Spiritual Man, The

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A spiritual man humbles himself constantly. And so God exalts him constantly. He is exalted higher and higher – into a closer and closer relationship with God. Such a man having seen the realities of the heavenly life will always seek to do his good deeds hidden from man’s eyes.

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts ( Ephesians 5:18, 19). Ego, really, is weakness. It’s acting out of fear and greed and wanting to have “more” than others. The renowned Herman Hesse writes about this search for meaning and the authentic spiritual life in his book Narcissus and Goldmund. Unfortunately, not all the gurus and experts that preach spirituality do so with our best interests at heart.We are commanded to worship the Lord “in holy array (dress)” (Ps. 29:2) . Without the clothing of holiness, we are naked before the Lord. So the spiritual man “does his best” at all times to keep his conscience clear before God and before men (Acts 24:16). Just as the businessman does his best to make more money, and the research scientist does his best to make new discoveries, even so the spiritual man does his best to keep his conscience clear at all times. Instead, they will accept the mistake and allow it to change them in a positive way. They know that they are never really happy until they are at peace with themselves and there is no point in chasing after a feeling of happiness when you know that you might never achieve it. 19) They are willing to give up their possessions for the sake of someone else

This is what verses 15 and 16 are getting at. The Spirit enables us to appraise things with their true value, but when natural men appraise us, they will always go wrong. Why? Verse 16: Because apart from the Spirit no one thinks or appraises like the Lord, but we who possess the Spirit have the mind of Christ. We have begun to view and assess things the way Christ does. Therefore we do not reject but receive the things of the Spirit, even when they mean death to self; because now we know what is really valuable. What the Work of the Spirit Is and Is Not It doesn’t mean nothing ever gets to the spiritual person, it just means they have exited from the day-to-day drama that can often tie so many of us up in its complications. The apostle Paul helps us to understand what a spiritual person is by drawing a contrast between a “spiritual man” and “a physical man.” (Read 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 .) What is the difference? The “physical man” is described as not accepting “the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot get to know them.” On the other hand, “the spiritual man” is someone who “examines all things” and who has “the mind of Christ.” Paul encourages us to be spiritual people. In what other ways do physical and spiritual individuals differ? Consider first the attitude of a physical individual. The world has a predominant attitude that centers on the flesh. Paul describes it as “the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” ( Eph. 2:2) This spirit influences most humans to adopt a common attitude​—simply follow the crowd. They are focused on the flesh. As a result, the majority of them do what feels right in their own eyes and make no effort to live up to God’s standards. A physical, or fleshly-minded, person is often excessively concerned about prestige and material pursuits or about defending what he feels are his rights.However, even a spiritual person can confuse some healthy spiritual principles with unhealthy ones. Want to know where you stand? Here’s how: The spiritual person has embraced their own inner journey and therefore is ready and effective at helping the world outside as well.