Expositor's Bible Commentary 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)

In using the generic term “man” (GK 476), the apostle now shows he is speaking of the unsaved in general, governed as they are only by their “soulishhuman” nature; they do not accept enlightenment and truths from the Spirit of God. Therefore such persons consider those truths to be foolish. Paul states it even more strongly when he says that “the man without the Spirit” cannot understand these truths because they can be discerned and understood only with the guidance of the Spirit.

The verb translated “discerned” in v.14 is the same verb translated “make judgments” and “subject to man’s judgments” in v.15 (GK 373). The idea of this verb involves making intelligent spiritual decisions following the examination (cf. 4:3).