Charicteristics of a Spiritual Man
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Last week we saw that the bible speaks of 3 kinds of man:
The Natural Man; The Carnal Man and the Spiritual Man.
Having covered the first 2 last week lets conclude this series by looking briefly at the Spiritual Man and his characteristics.
1: A Spiritual man understands that Spiritual things require Spiritual Learning.
1: A Spiritual man understands that Spiritual things require Spiritual Learning.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Jesus promised that the Spirit would teach us and guide us into truth.
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
The truth of God is found in the Word of God.
And it is very important to note that these spiritual truths are given in specific words.
In the Bible, we have much more than inspired thoughts; we have inspired words.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
To be successful in any field one must learn the understanding and use of the words specific to that field.
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DDR
Gigabit
Teraflop
Core
Hyperthreading
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Rockwell
Magna
CPM
G10
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Likewise:
The successful Christian learns the vocabulary of the Spirit and makes use of it.
He knows the meaning of justification, sanctification, adoption, propitiation, election, inspiration, and so forth.
We must also make sure that not only do we as christains use thew right words but we must also use the same dictionaries!
In understanding God’s vocabulary, we come to understand God’s Word and God’s will for our lives.
If the engineering student can grasp the technical terms of chemistry, physics, or electronics, why should it be difficult for Christians, taught by the Spirit, to grasp the vocabulary of Christian truth?
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How does the Spirit teach the believer?
He compares “spiritual things with spiritual.”
He reminds us of what He has taught us (John 14:26), relates that truth to something new, and then leads us into new truth and new applications of old truth.
What a joy it is to sit before the pages of the Bible and let the Spirit reveal God’s truth.
The trouble is, many Christians are too busy for this kind of quiet meditation.
What enrichment they are missing!
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The Holy Spirit is like a householder:
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
The new always comes out of the old and helps us better understand the old.
God gives us new insights into old truths as we compare one part of Scripture with another.
Jesus based His teaching on the Old Testament, yet people were amazed at what He taught because it was so fresh and exciting.
The NT is NOT new. It is the explanation and full revaluation of the OT.
Almost every heresy stems from not understanding how a NT teaching is expanding on an OT understanding.
Romans 9 is a classic example.
2: A Spiritual man judges all things by the Word.
2: A Spiritual man judges all things by the Word.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
One of the marks of maturity is discernment—the ability to penetrate beneath the surface of life and see things as they really are.
Unsaved people “walk by sight” and really see nothing.
They are spiritually blind.
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The maturing Christian grows in his spiritual discernment and develops the ability (with the Spirit’s help) to understand more and more of the will and mind of God.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
To “have the mind of Christ” means to look at life from the Saviour’s point of view, having His values and desires in mind.
It means to think God’s thoughts and not think as the world thinks.
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The unsaved person does not understand the Christian; they live in two different worlds.
But the Christian understands the unsaved person.
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I like the New American Standard Bible’stranslation: “But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.”
That “no man” includes other Christians as well.
We must be very careful not to become spiritual dictators in the lives of God’s people (2 Cor. 1:24).
3: A Spiritual man submits totally to the authority of the Word of God.
3: A Spiritual man submits totally to the authority of the Word of God.
37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
CONTEXT!!!
We must use the Word of God to test every message that we hear, asking the Spirit to guide us.
There are false teachers in the world and we must beware (2 Peter 2; 1 John 4:1–6).
But even true teachers and preachers do not know everything and sometimes make mistakes.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Each listener must evaluate the message and apply it to his own heart.
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Our public meetings today are more formal than those of the early church, so it is not likely that we need to worry about the order of the service.
But in our meetings, we need to consider one another and maintain order.
I recall being in a testimony meeting where a woman took forty minutes telling a boring experience and, as a result, destroyed the spirit of the meeting.
Evangelist D.L. Moody was leading a service and asked a man to pray.
Taking advantage of his opportunity, the man prayed on and on.
Sensing that the prayer was killing the meeting instead of blessing it, Moody spoke up and said, “While our brother finishes his prayer, let us sing a hymn!”
Those who are in charge of public meetings need to have discernment—and courage.
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Second, the women in the meeting were not to speak
34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
Paul had already permitted the women to pray and prophesy
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
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Third, participants must beware of “new revelations” that go beyond the Word of God
20 To the law and to the testimony: If they speak not according to this word, It is because there is no light in them.
4: A Spiritual Man is well aware of his own weakness.
4: A Spiritual Man is well aware of his own weakness.
1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Legalism is the enemy of Spiritual Life.
The legalist is not interested in bearing burdens. Instead, he adds to the burdens of others.
This was one of the sins of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day:
4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
The legalist is always harder on other people than he is on himself, but the Spirit-led Christian demands more of himself than he does of others that he might be able to help others.
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Paul presents a hypothetical case of a believer who is suddenly tripped up and falls into sin.
Why does Paul use this illustration?
Because nothing reveals the wickedness of legalism better than the way the legalists treat those who have sinned.
Call to mind the Pharisees who dragged a woman taken in adultery before Jesus (John 8).
Or that Jewish mob that almost killed Paul because they thought he had defiled the temple by bringing in Gentiles (Acts 21:27ff).
Legalists do not need facts and proof; they need only suspicions and rumors. Their self-righteous imaginations will do the rest.
The spiritual man would seek to restore the brother in love, while the legalist would exploit the brother.
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When Jesus sought to be a physician to the sinful, He was severely criticized by the Pharisees (Mark 2:13–17), and so the spiritual believer today will be criticized by the legalists.
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It takes a great deal of love and courage for us to approach an erring brother and seek to help him. Jesus compares this to eye surgery (Matt. 7:1–5)—and how many of us feel qualified for that?