God’s Measure of Intelligence

How smart are you? IQ tests have been around since 1905. Though there are several different tests, an average IQ score is 100. A high IQ is not necessarily an indicator of wealth, ambition, or career success. It simply indicates that a person has higher-than-average reasoning abilities. The highest recorded IQ score of 250 was by William James Sidis—it’s literally off the charts. He entered Harvard at the age of 11. Can you actually measure intelligence?

Well, it depends on how you define “intelligence.” Most would say intelligence is a very general mental capacity that involves the ability to plan, reason, think abstractly, solve problems, grasp complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience. It’s not just about being good at taking tests. It reflects a deeper capability of “catching on” and “making sense” of things.

One of the smartest people in the world as measured by IQ is Kim Ung-Yong of Korea. His score is 210, and he’s called a genius. At age three he was solving complicated calculus problems. He received a Ph.D. in physics from Colorado State University when he was 16. Other smart people include Christopher Michael Langan (IQ 195), Philip Emeagwalie (IQ 190), Garry Kasparov (IQ 190), and Marilyn Vos Savant (IQ 186). Genius scores begin at 145.

But one thing is clear about the makers of IQ tests: They do not measure character. You can be smart in some ways and dumb in other ways! Character cannot be measured by standards set by mankind. Character is measured by God. The Bible says, “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1Corinthians 3:18, 19).

Your brain can weigh up to three pounds. Are you gifted or a genius? Think about how God would answer that question.

Key Bible Texts

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV)