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"The natural man..."

Text: 1 Corinthians 2:14

THE MAKE-UP OF MAN

We have an important text here that helps us to understand the make-up of man.

“But the natural man does not receive the things of
the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him;
nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But he who is spiritual judges all things,
yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
For ‘who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?’
But we have the mind of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 2:14-16

1. “The natural man”

a) This is a reference to the man who does not have the Spirit of God.

b) He does not receive the things of God.

c) Spiritual things are “foolishness” to him.

d) He does not have an appreciation of spiritual things.

e) The reason is simple and straightforward.

f) Spiritual knowledge requires spiritual discernment.

g) Without the Spirit of God it would be impossible to comprehend spiritual matters.

2. The spiritual man

a) He is able to judge all things.

i) He has spiritual discernment.

ii) He is spiritually sensitive to the Lord.

iii) He is thus said to be able to “judge all things”.

b) Yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

i) The born-again believer has a new nature.

ii) He will have weaknesses and faults and he will be misread by non-believers.

iii) But the spiritual man knows that God is working in him.

iv) He will not be judged and condemned by anyone.

3. “The mind of the LORD”

a) No one knows the full and profound mind of the LORD!

b) But the true believer can speak of having the mind of Christ through the work of the Spirit.