The Intellect Verses The Heart

[Guest clancy]

24 minutes ago, Starise said:

@clancy Sorry to hear of the disagreement with your friend and I pray it gets cleared up soon. 

I'm guessing the disagreement might have been over this subject? 

I believe we need both intellect and the heart to make the right choices.

There has been much debate over what exactly the heart really is. I think the two are intertwined tightly. Intelligence and the Spirit.

Unsaved people have a heart. Their heart isn't open to the Spirit so it tends to fall into the natural state of the flesh. The Christian heart is much different because we were infused with God's Spirit.If we strive to follow His Spirit within us, we can go through life with His leadership in our lives. Christians often describe being "led by the Spirit". I believe this flows over into all of life's choices and decisions.

I would ask, how much does one need to know to follow Christ? My answer would be only enough to believe, accept and follow. 

No matter how intelligent a person is, lack of the Holy Spirit dams up the ability to use the knowledge to discern. A person with a mental handicap can accept Christ,  they may need to simply trust God for the answers they are incapable of obtaining due to their handicap. They might not even realize they don't know what they don't know. I don't believe God holds those people accountable for lack of knowledge.

Most of us don't fall into that category. Instead of plotting them both  in contrast to one another, I suggest we see them working in tandem with the Lords Spirit. In reality intellect and Spirit are a combined unit working together. Most of us don't look at one and say to ourselves," You know today is spirit day. I am totally ignoring my mind. I'm just going to sniff the spirit where ever it leads me."

Even this is a choice first made with the intellect. Even if it's a bad one.

I’ve had to distance myself, she believes in sex before marriage, I don’t, she doesn’t believe we are to walk in God’s will or be obedient to him, then denied it ,it front of her friend,??

For my own sanity I have now distanced myself, I ask the Lord for his guidance in the situation.

Edited June 14, 2021 by clancy

[Alive]

I think that the vital ingredient is a gift from God and that Gift is Faith. That Faith is Spiritual, in that it is Supernatural and above a natural understanding, but does not in any way negate the understanding. Both are required because we are human and are made that way.

This verse may be helpful--there are many like it that also put the focus on 'faith'.

Heb. 4:2 (NKJVS) For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

[David1701]

52 minutes ago, clancy said:

Absolutely...it’s a real intimate relationship with Christ.

There is none like it, I talk to the Lord about everything, all day everyday I involve him in everything....I know he hears me, don’t always get an answer  straight away, faith is active, trusting,knowing, waiting, resting only in him,? 

Amen!

[Guest clancy]

39 minutes ago, Starise said:

@clancy Sorry to hear of the disagreement with your friend and I pray it gets cleared up soon. 

I'm guessing the disagreement might have been over this subject? 

I believe we need both intellect and the heart to make the right choices.

There has been much debate over what exactly the heart really is. I think the two are intertwined tightly. Intelligence and the Spirit.

Unsaved people have a heart. Their heart isn't open to the Spirit so it tends to fall into the natural state of the flesh. The Christian heart is much different because we were infused with God's Spirit.If we strive to follow His Spirit within us, we can go through life with His leadership in our lives. Christians often describe being "led by the Spirit". I believe this flows over into all of life's choices and decisions.

I would ask, how much does one need to know to follow Christ? My answer would be only enough to believe, accept and follow. 

No matter how intelligent a person is, lack of the Holy Spirit dams up the ability to use the knowledge to discern. A person with a mental handicap can accept Christ,  they may need to simply trust God for the answers they are incapable of obtaining due to their handicap. They might not even realize they don't know what they don't know. I don't believe God holds those people accountable for lack of knowledge.

Most of us don't fall into that category. Instead of plotting them both  in contrast to one another, I suggest we see them working in tandem with the Lords Spirit. In reality intellect and Spirit are a combined unit working together. Most of us don't look at one and say to ourselves," You know today is spirit day. I am totally ignoring my mind. I'm just going to sniff the spirit where ever it leads me."

Even this is a choice first made with the intellect. Even if it's a bad one.

Thank you brother, you are such a sweetie!.?

[David1701]

1 hour ago, Marathoner said:

The scribes, lawyers, Pharisees, and even the Sadducees possessed the scriptures. What did the Lord say of them?

