The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to
be judged by no one
The day of the Lord
is a time of worldwide judgment;
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved,
that with the
Lord one day is as a thousand years,
and
a thousand years as one day
(1 Corinthians 2:15, ESV).
This statement is part of a larger context that
contrasts the
spiritual man with the natural man
In 1 Corinthians 2 and 3,
Paul explains that there are four kinds of people:
the natural man (1 Corinthians 2:14),
the spiritual man (1 Corinthians 2:15),
infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1), and the
fleshly person (1 Corinthians 3:3).
The natural man will
Not
receive or accept the things of God
because he considers them to be foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14).
While the natural man can have a factual understanding
of the words he hears,
He can’t judge them accurately
because those
judgments are spiritual in nature.
In contrast, the spiritual man judges all things
(1 Corinthians 2:15).
That is,
He is Able to
Discern or Evaluate Properly
the
Things of God
because they
are Spiritually Perceived
The ingredient
the natural man is missing—and the spiritual man has--
is the MIND of CHRIST
(1 Corinthians 2:16).
The mature Believer in Christ is
the spiritual man,
made ALIVE and Possessing
Anew Way of
Thinking
The spiritual man Judges All Things because he now
has the mind of Christ.
The natural man
perceives the things of God to be foolishness
and refuses
to have the Thinking of Christ.
Infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1) are those who are
ANewly BORN
They have Just Come to KNOW Christ and are
only Now Beginning to Learn about the
things of God
Consequently, they might look like a fleshly person
at times,
not utilizing the mind of Christ in their own thinking.
While the infant has been
Anewly Born and has Anew Spirit,
he has not yet
Learned to Judge all things or to Use the
Thinking of
Christ that NOW Belongs to Him
The fleshly person (1 Corinthians 3:3) often ]
Acts like Infantry only without the built-in excuse
Infants are expected to behave like infants
because that is what they are
The fleshly person, or carnal person, has not grown as he should have.
He should have moved on past infancy and grown to maturity,
but his growth has been stunted.
Paul chastises the Corinthians because
they are
thinking and behaving like fleshly people
(1 Corinthians 3:3)
when they should be thinking
like the spiritual man who
Judges or discerns all things
They were walking like mere men
rather than like those who have the mind of Christ.
This immaturity was inexcusable
and showed UP in their
Thinking and Behavior
They were going beyond what was
Written in Scripture
becoming arrogant and judging
Wrongly
(1 Corinthians 4:6).
They were Judging SO Poorly
that they were
Engaging in Appalling Immorality,
and,
Instead of Mourning, they were
Arrogant about it
(1 Corinthians 5:1–2).
The spiritual man judges all things, but
“but is himself to be judged by no one”
(1 Corinthians 2:15).
In other words, the man with
the
Spirit of God
is
able to discern the things of God
in
The Way
that the natural (unsaved) man cannot.
At the same time, the spiritual person is
misunderstood by the natural man
Those
Without The Spirit
Cannot
Appreciate or Fully comprehend
the spiritual man’s
motives, worldview, or character
The spiritual man
has the mind or the thinking of Christ,
and that is a mystery
to those who do not know
Christ
When we believe in Jesus, we are born again
and can Now think as God has designed us to think.
We are no longer natural people whose
spirit is not Alive
We should Move Past the immaturities of infancy and Press on to maturity. We ought to think and Act like spiritual people because that is
What we Are.
As Paul put it elsewhere,
we should walk in a manner worthy
of our calling (Ephesians 4:1).
We should no longer walk like fleshly people, focusing on the desires of our flesh. Rather, we should use the thinking of Christ and grow to maturity, walking in newness of life.
As Paul exhorted the Corinthians to do,
we ought to demonstrate
Christlike Judgement
and discernment because we have the
Mind of Christ
The day of Christ is a prophetic event
specifically referenced three times in the New Testament;
the apostle Paul speaks of “the day of Christ,”
"the day of Jesus Christ,” and “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Other New Testament passages may allude to the day of Christ, but the use of this phraseology is unique to Paul’s writings. Let us examine these three passages within their proper scriptural context. The first is Philippians 1:3–6:
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
Because of YOUR
Partnership in the Gospel
from the
first day until now!
And I am SURE of This, that
HE who
Began a GOOD WORK in YOU WILL
bring it to
Completion
at the
Day of Jesus Christ
(ESV).
Besides assuring Christian believers of their eternal security,
this passage teaches that
the day of Christ marks the
time when
our sanctification will
be COMPLETE
At long last, we will enjoy sinless perfection and dwell in resurrected, immortal, glorified bodies. In reference to this same bright future, John wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2, ESV).
The next mention of
"the day of Christ”
is in Philippians 2:14–16:
Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish in the midst of a
crooked and twisted
generation, among whom
YOU shine as Lights in
the world,
Holding Fast to the Word of Life,
so that in the day of Christ
I may be PROUD that I did not
run in vain or
labor in vain
From this passage, we can be assured that
the difficulties believers
face in a hostile,
godless world will pass and that, in the
day of Christ,
the struggles WILL end for those
who persevere
In another passage, the apostle Paul writes,
"And let us not Grow weary of
doing good,
For in due season We
Will
reap, if we do not give up”
(Galatians 6:9, ESV).
