Proof Text #4 - I Cor. 2: 14
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." (2: 12-15)
The argument that is made on this passage, by the regenerated before faith advocates, is this: one must become a spiritual man before he can believe the gospel, or "receive the things of the Spirit of God." As long as he is a "natural man" he will not receive spiritual things. He must therefore be made a spiritual man by rebirth before he can be believe. It further argues that being made a spiritual man must occur without the means of the gospel and apart from faith, by the work of the Spirit directly in begetting. However, this is not Paul's intent nor is it deducible from his words.
There is an old scholastic axiom, Qui nimis probat, nihil probat - “He who proves too much, proves nothing." The Hardshells, and others who cite this verse in an attempt to disconnect the experience of regeneration from the experience of faith, and apart from the means of the gospel and word of God, are guilty of violating this axiom.
By their argumentation on this passage they "prove too much," and therefore "prove nothing at all." In other words, if their "logical reasonings" are correct, then it will prove not only that it is impossible with men for totally depraved sinners to be regenerated and come to faith, but that it is even impossible with God, or logically impossible.
This will become apparent by asking one simple question: Does the unregenerate sinner (natural man) receive any spiritual thing in being born again? Does he not receive what is spiritual when he receives the Spirit of God? If a sinner cannot receive the Spirit of God till he is first made a spiritual man, then his being made spiritual cannot be because he has received the Spirit. His receiving the Spirit cannot happen until after regeneration. In this case, there can be no "receiving" at all in regeneration. But, that is against numerous scriptures. It is against the verses cited above for he speaks of "receiving" not only spiritual things, but the Spirit himself.
Is the life "received" in the new birth not "spiritual" life? Let us ask another similar question: Does the dead sinner (natural man) receive spiritual life in regeneration? Who can deny it? But, if the natural man (dead sinner) receives not spiritual things till he is first made spiritual, then his becoming spiritual cannot be because he has received spiritual life. Such reasoning forces us into such circular reasoning. At some point a lost sinner does in fact receive the Spirit and spiritual things in order to become spiritual. If pressed too far, such reasoning will find us denying that anything spiritual is received in being regenerated.
What the apostle is teaching is that the "natural man," the "psychikos" man, the man relying upon his own soul's thinking and feelings, upon his own instincts, will not receive the Spirit nor the things of the Spirit. He must, by the grace and power of God, be brought to disregard his own thinking, and to listen to what his spirit is being taught by the Spirit and word of God.
The truth the sinner needs is not natural to him, is not in him already (so that it only needs to be brought forth), but must come from without him. (This is in direct opposition to those in the New Age Movement who say the truth is present "within" and so no one needs to look elsewhere)
The way the Hyper Calvinists and Hardshells interpret this text, Paul's purpose is to affirm that the lost sinner has no physical ability, no faculties, for receiving spiritual things. Thus, he sees the words "the natural man receives not," and the affirmation that such "cannot understand (know) the things of the Spirit," as a physical inability. He thinks of a man who has no faculty for being able to "receive." But, if this is so, how can he receive spiritual life? Or, the Spirit of God?
When Paul speaks of "the one who is spiritual," in contrast to the one who is only "natural," how does one become spiritual according to Paul? Is it not by receiving the Spirit of God? Were they spiritual before they received the Spirit of God? Of course not. Yet, this must be the conclusion of those who teach that the lost sinner, the natural man, cannot receive the Spirit till he is first made spiritual. Further, by this logic, becoming spiritual cannot in any sense be the result of receiving the Spirit, as we have already stated. In fact, there can be no receiving at all in being made spiritual, or spiritually alive, by this logic.
Paul says that we who have become spiritual and spiritually alive, have first received the Spirit, and then we come to know the things of the Spirit. We could also say that it is when the gospel is heard and received that we come to know the things of the Spirit. The revelation of the gospel is not the result of philosophy or rational thinking, nor based upon reason or natural revelation. It's source is in God the Holy Spirit. The truth of the gospel is not the result of human discovery.
In Corinthians there are three aspects of the nature of man. I elaborate on these in this posting (here). There is the "natural (soulish or sensual) man," from the Greek word for "soul" (psychikos). This is the man guided by his reason, by his senses, by his feelings and intuition. This man follows and is governed by his human self. Then there is the "fleshly" man, the man who is governed by the "soma" (body), by his physical needs and pleasures. The man who is strictly guided by these aspects of his being will never find saving truth, will never accept the gospel revelation. That is because the Spirit and the gospel are foolishness to the carnal and natural aspects of his being (I Cor. 1: 18). It is to man's "spirit" (pneuma) that the gospel appeals.
Further, man's spirit, like his soul and flesh, is not able to accept the spiritual truth of the gospel unless the Spirit of God operate upon it. Upon the soul and flesh the Spirit does not appeal or operate upon. Once the spirit of a man is operated upon by the Spirit, in conjunction with the gospel (which gospel contain the words of life), he is thereby enabled to know spiritual truth; After this the Spirit and word will control his spirit and his spirit will control his soul and body.
Today we hear people say "I am a soul man." Culturally this means a man who loves "soul music." But, to Paul, a soul man was a natural, sensual (Jude 1: 19), earthly, physical man.
Let us not forget that Paul defines a "spiritual man" as one who has in fact received the Spirit of God and the things of the Spirit, especially the gospel and word of God. Unbelievers are not spiritual men.
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