Sermon Title:

The Spirit and Spiritual Discernment

Key Passage:

1 Corinthians 2:13–14

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:13–14)

Series:

The Ministry of the Holy Ghost

Topic:

The Spirit and Spiritual Discernment

Book:

1 Corinthians

Speaker:

Paul Tackett

Suggested Sermon Text:

1 Corinthians 2:9–16; 1 Corinthians 3:1–3; John 16:13–15; Romans 8:5–9; Ephesians 1:17–18; Colossians 1:9–10; Philippians 1:9–10; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Hebrews 5:12–14

Short Sermon Description:

First Corinthians 2:13–14 reveals why spiritual truth cannot be mastered merely by intelligence, education, religious tradition, or human philosophy. The Holy Ghost gave God’s revelation in words, and the believer is instructed to understand those words by “comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” Paul then draws a sharp distinction between the natural man, who does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, and the spiritual man, who is able to discern them. This sermon examines the source, standard, necessity, and development of spiritual discernment; distinguishes biblical illumination from claims of continuing revelation; exposes the danger of judging truth by feelings, culture, scholarship, or private experience; and shows why spiritual maturity requires submission to the written word of God. The controlling VerseQuest format calls for a KJV-only, rightly divided, detailed, sermon-ready treatment with practical application and doctrinal clarity.

THE SPIRIT AND SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT

Introduction

There is a vast difference between knowing that words are printed on a page and understanding the spiritual truth those words contain. A man may possess a library full of Bibles, commentaries, dictionaries, theological books, and religious history and still miss what God plainly said. Another man may carry degrees after his name long enough to resemble the alphabet and yet stumble over spiritual truth that a Bible-believing Christian sees plainly. Paul explains why in 1 Corinthians 2. Spiritual truth is not produced by man’s wisdom, nor is it finally judged by man’s wisdom. The Holy Ghost gave the words, and the things contained in those words are “spiritually discerned.” That statement cuts human pride off at the knees.

This does not mean Christianity glorifies ignorance. Paul was educated, could reason, could quote, could argue, and could communicate with philosophers, rulers, Jews, Gentiles, and common men. The Bible never commands a believer to turn off his mind. It commands him to bring his mind under the authority of God. The problem is not intelligence; the problem is intelligence pretending to sit in judgment upon revelation. Human reason is a useful servant but a miserable master. When man decides that God’s words must first receive approval from philosophy, science falsely so called, religious tradition, denominational authority, or personal experience, he has reversed the order. God does not appear before man’s courtroom asking permission to speak. “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

First Corinthians 2 therefore deals with something desperately needed in every generation: spiritual discernment. Not suspicion. Not cynicism. Not seeing demons behind every doorknob. Not imagining that every private impression came from heaven. Biblical discernment is the Spirit-taught ability to distinguish truth from error according to the revelation God has given. It recognizes the difference between man’s words and God’s words, natural wisdom and spiritual truth, revelation and speculation, sound doctrine and religious counterfeit. A Christian who lacks discernment may own a Bible and still be carried around by every new wind that blows through the religious world. The remedy is not another sensation. The remedy is to become thoroughly acquainted with the Book the Holy Ghost gave.

I. SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT BEGINS WITH DIVINE REVELATION

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 2:12–13

Supporting Texts: John 16:13–15; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Ephesians 3:3–5

Paul says, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God.” Then he explains the purpose: “that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). Spiritual knowledge begins with God revealing truth, not man discovering God through unaided wisdom. Christianity is therefore a revealed faith. We know what God wants us to know because God has spoken. Man does not climb into heaven through philosophy and bring down truth. God speaks from heaven and gives truth to man.

That distinction is essential. There are things man can discover through observation. He can measure distances, examine physical processes, study languages, classify animals, calculate numbers, and observe human behavior. But he cannot put the mysteries of God under a microscope. He cannot excavate justification by faith with a shovel. He cannot calculate the body of Christ with an equation. He cannot discover the gospel of the grace of God by staring into the stars. Those truths had to be revealed.

