1 Corinthians: Chs. 1b-2 – The Spiritual Man
What does it mean to be a “spiritual” man or woman? That is our main question in this second teaching on 1 Corinthians. We tackle this question after some encouraging thoughts about the wisdom of God vs. the wisdom of man. Included in the “spiritual man” topic are a review of body, soul, and spirit and characteristics of the spiritual, soulish, and fleshly man.
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Visuals: 1 Cor Chs 1b-2.pdf
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5 Comments
by David Russell
On December 11, 2020
Hello Grant and others,
As I listened to your teaching on the Spiritual, soulish and fleshly person, I thought of two scripture passages that we may understand as touching on our behavior and conduct.
– Go and sin no more.” John 4.
– Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2.
How can we hear these as Spiritual as opposed to moral and religious instruction?
There are sins that tempt me often, but it is God who keeps me from diving in and indulging.
Thanks for the reply in advance!
by L. Grant Luton
On December 13, 2020
David, I’m not sure that I understand your question, “How can we hear these as Spiritual as opposed to moral and religious instruction?” Maybe it derives from our natural human perspective that things are either physical or spiritual. So I think you may need to remove the words “opposed to”. They are not opposed, they are both. Everything is infused with the spiritual. As the LORD said, “I am Adonai and beside Me there is nothing else.” (Isaiah 45:5-7) Hence, all true “moral and religious instruction” is also spiritual. Remember, God (who is spirit) spoke the world (which is physical) into being. Similarly, God spoke the Torah to Moses on Sinai. Also, God gave the plan for the Tabernacle to Moses. The plan was spiritual in essence, but the execution of it was done in the physical realm. The result? A home for God in this world. Everything God does is for the sake of drawing those two circles (body & spirit) together. Thus the soul expands and body & spirit become as one.
by David Russell
On December 14, 2020
Grant,
I think I better understand the point you are making. Let me try again understanding you to be saying that God tells someone to do a given task and they carry it out.
Using the verses I cited, John 4 and Revelation 2, God tells the woman at the well to go sin no more. That’s a spirit-induced motivation.
She goes into town and tells her neighbors about her meeting with Yeshua. That is the physical result of the spiritual induced motivation.
Incidentally, beyond that, we don’t know if His words cause definite change in her lifestyle; we may assume they do.
Revelation 2, Be faithful is instilled in us Spiritually, and the result is we are faithful unto death, the prime example, Stephen being put to death in Acts 7. He offers a prayer just before he is publicly stoned. God did something Spiritual within Stephen to cause him to display God’s character in that event.
Is this close to what you are saying? Hope my question may be a bit more clear.
My point is and was, it’s easy to read these two citations and others like them in the same tone we may read the ten words in Exodus. Don’t have any other gods before you, honor your father and mother, do not steal, etc. That sounds corrective to our ears.
Thanks!
by L. Grant Luton
On December 20, 2020
David, You must have patience with me, but I have read your latest response several times and simply cannot seem to understand your question/statement. My apologies, but it just isn’t clear to me yet what you are asking. Maybe I will get it if you give it one more try! 🙂
by David Russell
On December 21, 2020
Hi Grant,
I think it is you who is having patience with me…
I think I may be applying more Christian ways to understand what you may be saying or using the Christian lingo.
God told David, Gideon, Moses, Apostle Peter, the woman at the well to either do something, or stop doing something.
David and Goliath, Gideon with the army example you gave, Moses to stretch out the rod, Peter to walk toward Yeshua on a body of water, the woman at the well, Go sin no more.
Today, we hear those may hear each of those examples and the Ten Words as things God is telling us to do.
1. Did those people hear God’s instruction the same way we may read each today?
2. Is the spiritual part the rod turning into a bush, Peter not sinking, David slaying the giant with a slingshot, the woman cleaning up her life with God-induced motivation?
I cannot make it any clearer, sorry. If it evades you, let’s wait until after ‘the day’ and we’ll both be astounded!