The
purpose of this chapter is not to reduce the Gospel plan of salvation to a
scientific explanation, but rather to show there is an actual physical change
in the individual. The steps of salvation are in a sequence that are
important to bring about a change in the individual. The plan of
salvation starts in the mind. Conviction is a process that starts one
thinking about their wrong actions. An individual must first realize they
are a sinner. Repenting is a change of the mind. How we think is
how we act. To change those actions, we must repent. Changing the
mind will change our belief system, bringing about a new person.
When
Paul said we would become a new creation in Christ, he was correct.
Salvation brings about a physical change as much as a spiritual change.
Looking at the scientific research that has taken place and the discoveries of
how the heart and brain works are proof of Paul’s statement.
Neuroscientists
have discovered the strategy for rewiring the brain. Contrary to popular
approaches, this strategy involves more than just positive thinking or working
hard.
In
fact, there are pathways that must be activated in order to create new neural
networks in the brain. There are a few principles from the science of the
brain that successfully activates these pathways.
First,
the act of thinking sets in motion a chemical reaction in the brain similar to
plugging in a string of lights. As you think about something no matter
what, you turn on the string of lights related to that topic.
For
as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Proverbs 23:7
Second,
the more you think, feel and act the same way, the faster the lights turn on
and the brighter they glow. The longer the same action takes place, the faster the response. We have
trillions of brain cells, resulting in millions of strings of lights
correlating with our habits in all areas of life. The best explanation of
this process is “neurons that fire together wire together.” That is why
the more you lie, the easier it is to lie
the next time. It soon is to the point you will have a hard time
unraveling your own lies from the truth. One pathway alone is not enough
to rewire your brain.
Prior
to taking action or deciding on something, you do so using your conscious
mind. Yet our lives are filled with different actions at every moment; those actions are not always a result
of your conscious decisions. Your subconscious mind plays a major
role. Actions controlled by your subconscious mind are beyond your
control. Your brain has been wired to act based on your prior thinking,
feeling, and actions.
When
you were first learning to drive a car,
you were taught a sequence of events. Your focus when first learning was
on adjusting the mirror, fastening the seatbelt, adjusting the seat, putting
the key in the ignition, starting the car, checking what is around the car,
putting the car in gear and driving. As you become a skilled drive, your
subconscious mind registers your action,
and you drive without making a conscious effort. You automatically avoid
obstacles, change lanes, pass cars all while listening to music and talking
with your passengers. As your proficiency increases your driving process
becomes natural, and your decisions are
automatic.
As
you gather the knowledge, you are wiring
your brain to automatically act a certain way. If your experiences are
repeated, your beliefs and actions are wiring your brain to act to reinforce
those beliefs and actions until they become automatic responses.
Your
behavior is driven by the subconscious mind or how your brain has been
wired. When the subconscious mind takes control, your conscious mind is
unaware you responded to the subconscious stimuli.
The
way you have wired your brain will determine how you behave. There are
triggers that turn on our “string of lights”-- our thinking, feeling, and actions will determine how quickly
we react to situations. You go through many experiences and incidents in
life, but few incidents touch your subconscious as your belief system. When you
experience incidents that involve your belief system, you are overpowered, and your response is without your
control.
Paul
in writing to the Church of Rome in the 7th chapter explained what happens when
our brains are wired for sin. Paul starts out by saying sin is the ruler
and he is the slave. In his conscience mind, he wanted to do good, but the subconscious mind controlled his
behavior. He said I want to do good, but I am not the one doing the
evil. Paul was not making a conscious decision he was acting on his
subconscious mind that was wired for sin. In his conscious thoughts he
wanted to do good but his subconscious mind he was a prisoner of his past
thinking, feeling, and actions that were programmed by sinful actions. He
goes on to say; I see another law working
in my body. That law makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other
law working in my body is the law of sin, and that law makes me its prisoner.
What a miserable person I am! Who will save me from this body that brings me
death? I thank God for his salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So of my (conscious) mind, I am a slave
to God’s law, but in my (subconscious mind) sinful self I am a slave to the law
of sin.
We
all have our idiosyncrasies. Whenever an experience, positive or negative has
touched us, it has a major input on how
we are wiring our brains. Since the thinking, feeling,
and action will vary from person to person, different people respond to the
same stimuli in a different manner. There are some sins that do not have
any influence on some people while others are in chains of bondage that seem
unbreakable.
How
does this knowledge help to understand the act of salvation?
Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor.5:17
Change
begins with you making a choice to change,
and that starts with being humble enough to realize that the events of your
life are the direct product of your belief system and decisions.
The
first step is repentance. Repentance is properly understood to mean a
change of mind--a change of the intention from wanting to sin to not wanting to
sin--that results in a change in action. It involves the decision to make a
change of behavior and/or attitude about something.
