The natural, spiritual and the carnal person
This reading is taken from the daily devotionals that is written by Neil Anderson. You can subscribe to the free devotionals by going into the Christian resources website: Goshen
Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?
1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3In 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3, Paul distinguishes between three types of people in relation to life in the Spirit: natural persons, spiritual persons and fleshly persons. In the next few days we will examine the critical differences pertaining to spiritual life which exist between these three kinds of individuals.
the natural person
And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trepasses and sins, wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest:
Ephesians 2:1-3Ephesians 2:1-3 contains a concise description of the natural person Paul identified in 1 Corinthians 2:14.
Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged.This person is spiritually dead, separated from God. Living independently from God, the natural person sins as a matter of course.
1 Corinthians 2:14The natural person has a soul in that he can think, feel and choose. But his mind--and subsequently his emotions and his will--is directed by his flesh which acts completely apart from the God who created him. The natural person may think he is free to choose his behavior. But since he lives in the flesh, he invariably walks according to the flesh and his choices reflect the "deeds of the flesh" listed in Galatians 5:19-21. The natural person's actions, reactions, habits, memories and responses are all governed by the natural world. The natural person will struggle with feelings of inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt, worry and doubt.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21The natural person lives independently of God and His purposes and does not respond to life in harmony with God's plan for him. Living in a stressful age with no spiritual base for coping with life or making positive choices, the natural person is even more subject to physical ailments, such as tension or migraine headaches, nervous stomach, hives, skin rashes, allergies, asthma, some arthritis, spastic colon, heart palpitations, respiratory ailments, etc. Doctors agree that many physical problems are psychosomatic. Possessing peace of mind and the calm assurance of God's presence in our lives positively affects our physical health, since the Spirit gives life to the body (Romans 8:11).
the spiritual person
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22, 23The spiritual person also has a body, soul and spirit. Yet this individual has been remarkably transformed from the natural person he was before spiritual birth. At conversion, his spirit became united with God's Spirit. The spiritual life which resulted from this union is characterized by forgiveness of sin, acceptance in God's family, and the realization of personal worth.
The soul of the spiritual person also reflects a change generated by spiritual birth. He can now receive his impetus from the Spirit, not just from the flesh. His mind is being renewed and transformed. His emotions are characterized by peace and joy instead of turmoil. It is our responsibility to choose not to walk according to the flesh, but to walk according to the Spirit. As the spiritual person exercises his choice to live in the Spirit, his life bears the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23).
As a spiritual person, your body is the dwelling place of God. We should o ffer our bodies as a living sacrifice of worship and service to Him. The flesh, conditioned to live independently from God under the old self, is still present in the spiritual person. But he responsibly crucifies the flesh and its desires daily as he considers himself dead to sin.
"That all looks and sounds great," you may say. "But I'm a Christian and I still have some problems. I know I'm spiritually alive, but sometimes my mind dwells on the wrong kinds of thoughts. Sometimes I give in to the deeds of the flesh. Sometimes I entertain the desires of the flesh instead of crucifying them."
The description of the spiritual person is the ideal. It's the model of maturity toward which we are all growing. God has made every provision for you to experience personally the description of the spiritual person in His Word (2 Peter 1:3). You will grow as a spiritual person and glorify God in your body as you learn to crucify the flesh and be filled by the spirit.
the fleshly person
I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.
1 Corinthians 3: 2,3The spirit of the fleshly person is identical to that of the spiritual person. The fleshly person is a Christian, spiritually alive in Christ and declared righteous by God. But that's where the similarity ends. Instead of being directed by the Spirit, this believer chooses to follow the impulses of his flesh. As a result, his mind is occupied by carnal thoughts and his emotions are plagued by negative feelings. And though he is free to choose to walk after the Spirit and produce the fruit of the Spirit, he continues to involve himself in sinful activity by willfully walking after the flesh.
His physical body is a temple of God, but he is using it as an instrument of unrighteousness. He has the same troubling physical symptoms experienced by the natural person because he is not operating in the manner God created him to operate. He is not presenting his body to God as a living sacrifice. Since he yields to the flesh instead of crucifying it, the fleshly man is also subject to feelings of inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt, worry, and doubt.
Several years ago I did some research to discover how many Christians are still the victims of their flesh. I asked the same question to 50 consecutive Christians who came to me to talk about problems in their lives: "How many of the following characteristics describe your life: inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt, worry, and doubt:" Every one of the 50 answered, "All six." Here were 50 born-again, righteous children of God who were so bogged down by the flesh that they struggled with the same problems of self-doubt which inundate unbelievers who only live in the flesh.
If I asked you the same question, how would you answer? I imagine that many of you would admit that some or all of these six traits describe you. It is evident to me that a staggering number of believers are still confused about their spiritual identity in Christ and its implications for their daily lives. We are struggling with the behavior aspect of our growth because we are still struggling with the belief aspect of our growth: who we are in Christ.
living below our potential
The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
Galatians 5:17Are you stymied in your growth because of feelings of inferiority? To whom or to what are you inferior? You are a child of God seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6). Do you feel insecure? Your God will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Inadequate? You can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). Guilty? There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). Worried? God has offered to trade His peace for your anxiety (Philippians 4:6, 7; 1 Peter 5:7; John 14:27). Doubt? God provides wisdom for the asking (James 1:5).
Why is there often such great disparity between these two kinds of Christians: spiritual and fleshly? Why are so many believers living so far below their potential in Christ? Why are so few of us enjoying the abundant, productive life we have already inherited?
Part of the answer is related to the process of growth and maturity as the individual believer appropriates and applies his spiritual identity to his day-to-day experience. And yet there are countless numbers of Christians who have been born again for years--even decades--and have yet to experience significant measures of victory over sin and the flesh, a victory which is their inheritance in Christ.
Another part of the answer is due to our ignorance of how the kingdom of darkness is impacting our progress toward maturity. We have a living, personal enemy--Satan--who actively attempts to block our attempts to grow into maturity as God's children. We must know how to stand against him. Paul wrote about Satan: "We are not ignorant of his schemes" (2 Corinthians 2:11). Perhaps Paul and the Corinthians weren't ignorant, but a lot of Christians today surely are. We live as though Satan and his dark realm don't exist. And our naivete in this area is exacting a crippling toll from our freedom in Christ.
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most recent update: June 21, 1999
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