What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 2:15? The spiritual man “The spiritual man” (1 Corinthians 2:15) is the believer indwelt and led by the Holy Spirit. Paul has just contrasted him with “the natural man” who “does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God” (2:14). Because the Spirit lives within (1 Corinthians 2:12; Romans 8:9), this person: • receives revelation that only God can give (John 16:13). • grows beyond spiritual infancy (1 Corinthians 3:1). • walks in step with the Spirit and bears His fruit (Galatians 5:22-25). The verse presumes the reality of this Spirit-directed life and invites every believer to live in it. Judges all things Because the Spirit supplies God’s wisdom, the spiritual man “judges”—discerns, evaluates, tests—“all things.” This is not harsh condemnation but Spirit-guided assessment: • “Test all things. Hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). • “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14). • Even future matters will be weighed by believers: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2-3). Empowered by Scripture and the Spirit, the believer can sift teachings, motives, and cultural trends, keeping what aligns with Christ (1 John 4:1; John 7:24). But he himself Paul turns the focus back to the believer: “but he himself….” The person who discerns is not merely performing an academic exercise; he is someone God has transformed: • “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). • “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Union with Christ gives the believer a new identity, and that identity frames how others may—or may not—assess him. Is not subject to anyone’s judgment “…is not subject to anyone’s judgment.” Human courts of opinion cannot overturn what God has declared about His child. Paul stresses the same truth a little later: “It matters very little to me that I should be judged by you or by any human court” (1 Corinthians 4:3). Other confirming texts: • “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). • “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls” (Romans 14:4). • “Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath” (Colossians 2:16). While believers remain accountable to God and to the loving discipline of the church (Matthew 18:15-17), worldly verdicts hold no ultimate authority over the one sealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). summary 1 Corinthians 2:15 announces that the Spirit-filled believer, equipped with God’s wisdom, can and should evaluate everything through a biblical lens. At the same time, the believer’s standing in Christ places him beyond the reach of worldly verdicts. Secure in grace and guided by truth, he lives responsibly before God, discerning what is right while resting in the freedom Christ provides. |
    |