Artificial Intelligence vs. Divine Intelligence…Who’s Winning?
Then God said, “Let Us make man in our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule” …So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:26, 27).
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him (Colossians 1: 16,17).
“I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13,14).
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done (Romans 1:28).
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).
From the very beginning of the created universe, there has been a battle between the Purpose of God and the purpose of the greatest of archangels who wanted to be equal with God. The archangel known as Satan the devil, or the dragon, very simply wanted for himself that which God the Father promised God the Son, the ruling and reigning over all creation, and an inheritance promised to Him: “…to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one Head, even Christ” (Ephesians 1: 10). His inheritance also including those human beings who would receive His life. The Author of Hebrews makes it clear that God has an inheritance for His Son; an inheritance that Satan wants:
“…but in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son Whom He appointed Heir of all things, and through Whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word…So He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs. (Hebrew 1:1-4; See John 1:12; Ephesians 1, 2:1-10).
The Battle
“There is no longer a Christian mind. There is still, of course, a Christian ethic, a Christian practice, and a Christian spirituality…but as a thinking being, the modern Christian has succumbed to secularization. He accepts religion – its morality, its worship, its spiritual culture; but he rejects the religious view of life, the view which sets all earthly issues within the context of the eternal…” This statement by Henry Blamires from his book, The Christian Mind, written in 1963, expresses his case for the fact that there is no accepted set of notions and attitudes that our society collectively accepts as distinctly Christian; no recognizable influence upon our social, political, or cultural life.
I believe if Blamires was to write the same book in 2023, he would have to state his case differently: “There is no longer a Christian mind. There is no longer a generally accepted Christian ethic, a common Christian practice, nor a universal Christian spirituality, or world view.” In fact, it appears that the shift to obtaining a one-world system of government being led by a cabal of wealthy crusaders for worldwide, one government control (Babel?), is fast-tracking the development of artificial intelligence (AI), designed to totally change the minds of people from what is the Mind of Divine Intelligence (DI) to the mind of the secular gods of a new world order which is opposed to the eternal purpose of God.
I remember, as a teen in the ’50s, that there used to be a collectively accepted standard of morals and ethics in our American culture that was based on Judeo-Christian beliefs. Even non-Christians accepted the values, morals and ethics that were derived from biblical teachings as being the cultural, societal, and political standards. We prayed before athletic events, public ceremonies, and even in public schools. We unashamedly confessed “In God We Trust,” saluted our flag, and men, without apology, accepted the role of protector and provider for women and children; right was right, and wrong was wrong. There was no middle ground when it came to morals and ethics in the 1950s. Then came the ’60s. The decade of the 60s introduced rebellion against Judeo-Christian standards and any authority. America has not been the same since.
From the absolute values of the ’50s to the relativism of the ’80s,’90s, and now the 21st century, we have witnessed the results of minds deceived by Satan whereby today, beginning in the ’90s, the ultimate cultural virtues are tolerance and permissiveness, and a secular movement to discredit Christianity. Satan’s battleground is the mind. If he can control our minds, he can control us. His pulpit is the television, internet social media, print media, the entertainment world, higher education institutions, and the public school system. The non-Christian buys into his philosophies because, to the logical and reprobate mind, they are more believable than the Christian message that lacks virtue in the lives of many professing Christians.
Upon the passing of the Apostles (John was the last to die), the Early Church began to gradually organize and institutionalize the gatherings of professing believers and followers of Christ, and the die was set to institutionalize what became known as Christianity when the Emperor Constantine (AD 306 to 337) made it officially the religion of Rome (See my article: Christianity Is Not Doing: It Is Being).
The Renewed Mind
From the very beginning of human existence, Satan has used the mind to deceive us: “Did God really say?” This was the question Satan asked Eve. He next lied to Eve, which appealed to her logic, and she bought the lie and talked her husband into doing the same. And when questioned by God as to why she disobeyed Him she replied, “The serpent deceived me…” (Genesis 3:1-13). As a result, man and woman fell from the perfect state of grace they were born into, and Satan continues to deceive. Liberal theologians also challenge the authority of God’s Word and echo the deceiver: “Did God really say?”
God knows, even for Christians, there must be a process instigated by our own wills that enables the Holy Spirit to renew our minds so that we can think with the mind of Christ and overcome the deceiver. That is why the Apostle Paul says, But that is no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to Him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything – and I do mean everything – connected with that old way of life has to go. It is rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life – a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you. (The Message Ephesians 4:17-24).
