What does the "spirit of your mind" mean in Ephesians 4:23?

What does the "spirit of your mind" mean in Ephesians 4:23?

All humans are made up of spirit, soul, and body, 1Th 5:23. The 3 circles represent the default template of the 3 parts of a human being. Spirit is the breath of God that fills a person with life, Gen 2:7. Soul is the essence of the person, their persona (mind, will and emotions), and the body is the outer shell of flesh.

Though you might be familiar with these 3 circles, these are NOT the parts that Paul is referring to when he speaks of the ‘inner man’ (or new man) and the ‘outer man’ (or old man) in Eph.4:17–24.

If you look at the image below, the grey hexagonal is the ‘outer man’ (or old man) and the blue hexagonal is the ‘inner man’ (or new man). These are the two parts that Paul refers to in most of his writings.

The grey outer man connects the soul (or persona) of a person to the flesh. In other words, the thick red oval is the part of a human that functions in the world, ie: the carnal man with his 5-senses and his will and emotions.

The blue inner man connects the soul (or persona) of a person to the spirit. The thin yellow dashed line is the part of a human that is quickened when one gets saved. This is the part that can start to relate to God and start to understand the spiritual meaning in God’s Word, 1Co 2:12–14. This is the part that will also inhabit the new glorified body at the rapture/resurrection.

So, with this understood, I can answer your question by saying that the ‘spirit of the mind’ that Paul writes about is the blue hexagonal. This part that connects soul and spirit is the part that is quickened or reanimated when a person gets saved. It is this that Paul refers to as the ‘spirit of the mind’. It is the mind of the inner man and has nothing to do with the brain in one’s head.

This blue ‘inner man’ is the part that will assimilate the knowledge and gain understanding of the spiritual content of the Word. This is the part that connects to God and in which Christ is formed as the Word start to build it up and influence it. It is also this part that grows while the grey outer man diminishes. It is this systematic process that causes change to occur in the flesh. When the inner man enlarges, it starts to influence what is seen in the natural world. This is when bad habits slowly vanish, and godliness replaces it. The fruit of the Spirit is generated in the inner man and shows outwardly. The renewing of the mind (Rom 12:1–2) takes place in this inner man and has an influence on the outer man. If one stops to read and study the Word of God, it starves the inner man and it gets weak. It is this weakness that causes the outer man to become stronger, bringing with it the urges of the carnal nature again.

If you read the verse on the slide again, with the understanding that the image provides, the verse should make MUCH more sense now. It is interesting to note that a person can NEVER change their life and lifestyle, habits, cravings, spiritual understanding, and relationship with God, if they do not feed the inner man regularly with the Word of God. Overcoming habits and cravings and finding closeness with God ONLY comes when the inner man is strong, and the only way to strengthen it is to feed it on the milk and the meat of the Word.

This scripture will also take on a deeper meaning now,

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (21) I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.