We have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God that we may understand what God has freely given us.
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words
The man without the spirit foes not accept the things that come from the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them for they are spiritually discerned
1cor2:12-14
So you equate 'intellect' with 'wisdom of THIS WORLD'?
So NO ONE with true intellect could EVER understand the 'wisdom of God'?????
You're JOKING right?
How about this for 'enlightenment':
What about someone with intellect, (ability to learn), asks, seeks and knocks????
Are you trying to imply that one having SUPERIOR intellect is incapable of 'asking, seeking or knocking and God is incapable of revealing His truth to someone with superior intellect?
Now that is just inane. Education and intellect are two entirely different concepts.
I propose that those with 'lesser' intellect are incapable of understanding the more 'intricate' details of God's WISDOM. That is why there has ALWAYS been a NEED for 'teachers'. To TEACH those without the ability to understand WITHOUT someone who DOES explaining it to them.
I guess you believe that all the apostles were LACKING in intellect?
Yet Paul demonstrated a SUPERIOR intellect in everything he wrote. In fact, it TAKES someone of superior intellect to actually UNDERSTAND what he offered in any sense of 'deeper understanding'.
There are MILLIONS that can't even understand the two letters he wrote to the Corinthians. Choosing to believe just the OPPOSITE of what he wrote.
Yet you believe that intellect is somehow a burden when it comes to acceptance and understanding of God's word?????
See, what you have done is mistake intellect for 'wisdom'. Two entirely different things. The 'wisdom of this world' has nothing to do with 'intellect'. Intellect is merely the ability to find answers with fewer pieces of evidence. In other words, intellect is basically the ability of one to LEARN. Some have a NATURAL ability to understand things that others will NEVER understand even if someone tried to teach them.
And the Bible is a perfect example of a 'book' that many without intellect have chosen to believe says things that it does not and are incapable of understanding the things that it does say. Hence, all the false belief systems that exist today.
Look, the Holy Spirit is able to reveal whatever it chooses. But one's INTELLECT is a major factor in UNDERSTANDING what is revealed.
Example: Freedom. Accepted and understood as offered it is a 'beautiful thing'. But misunderstood it can be one of the most damning concepts offered in the Bible.
Grace is no different. Most can't even understand that the 'grace' of God isn't some FREE GIFT that is GIVEN freely.
The TRUTH is that grace is the OFFERING of the gift. And it's very simple to PROVE that those that believe otherwise are mistaken.
One question destroys any possibility of salvation being a 'gift' that is obtained FREELY. The offer was FREELY offered, but the acceptance is NOT free and therefore grace has nothing to do with salvation other than the OFFER.
So here is the question: Is there ANYTHING that we MUST DO in order to receive Salvation? It's a simple question. Requires nothing but a simple yes or no.
But LOOK what a 'lack of intellect' has allowed many to BELIEVE. If one has the CAPACITY to actually understand what it is that they believe, grace is a simple concept to understand. Yet look how many have been incapable of actually understanding it.
And here is the even MORE mystifying concept: Even after I offered SIMPLE words to explain a SIMPLE concept, there will be those incapable of understanding it.
So does intellect matter? It would appear that it's CRUCIAL. For we can clearly see those that do not possess it are capable of believing ANYTHING. And often incapable of understanding that which couldn't have been offered in a more simple manner.
Grace isn't Salvation. Grace was/is the OFFER. We did nothing to deserve the OFFER. it was offered freely. We did nothing to deserve it.
But the ACCEPTANCE of the 'gift' has nothing to do with grace. The Bible makes it perfectly clear that there are MANY THINGS that we MUST DO in order to receive.
And that is the problem with both the Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations. One believes in ONLY works and the other believes in ONLY grace. Yet the Bible teaches us that grace and words are inseparable so far as Salvation is concerned.
We are KNOWN by our ACTIONS. We are judged by the FRUIT that we produce. We begin with grace and our works establish the significance of grace.
So it's not ONE or the OTHER, it's BOTH Grace/Works. For the obtainment of salvation: The offer was purely GRACE, the acceptance of that offer is purely WORKS. Faith itself is WORKS.
Blessings,
MEC