If my mind is being primarily influenced by the world’s way of thinking, I am not submitting to the biblical command to submit the Holy Spirit’s work within each believer to renew the mind by obedience to God principles and commands. Paul refers to the unsaved, the non-Christian, as having lost all sensitivity resulting in insatiable sensuality. Little-by-little Satan desensitizes people to anything virtuous, to where something once unacceptable becomes acceptable. For instance: Visit the decade of the ’50s with me again:
There was no nudity in public movies; very little profanity, if any, and violence, with very few exceptions, was not graphically portrayed. Abortion was illegal and unacceptable. Children were cared for and protected. Promiscuity was shameful as was having babies out of wedlock. There was no such thing as “situational ethics” for the majority of people. And, homosexuality was not an acceptable lifestyle. In fact, it was considered sinful and perverted. Crime was more controlled, and courts were strict enforcers of the law. Murderers and rapists were given life sentences or put to death. Illegal drugs were virtually unheard of. People respected authority. We didn’t even always lock our cars or home doors. Neighbors helped neighbors and even strangers. People got involved because they cared. Two parents working outside the home was the exception. Divorce was lot less common. Concerned parents controlled the public schools. Look at sixty years later: Blatant nudity and gross pornography pervade the movies, internet, and the print media. Graphic violence is considered entertainment, and you can bring all of it into your home via the internet. Some movies and television programs, rated to include viewing by children, contain profanity, violence and nudity as normal fare. Some parents accept this as “the way it is.” Children can watch pornography at home on the internet. Many of them are being left alone most of the day, unsupervised, because both parents are working.
The ethics of the day is, “You have a right to do anything that is right for you. Don’t impose standards on anyone. Be tolerant. Be permissive. The situation determines the ethic.” Abortion is legal and promoted. Promiscuity is condoned and expected. With the divorce rate at more than fifty per cent, single-family parents are common and having children out-of-wedlock is accepted as “an individual’s right.” Marriage is not viewed as necessary for having children. Child abuse is a major problem. Living together outside of marriage is acceptable, even among “nice people.” Homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle including homosexual marriages in some states. Crime rates are at an all-time high and liberal courts are making it more difficult for the victim than the criminal in many cases. There is little respect for authority and very little fear of the consequences of breaking laws. Illegal drug sales and use are rampant. Government controls the public schools and determines what is best for children. Vulgarity has become normal for the content of movies, television, social media, and print media. To quote one newspaper columnist, “in other words, the standards of the common culture are lower than they are in nearly every other walk of life. This means they’re not really standards at all. If anything, the new taboo is decency.”
Why the shift in values? The Mind. What you think is what you become (Proverbs 23:7). In the last forty to sixty years Satan has gradually deceived people into accepting as normal what would have been unacceptable. This is nothing new. Every generation is tempted. And, God has His limit of patience. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done (Romans 1:28). If you complete the first chapter of Romans, you will see enumerated the results of the depraved mind and a pretty fair description of our age. Whenever a people or person do not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing (Amplified Bible), they become desensitized to virtue and God will allow this to happen. Much of what God is blamed for: the injustices of life, the cruelties, wars, tragedies, man’s inhumanity to man is nothing more than a holy God letting mankind experience life without God – a life of the depraved mind so that men and women will, through whatever it takes, again turn to Him for salvation and righteousness.
Where Is the Church?
Stephen Olford, the great expository preacher, once commented in the early 1970s, that the Church will have to account to the Lord for America’s moral decline. He reasoned that God gave our founding fathers the Truth and Light; He prepared a land for His people to lead and be an example of a Christian nation for the entire world to witness. The Church was given a land with God’s blessings on it. The Church had the Truth, but gradually allowed the deceiver to relegate it to a comfortable, compromising religious system. The rest is history. From “One nation under God…” to the bogus cry of “Separation of Church and State,” the Church has allowed America to no longer be a nation that first acknowledges the sovereignty of God.
If virtue was being lived out in the lives of Christians, the moral decline wouldn’t be what it has become in the in the early 2000s. Why are so many Christians not exhibiting the character of God in their lives? We are probably the most knowledgeable generation of Christians since the Church of the first three- hundred years, but without the general evidence of biblical consensus, virtue, and the supernatural — all of the traits and marks of the first generation of Christians. Why? I believe that the Apostle Paul gives us insight in his letter to the Philippians: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (2:5). And in his letter to the Colossians: Since, then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (3:1, 2). If we are going to impact our country and the world with the reality of Christ Jesus, we must think like He does. We must see the world and life from His perspective. We must live a life controlled by the Spirit, not the flesh. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The Word goes on to say…the sinful mind is hostile to God… and those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God (Romans 8: 5-8).