But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. (John 5:38-40 NKJV)

Do not forbid anyone from coming to the Lord so they might have life. Yeshua the Christ who is, was, and will always be the Word of God, is He who gives us life. If the scriptures gave us life and the Pharisees possessed those scriptures, why did the Lord say, "But you do not have His word abiding in you"? 

They didn't believe the Word of God and wouldn't come to Him for life. 

That was exactly the passage (John 5:38-40) that I was going to post!  I decided not to, but I suspect that I should have... (I'm not always as sensitive to the Lord's leading as I ought to be ). Anyway, you did it, so the word went out. 

[Marathoner]

3 minutes ago, David1701 said:

That was exactly the passage (John 5:38-40) that I was going to post!  I decided not to, but I suspect that I should have... (I'm not always as sensitive to the Lord's leading as I ought to be ). Anyway, you did it, so the word went out. 

It's all good, brother. You do realize that I'm including you in the post I wrote above, right? I witness the Spirit of God working through you all, a living testimony of His many-membered Body. There's nothing quite so lovely, good, and worthwhile as our Lord Jesus Christ working through His holy ones (saints). 

I have my own moments when I'm not as sensitive as I ought to be. Hence we're in good company! If I don't say it, you will; and if you don't say it then don't worry, someone else will.  

[Starise]

18 minutes ago, clancy said:

I’ve had to distance myself, she believes in sex before marriage, I don’t, she doesn’t believe we are to walk in God’s will or be obedient to him, then denied it ,it front of her friend,??

For my own sanity I have now distanced myself, I ask the Lord for his guidance in the situation.

Wisest thing to do there. You can't reason with people who won't reason with God.

[Riverwalker]

14 minutes ago, Starise said:

Wisest thing to do there. You can't reason with people who won't reason with God.

Haven't even read the thread yet, but had to give you two thumbs way up for this wisdom

[Riverwalker]

8 hours ago, clancy said:

I would say my intellect is pretty average.

Can we discuss how important it is to have intellect,?

No disrespect to those with high intellect, but, do you think that being overly intellectual ,it can hinder the work of the Holy Spirit, in their hearts?

Are they at a disadvantage in any way?......is their thinking over complicated?....they are highly intellectual, so surely  must be thinking that way constantly?

Can the Holy Spirit work better in a meek uncomplicated mind?...on saying that most minds are complicated aren’t they....I guess the Holy Spirit speaks to the heart of a person ,which is relayed to the mind.

i am growing and trying to understand,...no problems if this OP is taken off course,..I love to see the twists and turns of an OP.

can also understand how annoying it can be to those who like to stay strictly to the OP......we all differ.?

Intelligence can very much get in the way of way your relationship with God. IF you think you know all that, what can God teach you,. But its not really about IQ its about Attitude

Pride or Humility 

1 Peter 5:5 Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Those who are proud of their intellect and knowledge  find it hard to overcome  and get humble. But as the bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:27  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty

I am a pretty smart person.......but through age I have gained the wisdom to know I am smart enough to know I don't know everything and that I cannot comprehend everything

So I bow before God and what he has told us in His word

[Marathoner]

I wouldn't fret about things getting in the way because the Lord is faithful to deal with those things in His time. 

It's worth keeping in mind that we all have our shortcomings. As for me, of course I thought I knew everything. I taught myself how to read and write before I was school age and by the time I was enrolled in school, class bored me to tears. I have an eidetic memory and so I retain considerable portions of what I read.

This, coupled with the fact that I'm off in the head, didn't bode well for my grade school career. Before the first day of school started I had read my textbooks cover to cover, reproducing pages on notebook paper with loving detail. I paid particular attention to glossaries and indices; those were great fun to copy. 

My favorite book in the world was my father's Oxford Dictionary of the English language. I reproduced pages from the dictionary at home, so imagine what happened in class when I landed myself in trouble for talking with others because I was bored. What was the punishment assigned by the teacher? Copy a page from the dictionary. Hah! I loved it. 

I frustrated my teachers later on. I wouldn't do homework but passed their exams with flying colors. Homework was dreadfully boring. I'd rather dig for worms in the backyard.  

All of the knowledge in this world amounts to nothing. When our Lord Jesus Christ received me as His son, He trounced me and saved me from myself. Thank God!

Edited June 14, 2021 by Marathoner
typo