1 Cor. 2:14 says, "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." What does it mean to say that the natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God?
Question about the natural man
- Thread starter cih1355
- Start date
- Status
Iconoclast
Puritan Board Junior
"
The natural man,devoid of the Spirit of God cannot welcome truth.....it is not possible.
He can be religious...he can outwardly conform to a legal standard, but he cannot savingly believe.
The natural man,devoid of the Spirit of God cannot welcome truth.....it is not possible.
He can be religious...he can outwardly conform to a legal standard, but he cannot savingly believe.
Last edited:
The natural man hates that he is not good enough. We tend to want to grade on a curve scale. Man wants to think he naturally is good with God. He doesn't see the righteousness of God as requiring perfection. He would rather God be identified as some old Grandfatherly figure who loves and accepts his prosperity without judgment.
TeachingTulip
Puritan Board Sophomore
A "natural man" is an unsaved man.
Only spiritual men, born again by the Holy Spirit of Christ, can "see" the truths of the gospel. (John 3:3)
CharlieJ
Puritan Board Junior
I question the translation "natural man." Exegetically, ψυχικὸς doesn't mean "by nature." It means literally "of the soul" or "soulish" and pertains to those functions which constitute animal life: the senses, basic instincts, motion. The idea seems to be someone who, lacking the heavenly perspective awakened by the Spirit, concentrates on the transitory things of this world.
Theologically, a sinner is not a "natural" man. Sin is a corruption of the good nature that God created. Human faculties are good in their substance, evil only in their orientation and effects.
The NIV says "man without the Spirit," loose but conceptually accurate. The NET gives "the unbeliever," too loose, in my opinion. The Douay-Rheims reads "sensual man," the best out of all.
Theologically, a sinner is not a "natural" man. Sin is a corruption of the good nature that God created. Human faculties are good in their substance, evil only in their orientation and effects.
The NIV says "man without the Spirit," loose but conceptually accurate. The NET gives "the unbeliever," too loose, in my opinion. The Douay-Rheims reads "sensual man," the best out of all.
- Status
