1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV)
[14] The natural person does not accept the
things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able
to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. [15] The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to
be judged by no one. [16] “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so
as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
God’s wisdom has been revealed to
believers by his Spirit. But how should that affect how we live? First, “The
natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor 2:14). To
the natural man, the gospel is foolishness. To the natural man, the things of
God make no sense. So how should we respond? If you see someone that is blind do you
criticize them for not being able to see, or do you help them understand the
world they cannot see? Whether we are talking about the drunk on the street
corner, the unbelieving neighbor, or the passionate purveyor of another
religion, we need to remind ourselves that they are blind. You don’t blame a blind
person for being blind. Pray for unbelievers. Don’t criticize them, attack them,
fear them, or belittle them. Pray for them.
Second, we must learn to find your security
in Christ. “The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged
by no one” (1 Cor 2:15). That does not mean that we have the right to go around
pointing fingers and attacking people who disagree with us. It means the we, of
all people, should have a clear understanding of who they are and who we are.
We, of all people, should understand that they are blind. We, of all people,
should be secure enough in our faith that we don’t need to defend ourselves, our
faith, or our God. We just live and speak the truth in love. Some will believe,
some will ignore, and some will attack, but we need to understand that we see
something the world is blind to. God’s wisdom is something the world is unable
to comprehend. So rest in your identity in Christ.
Third, we need to keep our mind on
Christ. Even as believers it is easy to live and think as the world does (see 1
Cor 3:1). It is easy to embrace the values of the world and the tactics of the
world. We need to remember that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
. . . cosmic powers . . . [and] spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”
(Eph 6:12). People are not our enemy. Using their tactics will never win. Our
tactic is to keep our eyes on Christ, live our faith, trust him, and pray. It
doesn’t make sense to the world. It doesn’t make sense to the natural man, but
it is God’s way of doing battle. “The natural person does not accept the things
of the Spirit of God . . . . but we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 14-16), so
keep your eyes fixed on him.
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