Contents
The way to use consciousness and mind is a mystery. Even more so the destination. Here’s the way.
The Explanation has opened up the Bible meaning of neshama and ruach, consciousness and mind, the two inseparable spiritual elements that constitute humans and the dust body. In Chapter 35, I gave the Biblical definition of psychology from psyche and logos; it’s the neshama and ruach (psyche) functioning according to God’s Word (logos).
(Mind-Body Problem Solved, Chapter 47 – Table of Contents)
God gave humankind the qualities (neshama-consciousness: purpose, function, socialization, rulership, and reasoning) and the mind-power (ruach) to implement, exercise, and develop those traits. From the beginning, the first 7th day God spent with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He has revealed to humans the WAY to use consciousness and mind to reach peace and harmony. God has recorded His WAY in His WORD, the Bible, and preserved it for us down through history. The Apostle Paul states as much.
The way, recorded for humankind
1 What advantage then has the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that to them were committed the oracles of God (The Word of the Old Testament).
3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That you might be justified in your sayings (G3056 – logos – Word), and might overcome (G3528 – prevail) when you are judged.
No matter the unbelief, incompetence, fighting between sects, or whatever circumstances, the mighty God has preserved His Word, whether it be the Hebrew Old or the Greek New Testaments. We have the solid promise that God has kept it perfectly for us today, no matter human subterfuge regarding Scripture.
So, we have the tools (neshama, ruach) and the instruction manual (logos); what’s missing is an example of the WAY to reach our destination. God closed that road thousands of years ago.
The way, closed and re-opened
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
God clothed Adam and Eve with the way to live outside of Eden. Access to the Garden was closed; the way into God’s presence was barred. Later God opened and revealed to us THE WAY,
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And whither I go (the destination) you know, and the way (how to get there) you know. (Sam: to know is a function of the consciousness and mind)
5 Thomas said to him, Lord, we know not whither you go; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.
If you want a place in the Father’s house then you need the map, the way to reach that destination. Jesus alone has safeguarded the truth, His Word, and breathed the breath of life (nishmat chayim – lives) into humanity. By His example, we have the way; He’s mapped out the route for us including its preparation by John the Baptist.
Example of John the Baptist showing the way
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent you (this is the initial part of the way): for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (the destination).
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight (Sam: ramp up the starting blocks).
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said to them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
John opened the way. Briefly it involved him preaching repentance (verse 2) followed by baptism (6) after people confessed their sins (6) and showed fruits (8).
To repent means using the mind
Let’s look at the meaning of repent in Greek and see how it includes the mind.
μετανοέω metanoeō met-an-o-eh’-o; From G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards that is reconsider (morally to feel compunction):
KJV – repent.
G3539
νοιέω noieō noy-eh’-o; From G3563; to exercise the mind (observe) that is (figuratively) to comprehend heed:
KJV – consider, perceive, think, understand.
G3563
νοῦς nous nooce; Probably from the base of G1097; the intellect that is mind (divine or human; in thought feeling or will); by implication meaning :
KJV – mind, understanding. Compare G5590
The bottom line is the basis for the word repent is mind and understanding. This is the reason God blew neshama-consciousness and gave ruach-mind to humans. So they can repent. One of the five qualities of consciousness is the ability to reason. G3539 says to exercise the mind for what? Among other things, to know what sin is. How can you confess sin if one doesn’t know what sin is? That takes understanding God’s Word with the help of the Holy Spirit, witnessing with the ruach, the spirit in humans. Do you see how this all assembles together? This is the way to start one’s journey to the destination, the kingdom (2).
Example of Jesus Christ showing the way
Christ confirmed the way when he came to John.
13 Then comes Jesus from Galilee to Jordan to John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of you, and come you to me?
