Albert Barnes Commentary 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." — 1 Corinthians 2:14 (ASV)

But the natural man (qucikov de anyrwpov). The word natural here clearly stands opposed to spiritual. It denotes those who are governed and influenced by the natural instincts—the animal passions and desires—in opposition to those who are influenced by the Spirit of God. It refers to unregenerate men; but it also conveys not merely the idea of their being unregenerate, but that of their being influenced by animal passions or desires (see Barnes on 1 Corinthians 15:44).

The word sensual would correctly express the idea. This word is used by Greek writers to denote what man has in common with animals—that humans are under the influence of the senses, or the mere animal nature, in opposition to reason and conscience (Bretschneider). (See 1 Thessalonians 5:23). Here, it denotes that they are under the influence of the senses, or the animal nature, as opposed to being influenced by the Spirit of God. Macknight and Doddridge render it "the animal man." Whitby understands it as the man who rejects revelation, the man who is under the influence of carnal wisdom.

The word occurs only six times in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15:44 (twice), 1 Corinthians 15:46; James 3:15; and Jude 1:19. In 1 Corinthians 15:44, 46, it is rendered "natural" and is applied to the body as it exists before death, in contradistinction to that which will exist after the resurrection—called a spiritual body.

In James 3:15, it is applied to wisdom: "This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." In Jude 1:19, it is applied to sensual persons, or those who are governed by the senses, in opposition to those who are influenced by the Spirit: "These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." The word here clearly denotes those who are under the influence of the senses, who are governed by passions, animal appetites, and natural desires, and who are uninfluenced by the Spirit of God. It may also be observed that this was the case with the great mass of the heathen world, even including the philosophers.

Receiveth not (ou decetai). This means he does not embrace or comprehend them. That is, he rejects them as folly; he does not perceive their beauty or wisdom; he despises them. He loves other things better. A man of intemperance does not receive or love the arguments for temperance; a man of licentiousness, the arguments for chastity; a liar, the arguments for truth. So a sensual or worldly man does not receive or love the arguments for religion.

The things of the Spirit of God. These are the doctrines inspired by the Holy Spirit and the things that pertain to his influence on the heart and life. The "things of the Spirit of God" here denote all the things the Holy Spirit produces.

Neither can he know them. This means he can neither understand nor comprehend them. Perhaps, also, the word know here implies the idea of loving or approving of them, as it often does in Scripture. Thus, to "know the Lord" often means to love Him, to have a full, practical acquaintance with Him. When the apostle says that the animal or sensual man cannot know these things, he may be referring to one of two things:

1. That these doctrines were not discoverable by human wisdom or by any skill the natural man may possess, but were to be learned only by revelation. This is the main drift of his argument, and this sense is given by Locke and Whitby.
2. He may mean that the sensual, unrenewed man cannot perceive their beauty and force, even after they are revealed to man, unless his mind is enlightened and inclined by the Spirit of God.

This latter interpretation is probably the sense of the passage. It is the simple affirmation of a fact: that while the man remains sensual and carnal, he cannot perceive the beauty of these doctrines.

And this is a simple and well-known fact. It is a universal and lamentable truth that the sensual man, the worldly man, the proud, haughty, and self-confident man, the man under the influence of his animal appetites—licentious, false, ambitious, and vain—does not perceive any beauty in Christianity. In the same way, the intemperate man perceives no beauty in the arguments for temperance, the adulterer no beauty in the arguments for chastity, and the liar no beauty in the arguments for truth.

It is a simple fact that while he is intemperate, licentious, or false, he can perceive no beauty in these doctrines. But this does not prove that he has no natural faculties for perceiving the force and beauty of these arguments, or that he might not apply his mind to their investigation and be brought to embrace them, or that he might not abandon the love of intoxicating drinks, sensuality, and falsehood, and become a man of temperance, purity, and truth.

He has all the natural faculties that are requisite in this case; and all his inability is his strong love of intoxicating drinks, impurity, or falsehood. So it is with the sensual sinner. While he thus remains in love with sin, he cannot perceive the beauty of the plan of salvation or the excellency of the doctrines of religion.

He needs just the love of these things and the hatred of sin. He needs to cherish the influences of the Spirit; to receive what he has taught, and not reject it through the love of sin. He needs to yield himself to their influences, and then their beauty will be seen.

The passage here proves that while a man is thus sensual, the things of the Spirit will appear to him to be folly. It proves nothing about his ability or his natural faculty to see the excellency of these things and to turn from his sin. It is the affirmation of a simple fact, everywhere discernible, that the natural man does not perceive the beauty of these things; that while he remains in that state he cannot; and that if he is ever brought to perceive their beauty, it will be by the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Such is his love of sin that he never will be brought to see their beauty except by the agency of the Holy Spirit. As Aristotle, quoted by Bloomfield, says: "For wickedness perverts the judgment, and makes men err with respect to practical principles, so that no one can be wise and judicious who is not good."

They are spiritually discerned. That is, they are perceived by the aid of the Holy Spirit enlightening the mind and influencing the heart.

The term "natural man" is also termed "carnal." For the phrase "receiveth not," compare Matthew 13:11 and Romans 8:5, 7.

The term "discerned" is also rendered "discerneth," an older form of the verb.