The battle is for the mind. For the Christian, this is where the spiritual warfare is won or lost. You must exercise your will, choose to be controlled by the Spirit – and you can. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires (Romans 6: 6, 7, 12).
Be In Control of Your Mind
Do not let. You have a choice. You can choose to please the flesh and the world or you can choose to be led by the Spirit and see things the Lord’s way. Who will control your mind? Who does control your mind? Be honest with yourself. Remember what is, what the Word tells you about your mind: But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Remember, what God has done is. We have the mind of Christ. Therefore, prepare your minds for action: be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He Who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1: 13-15). What does it mean to prepare your minds for action? Note all the scriptural admonitions to mental action: Be anxious for nothing (don’t worry); think about these things (control your thoughts); be self-controlled (don’t be Satan controlled). How do we do that? We get clear insight from the second chapter of Corinthians: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and We take Captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (10:3-5). We Are in A Spiritual War For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Since we have these promises…let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit -perfecting holiness out of reverence for God (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Understanding The Enemy
Spiritual warfare begins with the mind. Satan attempts to control our thought-life so that he can deceive us and control us. Remember how spiritual warfare began. The devil tempted the first two human beings created in the image and likeness of God to disobey the voice (word) of God. Having been given complete authority and stewardship of this world, Adam and Eve were told that they could partake of anything in their God-perfect world except for eating of the fruit of the tree in the center of the Garden of Eden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While we could spend many pages discussing the theological reasons for God’s prohibition, the point here is to understand that disobedience to God’s Word has negative consequences, and Satan (the devil) knows that. Note that Satan challenged God’s Word in the Genesis account: “Did God really say…” was his challenge and temptation to Eve (3: 1). He continues to challenge the Word in our culture today. We see this every day in the media. His method of defeating Christians is to deceive the mind into making willful decisions for our lives that are contrary to God’s Word. Perhaps this could explain (it does) why our lives have many negative situations to deal or live with.
As we studied earlier, the spiritual battle is for the mind. Satan tries to keep people from having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ by deceiving their minds, and he tries to defeat those of us who have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior by deceiving us also. Our safeguard against Satan’s deceptions is to know and obey the Word of God. Without knowing God (His character and nature) and His Word (revealed in the Bible), we are extremely vulnerable to Satan’s deceptions, because the flesh naturally gravitates to those things that are contrary to God’s perfect will for us. The Bible clearly validates this: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification], and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things] – these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself] (Amplified Bible, 1 John 2:16). Remember, Satan is the spiritual ruler of this world according to God’s permissive will. In John 12: 31 he is referred to as “the prince of this world.” In Ephesians 2: 2 he is referred to as …the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is at work in those who are disobedient” (NIV), and in 1 Thessalonians 3: 5 the devil is described as the tempter. We need to train our mind to conform to what has happened in our spirit as redeemed people. As our mind becomes more and more renewed, our soul will also walk more and more in line with what has already happened in our spirit. It is God Who permits this or that experience to come to us, and if we listen, it is God Who tells us how He will glorify His name and confound the devil by getting us out of it.”
Christian, we are in a war, a battle for the mind. Our choice is the same today as it was in the day of Elijah when he admonished God’s people: How long will you waiver between two opinions? If the Lord is God follow Him; but if Baal (Satan) is God, follow him (1 Kings 18: 21 emphasis mine). We have the same choice. It’s that simple. But the warfare is real and part of , God’s plan to add virtue to our faith. Without a realization of how Satan, the devil, the enemy, works to deceive and defeat Christians, we cannot stand against him. To stand against him we must take on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10-18) which is His salvation through Jesus Christ and abiding in Him through obedience to the Word of God.
Final thoughts.
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? It is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is man-made intelligence. It has the potential for good or evil. I don’t want to undermine or dismiss what is good or potentially good, but I also want to caution against the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) being used for evil, or what is truthfully erroneous.
I stress caution in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as I would by anything manmade. Utilize the good, guard against evil use and purpose (if it exits). DI, Divine Intelligence, is manifested by those who seek the Mind of God. He is the Truth.
The above article is partially excerpted from The Missing Link, A Guide to Spiritual Reality
Divine Intelligence vs. Artificial Intelligence: BATTLE FOR THE MIND was originally posted at HallPowell.org
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