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Theologians, philosophers, anthropologists, and researchers have long pondered upon the age-old conflict between good and evil in humanity.  Among these great thinkers, there has largely been a consensus that this is a conflict between our primal instincts and our moral codes. These primal instincts were essential in helping our prehistoric ancestors through harsh times, and these hardwired instincts persist in us today. In moderation, these instincts continue to help us survive, satisfy needs, and avoid pain. However, these same instincts, when provoked to excess, can be malicious to ourselves and others. Modern researchers are still exploring the effects of external influences and internal reactions in our human brains, but the teachings of Jesus Christ are as relevant now as ever in calling us to resist evil forces and react with love. In fact, Christ’s teachings about this are remarkably similar to schools of thought in modern psychology, and secular science does not preclude the influences of spiritual forces (this will be explored further in the Blog paragraphs below). Christ’s fundamental teachings are reinforced by this modern science and this fact, in turn, reinforces my faith. “Faith leads to understanding and understanding reinforces my faith”. Since Christ’s teachings can be subject to various interpretations, an understanding of Christ’s mission and teachings should always be done “through the lens of love” which is unselfish, unconditional, and with universal altruism.

As discussed on our Home Page, evil exists because sin entered the world through human free will, impacting all creation as nature takes its course. We don’t live in paradise. God created our brains and bodies to evolve and solve problems, overcome hardships, and endure suffering. Humans require these challenges as a fundamental part of our development and survival. 

Jesus’ teachings about good and evil are included in the books of the Gospel, and these teachings were also included in Jesus’ revelations to the Apostle Paul, who wrote extensively on the subject in his letters that are now included in the books of the New Testament. Paul describes this subject, as Jesus did, as the conflict between the “Spirit” and the “flesh”.

The “spirit” (with lower case ‘s’)

The words “spirit” and “flesh” are used in various contexts in the New Testament. The word “spirit” (with lower-case ‘s’) is translated from the ancient Greek word pneuma, also meaning wind, breath, or life force.  In the context of natural human virtues, it represents a mortal life force of our conscious minds (before receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit) that operates solely on innate human reason and bodily desires. “For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within?” (1 Corinthians 2:11).

The word “spirits” is also used in the context of describing angels, God’s heavenly messengers. “What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).

The New Testament also refers to spirits in the context of malevolent spiritual forces. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in high places” (Ephesians 6:11-12). Lutheran doctrine has historically affirmed the literal existence of Satan or the devil. However, many ELCA Lutherans view Satan’s influence as a metaphor for pervasive evil forces, deception, human surrender to temptation, and alienation from God—malevolent forces that seem so prevalent in the world today.

The Holy Spirit (with upper case “S’)

The primary context of the word “Spirit” (pneuma) (with upper-case ‘S’) in the New Testament is when the connotation is combined with the ancient Greek word for “Holy” (hagion). The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity—one God existing in three persons—God the Father (Creator, Sovereign), God the Son (Jesus Christ—Mediator, Redeemer, Lord and Savior), and God the Holy Spirit (Sanctifier—making us holy). It is a Holy indwelling and spiritual force rather than a human virtue. When referring to the third person of the Holy Trinity, the words “Holy Spirit” or “Spirit” are always capitalized.

Through faith and grace we receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. “When you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). God’s gift of the Holy Spirit empowers us to love God, love one another, resist evil, and endure trials. “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit leads us to love one another as Christ commanded, fulfilling God’s plan that Christ’s redemptive sacrifice would bring us salvation by grace through faith, and replacing the Old Testament laws with the New Covenant law of love written in our hearts (Romans 2:15—as foretold in Jeremiah 31:33). “Love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). This extends to radical love, with Jesus saying, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44). The Holy Spirit transcends the mortal “spirit” (with lower case ‘s’) and earthly hindrances, helping us to overcome our unbridled primal instincts and to live according to God’s will.

The “Flesh” and the Holy Spirit

The word “flesh” is also used in various contexts in the New Testament. Translated from the ancient Greek word sarx, it can refer to the material human body or the whole of humanity. “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood” (Hebrews 2:14). The word “flesh” is instead most often used in the New Testament to describe the human frailty of selfish, excessive, or uncontrolled temptation driven by the innate, unbridled primal instincts hardwired in our brains by our evolutionary roots.

The Apostle Paul expounds on the conflict of Spirit vs. flesh in Galatians 5:13-26. However, like much of scripture, the descriptions of some of our fundamental primal instincts are influenced by societal norms of the ancient world, and more contemporary interpretations are included in parentheses:

“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become enslaved to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour (metaphorically) one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:13-15). (In Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, he made it clear that “neighbor” refers to anyone that you may know of, including those with different cultures, values, or ways of life).  

“Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law (i.e., the Old Testament laws, superseded and fulfilled by the New Covenant law to love one another). Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality (adultery, sexual abuse), impurity (unbridled lust), debauchery (shameless sexual excess), idolatry (placing anything or anyone above God), sorcery (occult practices, false worship), enmities (hostility or hatred against others), strife (angry or bitter conflict), jealousy (fiercely protective of one’s rights, possessions, or desires), anger (extreme outbursts with loss of self control) , quarrels (angry disagreement), dissensions (breaking unity on shared values), factions (tribalism– loyalty towards one’s own community of shared values, with hostility or discrimination toward outsiders), envy (deep resentment or covetousness toward others’ advantages or possessions), drunkenness (loss of self control), carousing (disorderly, riotous collective behavior), and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:16-21).

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:22-26).

Even with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our innate primal instincts can sometimes prevail. The Apostle John reflects on this predicament in 1 John 1:5-9. The last two verses may be familiar to you as the introduction of the Lutheran liturgy prayer of Confession and Forgiveness:

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:5-9).

“Works of the Flesh” and the “Id” and the Nature of Evil

Since the “works of the flesh” are, as noted above, the result of our innate, unbridled primal instincts hardwired in our brains by our evolutionary roots, it is not surprising to see parallels in secular modern psychology. Some of Sigmund Freud’s theories from over 100 years ago are no longer accepted by modern psychiatry. However, his theories about the id, ego, and superego remain deeply relevant to modern therapies as metaphors for understanding human behavior.

Freud’s theory of personality addresses three different aspects of the mind. The “id” represents our unconscious primal instincts that evolve through God-given genetics and environments. The id can drive unrestrained, animalistic urges and desires, often seeking immediate gratification. This concept parallels the New Testament’s teachings about the corruptibility of the “flesh”.  The Apostle Paul’s lengthy list of “works of the flesh” can be summarized in the commonly known “seven deadly sins”, and they apply equally to the innate drives of the id when they are unrestrained. This listing of sins/drives, refined by theologians in the 6^th century, does not explicitly appear in the bible, but it represents a summary of sins and vices that appear in various biblical texts. Listed in order of perceived increasing severity, they are:

Lust: An intense compulsion for gratification, sexual pleasure, money, or power that may lead to harmful acts such as adultery, sexual abuse, or unbridled ambition at the expense of others. (Sexual lust in this context, like all the other sins, is NOT associated with love. The sin of sexual lust specifically condemns unbridled loveless lust that leads to “unnatural” acts, such uncontrollable lust regardless of innate sexual orientation; or it condemns exploitative cultural practices like those that were common in ancient Greco-Roman society, such as pederasty, ritual temple prostitution, or abuse by a person in a position of power. It does not condemn loving, non-exploitative relationships, including same-gender relationships).

Gluttony: Overconsumption of anything to satisfy selfish desires at the expense of others.

Greed: Similar to lust, a compulsive drive to acquire or possess riches beyond one’s needs. It may lead to deceit, theft, treachery, fraud, and violence, with no compassion for others in need.

Sloth: Avoiding responsibilities to one’s self, family, friends, neighbors, community, God, country, and others to whom you owe obligations.

Wrath: Uncontrolled anger, rage, hatred, and a drive for violence or vengeance—beyond the judicious needs for protection or deterrence. (“Hate begets hate, violence begets violence”, possibly in a continuous cycle, such as in feuds, “tribalism” conflicts, or wars).

Envy: An excessive insatiable desire and resentful covetousness toward the qualities or possessions of another. This resentment can grow into hatred or violence.

Pride: In this context, pride is considered the worst of the deadly sins. However, “normal” pride is honorable when a person takes personal satisfaction in their ethics and accomplishments. This is especially true when, in the words of American psychologist Abraham Maslow, a person achieves “self actualization” in their endeavors. Self actualization represents the achievement of a person’s full potential in ethically achieving a goal. While understanding their strengths and weaknesses, they continually strive to build on their strengths. However, in the context the worst deadly sin, abnormal pride is meant to refer to “hubris”—arrogance, narcissism, and overconfidence. Hubris can make a person believe that they don’t need God, or pretend to love God to boost their own image. This same hubris results in disrespect, contempt, and lack of empathy for others who are believed to be inferior to the person’s inflated self image. Therefore, hubris can also contribute to malicious social prejudices such as racism, sexism, ageism, classism, xenophobia, homophobia, and religious discrimination.

The Nature of Evil

Modern psychologists have taken the concept of these malevolent drives a step further by compiling them into a category of evil personality disorders referred to as the “Dark Triad”, encompassing each of the evil aspects of the Id and the seven deadly sins. Like many types of mental health conditions, there is a “spectrum” that ranges from mild to severe. The core personality traits of the Dark Triad, as described in the publication Psychology Today (with my comments in parentheses), are:

Narcissism: Driven by grandiosity, an inflated sense of self-importance, and a constant need for admiration and validation (the manifestation of “pride”). And, like pride, it can lead to disrespect, contempt, and lack of empathy for others who are considered to be inferior to the person’s inflated self image.

Machiavellianism: Characterized by strategic manipulation, cynicism, and a ruthless focus on achieving personal goals—regardless of who gets hurt (the manifestation of lust, greed, wrath, envy, and/or pride).

Psychopathy: Marked by a profound lack of empathy, high impulsivity, and the absence of guilt, shame, or remorse when causing harm to others (the manifestation of any or all of the sins—lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and/or pride).

Some researchers have suggested expanding the Dark Triad to include a fourth personality disorder—sadism (which is manifested by lust, envy, wrath, and/or pride), making it a “Dark Tetrad”. Like the other traits, sadism appears on a spectrum, from mild, such as “schadenfreude” (literally translated from German as “harm-joy,” it describes the feeling of satisfaction or gloating from another person’s misfortune), to extreme, such as deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, fear, or humiliation on someone, while lacking impulse control and empathy for their victim. Extreme sadism may involve “projection” when the sadist harbors deep-seated feelings of inadequacy, humiliation, or wrath. The extreme sadist projects their predator-prey drive toward a vulnerable victim as a symbolic substitute for a real, unavailable target at the source of their deep-seated feelings. Extreme sadism is often attributed to an environment of childhood trauma inflicted by a dominant person (such an abusive parent with shared genes linked to sadistic behavior) or by psychotic brain disorders involving hallucinations or delusions.

“Collective Sadism” is an extreme form of tribalism aggression. It is a primal drive within a closed community or society to inflict discrimination, cruelty, suffering, humiliation, mob violence, destruction, or genocide on a targeted group who are hated due to different cultures, ideologies, or ways of life. This collective sadism is normalized and propagated by emotional contagion within the community or society that shares what they believe to be superior group identity and culture. It causes a disassociation with personal responsibility when acting as a member of the “tribe”. Dissenters within the tribe are sanctioned for disloyalty.

Many people with any of these traits of the Dark Triad/Tetrad have learned to mask evil intentions with cunning charisma to manipulate others. Conversely, they may feign neediness in order to gain sympathy and naïve goodwill to fulfill their exploitive desires.

Another common exploit is using “gaslighting” to manipulate people. The term “gaslight” was derived from a 1944 psychological thriller movie of the same name in which the villain twists shared realities to make the victim doubt their own judgment and memory. In modern vocabulary, the term gaslighting may involve the denying established events, shifting blame to others, attacking others who point out valid inconsistencies, contriving distractions, and dismissing valid concerns as hysteria, “fake news”, hoaxes, or witch hunts. Gaslighting also involves false propaganda (“disinformation”), which is the spreading of deceptive information or half-truths that are designed to manipulate public opinion, discredit opposing views, or to incite societal division. It exploits our primal instincts, frequently using strong emotions and relentless repetition to bypass critical thinking.

The leaders of mass media organizations, driven by greed, have learned that they can exploit our primal instincts to attract viewers, with little regard for harm done. Many news media outlets have become so biased that they have become “echo chambers” for viewers, meaning that their content is tailored to almost exclusively reinforce a viewer’s pre-existing beliefs. This content rarely includes outright lies, but it is selective in the facts, and they are often presented with emotionally charged language to influence the viewer’s emotions. These one-sided perspectives appeal to our primal instincts of tribalism and wrath, with increasing polarization fueling hate, exclusion, or condemnation of those with differing beliefs, ideologies, cultures, or ways of life.

The leaders of social media, also driven by greed, have grown increasingly influential, in large part due to tech-related exploitation of our primal instincts. Similar to mass media organizations, they can propagate misinformation for profit. There is also a proliferation of toxic influencers and predatory content, driven by algorithms that recognize users’ engagement (through logged criteria such as views, likes, shares, comments, and session duration) and then steers the users toward more profitable, prolonged engagement and targeted advertising. This can eventually lead to user “screen addiction”. Strong emotions are drivers for user engagement, and our primal instincts, including needs for immediate gratification, are a prime target for the algorithms in amplifying their reach for engagement. Toxic content associated with strong emotions can include viral trends with risky behaviors, cyberbullying, harassment, trolling, rage baiting, hate speech, body shaming, self-harm, doxxing, and unsolicited exposure to explicit, violent, or malicious content. In addition to the orchestrated risks of mainstream social media, many online forums and chat apps allow user anonymity which can significantly reduce civility, especially for those with malicious intent. The consequences can be more severe, such as from sexual exploitation, scamming, phishing, “catfishing”, or malware. Advancements in Artificial Intelligence have further enabled more sophisticated types of fraud or harassment, with tools such as audio or video “deepfaking” to disguise or mimic a person’s voice or likeness. 

There are a number of predatory websites that use algorithms to exploit addictive behaviors in our primal instincts, such as Compulsive Buying Disorder and gambling. Beyond this, there exists a “dark web” with websites that require additional anonymity software to access. The dark web can include evil content such as illegal goods and services, hacking services, stolen data, stolen identity information, fraud services, malicious hoax propagation, hate chat groups, illegal pornography, and terrorism. Malware is also prolific on the dark web.

It’s ironic that advancements in modern technology can lead to regression in our primitive instincts. To resist all this easy access to temptation, we can, as noted above, “Put on the full armor of God (through the Holy Spirit), so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11).

The Human “spirit” (with lower case ‘s’) and the “Ego”

As noted earlier in this narrative, the word “spirit” (with lower case ‘s’), in the context of natural human virtues, represents a mortal life force of our conscious minds, before receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, that operates solely on innate human reasoning and primal instincts. The human spirit is analogous to Sigmund Freud’s theory of the “ego”. According to Freud, and later as adopted by psychology researcher Carl Jung, the ego is the center of our conscious mind and personal identity, working to organize our thoughts and emotions (The term “ego”, in this psychological context, is distinctive from the other common context of the word “ego”, when it instead refers to self-esteem or pride). Like the id, the ego evolves according to God-given genetics and environments. The ego assesses the reality of the external world and strives to act in accordance with laws and social norms. The ego does not ignore the id. The ego may even wish to yield to the id, but it tries to overcome evil impulses with defense mechanisms such as denial, repression, or fantasy. If the ego does yield to the evil forces of the id, an ethical “superego” (see below) punishes it with guilt and shame. In a healthy personality, the ego can help suppress the impulsive and evil primal instincts of the id, although internal and external influences can severely weaken our rational resolve.

The “Spirit” (with capital “S”) and the “Superego”

As noted earlier, God’s gift of Holy Spirit dwelling in us inspires “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).  “If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). This corresponds to agape love, characterized as unselfish, unconditional, and with universal altruism. The empowerment of the Holy Spirit is similar to Freud’s theory of the “superego”, except without the Spirit as a guide.  Like the id and the ego, the superego evolves through God-given genetics and environments. The superego represents our internalized “moral agency” which is the ability to make deliberate choices based on our moral codes of right and wrong, and to be accountable for the consequences. Our moral agency includes our conscience, ideals, and societal rules learned from parents and culture. It provides discernment, reinforcing ethical behavior with feelings of fulfillment, and inducing feelings of guilt or shame when we succumb to primal instincts and fall short of our moral expectations.

A healthy conscience, nurtured through a loving upbringing, embraces universal principles of fairness and empathy, whereas an overly harsh conscience, with impractical ideals, can lead to low self-esteem and guilt. On the other hand, a suppressed conscience, resulting from brain disorders or prolonged exposure to trauma, abuse or neglect, can cause emotional disassociation, inhibiting guilt or shame. In trials of temptation, our primal instincts may prevail over our conscience and moral agency. In addition, a moral agency grounded in imperfect societal norms may make us fall short of God’s will. Modern society often turns a blind eye to corruption, tribalism, and lack of empathy. The Holy Spirit reinforces and transcends the superego, inspiring us to look at and interpret everything and everyone through the “lens of love”.