Paul also says that the Spirit’s revelation came in “words.” That matters. Biblical inspiration is not merely God supplying vague religious concepts while men supplied whatever vocabulary they happened to prefer. Paul says the apostles spoke “not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.” God communicates truth through words. Therefore words matter. Doctrine depends upon words. If a word can be ignored, altered, corrected, or redefined whenever it becomes inconvenient, doctrinal certainty disappears with it.

Main Truth: Spiritual discernment begins with God revealing His truth through words taught by the Holy Ghost.

II. THE HOLY GHOST TEACHES THROUGH THE WORDS HE GAVE

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 2:13

Supporting Texts: John 14:26; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10–12; 2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 119:130

Paul does not say merely that the Holy Ghost gave religious ideas. He says, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.” The Holy Ghost is therefore connected both with the revelation of truth and the words by which that truth is communicated. A Bible believer should never apologize for caring about exact wording. The devil’s first recorded assault upon mankind began by casting doubt upon something God had said: “Yea, hath God said?” (Genesis 3:1). Once confidence in the words is weakened, the door is opened for somebody else to become the final authority.

The Spirit of God does not compete with the Scriptures. He authored them. He does not lead a Christian away from the written word into a higher realm where the Bible becomes unnecessary. He illuminates, teaches, applies, and brings understanding concerning what God has revealed. That means the believer should be immediately suspicious of any supposed spiritual experience that requires him to disregard plain Scripture. The Holy Ghost is not going to contradict the words the Holy Ghost gave.

This also protects the Christian from confusing illumination with inspiration. God gave inspired Scripture through chosen men. The believer today does not receive new books of the Bible every morning at breakfast. He studies the revelation already given. The same Spirit who inspired Scripture works in the believer to open his understanding, but illumination does not produce additional Scripture. You may learn something new from the Bible, but that is not the same thing as God adding something new to the Bible.

Main Truth: The Holy Ghost teaches believers through the written revelation He gave and never leads them contrary to the words of Scripture.

III. THE NATURAL MAN CANNOT RECEIVE SPIRITUAL TRUTH ON NATURAL TERMS

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 2:14

Supporting Texts: Romans 8:5–8; John 3:3–7; Ephesians 2:1–3; 2 Corinthians 4:3–4

Paul draws the line sharply: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.” The natural man is man as he stands in Adam, without the spiritual life that comes through the new birth. He may be intelligent, moral, cultured, religious, sincere, educated, and respectable. None of those things turns natural ability into spiritual capacity. A dead man may be dressed in an expensive suit, but the suit does not give him life. Likewise, decorating the natural man with education does not regenerate him.

Paul goes further: “for they are foolishness unto him.” That explains a great deal about the world’s reaction to biblical truth. The preaching of the cross looks foolish to natural wisdom. Salvation by grace looks too simple. Biblical authority looks narrow. Creation looks unsophisticated. Judgment looks offensive. Separation looks extreme. Christ’s exclusivity looks intolerant. Why? Because natural man begins with the wrong authority and therefore reaches the wrong conclusions.

The verse finally says, “neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The problem goes deeper than unwillingness alone. There is spiritual incapacity. That is why no amount of intellectual decoration can substitute for regeneration. A sinner does not need merely a better religious education. He needs life. He needs the gospel. He needs to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Until the issue of salvation is settled, spiritual truth will continually be judged from the wrong side of the courtroom.

Main Truth: Natural intelligence cannot replace spiritual life, because the things of God must be spiritually discerned.

IV. SPIRITUAL THINGS MUST BE COMPARED WITH SPIRITUAL THINGS

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 2:13

Supporting Texts: Isaiah 28:10; 2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 17:11; Psalm 119:18; Psalm 119:160

Paul gives the method plainly: “comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” Bible study is not an invitation to isolate one verse, attach an imagination to it, and build a doctrine. Scripture must be compared with Scripture. Clear passages illuminate difficult passages. Repeated terminology provides context. Parallel passages supply details. Doctrinal distinctions prevent contradictions that arise only because the reader has thrown everything into one religious bucket.

