The Trouble W/Intellect

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You know, so many in the body of Christ have made "intellect" seem like a bad thing. Well, this isn't always the case. Look at the scribes and pharisees for a moment, now they were intellectual ... scholars in fact. They had the word of God perfected in terms of knowing the scriptures and interpreting their simplistic, literal and investigative meanings. The problem is -- they had no rhema because they were bound by witchcraft, religion and ignorance. Yes, "scholars" can be ignorant.

1 Corinthians 2:10-14 (New King James Version)

 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
 
11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
 
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy[a] Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
 
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
 
15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?"[b] But we have the mind of Christ.
 
The scribes and pharisees who walked in this manner were fools. They believed what they believed and sought no understanding. A foolish person is a person who chooses to be ignorant. The bible says many things about fools, but the these to things stand out most to me:
 
(1) Hosea 4:6: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
 
(2) Proverbs 18:2: A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart.
 
Intellect in the mind of a fool is DANGEROUS. But intellect inside the RENEWED MIND of a man or woman of God is an ASSET to the Kingdom. Their understanding runs in multiple, multiple dimensions and as the bible says ... stupid things will confound the wise. This is why the scribes hated Jesus so.  They tried to use their "head knowlege" to combat his teachings and says, but because Jesus had "head knowledge and spiritual knowlege."
 
In one incident, Jesus was telling the Pharisees off. The word says:

John 8:27-29:  27They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
 
Our intellect is ESSENTIAL to retaining and then regurtitating (for lack of a better word) the word of God. If it was not so, we would not have been URGED so, so many times to take on the "MIND OF CHRIST." Remember now, a natural man cannot understand the things of the spirit.
 
Our intellect rests in our soulish realm. The reason why so many people who profess a love of God never seem to progress in his word is because they are operating out of an "UNRENEWED MIND." As a result, their emotions are out of control and their "reasoning" with the word of God. Carnal Christians behave this way. The best thing to do when faced with them is to just move out of the way and let God.
 
This is why it is so dangerous sometimes for us to study and go to school to learn things in the spiritual realm. (Hear me in the spirit ...) I know I'm answering a question here for someone whose torn with this. Some theology schools, not all, teach those attending how to think and rationalize God's word from a "carnal" perspective. And if a person is not rooted well or happens to be confused concerning God's word, they will take on a religion and quickly become like the scribes and pharisees whom Jesus rebuked. If a personal is carnal, then their mind is retaining the information just like you would retain your mutiplication tables or alphabet.

The Apostle Paul was the most educated Apostle in the bunch. Before he was called into the ministry, he knew the Torah and the Prophets. He also knew Jewish traditions as well as those of the Greek. In todays terms, we would say Paul was well-educated and would label him as a proven expert in religious law on multiple levels -- including persecution. But when his mind was renewed with Jesus Christ over those decades, his intellect moved from FOOLISHNESS to WISDOM/KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING.
 
The Apostle Paul connected with the Rhema. The correct use of intellect led to a lot of wonderful moves of God for the body of Christ. Now, like Jesus, the Apostle Paul can use those things that he learned in the natural accurately, adequately and clearly spread the gospel.
 
Intellect is dangerous in the hands of a fool ... just look at our society today. I thank God for continuous mind renewal in Christ Jesus. I imagine that it's an aweful thing for folks to "believe" they are saved, when in reality they are not --- and don't even know it. The Pharisees thought this ... and look at what happened to them ...
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