Spiritual Food & The Spiritual Digestive System
The digestive system is responsible for breaking down food (the body’s single source of chemical energy) so that its nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and water can be absorbed and distributed to the needed parts of the body. Eating is essential for growth, one of the basic processes of life, as without food the body will only survive for a short amount of time.
The organs of the digestive system can be divided into two groups: the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), which includes the mouth, pharynx (throat), esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine; and the accessory digestive organs, which includes the teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and the pancreas.
The Processes of The digestive System
The process of digestion begins with desire, as the sight, smell, thought, or taste of food sends signals from the brain to the GI tract to prepare itself for the reception of food. This only happens when an appetite is present, however. When the desire for food is turned off or what is presented is not appealing the brain will not respond this way. However, when it does, the GI tract sends signals back to the brain (to the medulla oblongata), which in turn signals the stomach to produce gastric acid to assist digestion.
When food is taken into the mouth, it is mechanically broken down by the teeth and chemically broken down by enzymes from saliva, which is produced by the salivary glands. The saliva mixes with the food and allows it to form into a bolus (a round soft mass) before it is swallowed and travels down the esophagus and into the stomach. The stomach continues to break the food down via gastric acid and mucus, then passes it to the small intestine, where most of the food is absorbed. At this stage digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile juice from the liver enter the small intestine and further assist the food digestion process. Water and minerals are then reabsorbed back into the blood via the colon, a part of the large intestine. The remaining material is waste the body does not need, therefore it is eliminated from the body by the defecation process via the rectum.
Spiritual Food
Spiritual food is teaching, and just as digestion begins with desire, so does learning.
Spiritual food is the content that nourishes the inner self (mind, heart, will, and spirit [emotions]). It enters the inner self via the spiritual organs (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin). Therefore whatever is put before the eyes, flows into the ears, inhaled through the nostrils, tasted with the tongue, and comes in contact with the skin is food. It teaches in one way or another and affects the inner self that is connected to the innermost eternal spirit that goes before the Lord after death to be judged.
The condition of the spirit (inner person) determines what a person spiritually desires and chooses to spiritually eat. (As the inner spirit is connected to the outer person [the physical body], the condition of the inner person affects what is physically eaten as well.) What a person chooses to consume is consequently a matter of the heart. The heart is the center of a person and is linked to their mind. It determines the way they think, which thereby determines actions.
The truly spiritual mind is one that is submitted to Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). A mind submitted to Christ is led by the Spirit and produces a will that is submitted to God through Him. What follows is a desire for spiritual things. On the other hand, a mind not submitted to Christ will desire things of the flesh; that is, unspiritual things that feed sinful cravings and yield ungodly actions.
Spiritual food for the believer is Scripture and Biblically sound teachings. The medium by which it is ingested does not matter, as Paul taught that anyone who built on the foundation laid by the apostles could use a variety of materials (1 Cor. 3:12). Light (who is God) is also perceived through a spectrum, so there is more than one way to learn.
The word of God is referred to as food throughout the Bible text.
The prophet Jeremiah said:
When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. ~Jeremiah 15:16 (NLT)
David also wrote:
How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. ~Psalm 119:103 (NLT)
God also instructed Ezekiel and John to eat scrolls, which contained His words. The following is what He said when He commissioned Ezekiel.
8 Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you.”
9 Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me. It held a scroll, 10 which he unrolled. And I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom.
Chapter 3
The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. 3 “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. ~Ezekiel 2:8-3:3 (NLT)
John had a similar experience in Revelation. He recalled:
9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” 10 So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. ~Rev. 10:9-10 (NLT)
These excerpts show the word of God is spiritual nutrition. It provides the energy and sustenance needed for Christian living and ministry. Just as physical food is essential for physical growth, the word of God is essential for spiritual growth. Without it, the inner self will become spiritually malnourished, a state that could bring grave consequences.
The Process of Spiritual Digestion
Spiritual food is digested in the same manner as physical food. Once ingested, bile (emotions) from the liver (God) mixes with what has been eaten in order to help digestion. The broken down nutrients then travel throughout the inner self to the places where they are needed (the heart, the mind, the will, the emotions) and provide the elements necessary for growth. What cannot be absorbed is rejected (false teaching, bad doctrine) and expelled from the inner self as spiritual waste. The entire process repeats itself at the next opportunity to learn. Therefore it is the believer’s responsibility to remain disciplined as whatever is taken into the inner man affects the entire being.
REFERENCES
Tortora, G., & Derrickson, B. (2017). Tortora's Principles of Anatomy & Physiology (15th ed., pp. 779-781). Wiley.