The “Psyche” and the “Self”

Like the other ancient Greek words discussed in this narrative, the word “psyche” is used in various contexts. It is translated in the New Testament as “soul” or “life”, but they can appear in apparently conflicting contexts. Nineteenth Century theologian James Strong produced a book, now commonly known as Strong’s Concordance, which is an index of Hebrew and Greek words used in the bible, along with their respective translations, definitions, and contexts.  He noted that the Greek word “psyche”, “denotes the life-principle that animates the body and constitutes personal identity. Scripture employs this term for the living being itself—the “inner self” that thinks, feels, and chooses, and/or the immortal entity that endures beyond death. Context determines whether the emphasis is on earthly life, the conscious person, or the eternal soul that God redeems” (https://biblehub.com/greek/5590.htm). In the 1890’s, both Freud and Jung adopted the term “psyche” to represent the whole of the inner self. In Freud’s terms, this encompasses the whole of the id, ego, and superego in the conscious and unconscious mind. Like its components, the psyche evolves with God-given genetics and environments.

Psyche, of course, is the root word in “psychology” and “psychiatry”, and it is a common part of our modern vocabulary. Jung believed that the ultimate goal of the psyche or “self” was to seek wholeness and develop a person’s full potential as it moderates the “collective unconscious” (which correlates to Freud’s id and includes our primal instincts). This goal is similar to the 20^th century psychologist Abraham Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs” which ranks needs from the most basic primal instinct needs up to the advanced goal of “self actualization”, meaning to be the best a person can be. Maslow later expanded the scope of self actualization to include “transcendence”, including spiritual needs, such as acting with love for God and one another. Clearly, this is a parallel to the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

The Psyche and Motivations for Good vs. Evil / Spirit vs. Flesh

The psyche includes complex processes for motivating behavior, both good and evil. The main source of motivation in our brains is the God-given Reward/Threat System. Our brains use a vast network of neural connections, communicating with electrical impulses and chemical neurotransmitters, to reward positive behaviors, deter aversive behaviors, and protect against threats. “Neuroplasticity” refers to the brains ability to continually adapt to rewire and strengthen neural connections, driven by new experiences such as forming new memories and developing new skills, especially when reinforced by emotional significance or repetition. However, our primal instincts, initially formed through ancient genetic inheritance, have a limited window of neuroplasticity during early development in children. During this critical window, some rewiring of primal instincts may evolve due to environmental influences (good or bad), after which they remain largely engrained through adulthood. Even in healthy personalities, primal instincts can significantly motivate emotions and behaviors.

In ancient times, the heart was considered to be the center of emotions, where strong emotions create reactions like heart racing or aching. The symbol of the heart remains today as a metaphor for the brain where emotions are actually processed. Neurotransmitters in the brain operate primarily in the amygdala (which processes emotional responses, especially fear and anxiety) and the prefrontal cortex (which governs rational, moral decision-making, and impulse control). A healthy brain works to maintain emotional equilibrium and harmony, aligning your thoughts with your moral code and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. However, chronic stress, frustrations, trauma, brain disorders, and overwhelming temptations of the “flesh” can lead to evil consequences if unrestrained. For those that suffer from a mental health problem or disorder, it is vitally important to seek help from mental health professionals, who are God’s earthly instruments of healing. Appropriate therapy and/or medication may help relieve distressing symptoms. Spiritual counselling from pastors or other religious community leaders can also provide faith-based support. In addition, “social buffering”, with emotional support from family, friends, community, and caregivers can provide comfort and reduce a body’s stress response.

The Reward System

The Reward System neurotransmitters in the brain provide motivation to satisfy needs and desires, achieve goals, connect with others, and survive. They include:

Dopamine: The “feel-good” chemical. Provides the drive and motivation to satisfy needs and desires, delivering the rush of pleasure when satisfied, after which dopamine levels return to baseline.  The brain stores contextual memories of the experience and attaches emotional weight. Subsequent anticipation of the reward also stimulates dopamine. It also motivates the connection to others and empathy for their feelings. It can drive other higher-level needs such as love, compassion, learning, achievement, self actualization, and spiritual transcendence, including (as noted above) agape love, characterized as unselfish, unconditional, and with universal altruism, guided by the Holy Spirit. However, deficient dopamine function can result in depression or a lack of empathy, leading to disregard or contempt for others’ feelings or hardships. A lack of empathy can also lead to violence or aggression without shame or remorse. In addition, loss of impulse control and brain disorders can contribute to a warped reward system leading to over-indulgence, unbridled selfish ambitions, or malicious behaviors, thereby “rewarding” the “flesh” primal instincts of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and/or pride. In extreme cases, loss of impulse control, lack of empathy, and mis-wired neural connections can create a dopamine rush from sadistic acts of humiliation or violence.

