Are you not walking like mere men?

1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; ⁷ but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; ⁸ the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; ⁹ but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

¹⁰ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. ¹¹ For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, ¹³ which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. ¹⁶ For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, ³ for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.”       What things are they which have been freely given to us by God? Ephesians 2:8-9 says:    For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.     So our salvation, our redemption from sin is one thing we have been given. We have been given the promise of eternal life through Christ.        “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”(John 3:16)      For this life though, the most important thing we have been given is “the Spirit who is from God,” the Holy Spirit. John 14:26, in the Amplified version describes what the Spirit does for us, how important He is to us.       But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.      In today’s text it says: For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Through the Holy Spirit, we actually possess the mind of Christ. We can know what He knows. Jesus said:   “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. (John 5:19-20)   If we have the mind of Christ, through the indwelling Spirit of God, then we too can see what the Father is doing. The Father will show us, like Jesus, all the things that He Himself is doing. That’s why Jesus says:      Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)     We can do the works of Christ, because we have the mind of Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, whatever we ask in His name, will be according to the will of the Father and so He will do it.

Still, not many of us have really done the things that Jesus did. Not many have opened blind eyes, made deaf ears hear, caused the lame to walk or raised the dead. Why is it that we have not lived as Jesus said we would? Paul says:   And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.  I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,  for you are still fleshly.      We are perhaps unable to do the works of Christ because we still live as flesh rather than according to the Spirit. We choose to follow our mind over the mind of Christ. Paul says:  For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?       In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul expands the list of fleshly deeds:     Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,  envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.     An inheritance in the kingdom of God, that’s another thing we have been given by God.  In Romans 8:15-17 it says:  For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.      We are heirs with Christ, joint heirs of the kingdom of God, but “those who practice such things” (the fore mentioned deeds of the flesh) “will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?     So then, we can walk as mere men or we can walk in the Spirit, in the fullness of the inheritance we have in Christ. In Galatians 5:22-25, Paul contrasts life in the Spirit and life in the flesh.        But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for all that You have given me, salvation, eternal life, redemption from sin and an inheritance in the kingdom of God. Holy Spirit I choose to yield and submit to You, to allow You to be my Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby)  to teach me all things. Help me remember everything that Jesus told me; that I might truly do the works that Jesus did, as He said. I choose to live and walk by the Spirit rather than as a mere man.    Amen