Ministry of Grace Church

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.

Truth to Learn

Christians understand the Bible because of the Holy Spirit.

Behind the Words

The word translated “natural” is psuchikos, which is based on psuchō, meaning “to breathe” or “to blow.” In this sense, psuchikos is very similar to pneumatikos (like a blast of air or a breeze). The distinction is between a natural breath and a spiritual breath. In Greek writings, man is distinguished from animals in that he has a psuchē (often translated as “soul”), the ability to reason and communicate. In the New Testament, especially here, psuchē (soul) is distinguished from pneuma (spirit), in that the latter implies the ability to reason and communicate in the realm of the divine.

“Receive” is from dechomai, which means “to take to oneself that which is offered by someone else.” The closest English words to translate dechomai are “accept” or “receive.”

Dunamai is the Greek word translated “can.” It refers to the ability or power to do something.

The word “know” is from ginōskō, which can mean “to come to know” or “to understand.” The expression “nor can he know” in today’s verse could be translated as “he does not have the ability to understand.”

“Discerned” is from anakrinō. This word fundamentally means “to examine” or “to scrutinize.” In a judicial sense, it is used of examining a witness in order to determine the facts.

Meaning Explained

In this chapter, Paul is defending his style of preaching and teaching, showing the distinction between his style and the style of the leaders and orators of the world system. In verse two he says, “my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”

Then, in yesterday’s verse, he said that his own words were not words of man’s wisdom, but those which the Holy Spirit of God teaches. Now he explains why the preaching of the truth from God’s word is looked on by the world around us as foolishness. In this verse and the next, he declares that there are two types of people in this world: “the natural man” (literally “a natural man”) and “he who is spiritual.” A natural man is someone who does not believe that Jesus Christ is God or that His death on the cross paid for our sins (he’s not a Christian).

Because he does not believe in this truth, a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. Instead, the things taught by the Holy Spirit are foolishness to him. Notice that Paul does not say that they seem like foolishness, but that they are foolishness. He also teaches us why such things are foolishness to unsaved people. A natural man does not have the ability to know (or understand) spiritual truths because such truths can only be examined and ascertained by the Spirit who lives within us (the Holy Spirit of God).

Application

Have you ever been reading your Bible not understanding what it was saying? Did you pray to God to reveal the spiritual truths being taught there? When was the last time you thanked God for revealing the truth to you?