Paul is writing about the ministry
and about how it is exercised, how we ought to view it and that
kind of thing, so remember that, bear that in mind. Verse 9, It
is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered
into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them
that love him. But God hath revealed them unto
us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the
deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things
of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth
no man but the Spirit of God." That is, the Spirit of God knows
them. 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 we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches,
but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. Now watch from here on. But the
natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness unto him, neither indeed can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual
judgeth, or discerneth all things, yet he himself is judged of no
man. For who hath known the mind of
the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of
Christ. Now look at verse 14 again. But
the natural man receiveth not the things of God. Then look
at verse 15. He that is spiritual judgeth
all things. So he speaks of both kinds of
persons in those two verses of the scripture. Now you may have
realized that it had not been long since we were in this chapter
just a few weeks ago in the past, but at that time we were considering
Paul's comparison or Paul's contrast between the wisdom of the world
and the wisdom that is in the word of God and the gospel. The wisdom or the philosophy
or the learning of the world and that great wisdom which has
contrived the salvation of the elect of God. Now, I'll tell
you at that time I had no idea no idea whatsoever that we would
be having this present study on the spirituality of things
which the Bible calls spiritual. So we're studying things that
are spiritual. We began with Ephesians chapter
1 of the spiritual blessing with which we are blessed in Christ
Jesus before the foundation of the world. We had that last Sunday. There was election, there was
for the nation, there was our acceptance in the beloved, and
that all other blessings in experience and in time flow out of those
great spiritual blessings with which we were blessed before
the world. And then we noticed that the
two kinds of wisdom carries Paul a little bit further to identify
two types of people in 1 Corinthians 2. One, the natural man. The natural man. Listen to that,
as in verse 14. And secondly, the spiritual man,
as in verse 15. He that is spiritual. Now note, These two kinds of
people, they are not Jew and Gentile, that's not the difference
or the distinction. Neither are they male or female,
and that is not the distinction. And neither are they the rich
and the poor, that's not the distinction. The distinction
is natural and spiritual. The two sorts of people that
we are going to consider for a while this morning. Now these
two conditions encompass all of the human family. Not a being,
but falls in one category or the other. For all are either
natural or they are spiritual by and as a result of the work
of God. And all the sons and all the
daughters of Adam, though they be without number, fall into
one class or the other. They are either natural, according
to the Bible, or they are spiritual, for everyone is included in one
of these two states. Either person is either natural
or they are spiritual at this very moment. So what is involved
in each one of them? What is meant, first of all,
by the natural man? The natural man, as we read about
in the scripture. What makes one natural? How does one come to be natural
in the sense of the scripture? What is the consequence of a
person being natural as they are expressed by the scripture? Then, what is meant by being
the spiritual man or the spiritual person? What makes one to be
spiritual? How does one come to be a spiritual
man or woman in the eyes of the scripture? And again, What is
the advantage of being a spiritual man or woman? And before we get
any further into that, let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I don't mean that we're going
to read it, but in verse 42 through verse 49. where there Paul again
makes a very clear contrast between the natural and the spiritual. Now this note, I concede that
Paul's contrast and that Paul's concern here are the two sorts
of bodies that he talks about, the natural and the spiritual,
which he calls in verse 44 a natural body, a spiritual body, and he
says in the last half of that particular verse, there is a
natural body and there is a spiritual body. Now, both of these are
a reality, and are to be possessed by certain individuals. Now my point is not concerning
that of the body, but my point is that there is a precept here. There is a principle that is
laid down by the apostle. There is a general rule here
in 1 Corinthians 15, and it is in verse 46 concerning the natural
and the spiritual. Here's what I wanted to read.
