The Natural man, Carnal man, and Spiritual man.

(Jeff Unsworth)

​

Three classes of people are shown in the Bible:  the natural man, the carnal man, and the spiritual man.
 

The Natural Man: (Biblically means the ‘unsaved man’.)
 

Firstly, the Bible says that God does not hear the prayers of sinners and the unsaved are sinners.

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
 

Secondly, the natural man/unsaved man does not understand the Bible.

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
 

Acts 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

Speaking to the philosophers in Athens, Paul was called the ‘babbler’ of Athens. This makes total sense because the cross divides men. The cross divides the saved from the unsaved. The Lord Jesus called Himself a divider of men, and the dividing line is His cross.
 

1 Corinthians 2:14  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.

Notice Paul introduces, “the natural man” referring to the unsaved man.  The natural man cannot understand and receive the things of God. Why not?  Because they are foolishness to him.
 

The reason that they can’t believe is that they do not have the Holy Spirit living in them. Only the Spirit of God can take the things of Christ and show them to a saved person.
 

2 Timothy 2:25-26 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
 

To summarize the natural man, let me say this:
 

He is at a place where God does not answer his prayers.
 

He is at a place he cannot understand the Bible and therefore lacks Godly wisdom.
 

He is at a place where the devil can control his life here on earth, and then when his life is over, he goes to hell
.

This is not a route anyone should take, but it is the destination of the unsaved — or the natural man.
 

Having said all that, we need to always remember that God has shown every human being that they are sinners and need a Saviour.
 

Romans 2:15 Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.
 

Paul clearly points out that God has written His basic moral and ethical laws in the human heart. It is the inborn image of God stamped upon the human heart at creation, and because each person has a conscience, each living person when they reach the age of accountability knows they sin. Many people don’t know what to do with the sin and that is why we need to share gospel with them.

We also know when we look at the created universe that there is a God. Something did not evolve from nothing. The Bible tells us that over and over again.
 

Psalm 19:1-3 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
 

Finally, Jesus is enlightening every man that comes into the world.
 

John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
 

Not only is Jesus Christ the true Light but this interesting statement continues. He “lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” The word translated as lighteth is also translated as ‘enlightens.’
Jesus is enlightening every man that comes into the world.
 
What is implied is that the light of Jesus Christ, to some degree, has penetrated the heart of every man who has ever set foot upon this planet.

Most men and women are lost not because they are ignorant of God. They are lost because they have chosen to reject God. With that comes this empty feeling in every heart; they know something is missing. Jesus Christ has opened the door of salvation to everyone.
 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
 

Some ignore the gospel message, some reject it, while some start searching for truth, searching for salvation and do accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, who regenerates, wakens up, causing a man to become a seeker.
 

The Carnal Man (saved yet not growing spiritually) (A Christian who is living as though he is a Natural man).

Here is a Christian man trying to live a Christian life on his own.  He is not submitted to the Holy Spirit’s leading; he is mechanical. He is not reading his bible on a regular basis, and not praying consistently.

On the outside he may look just fine; he even appears spiritual, but in his heart, he has grieved the Holy Spirit living inside of him, and therefore he is miserable much of the time. He is double-minded. On the outside he is putting on a show while in his heart things are much different.
 

James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
 

The word double-minded has the additional sense of ‘wavering,’ ‘uncertain’, or ‘doubting’. A double-minded person doubts God’s ability to help him. Many times, a double-minded person lives a very carnal life, and although he/she is a Christian, the Holy Spirit living inside of him is grieved.

When Christians live carnally, they will be miserable.  Carnal means ‘fleshly’.
 

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
 

The carnal Christian is the one who hasn’t grown up spiritually, and it is evident that he lacks spiritual discernment — not because he doesn’t have the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, but because he is not growing in the grace and in the knowledge of Christ.
 

This carnal Christian is a babe in Christ.  He has an ability and all the tools — the Holy Spirit living inside of him but he has no discipline or desire to study and obey the Bible. Just as a newborn baby has the potential to become a learned man or woman, yet he has to start out by drinking milk.  Paul carries this figure of speech over to the spiritual level.
 

The carnal man knows he is born again, but he is still living in the old nature.
Every believer has been given a new nature and has been given the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 5:17, That should give him great potential for living a spirit-lead, spirit-controlled life. Now he can choose to live in this new nature with the help of the Holy Spirit — or he can follow his flesh and live as a carnal Christian.
 

