transmutation of the potentially spirit phases of the mortal mind into the morontia realities of the immortal soul. Mortal mind subservient to matter is destined to become increasingly material and consequently to suffer eventual personality extinction; mind yielded to spirit is destined to become increasingly spiritual and ultimately to achieve oneness with the surviving and guiding divine spirit and in this way to attain survival and eternity of personality existence.” (26.1) 1:3.7

MIND AND SPIRIT IN THE BIBLE

I. MIND

1. Choosing right and wrong.

“To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Rom. 8:6.

2. Consecrated mind.

“You shall love the Lord your God with...all your mind.” Matt. 22:37.

“I...serve the law of God with my mind.” Rom. 7:25.

3. Motivation.

“For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.  2Cor 8:12

4. Self-control.

“Therefore gird up your minds, be sober.” 1 Peter 1:13.

“Likewise urge the younger men to control themselves.” Titus 2:6.

“Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” ISA. 26:3.

5. Renewing of the mind.

“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Rom. 12:2.

6. The futility of anxiety.

“Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind.” Luke 12:29.

“When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say.” Matt. 10:19.

7. The dishonest mind.

“For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord.” Jas. 1:8.

8. The adjutant mind-spirits. See Isa. 11:2.

1. Intuition.

2. Understanding.

3. Courage.

4. Knowledge.

5. Counsel.

6. Worship.

7. Wisdom.

a. Spirit of understanding.

“And out of my understanding a spirit answers me.” Job 20:3.

b. Spirit of wisdom.

“But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.” Acts 6:10.

“And Joshua...was full of the spirit of wisdom.” Deut. 34:9.

Mind is an endowment.

“Speak to all who have ability, whom I have endowed with an able mind.” Ex. 28:3.

9. The human-divine mind.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which you have in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 2:5.

II. HEART

Heart, soul, and spirit are often used synonymously in the Bible. The word “heart” embraces human feelings and emotions.

1. Serving God with a whole heart.

“And now...what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deut. 10:12.

2. God judges by the heart.

“The Lord sees not as man sees...the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Sam. 16:7.

3. How to find God.

“You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deut. 4:29.

4. The pure in heart.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matt. 5:8.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Ps. 51:10.

5. We should discipline the heart.

“The Lord saw that...every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Gen. 6:5.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt.” Jer. 17:9.

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down.” Prov. 12:25.

6. Broken hearts.

“He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” Ps. 147:3.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Prov. 13:12.

7. Cheerful hearts.

“Making melody to the Lord with all your heart.” Eph. 5:19.

“A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance.” Prov. 15:13.

8. Importance of the emotions.

“I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people.” Jer. 24:7.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:34.

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matt. 12:34.

9. Concerning hard hearts.

a. God hardens Pharaoh’s heart.

“I will harden Pharaoh’s heart...he will not listen to you.” Ex. 7:3. 4.

b. Pharaoh hardens his own heart.

“Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuses to let the people go.” Ex. 7:14.

III. CONSCIENCE

Conscience is used in the New Testament 30 times. It seems to mean “joint knowledge.”

1. A good conscience.

“And Paul...said, “Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience up to this day.’” Acts 23:1.

“They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.” l. Tim. 3:9.

2. A bad conscience.

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.” Heb. 10:22.

3. The abused conscience.

“Eat food as really offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.” l Cor. 8:7.

“By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith.” l. Tim. 1:19.

“To the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted.” Titus 1:15.

“Through the pretentions of liars whose consciences are seared.” l Tim. 4:2.

4. Conscience as a guide.

“Eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Phil. 2:4.

“By the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to every man’s conscience.” 2 Cor. 4:2.

“If food is a cause of my brother’s falling, I will never eat meat.” l Cor. 8:13.

IV. SPIRIT

1. Spirit of Deity.

“God is spirit.” John 4:24.

“And the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” Gen. 1:2.

2. Angels—ministering spirits.

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation.” Heb. 1:14.

3. The Spirits of the churches.

“Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Rev. 2:7.

4. Divine spirit bestowed upon man.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.” Joel 2:28.

“The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him.” l Cor. 2:14.

5. The spirit of life and liberty.

“But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Gal. 6:8.

“But the Spirit gives life.” 2 Cor. 3:6.

“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Rom. 8:2.

“Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit.” Rom. 12:11.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Cor. 3:17.

“It is the spirit that gives life.” John 6:63.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.” Zech. 4:6.

6. Relation of spirit to the mind.

“And be renewed in the spirit of your minds.” Eph. 4:23.

“Walk by the spirit.” Gal. 5:16.

“Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God.” l John 4:1.

“By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” l John 4:6.

“I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also.” l Cor. 14:15.

7. The spirit of sonship.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.” Rom. 8:14.

“You have received the spirit of sonship.” Rom. 8:15.

“The Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Rom. 8:16.

8. The spiritual birth.

“That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:6.

“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” John 3:5.

9. The Spirit of truth.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” John 16:13.

10. Man’s spirit—temperament.

a. The poor in spirit.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:3.

b. Spirit and the flesh.

“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matt. 26:41.

c. Emotional control.

“Put a new and right spirit within me.” Ps. 51:10.

“He who rules his spirit is better than he who takes a city.” Prov. 16:32.

d. Courage and confidence.

“But God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” 2 Tim. 1:7.

e. Pride.

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Prov. 16:18.

f. Spirit depression.

“A downcast spirit dries up the bones.” Prov. 17:22.

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” Isa. 53:4.

11. Old Testament doctrine about evil spirits.

“Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.” 1. Sam. 16:14.

(Note: Saul had a manic-depressive psychosis.)

“Behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets.” 2 Chron. 18:22.

12. Perfection of the human spirit.

“And to the spirits of just men made perfect.” Heb. 12:23.

“The spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” l Cor. 2:10.

“God chose you ... to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” 2 Thess. 2:13.

13. The indwelling spirit returns to God.

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord.” Prov. 20:27.

“And the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Eccl. 12:7.

14. Wicked spirits.

“And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon.” Luke 4:33.

“We are not contending against flesh and blood, but...against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Eph. 6:12.

“Following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now is at work in the sons of disobedience.” Eph. 2:2.

15. Spirits in prison.

“For Christ also died for sins once for all...being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison.” 1. Pet. 3:18, 19.

16. The spirit of Jesus.

“And when Jesus was baptized...the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” Matt. 3:16.

“Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” Luke 23:46.