Here's what the verse says. How be it? That was not first,
which is spiritual, but that which is natural, then that which
is spiritual. So let's look at it again. How
be it? That was not first, which was
spiritual, but that was first, which was natural, and then that
which is spiritual. Now the word how be it here is
just simply three little words connected together. How be it. And it has the meaning, or usually,
as it appears in the scripture, however. We could express it
by how be it or however. Be that as it may. Or nevertheless
is a good way that we might express it. The point being this. that
the saint has a natural body before they have a spiritual
one. Just as they are natural before
they are spiritual. But now, this does not mean that
all natural person will be made spiritual or that they will have
what Paul calls a spiritual body. And it is the same word in 1
Corinthians 15, 14 through verse 46, as we have in 1 Corinthians
2 and verse 14. The word natural is one and the
same. Now, our English word that we
translate natural can have a variety of meanings, and it does. Every
day you hear it used in different senses and in different ways. For example, Sometimes natural
means not artificial in our society and in our vocabulary. But all
natural, we say. It's not artificial. It's all natural, food, whatever
it might be. So we speak of one having natural
ability. You might be able to sit down
and play a musical instrument or play a sport, and it just
seems to come natural under them. We've talked about one who is
a natural, and they just fit right in to this position or
job or whatever. They're suitable. We hear of
such natural gas, natural childbirth, death from natural causes, and
so on. So our English word has quite
a variation about it. But then we see that the word
natural as it is here in 1st Corinthians, is not the exact
same word as we have, for example, in Romans 1, verse 26 and verse
27, of what Paul calls the natural use of the woman. Or in 2nd Peter,
chapter 2, in verse 12, natural brute beast he described, that
is, but what is inborn and what is instinctive into them innately. So then, with all this variation,
what is a natural man which Paul speaks of? Now, the Greek word
that is translated here I took the time to count it in the Concordant,
and it's six times by my count in the New Testament in the King
James. And four times it is natural,
twice it is sensual. It is translated as sensual. That'd be James 3.15 and Jude
verse 19. And the verse in Jude says this,
describing apostate. They who separate themselves,
sensual, that's that word, having not the spirit, or natural, and
having not the spirit. The last phrase complements the
former in that 19th verse of the little book of Jude, being
sensual, being without the Spirit of God. So those two things ever
go together. A natural man is without the
Spirit of God in the sense that the spiritual person is. so that a natural person is one
who, as to their being and makeup, has only the rational soul that
is yet sinful and is unregenerate. They have only that with which
they were born. They are still as they were born,
as they came from Adam and Eve and down through procreative
history and from our mother. Thomas Manton, an old Puritan,
wrote this, quote, being corrupt, minds only the things of the
flesh, unquote. A natural man, being corrupt,
having not the spirit, being sensual, mind only the things
of the flesh." That is, they think only of the flesh and the
world and those things that are about us every day. So to say
that one is natural or that they are sensual is to say, as the
word kind of means animal or animal. is one way that it is
often expressed. Having a soul, a rational soul,
but no more they are unregenerate. They have not been regenerated. They have not the spirit. That
is, they have not the spirit of God. Of course, they have
a human spirit, but they do not have the spirit of God. And in the context, in the book
of Jude, This is the ultimate reason why they were carried
away into apostasy. Or as Jude puts it there, they
separated themselves. They went off. They went out.
They separated themselves from the truth. They went from us
because they were not of us, 1 John 2 and verse 19. In short, they became apostates,
and they abandoned the true Christian way, Christianity, and the gospel. So when Paul speaks of the natural
man, he's not referring to babes in Christ, or to what some are
calling a carnal Christian, nor of an ignorant and unlearned
individual, nor are they all natural persons, openly and notoriously
profane and wicked. Not necessarily. For example,
in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, In chapter 3, Paul includes in the
natural 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 20, the wise, the scribe, and
the debater of this world, not ignoramuses by the test of the
world. And in verse 26, wise men after
the flesh. And in chapter 2 and verse 8,
the princes of this world, not without knowledge or some enlightenment. John Gill described them like
this, quote, the rationalist, the person of highest attainment
in nature, in whom reason is wrought up to its highest pitch,
with great natural abilities," unquote. Those are natural men,
as described by Paul in this particular play. And yet, being
but natural persons as to their makeup, they are not able, 1
Corinthians 2.14, not able to receive the things of the Spirit
of God. In fact, they are foolishness
unto them. When that kind of person hears
the Gospel or the Word of God, they do not rejoice in it as
