Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians (Part 2)

pneuma (408 Times in the NT)

“pneuma” = The Root and General Word for “Spirit” (Sometimes “Wind” and “Breath” - 379 Times

“pneumatikos” = “Spiritual” - 26 Times

“pneumatikōs” = “Spiritually” - 2 Times

“theopneustos” = “Inspired By God” - 1 Time

We’re Going to Be Dealing with the Word “Spiritual” this Morning

15 Out of the 26 Times it is Found in the NT…

It is Found in 1 Corinthians

I Think We Have a Big Misunderstanding About What “Spiritual” Means

“pneumatikos” or “Spiritual” = “Having to Do with the Spirit”

When We Hear “Spiritual” I Think We Typically Believe it Means “Non-Material/Physical”

But Rarely, if Ever at All, Does “Spiritual” Mean that in the NT

It Most Often Refers to Something that is Given By God Through His Spirit

Romans 1:11 (NASB95)

11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;

The Gift Comes From the Indwelling of the Spirit

Romans 7:14 (NASB95)

14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

The Law Came From God Through His Spirit

It Also Teaches Against the Fleshly/Sinful Ways of Fallen Humanity

Ephesians 1:3 (NASB95)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

These are Blessings that Come From God Through Faith in Jesus

In Jesus We are:

God’s Chosen People

Adopted into God’s Family

Redeemed

Forgiven

Sealed with the Holy Spirit

These are All Immaterial, Non-Physical Blessings

But that’s Not the Point Paul is Making

All of These Blessings are Given By God in Christ and Have to Do with the Spirit

“Spiritual” can Refer to People Who Have Their Minds Set on the Things of the Spirit

Galatians 6:1 (NASB95)

1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

Paul Isn’t Referring to Faithful Christians Being Non-Physical/Material

He Means They Live According to the Spirit

One Passage that Seems to Give this Idea of “Spiritual” = Non-Physical is Romans 15:26-27

Romans 15:26–27 (NASB95)

26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.27 Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.

The Jewish Christians Shared the Gospel with the Gentiles

In Return, the Gentile Christians Should Share Their Material Things with the Christians in Jerusalem

Is the Gospel Non-Physical?

Yes, But I Don’t Think that’s the Point Paul is Making

The Spiritual Things that the Jewish Christians Shared…

Were the Very Things that Came From God Through His Spirit

If You Study Each of the 26 Times “Spiritual” is Used…

I Don’t Believe the Natural Interpretation You’ll Come Away with is…

“Spiritual” = Non-Physical

You’ll Come Away with the Interpretation of:

“Spiritual” = Relating to or Given By God and His Spirit

Things that are “Spiritual” can Be Non-Physical…

But that is Not Always the Case

Let’s Get into 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 10:1–4 (NASB95)

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;3 and all ate the same spiritual food;4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

Paul is Using the Wilderness Israelites as an Example for the Corinthian Christians

Just Like the Corinthians, the Israelites Were “Baptized”

And They Were Given Spiritual Nourishment From Christ

But in What Way was the Israelite’s Food and Drink “Spiritual”?

Their Food and Drink Wasn’t Non-Physical

It was Given to Them By God

The Food and Drink They Received Didn’t Come From Naturally From the Earth, But Supernaturally From God

The Water Came From a Natural Rock, But it was Supernaturally Given

In the Context of Talking About Gifts that Come From the Spirit, Paul Says:

1 Corinthians 14:37 (NASB95)

37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.

The Corinthians Were Arrogant

They Thought that Their Many Spiritual Gifts Proved…

That the Things They Were Doing in Their Worship Services Were God-Approved

They Considered Themselves “Prophets” and “Spiritually-Guided” People

But Paul Reminded Them that What He was Commanding Them to Fix…

Were Commandments Straight From God

Now Let’s Get into 1 Cor. 15

It’s in this Chapter that I Think Our Misunderstanding of “Spiritual”…

Can Really Affect the Way We Interpret What Paul is Saying

In this Chapter, Paul's Entire Focus is on the Resurrection of Believers

The Corinthian Christians Came From a Very Pagan Gentile Background

They Believed in an Afterlife, But a Purely Non-Physical Afterlife

That’s Why They Would Often Laugh When Resurrection was Preached

They Knew Resurrection Meant the Physical Body Coming Back to Life…

And They Believed that was Absurdly Impossible

We Saw that Back in Chapter 6

They Believed They Could Satisfy Their Sexual Desires…

Because God was Going to “Do Away” with Their Bodies Anyway

Paul Said “Hold Your Horses”

God is Going to Raise Your Bodies Like He Did Jesus’ Body

Paul Preached that Physical Resurrection is Exactly What was Going to Happen

That’s Exactly What Jesus Experienced and that’s Exactly What Believers Will Experience

We Start to Struggle with that Concept When We Get Further into 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15:35–49 (NASB95)

35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?”

36 You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies;37 and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else.

38 But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.

40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;

43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;

44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.

We Get Confused Here Because of Our Misunderstanding of What Paul Means When He Says “Spiritual”

It’s Important to Look at the Original Language in this Passage

“Natural” Doesn’t Mean “Physical”

“Natural” = psychikos - psyche = Soul

We are Currently Living in What Paul Calls a “Soulish Body”

Every Person Born in this Life is Born in this Natural/Earthly Body

It is Body and Spirit - A Soul

We are All Souls/Living Beings

But When Jesus Returns, Believers Will Be Given a pneumatikos/Spiritual Bodies

We’ve Been Given the Spirit in Our Mortal Bodies

But We Won’t Receive Bodies that are Animated and Powered By the Spirit Until the Resurrection

If What Paul Means By “Spiritual Bodies” is “Non-Physical Bodies”…

Then He Would Be Contradicting Everything He’s Ever Said on the Topic

And He Would Be Using “Spiritual” in a Way He Never Uses Spiritual

Our Spiritual Bodies are Bodies Given By and Empowered By God’s Spirit

47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.

49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

Our Bodies Right Now are Made From the Earth

But Our Resurrection Bodies are Made From Heavenly Material

More Glorious, More Powerful, Incorruptible, and Immortal

Our Spirit-Powered Bodies Will Be Better Than Our Soul-Powered Bodies

But Just Like Jesus’ Spirit-Powered Body, Our Will Be Physical

If Resurrection is Not Physical, Then it isn’t Resurrection at All