1 Corinthians 2:14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit
We have to deal with the material world, so there is nothing inherently sinful in “natural” life. God is not displeased when you have to eat and sleep and work. But life on this level is without spiritual insight: the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. Spiritual things seem foolishness to the natural man. Why waste time on “spiritual” things when you could be making money or having fun? The natural man doesn’t want the things of God because he regards them as foolishness. What is more, he can’t understand the things of God (even if he wanted to) because they are spiritually discerned. It would be wrong to expect the natural man to see and value spiritual things. Too many Christians still think like natural men, refusing to spiritually discern things. When our only concern is for “what works” or the “bottom line,” we are not spiritually discerning, and we are thinking like the natural man, even though we might be saved. (Guzik)
It is the great privilege of Christians, that they have the mind of Christ revealed to them by his Spirit. They experience his sanctifying power in their hearts, and bring forth good fruits in their lives. (Henry)
The things of the Spirit of God – The doctrines which are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the things which pertain to his influence on the heart and life. The things of the Spirit of God here denote all the things which the Holy Spirit produces. They are spiritually discerned – That is, they are perceived by the aid of the Holy Spirit enlightening the mind and influencing the heart. (Barnes)
Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned; neither can any man, no otherwise taught and instructed, so comprehend them, as to give a firm and fixed assent to them, or in heart approve them, because they are only to be seen and discerned in a spiritual light, the Holy Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, enlightening their understandings, that they may know the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to them that believe, according to the working of his mighty power, & c., Ephesians 1:17-19. Thus the apostle gives a reason of what he had said, 1 Corinthians 2:8, that none of the princes of the world knew the wisdom of God. (Poole)
As a natural man, and whilst he is such, nor by the help and mere light of nature only; his understanding, which is shut unto them, must be opened by a divine power, and a superior spiritual light must be thrown into it; at most he can only know the literal and grammatical sense of them, or only in the theory, notionally and speculatively, not experimentally, spiritually, and savingly, because they are spiritually discerned; in a spiritual manner, by a spiritual light, and under the influence, and by the assistance of the Spirit of God. There must be a natural visive discerning faculty, suited to the object; as there must be a natural visive faculty to see and discern natural things, so there must be a spiritual one, to see, discern, judge, and approve of spiritual things; and which only a spiritual, and not a natural man has. (Gill)
Natural vs. Spiritual in the mind of every single Christian will be a lifelong process of discernment. It is so hard for me to watch the foolishness that is being proclaimed and adopted. Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity are being tied to LGBQT, women’s rights are tied to killing babies (abortion), unable to define what a woman is, and all of the personal pronoun garbage all lacks caution, foresight, and sense. There is no spiritual discernment.
To those who are led by the Holy Spirit and are given discernment of the natural and worldly wisdom in light of the Holiness of God revealed in His Word, it all seems like there is a blindness and total eclipse of the minds of the unsaved. This is true. The natural man (unsaved) can not and will not discern the things of God and yet it is hard to watch it play out and people buy into it. Even some Christians buy into it. The craftiness of worldly wisdom will sway babes in Christ and those who never seem to grow spiritually. It will seem right, but it is so wrong. The ultimate example of spiritual blindness was displayed in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. God’s Son, who displayed the fullness of God and was not discerned as the Son of God even though He performed miracles, signs, and wonders that only God could do, and spoke of things only God could reveal.
We can’t expect an unregenerate heart and mind to understand the spiritual things of God. They are unable to discern it.
What we can do is proclaim the gospel, live a life that is Holy Spirit led as an example (light), pray for the Holy Spirit to open their minds to things of God, and display love, grace, and mercy for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.
