men". Goodspeed: "giving spiritual truth a spiritual form". Revised Standard Version:

"interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit", and in the footnote: or

"interpreting spiritual truths in spiritual language, or comparing spiritual things with

spiritual".

It is obvious that this verse is difficult to translate. The sense can either be comparing

spiritual things, i.e. the words of Scripture, or interpreting spiritual truths to spiritual

people or by means of spiritual words. The fact is that all these renderings express truth

and it would be safer to take the meaning of them all. It would be useless to try and

explain the truth of God to anyone who is not spiritual, that is not a saved person who is

walking according to the new nature (spirit). On the other hand, if we want to correctly

interpret God's truth, we must be ready to compare with spiritual words of Scripture and

let one passage throw light on or interpret another.

The Apostle makes it quite clear that the unsaved, the natural man, however clever or

educated, can never receive or understand the Word of God:

As we have before stressed it is only by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit that

saved people can come to a full knowledge of the Truth.  Even then this is not

mechanical. The carnal Christian will not be given light on the Word. A believer must

be `spiritual', with a mind and keen desire for the Spirit's work, and he must search the

Scriptures, for this is the means God chooses to use to bring him to Divine understanding.

If a Christian keeps the Bible closed, he cannot expect enlightenment. Paul goes on to

assert that the spiritual man judges or investigates all things, but he himself is not open to

such judgment by anyone (verse 15). Does he mean by this that the spiritual man must

not be exposed to testing? This cannot be, for he says in 14: 29, "let the prophets speak

two or three, and let the other judge". The answer seems to be in 4: 3 where he states

expressly that human judgment of praise or blame means nothing to him; his only judge

is the Lord. So with the spiritual man; for him the final judgment and the only one that

matters, is the Lord's verdict. And who can know the Lord's mind, apart from what He is

willing to reveal? (verse 16). But we, says the Apostle, referring to himself and his

spiritual colleagues, have such a revelation and outlook. In this sense "we have the mind

of Christ".

The Apostle now returns to the present situation at Corinth. He has to lament that

their carnal condition with their splits, divisions and jealousies had made it impossible for

him to give them anything but the simplest truth which he likens to `milk'. They were no

better than Christian babies and could take nothing but the milk bottle. Solid food was

impossible, though he longed to lead them on into deeper truths (3: 1-4).  He

remonstrates with them for ranging themselves in splinter groups under his own name

and that of Apollos and says: