Paul, Neuroplasticity and the Secret of Change - Part 1

The title might be more intriguing than the blog! Hopefully not. But I ask that you bear with me for a few minutes

I have been fascinated over the last few years about the topic of neuroplasticity. This is, in laymen terms, the ability of human beings to change the neural network (or connections) of the brain that form the basis of behavior. This discipline has shown that the brain is "plastic", able to be reshaped and reformed to bring about different, or desired, behaviors and actions. What is remarkable about this study is its affirmation that we are not all confined to a specific way of being but that we can, actually, change.

This change, however, requires the rewiring of the brain's connections (called synapsis). This change, however, happens over time as we begin the arduous process of training our brains to make new connections in order to shape new behaviors. For instance, I was not very good (well, not good at all!) at math. This struggle in math created a mindset in me that was debilitating. My brain became wired with these negative thought patterns and this not only trapped me but greatly limited the amount of effort I gave to the subject. That "limited amount of effort" formed a synapsis (a connection) in my brain that created the kind of behavior that could only produce average to below average grades.

The only way out of that way of behaving was to rewire my brain through the process of disciplined effort. I would need to go against my natural mindset and behavior of hating math (old synapsis) in order to create a new attitude (new synapsis) which would have yielded better grades. It finally did, but that I will discuss in the next blog.

What does this have to do with Paul and change? Paul taught neuroplasticity before it was even a term!

In Romans 12:1-2 Paul says,

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living

sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to

this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what

is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

To Paul, change always began in the mind. In fact, the first significant change - the fall of Adam and Eve into sin - was due to a change of mind (2 Corinthians 11:3). All change begins in the mind before it is ever the effort of our lives and we cannot reverse this order if we long to see change that is lasting.

Paul says that change begins with our being "transformed by the renewal of your mind...." This transformation is something that happens to us by the Holy Spirit and is reflected in a renewed (rewired) mind. The word "transformed" is also in the present tense meaning that it is something that is to continuously takes place in order for us (our minds) to be renewed. That, in a nutshell, is neuroplasticity in Romans 12! Or, should I say that neuroplasticity is Romans 12?

In other words, what neuroscientist convey as new is actually not new. It's rooted in the truth of the Bible. All change in behavior involves a rewiring of the synapsis of our minds (brains). When the Bible speaks of the brain, however, it does so in connection not only to what we think but also to our affections and emotions. Therefore, spiritual change - growing in our love for Jesus, the Word, prayer, loving other believers, etc - demands the continual transformation of the Holy Spirit and this transformation brings about a spiritual rewiring. This means that the Holy Spirit changes the sinful synapsis we inherited by birth which causes us to dishonor God by creating new wiring that revive, renew and restore the connection we had before sin came into the world.

If we want to see spiritual change and growth in our lives we need the connections in our mind rewired and this comes only when we submit our minds to the Holy Spirit. Spiritual struggle is a wiring problem not a problem that is inevitable. If we long to see a difference in our behavior we need the Spirit to rewire our moral connections back to the Lord and His Word.