1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) - “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.”

“Those who belong to this age are now called psychikoi (NASB, NAB, “the natural man/ woman”) in contrast to those with the Spirit, who are called pneumatikoi.

“The psychikoi are described in three ways, each in terms of their relationships - or lack thereof - to the Spirit.

“First, they do ‘not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God.’ This description stands in conspicuous contrast to the ‘we [who] have received … the Spirit of God’ of v. 12. The verb in this case is the ordinary one for ‘receiving’ or ‘accepting’ another person. The implication is not that psychikos persons are simply incapable of understanding the things of the Spirit, but that, because of their being ‘merely human’ (i.e., without the help of the Spirit), they ‘reject’ the things of the Spirit.

“Second, the reason for this ‘not accepting/rejecting’ is that the things of the Spirit ‘are foolishness to [them].’ Because they have not received the Spirit, in the sense of v. 12, their view of everything is from the bottom up, twisted and distorted.

“Third, again in antithesis to v. 12, the ‘natural man/woman cannot understand’ the very things that the one who has received the Spirit can. Here the emphasis lies on their inability.

“The word ’spiritual’ is now an adverb; but the context makes it clear that Paul intends ‘by means of the Spirit,’ not by some intuitive process. For Paul, ‘to be spiritual’ and ‘to discern spiritually’ simply means to have the Spirit, who so endows and enables” (Gordon Fee, 1 Corinthians, NICNT).

Prayer: Lord, help me to see the people with your eyes - those of us who are loved by you and those who are in need of your love.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

-JK