The Spiritual Man

The spiritually minded man understands that the proclamation of Christ Crucified is the Power and Wisdom of God - 1 Corinthians 2:14.

Overused by the Church and society, the English term ‘spiritual’ has become meaningless. To some people, it is synonymous with religion. To be religious is to be spiritual. To others, it refers to supernatural things not of this physical universe, creatures that are otherworldly, noncorporeal, invisible, and live beyond the realm of time.

In popular preaching, the “spiritual” man is divinely enabled to peer into the “spirit realm” where physicality, visibility, and time do not exist. It is not simply an altered state of consciousness, but a higher realm of which our physical existence is but a pale shadow. The truly “spiritual” man perceives the true realities behind what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears. However, is this understanding biblical?

[Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash]

The Greek term commonly translated as “spiritual” is used sparingly in the New Testament (‘pneumatikos’ – Strong’s Concordance #G4152). It occurs 26 times in the Greek New Testament. In only one instance is it found outside of Paul’s letters. Of the remaining cases, 16 are in 1 Corinthians, which is not coincidental.

Certain church members in Corinth pointed to their extensive use of the Gift of Tongues as evidence of their “spirituality.” Paul responded by presenting what spirituality truly is, the recognition of the significance and centrality of Christ Crucified.

The Greek term ‘pneumatikos’ is an adjective that refers to things about or belonging to the spirit. Whether “spirit” refers to the Spirit of God or something else must be determined from the literary context. In the case of 1 Corinthians, Paul refers to the Spirit of God, not our human spirits - (1 Corinthians 2:10-14).

The “spiritual” man has “received the Spirit of God.” Our problem stems from how we understand the term, “spiritual.” If we could remove all mystical aspects and metaphysical speculation from our application of the word, we would come closer to the biblical understanding.

When Paul complained, “I could not speak to you as to spiritual ones, but as to carnal ones,” the adjective was in the plural number and masculine gender. He was referring to “spiritual men” or persons. If we rendered the Greek adjective ‘pneumatikos’ as “Spirit people” we could begin to grasp Paul’s intended sense.

Believers are identifiable since they have the Gift of the Spirit. That is what sets them apart from other men. Therefore, Paul was surprised that the Corinthians behaved like men who lacked the Spirit.

SPIRITUAL vs NATURAL

The “natural man” does not have the Spirit of God. A man who has received the Spirit is, by definition, a man of the Spirit and should act accordingly. So, what does the Spirit of God teach His people?

• “Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews, scandal, to Gentiles, folly. But to those called, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.” – (1 Corinthians 1:22-24).

For a devout Jew, the idea of a Crucified Messiah was a contradiction in terms. The idea that Yahweh would allow His anointed King to be crucified by Rome, Israel’s greatest enemy, was scandalous. By scriptural definition, any man who was left “hanging on a tree” was under God’s curse. How could a “cursed man” nailed to a cross be “God’s power and wisdom”? – (Deuteronomy 27:26, Galatians 3:10 – “Cursed is every man hanged on a tree”).

For the Gentiles of the Roman world, the suggestion that God’s answer to sin, Death, and Satan was the shameful execution of a powerless man for sedition against the might of the Roman Empire was nonsense, “foolishness.”

Nevertheless, it was through the public crucifixion of His son that God achieved victory over sin and death, therefore, the proclamation of a “Crucified Messiah” is the “wisdom and power of God.” His crucifixion was physical, occurred within history and time, and was certainly visible to the naked eye of anyone in the vicinity of Golgotha.

When Paul first arrived in Corinth, he did not use eloquent speech or the philosophies of this age. Instead, he proclaimed Christ crucified - (“For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him as crucified”).

The Apostle defined this “wisdom and power” as the preaching of Christ Crucified, the “Word of the Cross.” By “power” he did not mean miraculous displays of “signs and wonders.” He came to Corinth “in weakness, fear, and much trembling.” His scandalous and foolish proclamation of “Christ crucified” brought salvation to the Corinthians - (“For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us who are saved it is the power of God”).

The “Rulers of this Age” did not understand genuine wisdom or spirituality since, if they had, they would not have “crucified the Lord of glory” and thereby sealed their doom. Presumably, these otherworldly creatures are not subject to the restraints of time and physicality. Nonetheless, they could not comprehend what God would do through the Cross.

The problem is sin, not life under the restraints of time or bodily existence. Power, spirituality, and wisdom are found in “Christ crucified.” Nowhere does the Bible teach that God’s Spirit is incompatible with his physical creation. Sin separates men from His presence, not their physical natures or bodies.

Any belief system that denies the goodness of God’s creation is not biblical or spiritual. He created the universe and called it “very good!” Adam’s problem was not his embodied state, but his disobedience. Death entered the Cosmos through sin.

Believers who strive to peer into the “spirit realm” to gain insight into the nature and purposes of God are looking in the wrong place. Instead, they should look to Jesus, the Savior who died a genuine human death on the Roman Cross and was raised bodily from the dead on the third day - (1 Corinthians 15:1-12).

The spiritual man understands that this Crucified Messiah is the center of God’s redemptive plan. However, this understanding is beyond the comprehension of the wisdom of this age or the “carnal man” who lacks or suppresses the Spirit of God.

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SEE ALSO:

• Word of the Cross - (The power and wisdom of God are found in the proclamation of a Messiah who was crucified on a Roman cross)

• Suffering Servant - (Disciples are summoned to adopt the same mind that Jesus had when he poured out his life unto death for the sake of others – Philippians 2:5-11)

• Mind of Christ - (The submission of Jesus to an unjust death is the paradigm for the love and service to others that disciples are summoned to manifest – Philippians 2:5-11)