The third and final of Paul’s references to “the day of Christ” is found
in 1Corinthians 1:4–8:
I give thanks to my God
always for you
because of the grace of God that was
given you in Christ Jesus,
that in every way you were
enriched in him
in
all speech and all knowledge--
even as
The Testimony
about
Christ was Confirmed
among you--
so that you are not lacking in any
Gift,
as you
wait for the revealing of our
Lord
Jesus Christ,
who will sustain you to the end,
guiltless
in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ
Again, the apostle Paul assures all believers of
their
Eternal Hope
for
when the day of Christ comes,
they
will be counted among
the
redeemed.
This blessed hope
is also expressed in our Lord’s words,
“And this is the
Will of Him who Sent Me
that I should lose nothing of all
that
He has Given Me,
but
Raise it UP on the
Last Day”
(John 6:39, ESV).
The day of Christ points to the time when
our struggles end and victory over sin and death
is no longer a promise,
but a glorious reality.
We believe the day of Christ begins at the rapture of the church and continues through the millennial reign.
The day of Christ is a time of
lavish promises
fulfilled and decisive victories achieved--
a time when believers no longer
walk by faith but by
sight,
for our enemies will be our Lord’s footstool
(Psalm 110:1).
The day of Christ is related to but probably
distinguished from the day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord is a time of judgment
in which God pours out
His consuming wrath upon a hostile, rebellious, unbelieving world:
Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is NEAR,
and
as destruction from the Almighty it comes
(Joel 1:15, ESV)
Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
as
destruction from the Almighty it will come!
(Isaiah 13:6)
Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why would you have the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, and not
LIGHT
(Amos 5:18, ESV)
For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.
As you have done,
it shall be done to you;
your deeds
shall return on your own head
(Obadiah 1:15, ESV)
The day of the Lord is a time of worldwide judgment;
the day of Christ has to do with believers
meeting
Christ and receiving their heavenly inheritance.
Thankfully,
God’s people will not
face the unleashing of God’s righteous
fury when the day of the Lord comes
(I Thessalonians 5:9).
The day of the Lord
is reserved for unrepentant sinners who
refuse God’s mercy.
The haughty and proud rebels who snub
His mercy must face His judgment.
By contrast,
the day of Christ
is a time of hope and promise and,
indeed,
a day of celebration.
May we join King David in singing,
“I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord”
(Psalm 40:1–3, ESV).
be judged by no one
The day of the Lord
is a time of worldwide judgment;
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved,
that with the
Lord one day is as a thousand years,
and
a thousand years as one day
(1 Corinthians 2:15, ESV).
This statement is part of a larger context that
contrasts the
spiritual man with the natural man
In 1 Corinthians 2 and 3,
Paul explains that there are four kinds of people:
the natural man (1 Corinthians 2:14),
the spiritual man (1 Corinthians 2:15),
infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1), and the
fleshly person (1 Corinthians 3:3).
The natural man will
Not
receive or accept the things of God
because he considers them to be foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14).
While the natural man can have a factual understanding
of the words he hears,
He can’t judge them accurately
because those
judgments are spiritual in nature.
In contrast, the spiritual man judges all things
(1 Corinthians 2:15).
That is,
He is Able to
Discern or Evaluate Properly
the
Things of God
because they
are Spiritually Perceived
The ingredient
the natural man is missing—and the spiritual man has--
is the MIND of CHRIST
(1 Corinthians 2:16).
The mature Believer in Christ is
the spiritual man,
made ALIVE and Possessing
Anew Way of
Thinking
The spiritual man Judges All Things because he now
has the mind of Christ.
The natural man
perceives the things of God to be foolishness
and refuses
to have the Thinking of Christ.
Infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1) are those who are
ANewly BORN
They have Just Come to KNOW Christ and are
only Now Beginning to Learn about the
things of God
Consequently, they might look like a fleshly person
at times,
not utilizing the mind of Christ in their own thinking.
While the infant has been
Anewly Born and has Anew Spirit,
he has not yet
Learned to Judge all things or to Use the
Thinking of
Christ that NOW Belongs to Him
The fleshly person (1 Corinthians 3:3) often ]
Acts like Infantry only without the built-in excuse
Infants are expected to behave like infants
because that is what they are
The fleshly person, or carnal person, has not grown as he should have.
He should have moved on past infancy and grown to maturity,
but his growth has been stunted.
Paul chastises the Corinthians because
they are
thinking and behaving like fleshly people
(1 Corinthians 3:3)
when they should be thinking
like the spiritual man who
Judges or discerns all things
They were walking like mere men
rather than like those who have the mind of Christ.
This immaturity was inexcusable
and showed UP in their
Thinking and Behavior
They were going beyond what was
Written in Scripture
becoming arrogant and judging
Wrongly
(1 Corinthians 4:6).
They were Judging SO Poorly
that they were
Engaging in Appalling Immorality,
and,
Instead of Mourning, they were
Arrogant about it
(1 Corinthians 5:1–2).
