Faith vs. intellect: Is the Bible meant for our brains?

Is intellect an enemy of faith?

Some seem to think so, such as popular charismatic preacher Todd White; he once said, “The Bible’s not meant for your brain. It’s meant for your heart. Your heart can take you places that your brain can’t travel.”

Certainly, there are aspects of our flesh, our nature, that can hinder our walk with God, at least on our end; after all, we still sin and doubt and stray.

But which aspects of ourselves are we to be especially wary of? Let’s look at two of those aspects in Scripture:

First, the intellect.

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD (Isaiah 1:18).

“Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures ...” (Acts 17:2).

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment” (Philippians 1:9).

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27).

Those verses seem pretty encouraging as far as involving our brains in our faith. As Jesus appeared to His disciples the day He rose from the dead, “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45), proving that the Bible is, in fact, meant for our brains.

But there’s another part of us that Scripture warns us about:

“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24).

“For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death” (Romans 7:5).

“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).

The common word there is passions: the carnal lusts and drives of our flesh. Those are things we feel more than think.

The movement that includes Todd White is all about what we feel. They emphasize the mystical. They overload the senses. They scream a lot. They move a lot.

They put a premium on passion to the point of publishing their own version of the Bible called The Passion Translation.

Now, nothing’s inherently wrong with raising your voice or being physically expressive and emotional in worship. There’s nothing wrong with fervency and zeal, if that’s what they mean.

But when they pit all that against intellect — and think that thinking quenches the Holy Spirit — that’s where they depart from the word of the Lord.

If they believe fervency and mysticism divide the heart from the mind, they’re creating a division where Scripture doesn’t. In the Bible, the heart is more than one’s emotional and spiritual center; it’s the seat of our emotions, will, intellect and conscience.

In Matthew 9:4, Jesus said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” In Luke 5:22, it’s “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?” Our hearts think and reason.

While the words heart and mind aren’t exactly synonymous in Scripture, neither are they divisible. Jesus calls both to love Him, and as we see in the Bible, both are corruptible.

You don’t need to check your brain at the church door. Let your mind be as fully engaged as your emotions. You can feel and think. You can joyfully reason and zealously discern.

Beware of anyone who discourages what Scripture encourages, like intellectual faith. And beware of basing your faith on your feelings, which are just as prone to wander as our intellect, if not more.