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Ye Who Are Spiritual

by Micky Galloway

Am I a spiritual person? The spiritual man surfaces frequently in the writings of Paul. He warns the Corinthians that “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things …” (I Corinthians 2:14-15). To the Galatians, he wrote, “Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). In both cases it is clear that the apostle is not using the term synonymously with being a disciple of Jesus. In Galatians there is an obvious effort to distinguish between those disciples who are spiritual and those who are not. In the case of the Corinthians Paul plainly says that many of them were not spiritual, but carnal (I Corinthians 3:1-3). To simply become a Christian then, is not a guarantee that I am a spiritual person.

It is crucial for me as a Christian to be a spiritual person. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be” (Romans 8:6-7). This is serious! The cultivation of a spiritual mind by the believer is more than important, it is critical, it is a matter of life and death!

What does it mean to be spiritually minded? What is a spiritual person? The world’s concept is quite different from the Bible definition. The Greek word (pneumatikos) translated “spiritual” in the writings of Paul generally describes things which have their origin from or reflect the character and influence of God and His Spirit as revealed in the word of God. When used of persons, Thayer says it speaks of “One who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God” (523). Vine says simply that “men in Christ who walk so as to please God are … ‘spiritual’” (1088). True spirituality then has to do with the nature of God Himself. It derives from a spiritual God who seeks spiritual worshipers (John 4:23-24). These are those who are “filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). Peter says that God intends us to “be partakers of the divine nature …” (II Peter 1:2-4).

So what is true spirituality? It is a way of thinking, a system of values, a way of looking at life with God and His will at its center (cf. Matthew 22:37-40; Matthew 6:33). It is a life absolutely devoted to God and to the incomparable greatness of His character and will. It is the product of one who is determined to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). (One cannot live “spiritually” who does not study and apply what he learns.) In a life so lived nothing and no one will ever take precedence over that commitment to follow Christ. By way of contrast, carnality is a thought system which views life with self at its center. It is characterized by pride and selfishness. It is not possible for both of these views to live in the same personality. Paul said, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:16-17). Spirituality then, is a matter of individual choice. Admittedly, this is a struggle that is ongoing. It remains for that part of us that is akin to God, that part that delights in the law of God, to rule the passions of the flesh and make the body the servant of righteousness rather than of sin (Romans 6:17-19). That cannot happen unless we WILL it to be so with our whole heart. This struggle takes place in the mind. Paul assures us, “(for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh (carnal, KJV), but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:4-5). Involved in this struggle is the war between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of men (I Corinthians 1:18-23). To the world, the wisdom of God is considered foolishness. What becomes apparent in the first three chapters of I Corinthians is that all the works of the flesh are not in the realm of things we typically class as carnal, i.e. stealing, lying, adultery, etc. Paul lists “hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy …” (Galatians 5:20-21) among these diseases of the heart. Perhaps Paul had these sins in mind when he spoke of “doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Ephesians 2:3). They are born of pride and selfishness and however subtle are deeply wicked and devastating. Indeed, in many ways they are more at the heart of the problem of sin than the more obvious works of the flesh.

The spiritual man must therefore, consider every thought, word and deed in the light of his aim to know and be like his Savior (I Peter 1:13-16). This knowledge comes from continued study of His word (II Peter 3:18). There is no end of exhortations in the N.T. for the Christian to be sober and of sound mind (Romans 12:3; I Thessalonians 5:6,8; II Timothy 4:5; Titus 2:1-8,12; I Peter 4:7; 5:8). The spiritual man has given himself, body, soul and spirit to the will of the great God who created him and redeemed him by the blood of His son, and nothing he has invested will be lost, and nothing wasted. For the God of peace Himself will sanctify him completely and preserve his whole spirit, soul, and body, blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 5:23).

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