Natural vs. Spiritual

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

 

On facebook, a friend of mine posted 1 Corinthians 2:14 on his page, and after reading it, I felt the need to explore and try to expand on it.

 

The whole theme behind chapter 2 of 1 Corinthians is that of comparing the wisdom of man with the wisdom of God.  Keep in mind that this book is essentially closed to non-believers.  An unbeliever cannot comprehend it; it is beyond him.  But to a believer, even one who is new, this book opens up and becomes understandable; and we grow in our understanding as we grow in our Christian walk.

 

Throughout Scripture we have one continuing premise: mankind, in his natural state, is spiritually dead.  We have earned this death by virtue of Adam’s original sin.  “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

 

In verses 14-16, Paul (the writer of 1 Corinthians) takes up the subject of illumination, which is God’s intervention on our behalf for a believer to understand the Word of God.   First, however, Paul deals with why the non-believer cannot understand divine phenomenon.

 

In verse 14, Paul tells us that the “natural man (the unbeliever, an unsaved person) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.”  The word “natural” here comes from the Greek word psychikos, which we get our word ‘psychology’ from.  The “natural man” then is all soul, pure psychology, and no spirit.

 

An unsaved person cannot understand Scripture.  He may be able to understand a few of the stories (the story of Bethlehem, for example), but overall, the Scriptures are a closed book to him.  He has natural capacity, but he has no spiritual capacity.  He cannot relate to God because he has only experienced one birth, not two.  He may be very moral and righteous, but inside he is dead to God.

 

The unbeliever cannot appreciate divine truth; it does not penetrate his thinking.  He cannot “receiveth” or ‘welcome’ the Word of God.  He has a negative volition toward divine truth.

 

Why?  Because “they are foolishness unto him.”  And that is exactly how the world looks at Christians, as if they are foolish.  If we have a different opinion, we are labeled as ‘intolerants.’  If we preach on certain subjects, it’s considered a ‘hate crime.’  Yes, it’s OK to go to church on Sundays, but if we have a mid-week Bible study, then we are foolish – there’s something wrong with you if you go to church on a weeknight.  But that’s the world’s opinion since all of this is foolishness to the unbeliever.

 

Paul then tells us “neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”  It would be like a layman trying to comprehend what was being discussed within a medical seminar.  The doctors would have a language of their own, and it would be very difficult to follow what was being said.  This is exactly what is happening between the spiritual and the natural.

 

“Discerned” means judged.  A judge makes a distinction between the innocent and the guilty; between opinion and fact.  A non-believer does not have the faculty to make judgments about the Word of God because he is dead spiritually.  In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, we are told, “But even if our gospel be hid (veiled), it is hid to them that are lost (perishing): in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

 

A non-believer has a handicap: he cannot perceive spiritual things.  He lacks the faculty to know God.  An unbeliever begins and ends with himself.  Existing in a purely human condition, the non-believer is like a blind man who cannot see the sun.  He does not need God.

 

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:6-8).