He Who is Spiritual

“But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.”  1 Corinthians 2:15

The word rendered “spiritual” is the Greek word “pneumatikos,” from which theologians have coined the term, “pneumatology,” the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Thus a “spiritual” person is one who is not only born again spiritually through faith in Christ and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, but also tries diligently to follow the leading of the indwelling Spirit and to understand and obey the precepts of the Bible inspired by Him.
   
A spiritual person will have “the mind of the Lord” (1 Cor. 2:16), able to judge all things by spiritual standards and biblical revelation. He or she will “not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit,” knowing that “the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:4, 6). As such, spiritual believers prayerfully make decisions seeking God’s will, they are “led by the Spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14). And since they “walk by the Spirit,” they “will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).   

They will often and repeatedly be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) for Christian service. Furthermore, they will manifest “the fruit of the Spirit” in their lives and personalities - that is, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).

Yet while “he who is spiritual” is thereby able to discern and evaluate all things by such divine standards, he will find himself often misunderstood by unsaved relatives and acquaintances, for “a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14).

Nevertheless, “the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:8).