Lexical Summary psuchikos: Natural, unspiritual, worldly Original Word: ψυχικός Strong's Exhaustive Concordance natural, sensual. From psuche; sensitive, i.e. Animate (in distinction on the one hand from pneumatikos, which is the higher or renovated nature; and on the other from phusikos, which is the lower or bestial nature) -- natural, sensual. see GREEK psuche see GREEK pneumatikos see GREEK phusikos HELPS Word-studies 5591 psyxikós (an adjective, derived from 5590 /psyxḗ, "soul, natural identity") – properly, soulish, i.e. what is natural, as it relates to physical (tangible) life alone (i.e. apart from God's inworking of faith). 5591 /psyxikós ("natural") typically describes the natural ("lower") aspect of humanity, i.e. behavior that is "more of earth (carnality) than heaven." 5591 (psyxikós) then sometimes stands in contrast to 4152 /pneumatikós ("spiritual") – the higher, spiritual aspect of humanity that develops through faith (4102 /pístis). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom psuché Definition natural, of the soul or mind NASB Translation natural (5), worldly-minded (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5591: ψυχικόςψυχικός, ψυχική, ψυχικόν (ψυχή) (Vulg.animalis, Gem.sinnlich), "of or belonging to the ψυχή; a. having the nature and characteristics of the ψυχή i. e. of the principle of animal life," which men have in common with the brutes (see ψυχή, 1 a.); (A. V. natural): σῶμα ψυχικόν, 1 Corinthians 15:44; substantively, τό ψυχικόν (Winer's Grammar, 592 (551)), 1 Corinthians 15:46: since both these expressions do not differ in substance or conception from σάρξ καί αἷμα in 1 Corinthians 15:50, Paul might have also written σαρκικον; but prompted by the phrase ψυχή ζῶσα in 1 Corinthians 15:45 (borrowed from Genesis 2:7), he wrote ψυχικόν.b. "governed by the ψυχή i. e. the sensuous nature with its subjection to appetite and passion (as though made up of nothing but ψυχή): ἄνθρωπος (equivalent to σαρκικός (or σάρκινος, which see 3) in Strong’s 5591 (psychikos) appears six times and always describes a condition rooted in the merely human sphere—life governed by natural appetites and reasoning unaided by the Holy Spirit. It never functions neutrally; the contexts uniformly show limitation or opposition to the things of God. Contrast between “psychikos” and “pneumatikos” Paul’s sharpest polarity comes in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15, where “the natural man (psychikos) does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God… but the spiritual man (pneumatikos) judges all things.” The apostle sets two mutually exclusive orientations: the person equipped solely with native faculties and the person enlivened by the Spirit. “Psychikos” therefore speaks less of blatant immorality and more of spiritual incapacity—life bounded by earth-born perception. James and Jude: Warnings against Natural Religion James 3:15 labels counterfeit wisdom as “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” Jude 1:19 identifies “worldly-minded people, who cause divisions and do not have the Spirit.” In both cases psychikos underscores how religious talk, even when cloaked in piety, can operate purely on an earthly plane, leaving its adherents vulnerable to deception and factionalism. The Resurrection Body Discussion (1 Corinthians 15) 1 Corinthians 15:44-46 contrasts the present “natural body” with the future “spiritual body.” Paul does not deny the goodness of creation; rather, he insists that the resurrection will elevate humanity beyond the constraints of mortality and decay inherent in the psychikos state. Adam’s “living soul” serves as the prototype of natural life; Christ, the “life-giving Spirit,” guarantees the transformation. Anthropological Implications 1. Tripartite distinction: Scripture recognizes body, soul (psyche), and spirit (pneuma). Psychikos highlights the danger of letting the intermediate “soul” dominate, eclipsing the highest faculty designed for communion with God. Historical Reception Early fathers such as Irenaeus used psychikos to refute Gnostic claims that ordinary believers were forever stuck in a lower class. The Reformers drew on 1 Corinthians 2 to affirm the necessity of the Spirit’s illumination for scriptural understanding, safeguarding the doctrine of sola Scriptura from rationalistic reduction. Ministry Significance • Evangelism: Proclamation must rely on the Spirit’s power; persuasive technique alone leaves hearers psychikos (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Practical Tests for Discernment 1. Does a teaching exalt Christ and align with revealed Scripture? Conclusion Psychikos exposes the limitations of unregenerated perception and highlights the necessity of the Spirit’s work from conversion to resurrection glory. Believers, though still possessing natural faculties, are commanded to “walk by the Spirit,” anticipating the day when the psychikos body will give way to a fully pneumatikos existence in the likeness of the risen Lord. Englishman's Concordance 1 Corinthians 2:14 Adj-NMSGRK: ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος NAS: But a natural man does not accept KJV: But the natural man receiveth INT: [the] natural moreover man 1 Corinthians 15:44 Adj-NNS 1 Corinthians 15:44 Adj-NNS 1 Corinthians 15:46 Adj-NNS James 3:15 Adj-NFS Jude 1:19 Adj-NMP Strong's Greek 5591 |
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