It
is important to realize that the brain must be re-wired in order to change your
behavior. Repentance is the changing of the mind. Our brain must be
rewired to see a change in our behavior. The mind must become a new
creation, old thinking, feeling, and
actions must pass away.
The
next step in salvation is belief. Our belief system must change. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things
are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these
things. Philippians 4:8
When
you change what you think, say or do in response to an event or situation, you
change inner emotional states. As emotions are molecules that transmit the
“what” to fire and wire” messages, whenever your felt experience of event
changes, accordingly, this physically restructures the gray matter of your
brain.
There
are many who will testify to the fact their life was bound by addiction that
controlled their life but when they came to Christ and accept His salvation old
habits were gone.
Research
has found even deeply entrenched behavior problems, such as addictions,
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
have been shown to respond to treatment that follows proven methods of rewiring
the brain by altering current thought-response patterns. However, there
is more to salvation than just “rewiring the brain.”
One
question that goes unanswered is how was the brain wired for sin? You do
not teach a child to lie, steal, or hurt someone;
they instinctively know how to do these things. Why?
Traditionally,
the study of communication pathways between the head and heart has been
approached from a rather one-sided perspective, with scientists focusing
primarily on the heart’s responses to the brain’s commands. However, that
communication between the heart and brain actually is a dynamic, ongoing,
two-way dialogue, with each organ continuously influencing the other’s
function. Research has shown that the heart communicates to the brain in four
major ways: neurologically (through the transmission of nerve impulses),
biochemically (via hormones and neurotransmitters), biophysically (through
pressure waves) and energetically (through electromagnetic field interactions).
Communication along all these conduits significantly affects the brain’s
activity. Moreover, our research shows that messages the heart sends to the
brain also can affect performance.
There
is much that is written about the heart of man. In scriptures we are
taught:
Jeremiah
17:9 - The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who
can know it?
Mark
7:21 - For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders,
Romans
3:10-18 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans
1:21 - Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God,
neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
heart was darkened.
Psalms
51:5 - Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
It
is not the brain that conceived the knowledge and actions of sin, but rather
the heart. Many believe that the heart is spoken of in the scripture as
symbolic of the emotions of man.
Ezekiel
36:26 - A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you a heart of flesh.
Psalms
51:10 - Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Jeremiah
17:9 - The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who
can know it?
Jeremiah
17:10 - I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man
according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings.
Matthew
5:8 - Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Ezekiel
11:19 - And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you, and I will take the stony heart out of
their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh:
Proverbs
4:23 - Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of
life.
Hebrews
4:12 - For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart.
James
4:8 - Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands,
[ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.
Proverbs
21:2 - Every way of a man [is] right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth
the hearts.
Psalms
34:18 - The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth
such as be of a contrite spirit.
Proverbs
3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own
understanding.
Here
is what researchers have found about the heart. This only verifies what
the scriptures have said all along.
“A
small group of cardiologists joined forces with a group of neurophysiologists
and neuroanatomists to explore areas of mutual interest. This represented the
beginning of the new discipline now called neuro-cardiology. One of their early
findings is that the heart has a complex neural network that is sufficiently
extensive to be characterized as a brain on the heart. The heart-brain,
as it is commonly called, or intrinsic cardiac nervous system, is an intricate
network of complex ganglia, neurotransmitters, proteins and support cells, the
same as those of the brain in the head. The heart brain's neural circuitry
enables it to act independently of the cranial brain to learn, remember, make
decisions and even feel and sense. Descending activity from the brain in the
head via the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the ANS is integrated
into the heart’s intrinsic nervous system along with signals arising from
sensory neurons in the heart that detect pressure, heart rate, heart rhythm, and hormones.
The
anatomy and functions of the intrinsic cardiac nervous system and its
connections with the brain have been explored extensively by neuro-cardiologists.
In terms of heart-brain communication, it is generally well-known that the
efferent (descending) pathways in the autonomic nervous system are involved in
the regulation of the heart. However, it is less appreciated that the majority
of fibers in the vagus nerves are afferent (ascending) in nature. Furthermore,
more of these ascending neural pathways are related to the heart (and
cardiovascular system) than to any other organ. This means the heart sends more
information to the brain than the brain sends to the heart. More recent
research shows that the neural interactions between the heart and brain are
more complex than previously thought. In addition, the intrinsic cardiac
nervous system has both short-term and long-term memory functions and can
operate independently of central neuronal command.”
