First Corinthians 2 asks the rhetorical question, “What man knoweth the things of a man except the spirit of a man, which is in him?” It appears that the human knowledge, which we call “intellect”, is bound to or located in this non-physical part of our being called the “human spirit”. The passage is certainly saying the human spirit knows things about the man in whom it is. In addition to the intellect, there are personality and temperament realities coupled with an intricate complex of emotions, all very personal and individualistic. And, what about memory itself? We know certain parts of the brain control specific parts of our body and its function, and that super-complex neurotransmitters send messages throughout the body to locations assigned to those sections, and this is amazing. Yet, what is it that activates the brain to recall past events? The mind likely comes into play here, and we all know the fear of memory loss, short-term or long-term. And, what happens between mind and brain when Alzheimer’s sets in? Is the mind and brain interchange compromised when the physical brain deteriorates or is damaged? We remain with more questions than answers, but it does reinforce the psalmist’s exclamation, “Surely, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that my soul knows right well.”
Are there other components of the human spirit, and what might they be? Surely, there are, and surely, they must be real. But, they, too, are not physical. They are spiritual, as is the mind itself. Please, understand that when we speak of the human mind as being spiritual, we do not mean that it is religious. It is spiritual only in the sense that it is not physical, and spiritual is the only domain or designation remaining once we consider another category other than the physical.
What else might reside in the human spirit mainly because we don’t know where else to put it? How about one’s moral character, as in personal norms and standards? No one denies these are real, but no one has ever seen them. We do see one’s norms and standards, or moral character, played out in behavior and demeanor, but that is only the outward display of their inner and immaterial human spirit. We tend to use body language to reflect what is inward and comes across as demeanor or behavior.
The human spirit contains an impressive inventory, does it not? Its contents so far include the mind, intellect, volition, personality and temperament, emotions, character, norms and standards, conscience, memory, attitude and disposition, plus one more important component not yet mentioned but critical. It’s heart, but not the blood-pump heart in the middle of our chest. It is the biblical heart which never refers to our physical heart. Can we be dogmatic about all this. No, not at all. There is speculation involved admittedly, but we don’t know how else to categorize these items that clearly exist but do not exist empirically or physically. Like the psalmist said, “fearfully and wonderfully made, and that my soul knows right well.” Well, I guess!
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