15 And Jesus answering said to him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Have you ever asked yourself why Christ was baptized? After all, He didn’t sin, didn’t need to confess sin, and didn’t need forgiveness. He already had the Holy Spirit of God and was His beloved Son. All this appears superfluous. But, of course, it isn’t; it was to fulfill all righteousness, as verse 15 tells us,
There’s a process that leads to righteousness, and John and Christ showed us the way; repent, confess, produce fruit, baptism, followed by testing to help us grow (see Matthew 4:1-11). Even before His baptism Luke reports that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52).
God’s purpose for us and our spiritual purpose in life can only be accomplished because He gave us consciousness and mind. It cannot be emphasized enough that for humans to realize they are sinners because the truth of God’s Word reveals the definition of sin, then confess, repent, accept Jesus as their Savior, be baptized, and readily accept trials in preparation for the sure arrival of God’s Kingdom; neshama and ruach are the only way this can happen.
Do a study using UnlockBibleMeaning.com to see how the five qualities of consciousness are fundamental to creating humans in God’s image: purpose (our spiritual destination), function (repentance and growing spiritually), socialization (growing in favor with man, being a light), rulership (preparing to be a King and Priest (Revelation 1:6), and reasoning (wielding the sword of God’s Word – Ephesians 6:17).
Every human who has ever walked the face of this Earth will have the opportunity to follow the path of this way, the way, the only way to fulfill righteousness and reach their destination. God treats all humans equally, past, present, and future.
Job and the way
Let’s look at one historic Biblical example of Job to whom God revealed the way. This is what I’d call a highlighted portrait because of its intense nature, but all the elements of the way are present.
Job was a God-fearing man, following God’s ways, very rich with a wonderful family.
1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Job was exercising his mind to accomplish the goals of his consciousness: he had a purpose for his life, he was functioning and basically reasoning per the way of God. He practiced rulership through his riches and socialization via his family.
But Job was unaware he had a serious spiritual problem.
Read Job 1. Satan accused Job, saying he’d abandon God if all his well-being were removed from him. God acquiesced and allowed Satan to remove everything, family, riches, and Job’s health until he sat atop a pile of ashes covered in boils, just itching himself with a broken piece of pottery.
Three of the day’s most influential and intelligent people came to comfort him and explain why such a devastating trial was happening. The entirety of the book, about 30 chapters, is devoted to this exchange of ideas, all of them wrong. The men told Job he had a hidden problem, and Job defended his integrity.
Finally, a younger man, Elihu, enters the discussion (Job 32) and makes one of the most important statements of the book, “I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker” (36:3). Using his spiritual reasoning, Elihu correctly, attributed full righteousness to the Creator.
Job’s problem is in Job 35:2 “Think you (Job) this to be right, that you said, My righteousness is more than God’s?” This man could only see how right he was. That is the fundamental problem of humanity and leaders today. Everyone thinks they are right; they are the norm to which everyone else should conform. They think they’re above everyone else; their ideas, doctrines, teachings, and beliefs are THE WAY.
Puny Job, puny humans
God enters and concludes the discussion with Job showing how puny, incapable, incompetent, and stunted he is in relation to God. Job and his friends get an earful of Godly reasoning, and Job comes to his spiritual senses. That ah-ha spiritual awakening.
1 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
2 I know that you can do every thing, and that no thought can be withheld from you (Job recognizes God’s purpose).
3 Who is he that hides counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not (Sam: Job starts reasoning spiritually).
5 I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye sees you.
6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes (Sam: spiritual functioning, deep repentance, realizing he’s nothing but filthy rags but has the potential for fulfilled righteousness, proper rulership, seeing God as the Head, proper socialization, seeing himself as a baby child exhibiting honor to God his Father).
Through this trial, God formed (Genesis 2:7 yatsar) Job in the spiritual use of his consciousness (neshama) and mind according to His purpose for the Creation of humankind, having children grow up in the image of God’s Family. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5); Christ and Job are examples of the way, the only way, to fulfill righteousness and occupy one of the many mansions in our Father’s House.
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