“But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT).
The one who has not been spiritually born again cannot understand spiritual things. They are still dead in their sins. That is to say, they are spiritually dead. And so, they are dead to the things of the Spirit. This spiritual deadness accounts for their spiritual deafness and spiritual blindness. Just as the dead cannot see nor hear in the natural world, so the spiritually dead cannot see nor hear in the spiritual one.
One must be raised to new life, born again, in order to have have ears and eyes opened. No amount of argument or persuasion can wake the dead. Only the saving power of God’s gospel of grace received through faith will bring them to life.
The one without spiritual rebirth can neither understand nor receive the things of the Spirit. But by the grace of God through faith in Jesus, we can be born again.
As Jesus said, “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:6-7).
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for giving us spiritual new birth through faith in Jesus. Help us to walk by the Spirit today. And strengthen us to proclaim the good news to others. In Jesus’ name, amen.