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).
Our opening scripture talks about the natural man. Who is the natural man? The natural man is the ordinary, everyday person who has never been born again. He may have grown up in a good neighbourhood and lived a decent life, but he remains disconnected from the life of God. The natural man has never been awakened to the Fatherhood of God. Ephesians 4:18 says, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”
The natural man is someone whose only experience is his natural birth and who has grown up purely natural. As the Bible says, “…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).
It brings to mind an incident from years ago involving the former Vice Chancellor of a certain University who suddenly collapsed at the airport, and, as it happened, the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa was nearby. According to newspaper reports the next day, they described that “audible sounds” from the Archbishop revived the Vice Chancellor. The press didn’t understand what had happened, so they called it “audible sounds.”
What actually happened was that Archbishop Idahosa spoke in tongues loudly. The journalists, being unfamiliar with the spiritual context, could only describe it as “audible sounds.” But the man of God knew exactly what to do at that critical moment. He released what the natural man couldn’t understand and the hitherto incapacitated Vice Chancellor was revived!
The things of God require spiritual discernment, but the natural man cannot discern them. They seem absurd or meaningless to him, being disconnected from the realities of God and the life of the Spirit. It’s the reason we keep preaching the Gospel. God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). So, we must help them know the Lord.
It doesn’t matter that the man or woman is an erudite professor, a great scientist, a skilled orator, a seasoned politician, or a medical doctor; as long as they’re not born again, they’re living the natural human life. And Jesus said, “…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). So help those around you, who have never been born again, to know the Lord and bring them into salvation. Hallelujah!
Prayer / Confession
Dear Father, I thank you for the blessing of the New Birth that makes me a spiritual man. I walk in the light of your Word and live by the discernment of the Spirit. My heart receives and understands the deep things of God, and my life is a demonstration of your wisdom and glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further study
John 3:3-8; Ephesians 2:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:21; John 17:3
1-year bible reading plan
Luke 5:1-16; Deuteronomy 25-27
