1 Cor 2:11-16
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
The New Testament > 1 Corinthians > Chapter 2
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Questions
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Lexical notes
Verse 14
- Natural is translated from the Greek ψυχικός (psychikos) which comes from the Greek word ψυχή (psychē) meaning "the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing" (Thayer's Lexicon) or, more simply, "breath." Note that psychikos is translated as "sensual" in James 3:15 and Jude 1:19. "Natural" here, then, isn't the opposite of "artificial," but rather as a reference to one's human or bodily nature.
Exegesis
Verse 12
What Paul is explaining is easy to understand on the cerebral level. But he is also expressing something beyong the words themselves, a kind of door through which the listener may enter. Here he may be taught by the Holy Ghost things that are inexpressible through mere mortal communication of letters and words.
Verse 14
In our day, it is harder than ever to let go of the "natural man" and the reasoning of the world. We live in a day saturated with information, facts, science, quick, easy answers, and strong opinions. Letting go of this mindset as we read the words of Paul, and trying to enter in the subtle world of "mysteries of Godliness" is sometimes not easily done. It's easy to give up on Paul, and go for something more palpatable to the modern mindset. It's easy to try to force his words into preconcieved doctrinal structures that we have already learned. But we miss so much when we do this. The rewards of studying Paul, and the Godly wisdom just beyond his words, is worth the sacrifice.
Paul uses the "natural man" (verse 14) as a foil to "he that is spiritual" (verse 15). By "natural man" Paul is talking about someone who knows things according to the spirit of man (verse 11) or, what seems to be the same thing, the spirit of the world (verse 12), but not according to the Spirit of God (verse 11). Paul's point seems to be that the things of God must be spiritually discerned (verse 14). In verse 16 Paul tells us we cannot instruct the Lord. We might interpret the earlier verses as an argument for the same thing. It makes sense that we cannot instruct God if the only way to judge spiritual things is by the Spirit of God.
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