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Romans 8:5-6 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
 

Every day as Christians we have a choice: either to get the Word of God in our hearts and yield to the Holy Spirit. Or live according to the flesh and not grow. A carnal Christian does not produce the fruit of the Spirit but the works of the flesh and although saved will lose reward at the Judgement seat of Christ.
 

Always remember: “One life will soon be past, only what is done for Christ will last.”
 

Romans 8:6-8 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
 

If you are a carnal Christian, remember: you cannot please God.
 

The Spiritual Man (Saved and in daily fellowship with God through prayer and reading the Bible)

He/She is a Christian who is in fellowship with God. Because God’s Word abides in him, God has promised him peace and joy.  Realistically, the Spiritual man is not always happy.  He has trials that God uses to grow his faith. Sometimes he can get discouraged, but when the spiritual man has trials, he can go directly to God, pray and cast his cares upon the Lord. God is there to comfort him and help him.
 

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.

1 Corinthians 2:14-15 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. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
 

He that is “spiritual” is the one who is saved, and as a result has the Holy Spirit within him; he is a child of God.
The spiritual man, unlike the carnal man, is yielded to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and the fruit of the Spirit will be seen in his life. He “judgeth all things” means that he understands these things. “Yet he himself is judged of no man” means that he is not understood by the natural man.
The spiritual man understands divine truth, but he is misunderstood by the natural man.
 

You will note that they are the kind of men and women that they are because of their relationship to the Bible, the Word of God.
The spiritual man reads the Bible, studies the Bible, and applies what he learns to his life. As he does that, he becomes more and more like Jesus Christ. Again, the spiritual man/woman is a person who is saved and in daily fellowship with God through prayer and Bible reading.
 

So how do we live spiritual lives and not carnal lives? What is the key to living a submitted, yielded life to God and being controlled by the Holy Spirit in everything we, as Christians, do and in everything we say?
 

You have to start by becoming aware that because you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. The Triune God is living inside of you.
 

Romans 8:9-11 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
 

 This has only happened in the age of grace we live in today. What a tremendous blessing.

The starting point to being submitted to the Holy Spirit is asking God questions. Remember, asking God questions in a humble way is asking God to use the Holy Spirit to do a work in your life today. You are saying, “Please God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, guide me and direct me every moment of the day.”

Speak to God!
 

Psalm 139:24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
 

The reason for doing this is that it is not going to do you any good in your Christian life if you have sin in your life.  This means your fellowship with God is broken.

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Notice it says ‘will not hear me’; God will not answer your prayers. So ask God first if there is any sin in your life. If Gods shows you something, repent of it and move on.
 

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
 

Jesus is everything we need. Ask God, in Jesus’ name, for wisdom, understanding and knowledge.
 

James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally (without reservation), and upbraideth (not denying) not; and it shall be given him.
 

Read and study the Word of God!
 

 The second requirement to being a spiritual person is reading your Bible daily.
 

John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
 

Jesus is saying, “I am the true vine, the genuine vine.” God has planted Jesus Christ as the “true vine”. God is the owner of the vineyard. Here He is the keeper, the farmer, the One who takes care of the vineyard. Jesus Christ is the genuine Vine, and the Father takes care of Him. The branches must be joined to the Vine for the purpose of fruit–bearing.
 

John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
 

“…in me” … that is, in Christ. This is what it means to be saved. The entire spectrum of salvation is in the phrase “in Christ.” There are only two groups of people: those who are in Christ and those who are not in Christ.

How do you get “in Christ”? By the new birth. When you repent of your sins and trust Christ as Saviour, you become a child of God through faith. You are born again by the Spirit of God.
 

John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

We get dirty walking in this wicked world, and need the Word of God to cleanse us continually. The cleansing power of the Word of God is a wonderful thing. As we read and mediate on the Bible daily, God’s Word rinses through our mind continually, cleansing it. It is brain washing of the human mind which desperately needs to be cleansed.
 

Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
 

God intends for us to be obedient to His Word.
 

Are you saved? You are not a Natural man.

Are you living in sin, doing your own thing? You are a Carnal man.

Are you living and walking in Christ, being obedient to His Word? You are a Spiritual man.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​