Serotonin: The mood stabilizer. It regulates patience and behavioral inhibition, promoting a calm state of contentment and emotional balance. While dopamine provides the motivation for a reward, serotonin helps you resist temptation and wait for it, allowing your brain to consider long term consequences. However, serotonin deficiencies can result in poor impulse control driven by primal instincts, causing aggression and a drive for immediate gratification instead of long-term rewards. It can lead to disorders such as binge eating, compulsive shopping or gambling, and substance abuse. It can also lead to violent outbursts and harmful acts of aggression.

Oxytocin: The love, empathy, caregiving, bonding, and nurturing neurotransmitter and hormone. Combined with dopamine as the motivator, it builds trust and deepens relationships, with feelings of comfort, pleasure, community, and security as the rewards. It enhances agape love for one another. However, disorders that cause low levels of oxytocin can cause feelings of abnormal anxiety, social isolation, emotional detachment, lack of empathy, or paranoia. These abnormal feelings can be amplified, particularly against those outside the person’s “tribal” social group, escalating to hatred and wrath.

Endorphins: The natural painkillers and stress relievers. They help relieve pain by blocking pain signals in the brain, and help relieve stress by counteracting the overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol (see below). Endorphins also work together with dopamine to make activities like eating, exercising, or socializing feel more pleasurable and rewarding. Endorphins can trigger a spike in dopamine, resulting in feelings of euphoria and well-being (like from eating dark chocolate, spicy foods, or completing a workout). Endorphin deficiencies can lead to chronic pain, depression, and impulsive, dangerous behaviors.

The Threat Response System

The Threat Response System is an ancient evolutionary network designed for survival. When faced with real or perceived danger, it automatically triggers neurotransmitters and hormones that produce mental and physical changes intended to help protect you from harm, providing that they remain within a healthy balance. They include:

Cortisol: The primary stress hormone and, working together with adrenaline (see below), it triggers your fight-or-flight response when you sense danger or social threat. It floods the body with fast acting energy and sharpens focus. It temporarily alters immune responses to prevent immediate post-injury blood loss (through clotting) and it limits inflammation. In our evolutionary roots, this system was designed for short bursts of energy for physical protection. However, everyday emotional stressors can trigger the same responses, with chronic stress contributing to conditions such as anxiety, aggression, depression, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, frequent illness, cardiovascular disease, and blood clots/stroke. Unhealthy coping mechanisms can lead to substance abuse or social withdrawal. Cortisol can provoke instinctive aggression in the “fight” mode. On the other hand, a cortisol deficiency can cause a lack of fear and inhibition, also contributing to aggression or risky behaviors.

Dynorphin: The brain’s aversive neurotransmitter. It is released in response to acute or prolonged stressors. It dampens dopamine and causes feelings of discomfort, disgust, dysphoria, and anxiety, each acting as negative reinforcements to avoid the stressors. Overactivity of dynorphin can lead to acute depression and severe anxiety. It may also trigger impulsive or compulsive behaviors (like overeating, substance abuse, or risk-taking) as a means of coping.

Adrenaline (Epinephrine): The energy-boosting neurotransmitter and hormone. It kicks in alongside cortisol and noradrenaline (a related neurotransmitter) to give you a sudden burst of energy along with heightened alertness, allowing for rapid, instinctive reactions to threats. It increases your heart rate and redirects blood flow to muscle groups for quick physical action.  Blood also diverts from the brain’s prefrontal cortex (responsible for moral rational thinking) to the amygdala (which processes fear and emotional responses), allowing the emotional drives to override rational control. When driven by primal instincts, the resulting physical agitation and irrational thinking can provoke anger and violent aggression in response to a threat.

The Victory of the Holy Spirit

As noted above, the delicate balance of the psyche in modulating behavior can be easily upset by a wide variety of internal and external influences leading to evil behaviors. Our moral agency provides the capability to make rational decisions between good and evil, but our hardwired primal instincts can often be too tempting to resist, even in a healthy psyche. Instead, we can be empowered to choose goodness and love through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, granted to us, along with our salvation, as a gift from God by grace through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As noted above, the “law of love is written in our hearts”. Also as noted above, we recognize that the heart as the center of emotions is a metaphor for the processing of emotions in our brains, but feeling true agape love through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit creates real sensations of warmth, fulfillment, and joy in our hearts, instead of hearts racing with anger or aching with despair. Meanwhile, our brains also reward us for feeling this love with “feel good” neurotransmitters and hormones, all according to God’s plan. God has given us “victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

In the words of the Apostle Paul, I pray that God “grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:16-17).