We often talk about things like emotional intelligence, functional intelligence, academic intelligence, naturalistic intelligence, and so forth. But what about goodness intelligence? …the intelligence and tendency to choose goodness and virtue, to seek to understand, desire, and do what is best, or that which promotes the best value, best benefit, and best outcome. …the intelligence to have a wise heart—to desire wise, judicious, and virtuous outcomes.

Goodness intelligence is the natural proclivity to do good and be good. It is the highest level of being. It is the divine nature. It is holiness. It is the ultimate wisdom.

In opposition to goodness intelligence we have foolishness.

What is foolishness?  

• Not seeking what is best or what is better.
• Not knowing what is best or what is better.
• Not desiring what is best or what is better.
• Not doing what is best or what is better.
• Not doing what is best or what is better, even when you know what is best or what is better.
• Not desiring what is best or what is better, even when you know what is best or what is better.
• Not knowing what is best or what is better even when that knowledge and understanding is easily available to you.
• Not seeking what is best or what is better because you just don’t care; because you care more about feeling good, having fun, being entertained, and seeking after the gratification of your lusts.
• Not seeking, knowing, desiring, or doing what is best or what is better because you are fundamentally selfish, lazy, dishonest, carnal, sensual, and devilish.
• Being ruled by the flesh, rather than by the light of the Spirit.
• Being seduced by devils, even while the angels of God are working to nurture, protect, and guide you.
• Being overcome by sin, even while the goodness of God clearly lights the clear path of wisdom and righteousness before you.

What is intelligence?

• Intelligence is having the good sense to seek, know, desire, and do what is best and what is better.
• Intelligence is following the light of Christ even when the flesh urges you toward a path of instant gratification.
• Intelligence is a willingness to sacrifice things of lesser value in order to accomplish and receive things of greater value.
• The glory of God is intelligence because He always does what is best by doing that which brings the best value, the best benefit, and the best outcome. His knowledge, character, and faith always enables Him to always do what is best.  

We need to learn to be wise.

We need to learn to have wise hearts.

We need to become willing to pay the price required for developing wise hearts.

We need to learn what that price is and then simply pay it.

Do you desire the glory of God. Do you truly understand and desire the benefits of virtue and righteousness? Or do you merely desire the things of this world? Those who set their hearts upon the things of this world will not receive the blessings of higher kingdoms.

We are to hunger and thirst after righteousness. Only then will we be willing to do what it takes to develop wise hearts and mighty faith in order to bring to pass much righteousness.

We will hunger and thirst after righteousness more and more as we come to experience and understand the benefits of virtue and righteousness. These benefits can, in limited ways, be displayed; but they are far better appreciated as they are experienced. And they are only experienced proportionately to how well one transitions into the divine nature of Christ. But this is easier said than done.

In opposition to the divine nature of Christ we have the natural man.

The natural man instinct is to be carnal, sensual, and devilish.

• It is to be selfish, lazy, slothful, lustful, rebellious, arrogant, and proud.
• It is to exercise control, dominion, and compulsion over others.
• It is to impose priestcraft, statecraft, corporatism, and institutionalism over others.
• It is to rule by fear, intimidation, and manipulation.
• The natural man instinct is defined by lust, vanity, and rejection of truth and reality.
• These instincts, inclinations, urges, passions, and proclivities are enhanced and exacerbated by the flesh. But they are ultimately the results of ignorance, bad information, and pride.
• They are rooted in spiritual deficits.
• They are fueled and driven by a trajectory of deliberate sin.
• They are inspired by the muscle-memory of sin, desiring the gratification of sin, as learned by sin, in opposition to the higher truth of God and existential reality.

That is what we are fighting against. We are foolish because we love sin more than truth and virtue; because we are fundamentally carnal, sensual, and devilish; because we are foolish, ill-informed, and habitually sinful.  

I know from my own experience that when I sin, when I deliberately do that which I know is not best, it is because my heart is not right; it is because I desire the things of the flesh, and I simply do not appreciate and value the benefits of virtue and righteousness as I know I should. The bottom line is that I sin because I am a willfully ignorant, non-disciplined, selfish shmuck.

I sin because I am not willing to do the work and pay the price to become inherently good. In short, I have higher priorities. I am idolatrous.

Learning to have a wise heart and to develop goodness intelligence requires work and sacrifice. A price must be paid. Changing your very nature, improving your nature, and sanctifying your nature is no easy task. It is excruciatingly difficult; but it indeed can be done! …if you believe, as you commit, and when you fully pay the price that must be paid for such a thing.

You must sacrifice all vain activities and all vain pursuits. You must search, pray, meditate, and devote yourself to taking upon yourself the divine nature of Christ every moment of every day. You must value and appreciate what is good. You must learn to do good. You must fully commit to always doing good. You must identify what is required, verify what is required, then actuate that course of action every moment of your life, now and for eternity.

What are some real-life things that we can do to pay this price, make this change, and by so doing learn to repent perfectly? What are the real-life costs? Where the rubber hits the road, what exactly do we need to do?

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