The Bible has much to say about the intellect and how Christians should view and use their minds. Here is an overview of the key biblical principles regarding the intellect:
The intellect is a gift from God
According to the Bible, our ability to think, reason, and understand comes directly from God. “The Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6). Our minds and intellect are incredibly complex gifts that reflect the nature of our Creator. We should be thankful for this gift and seek to steward it well.
The intellect is limited without God’s revelation
Despite having remarkable minds, human intellect is limited in what it can understand apart from God’s revelation. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). We need God’s truth and wisdom to rightly understand ourselves, the world, and God Himself.
The intellect can be used for good or evil
While the intellect is a gift from God, like anything good it can be misused for evil. Scripture warns, “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts…” (2 Peter 3:3). Without submitting our intellects to God’s truth, they can easily be used to justify sinful behavior, doubt God’s Word, and lead us into all kinds of error and destruction.
The intellect should be renewed by God’s truth
An important aspect of the Christian life is having our intellects renewed and transformed by God’s truth. “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” (Romans 12:2). As we meditate on and apply God’s Word, it renews our minds to think God’s thoughts after Him.
The intellect should be used to love and serve God
The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind (Luke 10:27). Loving God with our intellect involves using it to know Him, obey Him, discern truth, teach others, and defend the faith. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
The intellect is prone to pride without humility
With the gift of intellect also comes the temptation towards intellectual pride. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). We can easily become arrogant in our knowledge. This is why God calls us to approach intellectual pursuits with humility, realizing that true wisdom comes from fearing Him (Proverbs 1:7).
The intellect alone cannot comprehend spiritual truth
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). While incredibly powerful, the unaided human intellect cannot on its own understand spiritual truths. We need the illumination of the Holy Spirit to open our minds to comprehend and apply God’s truth.
Faith and intellect work together
In the Christian life, faith and intellect are not at odds, but work together. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27). Our intellect helps us articulate, defend, and apply the faith, while our faith gives us conviction and trust in God’s truth that transcends human reason.
All intellectual pursuits should be unto God’s glory
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). This applies to our intellect as well. Whether philosophy, science, academia, or any field of study, our ultimate motivation should be to use our minds to better understand God’s truth, beauty, and glory.
Heaven will bring fuller understanding
While we can gain much intellectual knowledge in this life through God’s revelation, our understanding remains limited. But Scripture promises that in eternity we will have far greater comprehension. “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). The intellectual gift God has given us now is but a foretaste of what is to come for eternity.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). Any true intellectual pursuit must begin with the reverent fear and awe of God. He is the source of all wisdom and knowledge. To rightly develop our intellects, we must humbly recognize our dependence on and submission to our Creator and Redeemer.
In summary, the Bible provides the principles for how Christians should view and develop their intellects. Our minds are incredible gifts from God to be stewarded well. We should cultivate humility, be transformed by God’s truth, and use our intellects for His glory. While limited now, they point us to the unfathomable knowledge to come in eternity under the light of our Creator and Savior.
