THE MIND OF CHRIST Academic Rudiments The word "natural" comes from a word (psuchikos), which means "of or belonging to breath, sensual." It refers to "life in the natural world and what pertains to it." The word is used in its varied forms at least six times in Scripture, and always refers to man, or things relating to man, in his natural, or unregenerate, condition (Jude 19; 1 Cor 15:44,46; 2:14). The Natural Man The "natural man" is the person confined to natural resources, and in whom the Holy Spirit does not reside. This is the person whose lineage can be graced back to Adam alone. He is not a brother to Jesus (Heb 2:11), nor one given to Him by the Father (John 6:65). The Holy Spirit has not been sent into his heart because he is not a son (Gal 4:6). The Spirit does not bear witness with he spirit that he is a child of the living God (Rom 8:16). Not An Apostle??? If it were not that a significant segment of the professed church alleges "the natural man" refers to the non-Apostles, the notion would be too absurd to address. However, since some have chosen to embrace such a view, a few words concerning it will be in order. -- Tomorrow:
"For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE SHOULD INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:11-16, NASB).
Devotion 16 of 28
Notice, Paul does NOT say the "non-Apostle" cannot receive the "things of the Spirit of God," but the Apostle can. He speaks of the person confined to nature--the "natural man." This is the individual who can be traced back to Adam alone. As it is written, "However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven" (1 Cor 15:46-47).
The word "spiritual" comes from a word (pneumatikos), which means "relating to the human spirit," distinguishing what belongs to the supernatural world from what belongs to the natural one. This word is used in its varied forms at least twenty-eight times. They all refer to personalities and realities that have been touched by non-earthly influences (Rom 1:11; 7:14; 15:27; 1 Cor 2:13,14,15; 9:11; 10:3,4; 12:1; 13:1; 14:1,37; Gal 6:1; Eph 1:3; 5:19; 6:12; Col 1:9; 3:16; 1 Pet 2:5; Rev 11:8).
A.T. Robertson well says, "The natural man is the unregenerate man while the spiritual man is the renewed man, born again of the Spirit of God . . . Hence Paul and all spiritual men are superior to those who try to shake their faith in Christ, the mystery of God" (A.T. Robertson on 1 Corinthians 2:14-16). I do not provide this quote to substantiate the true meaning of the text. Rather, I do it to show that even the academic community can see Paul is not limiting himself to the Apostles.
The mind of "the natural man" may be honed to a fine logical edge. It may be cultured and disciplined in extraordinary ways. The scope of knowledge entertained by the natural mind may be vast and varied. However, such a person "does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them" (NIV). He has neither a preference for the things made known by the Spirit, nor the ability to receive and decipher them. To the "natural man" what the Holy Spirit says is foolish and absurd. He does not receive them, and cannot discern them. This accounts for a phenomenal amount of ignorance and division that prevails in the Christian community.
Allow me to call Luke, James, and Jude to the witness stand. These men wrote four of the books in, what is commonly called, the New Testament (Luke, Acts, James, and Jude). One thing they all have in common: not one of them was an Apostle. If the postulate that "the natural man" is a person who is not an Apostle is true, then Luke, James, and Jude were "natural" men, for they were not Apostles. In such a case, they would be incapable of receiving the things of the Spirit of God. When the Spirit made known things to Luke, James, and Jude, they could not have received them, could not have understood them, would have regarded them as foolishness, and would surely not have written them.
Should some counter that these men were, indeed, not Apostles, yet were told the truth by those who were Apostles, there is one additional consideration. First, Luke affirmed he had "perfect understanding" of these things 'from the very first" (Lk 1:3). Thus, they were not foolishness to him. James declares himself to be a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ (James 1:1). Jude affirms he is a servant of Jesus Christ (Jude 1). Both dealt with intensely personal circumstances--something someone merely taking dictation would not do. There is no evidence of any sort that suggests these three men were not inspired by God, sent by Jesus, and directed by the Spirit.
There is no further need to comment on the idiotic imagination that "the natural man" is a non-apostle. The "natural man" is the man who needs to be born again. He has not yet been buried by baptism into death (Rom 6:3-4). He has not been raised up and made to sit together with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph 2;6). Because of this, he remains alienated from God. As such he cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God. He cannot know the things of the Spirit of God. The things of the Spirit of God are foolishness to Him.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in Jesus' name, I thank You for delivering me from confinement to nature!