The
heart is the first organ to form during development of the body. When an embryo
is made up of only a very few cells, each cell can get the nutrients it needs
directly from its surroundings. But as the cells divide and multiply to form a
growing ball, it soon becomes impossible for nutrients to reach all the cells
efficiently without help. The cells also produce waste that they need to get
rid of. So the blood and circulatory system, powered by the heart, together
form the first organ system to develop. They are essential to carry nutrients
and waste around the embryo to keep its cells alive.
The
neural output or messages from the intrinsic cardiac nervous system travel to
the brain via ascending pathways in the both the spinal column and vagus
nerves, where it travels to the medulla, hypothalamus, thalamus and amygdala
and then to the cerebral cortex.
Had
the existence of the intrinsic cardiac nervous system and the complexity of the
neural communication between the heart and brain been known sooner there would
have been a clearer understanding of the heart-brain connection.
Understanding the heart/brain connection is vital in understanding the plan of
salvation. When the scriptures speak of the heart/mind it is not symbolic
but the reality of how man is created. Even researchers agree that the
connection between the heart and brain tell us what makes each of us a whole
person.
Having
a pure heart and a mind fixed on Christ can restore a sinful person back to
their rightful relationship with God. You always have the option, once you
realize this, to choose the thoughts, emotions, actions you want to express in
your life. All automatic thoughts, emotion- or action-patterns that cause
guilty in your life are based on misguided understandings, mostly subconscious,
between your heart and mind. This is from the old hard wiring of the
brain.
It
is important to see a transformation of the mind. Paul understood the
importance of changing the mind, “. .be
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”Rom. 12:2
Repentance
is changing the mind, certain thoughts or behavior patterns must change so you
can clearly see what is true and what is not true. That is why the prophet said,
You will keep in perfect peace the mind [that is] dependent [on You], for it is
trusting in You. Is.26:3
To
consciously shift your focus on something opposite from what your brain has
been automatically trained to do to ensure your survival will require you to
come at this with determined force, to understand and accept that this will be
quite a challenge, incredibly so. We grow in our Christian
experience. Daily we take up the cross and follow Christ. The process of
repentance is the process of changing how our brain is wired. We change
our behavior by changing our thinking, feeling, and actions. We have been
admonished to have the mind of Christ.
To
see a change in the way we think and act is to have a clear vision of what we
should prioritize and value. To the extent you have a clear vision of your life
and what you most value, your heart and mind subconscious galvanizes, and
sharply focuses, your emotional energy to create thoughts, ideas, and actions
that align with your highest yearning changing how your heart and brain changes
your long-term behavior.
It’s
not an option. It’s how your brain is designed to work. You need a clear vision
of what you really want, who you want to be, what you’re willing to do and not
do, clear enough so you can see it, preferably involving most or all of your
senses, that is, you picture it, taste it, smell it, hear it, and feel it as if
it were already a present reality—in other words, Faith.
When
your vision is a passion, the part of your mind that is in control of forming
and breaking habits, the subconscious, is more quickly persuaded to let go of
and replace the patterns that have been causing problems. To influence change,
you must gain the cooperation of your subconscious mind. You need the vision to
energize your mind and body and focus the direction of change. You can achieve
what you want, more easily and effortlessly, when your conscious and
subconscious mind works together toward common goals.
This
no doubt the reason many who start to follow Christ give up and fail to see a
change in their thinking, feeling, and
actions. Their behavior has not changed. They have not worked out
their own salvation with fear and trembling. They have not counted the
cost of following Christ.
Godly
sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but
worldly sorrow brings death.2Cor.7:10
“That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
HEART that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9
The
toughest work is repentance because it’s the actual changing of behavior. You
have to perform another behavior instead of the old one. Once you recognize
that you are a sinner, and why the cycle of sin is re-occurring, you now have
to replace the old behavior by giving your brain new things to do. This is
where the change in brain chemistry occurs, where you are creating new neural
patterns, with your new mindset. By refusing to be misled by the old carnal
nature. Action seals the deal. When you consistently take action, going
opposite the emotional response you used to respond with to a triggering situation; you are consciously self-directing
changes in your brain. These changes will make it increasingly easier for you
to train yourself to respond, for example, with relative calm and confidence to
a situation that is normally triggering for you. The more you exercise a
Christ-like behavior, the more likely your subconscious mind will integrate it
as a learned pattern that becomes more and more automatic.
Eventually,
old thought patterns and intense emotional responses fade in intensity, and
your brain is not high jacked by the old nature. You’ve developed the capacity
to accordingly maintain an optimal emotional state of mind and body. Extensive
studies say that, when you determinately decide to change your mind, you cause
physical changes to your brain.
It
has been scientifically shown that the brain is structurally altered by changes
in your behavior patterns. You can put off the old ways of thinking patterns
and old limiting beliefs by the transforming power of Christ. Salvation
offered by Christ is truly a change in our thinking, feeling, and actions.
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