The Knowledge of God Boosts Our Intelligence

Romans 1:28
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Good News Translation
Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do.

Contemporary English Version
Since these people refused even to think about God, he let their useless minds rule over them. That’s why they do all sorts of indecent things.

Amplified Bible
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or consider Him worth knowing [as their Creator], God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are improper and repulsive,

New Living Translation
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

If the knowledge of God boosts intelligence then the opposite is true. The lack of knowledge of God significantly affects our intelligence, mental abilities, and general judgment, and decision-making. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

Apostle Paul tells the church in Rome that those who rejected the knowledge of God were significantly affected. By rejecting the knowledge of God, God responded by abandoning them to their foolishness and they lost their mental capacity to think and do right. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

When Paul tells us that God abandoned them, it means that God actively gets involved in the way our brains function. When we think we are clever, it is God acting. When we think we are smart, it is God in us. Our brains work and we reason well because God has not abandoned us. If God abandons the work He does in our intellect, we immediately lose it. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

Deuteronomy 8:18
But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

The mental ability used in wealth production comes from God. He didn’t give it once at birth then walked away. God actively works with you in the business scene so that you avoid losses and make profits. Wealth creation is a result of a well-functioning sharp mind. A sharp mind is sharp because God is working in it and He has not abandoned it. In our day-to-day activities, God drives the agenda by influencing our minds positively. To reject God and the knowledge of God is to risk being left with a poorly functioning mind. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Wisdom is a function of the brain and intellect. Apostle James writes that if anyone feels that they are short of wisdom, they shouldn’t despair and surrender to it as if it is an unchangeable birth defect. James tells us to ask God and He will give it. God is actively involved in the functioning of our brains and intellect. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

Intelligence is not a result of only wide reading or genetic advantage from parents. Intelligence is also a result of conversion and faithfulness to Jesus. If you are faithful to God and are hardworking, God will give you mental abilities you never thought you ever possessed. If you abandon God you lose them. Faithfulness to God maintains your mental competence. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

Daniel 1:17
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego were in Babylonian captivity forced to study what they did not choose. They excelled in their studies because God gave them mental abilities to grasp the knowledge of Babylon. They excelled in secular Babylonian studies because God enabled them. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

Our main text today tells us that the knowledge of God is enough to cause us to excel intellectually. Just the knowledge of God. Study about God. Know more about God. Relate with God through prayers, Bible study, and fellowship. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

However, that doesn’t mean that we only study about God. We take time to have the knowledge of God, but we also pursue other studies. An accountant should have the knowledge of God but excel in Accounting. An Engineer should have the knowledge of God but excel in Engineering. It is wrong to have a mastery of scripture and yet getting poor grades in school. Such failure is not of God. You can’t be having a mastery of prophecies and other deep spiritual teachings but you are repeating exams in School. A balance is critical. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

It is self-defeating to abandon faith in order to focus on your studies. That is a sure way of failure or mediocrity in the profession you are pursuing. Have a balance, time for God, and time for studies. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

The first time at work a believer totally depends on God. They pray a lot. They plead with God to help them at work. The first time at work a person succeeds because they depend on God. After some time the person gains confidence and they can explain processes and see how things work. Soon there is no place for God. The place of God is now replaced by experience and confidence that I know, I am better. At that point, the person starts to gradually go down. As they abandoned God, God abandoned them, incompetence creeps in and failure eventually becomes unavoidable. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

Are you still dependent on God in your work or you now know? Are you still dependent on God in your marriage or you now know? Are you still dependent on God in your business or you now know? If you now know and have abandoned God, God will abandon you and the competence you had will disappear and failure is coming to you head-on. The knowledge of God boosts our intelligence!

Dear God, I totally depend on You. If after sometimes I forget to depend on You and experience and confidence creeps in, alert me and save me back to depending on You. Teach me to crave knowledge of You my God. May my intelligence, business acumen, school excellence, and wisdom be a testimony that You have not abandoned me, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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