What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 2:14? The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God “The natural man” is the person unregenerated by Christ, still operating out of ordinary human reasoning and desires (Ephesians 2:1–3; Jude 19). Paul states flatly that such a person “does not accept” spiritual truth. • This rejection is more than polite disagreement; it is a settled resistance (Romans 8:7: “the mind of the flesh is hostile toward God”). • Jesus told Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6), underscoring that mere fleshly birth cannot receive or apprehend God’s revelation. • Until the Holy Spirit awakens the heart (John 6:44), the gospel’s call remains unwelcome. For they are foolishness to him Spiritual realities appear “foolish” to the natural mind, not because the message is irrational, but because its values invert the world’s (1 Corinthians 1:18, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing”). • The cross announces salvation through weakness, sacrifice, and grace—concepts foreign to self-reliant thinking (Philippians 3:18–19). • “Foolishness” here echoes Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” What God esteems, fallen humanity instinctively labels folly. and he cannot understand them Paul moves from unwillingness (“does not accept”) to inability (“cannot understand”). • Spiritual truth is not merely hard to grasp; it lies beyond the reach of unaided human capacity (Matthew 13:13–15). • The inability is moral as well as intellectual. Darkness cannot comprehend light until light invades (John 1:5). • This echoes Jesus’ words, “No one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by the Father” (John 6:65). because they are spiritually discerned The decisive factor is the Spirit’s work of illumination (John 16:13; Ephesians 1:17–18). • “Discerned” speaks of careful examination; the Spirit enables believers to sift and appraise divine truth (1 John 2:27). • Without that inward ministry, Scripture remains a closed book (2 Corinthians 3:14–16). • When the Spirit indwells, He “searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10), granting followers insight that surpasses natural perception. summary 1 Corinthians 2:14 highlights the stark divide between the unregenerate and the regenerate. The natural person resists and ridicules God’s wisdom, lacking the Spirit who alone grants understanding. Salvation, therefore, hinges on divine initiative—God opens blind eyes and softens hard hearts. Our confidence rests not in persuasive arguments but in the Spirit’s power to transform “natural” people into spiritual ones who gladly receive and cherish the things of God. |
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