A natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God

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 human heart, 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 people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have not received 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 We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

¹⁴ But a natural person 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 discerned. ¹⁵ But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned 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, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but only as fleshly, as to infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But 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 ordinary people? ⁴ For when one person says, “I am with Paul,” and another, “I am with Apollos,” are you not ordinary people?

Speaking of the last days before His return, in Matthew 24:4-12 Jesus says: “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains. Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.” In today’s text it says: A natural person 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 discerned. It helps us to understand how there are so many who seem misled and deceived in our day. The truth that is apparent to those who discern by the Spirit, is not discerned or accepted, it is even viewed as foolishness by those who discern with their natural minds, and so they are misled by what is false.

Without the Spirit of God, people embrace the lawlessness of the natural mind, and their love grows cold. Hatred replaces love and tribulation arises. It is not God’s plan that there would be the chaos and tribulation that we see today in our culture and society. Rather it is the consequence of being misled, of being without and opposed to the Spirit of God. In Isaiah 5:20 God says: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Galatians 6:7 says: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. Our society has chosen to sow seeds of darkness and evil, and so it will reap the woe of its choices.

The text says: The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. - “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the human heart, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received 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. Those who have the Spirit of God know the truth and know what has been freely given to us by God. Our words will not persuade those without the Spirit, we will be discerned by no one. They will think us foolish. What then are we to do in the midst of the evil and darkness of our culture? In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  Rather than railing against the darkness of our day, we should shine the light of Christ, that perhaps some will see and glorify God.  

In Revelation 3:17-22 the Spirit of the Lord says: “Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything,” and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”  Amen.