Am I a spiritual person? In Paul's writings, the spiritual man surfaced frequently.
He warned the Corinthians: "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things ..." (1 Corinthians 2:14-15).
To the Galatians, he wrote, "Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)
In both cases, it is clear that the apostle was not using the word spiritual synonymously with being a disciple of Jesus. In Galatians, there is an obvious effort to distinguish between the disciples who are spiritual and those who are not. In the case of the Corinthians, Paul plainly said that many of them were not spiritual, but carnal (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). Obviously, simply being a Christian does not guarantee that I am a spiritual person.
It is crucial for me, as a Christian, to be a spiritual person. "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, nor indeed can it be." (Romans 8:6-7) This is a serious matter! The believer's cultivation of a spiritual mind is more than important; it is critical; it is a matter of life and death!
What does it mean to be spiritually minded? What kind of person is a spiritual person? The world's concept and the Bible definition differ greatly. The Greek word (pneumatikos), translated "spiritual" in Paul's writings, generally describes things that originate from, or reflect, the character and influence of God and His Spirit as revealed in the Bible.
When used of persons, Thayer says it speaks of "One who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God" (523).
Vine says simply, "Men in Christ who walk so as to please God are ... spiritual" (1088).
True spirituality then has to do with the nature of God Himself. It derives from a spiritual God who seeks spiritual worshipers (John 4:23-24). These are those who are "filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Peter says that God intends for us to "be partakers of the divine nature..." (2 Peter 1:2-4).
So what is true spirituality? It is a way of thinking, a system of values, a way of looking at life with God and His will at the center (cf. Matthew 22:37-40; Matthew 6:33). It is a life absolutely devoted to God and to the incomparable greatness of His character and will.
True spirituality is the product of one's determination to conform to what Paul wrote: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16). A person cannot live spiritually unless he studies and applies what he learns. When a life is so lived, nothing and no one will ever take precedence over commitment to follow Christ.
By way of contrast, carnality is a thought system that views life with self at the center. It is characterized by pride and selfishness. It is not possible for both of these views to dwell in the same personality. Paul said, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would." (Galatians 5:16-17)
Spirituality, then, is a matter of individual choice. Admittedly, the quest for it is an ongoing struggle. It remains, therefore, for that part of me that is akin to God, that delights in His law, to rule the passions of the flesh and make my body the servant of righteousness, rather than of sin (Romans 6:17-19). That cannot happen unless my whole heart WILLS it to be so. This is a struggle that takes place in the mind. Paul assured us, "(For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh (carnal, KJV), but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
Involved in this struggle is the war between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 1:18-23). To the world, God's wisdom is foolishness. What becomes apparent in the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians is that all the works of the flesh are not within the realm of things we typically class as carnal, i.e., stealing, lying, adultery, etc. Paul listed "hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy ..." (Galatians 5:20-21) among these diseases of the heart. Perhaps Paul had these sins in mind when he spoke of "doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind" (Ephesians 2:3). They are born of pride and selfishness and, however subtle, are deeply wicked and devastating. Indeed, in many ways they are more at the heart of the sin problem than the more obvious works of the flesh.
The spiritual man must, therefore, consider every thought, word, and deed in the light of his aim to know and be like his Savior (1 Peter1:13-16). This knowledge comes from continued study of His word (2 Peter 3:18). There is no end to the New-Testament exhortations for Christians to be sober and of sound mind (Romans 12:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:6,8; 2 Timothy 4:5; Titus 2:1-8,12; 1 Peter 4:7; 5:8). The spiritual man has given himself--body, soul, and spirit--to the will of the great God who created him and redeemed him by the blood of His son. Nothing he invests will be lost or wasted. For the God of peace will, Himself, sanctify him completely and preserve his whole spirit, soul, and body, blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23). All members of the Lord's church need to strive to be spiritual persons.