The Relationship between the Spirit and the Intellect

Abstract

We are called to lead a progressing and growing spiritual life helped by various means including the Holy Bible, church teachings and spiritual books. The outstanding question is how this spiritual growth can practically and optimally be achieved? What we are sure about is that over years of one’s life people learn, develop skills and mature intellectually. Because of the many life experiences, they learn roles, patterns and best ways of dealing with various circumstances. Man’s spirit is a gift from its Giver, God, Genesis 2:7. Our spirit is expected to follow the same pattern of growth and development as our intellect as long as we appreciate its presence and its need for growth. Knowing that the spirit is part of the human being, one cannot imagine that spiritual maturity is independent from that of the body. We know that the spirit leads the body to good deeds, described as the fruits of the spirit, Galatians 5:22. Even those fruits are not completely flesh-driven, but the result of a close mystical interaction between the spirit and the body. One wonders if this reciprocal relationship, with the human brain and intellect driving some of the spiritual development, also exists. This article discusses this question.