Mind and Spirit Connections

Renewed in the Spirit of Your Mind

Paul linked your mind and spirit together (Ephesians 4:23). In Ephesians 4, Paul contrasted the old way of life with characterized by hardness of heart, sensuality and impurity, with all greediness with salvation in Jesus Christ and having learned the truth in Jesus(Ephesians 4:19-21). The Ephesians in Christ have put off their former way of life, the old man, which is being corrupted, according to the desires of deceit (Ephesians 4:22). Then Paul proclaimed that the Ephesians are to be renewed in the spirit of the mind of you. [[Paul provided: ἀνανεοῦσθαι (present middle/passive infinitive)  δὲ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν (genitive plural).]] Then Paul  observes that they have put on the new man, the under God having been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth (Ephesians 4:24). This command sounds like a simple command, but Paul provided careful details about how God renews the spirit of our mind.  Those steps concern our past, present and future. We leave the futility of our mind behind by God renewing it. [[God provided: τῷ πνεύματι–dative case.  

Exegetical Psychology. The spirit has a genitive relationship with the mind of you. [[God provided: ἀνανεοῦσθαι δὲ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νοὸς (genitive case) ὑμῶν.  In Ephesians 4:23, the spirit relates directly to your mind.   By keeping the articles in the translation, the relationships between mind and spirit become clearer.]] The New Testament writers provided many uses of the genitive, but here we know that a relationship exists between the mind and spirit, and they are tied together. Therefore, the mind has a spiritual aspect to it that is not primarily physical. Physical things may affect your mind, but your spirit has a direct relationship with your mind. For example, Jesus knew in the spirit of Him that the scribes were dialoging in themselves about Jesus healing the paralytic and forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:7-8). [[God provided: Ἦσαν δέ τινες τῶν γραμματέων ἐκεῖ καθήμενοι καὶ διαλογιζόμενοι ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν· τί οὗτος οὕτως λαλεῖ; βλασφημεῖ· τίς δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός; καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπιγνοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ ὅτι οὕτως διαλογίζονται ἐν ἑαυτοῖς λέγει αὐτοῖς· τί ταῦτα διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν;”]] Jesus knew in His spirit about dialoging about serious matters and they had dim view of Jesus. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Jesus will slay the lawless in the spirit of the mouth of Him at His appearing.[[God provided: καὶ τότε ἀποκαλυφθήσεται ὁ ἄνομος, ὃν ὁ κύριος [Ἰησοῦς] ἀνελεῖ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ καὶ καταργήσει τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ,]] Therefore, we may understand “in the spirit” also references the link between the mouth and the spirit, particularly highlighting the power of the mouth of Jesus to slay His enemies.

Step One

Lay Aside the Old Self

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,