true. They consider it as foolishness
that another could die and it could save me, or another could
die for my benefit. And the reason that the natural
man cannot receive the things of God, they are spiritually
discerned. That is, the things of God are
spiritually discerned and the natural person is not spiritual
and does not have the Holy Spirit. So, whatever might be his attainments
in this world, or the education level that they might have attained,
or the keenness of their mind, or the degree that they possess
in education, they are still natural nonetheless and are not
able to discern the things of God, so that they can neither
see nor enter in to the kingdom of God unless and until they
are born again. So then the question What is
the great difference between the natural and the spiritual
person? In 1 Corinthians 2.15, Paul refers
to he that is spiritual, they that are spiritual. Galatians 6 in 1 says, ye that
are spiritual, restore such a one. And the word but marks a contrast
here between the natural and the spiritual person. That while
one thing is true of the natural person, another is true of the
spiritual. that though the natural man does
not receive the things of the Spirit of God, but the spiritual
man discerns or appraises them, as we might see it translated,
by the illumination of the Spirit of God Most Holy. Now, we need
not deny that natural persons may indeed be religious. It does not mean that all natural
persons having not a spirit are unreligious. A natural person
may indeed be religious, and millions of them are. And to
go a step further, they may believe in a supreme being. And that
supreme being may or it may not be Jehovah God the righteous. But they cannot come to the knowledge
of the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. And they cannot have
a heart for it. They cannot have a desire for
it. or rejoice in it at all because
they are not spiritual according to the biblical measurement. So then the question, what is
the meaning of spiritual? And then, how is it that a natural
person, a person once natural, is able to be made spiritual
and become a spiritual individual? Now, one pointed out that the
word spiritual is actually a post-Pentecostal word. I hadn't thought of that
before, but it's not used in the gospel. And the saints are
called spiritual. Then we also read of spiritual
things in connection with the spiritual worship of God. And the spiritual worship of
God, God willing, will be our next study. Spiritual is opposed
to fleshly or to natural or to sensual as we have seen. Now
the time has come that we ought to consider the questions of
question. That is how a natural person
becomes spiritual. How a natural person, born in
sin, shapen in iniquity, a transgressor from the womb, is made a spiritual
individual. for all are natural or fleshly
by their first birth, by their natural generation. Let's consider
what at first might seem an unlikely text for us to take to answer
the question that we seek this morning. Let's listen to John
3 and verse 16, the words of our Lord, and they read like
this. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. That which is born of the spirit
is spirit. Now, to set that context a minute,
this is part of the conversation, as you know, between the Lord
Jesus and Nicodemus, who came to Him by night. And in the immediate
context, in John chapter 3, It may refer to the question of
Nicodemus in verse 4 of the third chapter as to how a grown man,
one who has already been born and grown to age and to statute,
how is it, said Nicodemus, that one can be born when he is old? And his mind runs in the wrong
channel, and so he asked our Lord, Can a man enter the second
time into his mother's womb and then be born again or a second
time? Whereby, in verse 5, the Lord
tells him that the birth, the second birth, that he intends
is not a fleshly birth, it is a birth of the Spirit. And in the end of verse 8, born
of the Spirit. Now three times in that passage,
the Lord connects the Spirit to the new birth. Three times
he makes that definite connection that this birth is from or out
of the Spirit. And those three times are in
verse 5, in verse 6, and again in verse 8. As if to say unto
Nicodemus, even if such a thing could be, even if such a thing
should be possible, even if a man or a person could enter a second
time into their mother's womb and even be born, even a second
time or a third or even more. The reason being in verse 6,
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and the result of that
birth would be one and the same. If a man or person could be born
physically again, the result would be one and the same. And why? Because each is born
after their own kind, like produces like, like parent, like child. We know that and we understand
that. Now compare Matthew chapter 7,
verse 15 through verse 20, especially verse 17 and verse 18. A corrupt tree brings forth evil
fruit. And an evil tree cannot bring
forth good fruit. A corrupt tree cannot bring forth
good fruit. And a natural man will never
become a spiritual man apart from the work of the Spirit of
God in them. J.C. Ryle, an old-timer, wrote,
quote, nothing will make anyone spiritual but being born again
of, by, or through the Spirit, unquote. Now, let's look at a
few words in the last half of John chapter 3 and verse 6. That which is born of the Spirit
is spirit. Now let's just really concentrate
on those words of our Lord. That which is born of the Spirit
is Spirit. Remember? He said you must be