This is where rightly dividing the word of truth becomes indispensable. A verse can be biblical and still be applied to the wrong people, at the wrong time, under the wrong covenant, for the wrong doctrinal purpose. Noah was told to build an ark, but nobody is rightly dividing Scripture if he starts buying gopher wood tomorrow morning. Israel was commanded concerning sacrifices, dietary regulations, feast days, circumcision, priesthood, and temple worship. Those passages are inspired, profitable, and true, but the body of Christ is not ancient Israel under the law. Comparing Scripture with Scripture includes recognizing the distinctions Scripture itself makes.

The best defense against a distorted verse is often another verse. Cults survive by isolation. False teachers flourish where people remember slogans but cannot compare passages. Religious deception loves a closed Bible and hates an open one. The Christian who patiently compares passage with passage becomes harder to deceive because he does not have to ask, “Does this sound impressive?” He can ask, “What saith the scripture?”

Main Truth: God’s method of spiritual understanding requires comparing Scripture with Scripture and rightly dividing what God has written.

V. SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT IS NOT THE SAME AS FEELING SOMETHING STRONGLY

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 2:13–14

Supporting Texts: Proverbs 14:12; Jeremiah 17:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1; Colossians 2:8

Modern religion frequently turns discernment into emotion. Someone says, “I just feel led.” Another says, “I have peace about it.” Another says, “God told me.” Another claims that an idea must be right because a door opened. But none of those statements automatically proves anything. Jonah found a ship going exactly where he wanted to go while he was running directly against the commandment of God. An open door can lead straight into disobedience if the written word has already settled the question.

Feelings are real, but they are not final authority. A person can sincerely feel wrong. Saul of Tarsus sincerely believed he ought to persecute Christians. Religious zeal did not turn error into truth. Proverbs warns, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Something can seem right, feel right, appear right, and still be wrong.

Biblical discernment therefore tests impressions instead of bowing before them. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). That command would make no sense if every strong internal feeling were automatically divine. The Spirit never asks the believer to suspend Scripture in order to follow an impression. The Christian does not test the Bible by his feelings; he tests his feelings by the Bible.

Main Truth: Spiritual discernment judges feelings and impressions by Scripture rather than judging Scripture by feelings and impressions.

VI. CARNALITY CAN CLOUD THE DISCERNMENT OF A SAVED PERSON

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 3:1–3

Supporting Texts: Hebrews 5:12–14; Romans 12:1–2; Ephesians 4:14; Colossians 1:9–10; Philippians 1:9–10

Immediately after explaining spiritual discernment, Paul tells the Corinthians, “I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:1). Notice that he calls them “brethren.” These are not simply lost men. They are saved people behaving carnally. That destroys the notion that salvation automatically produces mature discernment. A believer possesses the Spirit of God, but he can remain immature in his thinking, weak in doctrine, governed by fleshly appetites, and easily impressed by personalities.

The Corinthians provide the perfect example. They were dividing themselves over preachers, tolerating immorality, abusing Christian liberty, mishandling the Lord’s supper, competing over spiritual gifts, and needing correction concerning resurrection. They had spiritual gifts, but gifts did not guarantee maturity. They had apostolic teaching, but access to truth did not guarantee obedience to truth. They had the indwelling Spirit, but carnality was hindering their spiritual condition.

Hebrews speaks of those who by reason of use “have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). Discernment develops through use. A Christian learns the Bible, applies it, compares things with it, observes consequences, corrects mistakes, and becomes increasingly difficult to deceive. Spiritual maturity is not measured merely by how long somebody has been saved. A man can be thirty years old in the Lord and still be crawling around doctrinally if he has refused to grow.

