It Starts Small

I have been working, with a couple of really close friends, through the Celebrate Recovery study. It is a study that helps people with addictions, hang ups and hurts. Thankfully I have overcome my addiction to alcohol. I am in the study to deal with hurts and hang-ups. This past week we studied forgiveness. One of the questions was what’s the hardest part of forgiveness: forgiving yourself, others, or accepting God’s forgiveness. For me, it’s forgiving myself.

I got into deep thought about some of my past sin. Many of them were committed while I was deaf, dumb, and blind. I was not saved, and it frustrates me because somehow I thought I should know better. This morning in prayer I was reminded that there are three types of people: natural, carnal, and spiritual. God’s Word is a road map to guide me where I need to be.

Where am I now?
Where am I going?

Am I natural man doing what comes natural?

³ Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Ephesians 2:3

Natural men, according to God’s Word are children of wrath. There are 3 marks of a natural man.

#1 Born into the natural world

There are two types of death we will all face. Physical death is the death of our physical bodies. Unless Christ comes back in my lifetime, I will eventually wear this body out and die of old age. It is a fact of life. If we are born once, we will die twice. The second death is in our spirit. A natural man will die a spiritual death.

Sin comes born in the heart. Because we are born into this world, we have a natural tendency to sin. It is the curse of Adam. When Adam sinned, we all were cursed to be born of natural sin.

You have to learn to not sin. Sin comes naturally equipped in us. Sin is natural and born with us when we were born. At the core of us, in our heart, is no good thing born to us.

#2 Blind to the Spiritual World

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. 1 Corinthians 2:14

The word “receive” here translates “to welcome.” A natural man has no appreciation of spiritual things. He does not understand the spiritual things of God.

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. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Spiritual things of God are foolishness to a natural man. He does not enjoy the truth of God. He is blind to see the spiritual truth. Natural men are naturally miserable. They can not figure out the things of God because intellect can not rip out the truth of God. They know the words but can not hear the music.

Before the age of digital, radios had a receiver antenna. When you turned the radio on, you used a dial to turn into a certain radio station. The radio station would send out a signal over radio waves and the radio would receive the signal, translate it and you would hear the signal. A natural man has no antenna to receive the things of God.

#3 Bound to the Material World

¹⁹ These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. Jude 19

A natural man has no capacity for spiritual things. The word “Sensual” means natural or having not the spirit. The natural man lives by what he feels, how he feels and is completely controlled by human emotions. He lives by his senses and is a materialist.

He seeks creature domain, comfort, affection, and achievement. This is the hunger in his heart. This is a hunger that is never satisfied. Animals seek the same thing. They seek a place to sleep. They seek food and water. They seek affection from another. They seek achievement in survival. We were made for more than what animals want.

A natural man has no spiritual discernment because there is no Holy Spirit living in him.

I have to constantly remind myself that I forgive myself. There was a time in my life I had no spiritual discernment. I did what came natural to me. I thrived off of emotions and gut instincts, just like an animal. It does not excuse my actions, words, or thoughts, but it brings comfort to know, that I have assurance I am saved through Christ.