born of the Spirit. That which is born of the Spirit
is Spirit to distinguish it from something else. And what is this
saying? First, let's look what it is
not saying. What our Lord is not saying. It is not saying, as Thomas Manton
wrote, describing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That's the
truth of Scripture. The Spirit takes up his dwelling
in the children of God. Number two, it is not the communicating
of the nature of the Holy Spirit himself so that we become, as
some claim, spirit of spirit, as if we took on the actual nature. It is not a communicating of
the Godhead unto any mortal. In other words, we do not become
divine by that great work of the Spirit. Neither of the members
of the Godhead can duplicate themselves, either in or out
of an individual. To create another like or equal
to themselves, they cannot. It is impossible. And we do not
become little Jesuses. That's a teaching that's been
around for quite some time now, that we become little Jesuses
when we are born, we get all spiritual and all of that. Neither
is this in the life to come, else would there be as many gods
as there are Christians or saints. Then thirdly, to express our
denial another way, the new birth is neither the creation or the
reigniting of any spark of divinity within the children of God. We mention these because some
have actually held to these views that I just mentioned. So then
what is it saying? He that is born of the Spirit
is spirit. Now twice we have the word spirit
in this statement. He that is born of the spirit
is spirit. We have it twice. And note something,
if you will, at least in the punctuation of our versions of
the Bible, One is capitalized and the other is not. So in no sense is any member
of the Godhead born into existence, nor is there divinity. Christ's
humanity, His flesh and blood body, His true human body and
human soul was born of Mary. But I digress. We notice a way
that the translators punctuated the phrase, as I mentioned. The
first spirit capitalized as referring to the Holy Spirit as seen in
the context. It's the Holy Spirit that is
in view. And the second spirit is Spirit
is not capitalized for it refers to the result of the birthing
of the Spirit. What is so born of the Spirit
is spirit. Dare we say it this way, that
which is born of the spirit is spiritual, just as that which
is born of the flesh is fleshly. So let me share this quote from
an article by the Puritan Thomas Goodwin. by spirit in John 3.16,
quote, is meant all those gracious disposition in the soul which
do suit it unto things that are spiritual, end quote, for it
is by this work of God that spiritual inclinations take their rise
in the soul of that one in whom the Spirit is at work. For though
it is a birth, it is also a creation according to Ephesians chapter
2 and verse 10, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. By the
way, while we're on that subject, compare John 3.16 with John chapter
6 and verse 63. John 3-6 reads like this, that
born of the flesh is flesh, that born of the spirit is spirit. John 6-63, the spirit quickens,
the flesh profits nothing. John 6-63, be that as it may,
the flesh has no part in the spiritual renewal. or in the
spiritualizing of that one who was first born in depravity and
in sin conceived, Psalm 51 and verse 5. It is an inward, a sovereign,
and an irresistible work of God, and it results in the springing
up unto life in the soul, the birth of a spiritual man by the
work of the Spirit of God. By the way, if this is called
a birth, And it is a birth from or of God, affected by the Holy
Spirit of God, that as the Spirit had the honor of conceiving the
humanity of Christ, in the womb of the Virgin, so the Spirit
of God has that task of quickening us and regenerating us into the
new and the higher life, so that we are born of the Spirit, the
new creation. But it is in no way influenced,
either favorably or disfavorably, by the flesh. It does not have
to first be reformed before there can come this spiritual birth. It does not have to become or
make itself, as we might say the expression, to be fertile
in heart in order to be regenerate by the Spirit and born again. And I think here's a point that
is by many ignored. in his conversing with Nicodemus
on the absolute necessity of being born again, except, unless,
until one is born again, he cannot see or enter into the kingdom
of God. And not considering, or rather
considering the very question of Nicodemus, how can these things
be? Boy, there's an opening, a perfect
opening for instruction if ever there was one. How can these
things be? He thought of entering into the
womb a second time to be born. Here's my point. In spite of
all of that, even the question of Nicodemus, you will notice
that the Lord in talking to this ignorant man, and the subject
of the new birth, that he prescribes absolutely nothing for him to
do that might result in or experience the new birth. None requirement
is put upon him. It is simply except unless instead
one be born of the Spirit of God. You hear all kinds of things
imposed upon people today that might result in their new birth.
These preachers are telling people such things as, well, believe
and you'll be born again. Repent and be born again. Pray
that the sinner's prayer might be heard by God. Accept Jesus. Open your heart. Let Him come
in. Make Him Lord of your life. Walk
the aisle. All of that might result, they
say, in the new birth. But it gives him that unique
answer in the end of verse 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth.
You hear the sound. You cannot tell whence it come,
whence it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. We must consider the spiritual
person and the spiritual life now, for that's our focus. Spiritual activity, whereby God
makes to exist such a disposition in the heart of a spiritual nature
in his people. Spiritual is so often used to
distinguish something from carnal or worldly or human or fleshly. Debbie Vine says that the adjective
form always has the meaning of invisibility and power. Spiritual, that's it. And connected
to religion, that's the meaning of it in the scripture. So, listen. We read of so many things that
are spiritual. Spiritual things. Romans 15,
27. 1 Corinthians 9 and 11. Spiritual
gifts. in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and
chapter 14. Spiritual songs may be sung in
Ephesians 5.19 and Colossians 3.16. There is spiritual wickedness
in Ephesians chapter 6. and verse 12. There's spiritual
understanding in Colossians 1 and verse 9. And there's even a spiritual
body in 1 Corinthians 15 and 44, a spiritual house in 1 Peter
2 and 5, spiritual sacrifices in 1 Peter 2 and 5, and Paul
even writes this in Romans chapter 8 and verse 6. To be spiritually
minded is life and peace, but to be carnally minded is death. So those two are very clearly
and distinctly made apart. Now to repeat, in many places
in scripture, the use of the word spirit not capitalized,
refers to the disposition of the soul or of the heart, whether
good or evil, that influences the action of the individual. Here are two kinds of example. There may be a spirit of jealousy,
numbers 5 and 14, a spirit of whoredom, Hosea 4, verse 12 a
spirit of fear first Timothy chapter 1 and 17 and a spirit
of bondage Romans chapter 8 and verse 15 all of them in a bad
sin, but then example number 2 a Ezekiel, the great prophet,
promises a new heart and a new spirit under the new covenant. You'll find that in Ezekiel 11,
19 and 36 and 26. The spirit of meekness in Galatians
6 and verse 1. The spirit of love and fear in
2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7. Paul prayed that the Colossians
Saints might have a spiritual understanding, Colossians 1 and
9. That is, the understanding that
is spiritual and is able to take in and understand and digest
spiritual things. Now, let's consider again for
emphasis what we have already heard, where there is a contrast
and a comparison. Romans 8 and verse 5, they after
the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they after
are, in accordance to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." Now
here's the word mind, M-I-N-D, and it is applied to both sorts,
the mind of the flesh and the mind of the Spirit. And it means
to think, it means to hold an opinion, To think in a certain
direction and go in that direction. It means to regard, to savor,
or to think. Mind. They do mind. They think. They have this opinion. Their
mind is in that direction. And again, Vine said, it implies
moral interest or reflection. not mere unreasoned opinion."
As to tense, it means to think to put the mind upon. They do put their mind upon,
whether natural or spiritual. So the mind of those after the
flesh is set upon the things of the flesh. They think that
way, they desire it, they enjoy it, and they revel in it. But
thank God, The mind of those that are after the Spirit do
mind the things of the Spirit. There is a suitableness in their
mind and in their thinking to regard spiritual things as being
spiritual. They know they're spiritual,
and as the Puritan put it, this is the great distinguishing character
of them that are born of the Spirit from them that are born
of the flesh. This is the great distinction
that Paul puts between the natural and the spiritual man in 1 Corinthians
2, 14 and 15. The natural man has not the spiritual
mind, and so he cannot discern spiritual things. While he that
is spiritual discerns the things of God, because he is spiritual. For they must be discerned in
spiritual way. They must be discerned spiritually. They must be appraised or prized
spiritually. as spiritual. Which is? What is spiritual? Well, the
truth as it is in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 4 and 21. For true spirituality in the
biblical sense will always focus on Christ. On Christ, His work,
His person, His salvation, and His gospel. And this Christ is
made unto us, 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 30, wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. Christ has made all of those
things unto us. And the spiritual man understands
that and receives it, that Christ is our all in all, that we are
nothing, that we add nothing to him. We bring nothing to him
that he needs, but that he is our all in all. I close by simply
reminding us it is a great blessing to be renewed in the inner man
and to be made spiritual. So it's not only to be able to
discern spiritual things, but to delight in them, to love them,
to let them be the joy of our life, to hear with understanding,
and in that understanding, to be glad to hear and understand
the things that be of God, thankful for God making spiritual, that
which is spiritual, that which is born of the Spirit is spiritual. And that regeneration is the
great turning point. It's the great guff that must
be spanned, and only God can span it, and only regeneration. One will never be spiritual unless
they are quickened, regenerate, born again, born of the Spirit
of God. No matter how faithful at church,
how much they read, they can never be truly spiritual until
the Spirit of God has worked in them that great, inscrutable,
irresistible, regeneration, the birth of the Spirit of God at
His time by His power. Thank God for that. None will
be spiritual until that is a reality. And then they are made spiritual,
given spiritual minds, hearts, understanding, desires. All things
spiritual then come to them as a delight.