The spiritual man judges all things, but
“but is himself to be judged by no one”
(1 Corinthians 2:15).
In other words, the man with
the
Spirit of God
is
able to discern the things of God
in
The Way
that the natural (unsaved) man cannot.
At the same time, the spiritual person is
misunderstood by the natural man
Those
Without The Spirit
Cannot
Appreciate or Fully comprehend
the spiritual man’s
motives, worldview, or character
The spiritual man
has the mind or the thinking of Christ,
and that is a mystery
to those who do not know
Christ
When we believe in Jesus, we are born again
and can Now think as God has designed us to think.
We are no longer natural people whose
spirit is not Alive
We should Move Past the immaturities of infancy and Press on to maturity. We ought to think and Act like spiritual people because that is
What we Are.
As Paul put it elsewhere,
we should walk in a manner worthy
of our calling (Ephesians 4:1).
We should no longer walk like fleshly people, focusing on the desires of our flesh. Rather, we should use the thinking of Christ and grow to maturity, walking in newness of life.
As Paul exhorted the Corinthians to do,
we ought to demonstrate
Christlike Judgement
and discernment because we have the
Mind of Christ
The day of Christ is a prophetic event
specifically referenced three times in the New Testament;
the apostle Paul speaks of “the day of Christ,”
"the day of Jesus Christ,” and “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Other New Testament passages may allude to the day of Christ, but the use of this phraseology is unique to Paul’s writings. Let us examine these three passages within their proper scriptural context. The first is Philippians 1:3–6:
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
Because of YOUR
Partnership in the Gospel
from the
first day until now!
And I am SURE of This, that
HE who
Began a GOOD WORK in YOU WILL
bring it to
Completion
at the
Day of Jesus Christ
(ESV).
Besides assuring Christian believers of their eternal security,
this passage teaches that
the day of Christ marks the
time when
our sanctification will
be COMPLETE
At long last, we will enjoy sinless perfection and dwell in resurrected, immortal, glorified bodies. In reference to this same bright future, John wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2, ESV).
The next mention of
"the day of Christ”
is in Philippians 2:14–16:
Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish in the midst of a
crooked and twisted
generation, among whom
YOU shine as Lights in
the world,
Holding Fast to the Word of Life,
so that in the day of Christ
I may be PROUD that I did not
run in vain or
labor in vain
From this passage, we can be assured that
the difficulties believers
face in a hostile,
godless world will pass and that, in the
day of Christ,
the struggles WILL end for those
who persevere
In another passage, the apostle Paul writes,
"And let us not Grow weary of
doing good,
For in due season We
Will
reap, if we do not give up”
(Galatians 6:9, ESV).
The third and final of Paul’s references to “the day of Christ” is found
in 1Corinthians 1:4–8:
I give thanks to my God
always for you
because of the grace of God that was
given you in Christ Jesus,
that in every way you were
enriched in him
in
all speech and all knowledge--
even as
The Testimony
about
Christ was Confirmed
among you--
so that you are not lacking in any
Gift,
as you
wait for the revealing of our
Lord
Jesus Christ,
who will sustain you to the end,
guiltless
in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ
Again, the apostle Paul assures all believers of
their
Eternal Hope
for
when the day of Christ comes,
they
will be counted among
the
redeemed.
This blessed hope
is also expressed in our Lord’s words,
“And this is the
Will of Him who Sent Me
that I should lose nothing of all
that
He has Given Me,
but
Raise it UP on the
Last Day”
(John 6:39, ESV).
The day of Christ points to the time when
our struggles end and victory over sin and death
is no longer a promise,
but a glorious reality.
We believe the day of Christ begins at the rapture of the church and continues through the millennial reign.
The day of Christ is a time of
lavish promises
fulfilled and decisive victories achieved--
a time when believers no longer
walk by faith but by
sight,
for our enemies will be our Lord’s footstool
(Psalm 110:1).
The day of Christ is related to but probably
distinguished from the day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord is a time of judgment
in which God pours out
His consuming wrath upon a hostile, rebellious, unbelieving world:
Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is NEAR,
and
as destruction from the Almighty it comes
(Joel 1:15, ESV)
Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
as
destruction from the Almighty it will come!
(Isaiah 13:6)
Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why would you have the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, and not
LIGHT
(Amos 5:18, ESV)
For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.
As you have done,
it shall be done to you;
your deeds
shall return on your own head
(Obadiah 1:15, ESV)
The day of the Lord is a time of worldwide judgment;
the day of Christ has to do with believers
meeting
Christ and receiving their heavenly inheritance.
Thankfully,
God’s people will not
face the unleashing of God’s righteous
fury when the day of the Lord comes
(I Thessalonians 5:9).
The day of the Lord
is reserved for unrepentant sinners who
refuse God’s mercy.
The haughty and proud rebels who snub
His mercy must face His judgment.
By contrast,
the day of Christ
is a time of hope and promise and,
indeed,
a day of celebration.
May we join King David in singing,
“I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord”
(Psalm 40:1–3, ESV).
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