Main Truth: Salvation gives the believer spiritual life, but mature discernment develops as he abandons carnality and grows through the consistent use of Scripture.

VII. TRUE SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT EXALTS CHRIST AND PROTECTS THE BELIEVER FROM ERROR

Key Text: 1 Corinthians 2:15–16

Supporting Texts: John 16:13–14; Ephesians 4:11–15; 1 John 4:1–3; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 2 Timothy 4:2–4

Paul continues, “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things” (1 Corinthians 2:15). That does not authorize a Christian to become an arrogant fault-finder who imagines himself qualified to pronounce judgment on every person he meets. The context concerns spiritual evaluation. The spiritual man possesses a divine standard by which teachings, claims, philosophies, and religious ideas can be examined. His standard is higher than public opinion because it comes from God.

The need for that discernment is obvious. Scripture warns repeatedly about false teachers, false apostles, seducing spirits, doctrines of devils, grievous wolves, another gospel, philosophy and vain deceit, traditions of men, and people who accumulate teachers because they have itching ears. A Christian walking into the religious world without biblical discernment is like a man entering a minefield wearing a blindfold. Everything may look peaceful until he puts his foot in the wrong place.

But discernment is not merely the ability to identify what is false. Its highest purpose is to recognize and hold fast to what is true. John 16:14 records Christ saying of the Spirit, “He shall glorify me.” Genuine spiritual understanding will magnify Jesus Christ and agree with the revelation God has given concerning Him. The spiritually discerning believer therefore does more than expose error. He knows the truth well enough to love it, defend it, obey it, teach it, and refuse substitutes.

Main Truth: Spiritual discernment enables the believer to recognize error, hold fast to truth, and remain centered upon Jesus Christ and His word.

Conclusion

First Corinthians 2:13–14 explains why biblical discernment cannot be reduced to intelligence, education, intuition, emotion, or religious experience. Spiritual things have a spiritual source, a spiritual standard, and a spiritual method of understanding. The Holy Ghost gave revelation in words. Those words are to be compared with other spiritual words. The natural man does not receive them properly because he lacks spiritual life. The believer, possessing the Spirit of God, can understand them as he submits himself to the word and grows in spiritual maturity.

That truth should produce both confidence and humility. Confidence, because God has not left His children stumbling through a theological fog with no compass. He has given us His word. Humility, because discernment is not an excuse for intellectual pride. A man who truly understands Scripture knows that he did not invent the truth. He received it. The Holy Ghost gave the words, Christ receives the glory, and the believer should never strut around as though he originated what God graciously revealed.

The answer to religious confusion is therefore not less Bible but more Bible rightly divided. Read it. Study it. Compare it. Believe it. Memorize it. Test preaching by it. Test teaching by it. Test traditions by it. Test experiences by it. Test your own opinions by it. Do not ask the King James Bible to bow before the age; make the age stand before the Book. Spiritual discernment grows where the word of God occupies the place of final authority and where the believer is willing to change his thinking whenever Scripture proves him wrong.

Final Call

If you are lost, your first need is not advanced spiritual discernment. Your first need is spiritual life. The natural man cannot educate himself into the body of Christ. You are a sinner, and Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). Salvation is not obtained through religious education, good works, baptism, church membership, philosophy, morality, or mystical experience. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

If you are saved, stop allowing the world to do your thinking for you. Stop allowing religious personalities to do your Bible study for you. Stop allowing feelings to overrule verses and trends to overrule truth. Open the Book, compare spiritual things with spiritual, rightly divide the word of truth, and ask God to give you wisdom to recognize what agrees with His word and what does not. A discerning Christian is not one who suspects everything; he is one who knows the truth well enough that error has trouble wearing a disguise around him.

Closing Verse:

“But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” (1 Corinthians 2:15)

Closing Statement:

Spiritual discernment is not learning to trust your feelings more—it is learning to trust God’s words enough to test everything else by them.