Why Does The Natural Man Not Understand The Scriptures?
Why Doesn’t the Natural Man Understand the Scriptures?
Natural man’s knowledge relies on his own ability to reason and assemble facts, and man’s wisdom is the constructive use of such knowledge.
Many times the Jews asked for signs, but yet they were given hundreds and accepted none. (Mt. 12:38, 16:1, Jn. 4:48 and 21:25). The Greeks wanted wisdom, but refuse to accept it when revealed. (1 Cor. 1:22). Why??? Why did man not understand the prophecies presented in the Old Testament? Isa. 7:14, 9:6; Micah 5:2; and Num. 24:17, there is said to be over 300 of these prophecies. The chief priests and scribes told Herod about where the king was to be born, therefore, they knew of them. But did they really understand? Apparently not, or all of Israel would have been joyous in Bethlehem that night.
God maintains a division between worldly and spiritual knowledge and wisdom. God has put a barrier or a lock between the two. But for every lock there is a key. And the key for God’s lock is found in Heb. 11:1. The key is faith, and the door is Jesus. Through faith one accepts Jesus and comes to salvation. This Christian is called one of God’s “elect”. At the same time of salvation, the Holy Spirit indwells, seals and issues gifts. Since these gifts come from the Holy Spirit, then these are spiritual gifts. Two of these are the ability to understand and use the word of wisdom and another the word of knowledge. (1Cor. 12: 1-11).
C. F. Stanley states in his book, In Step with God, “God will reveal Himself to us. But before He does we must come to a point where we surrender to Him”.
Now how does God differ between the two? That is, between man’s way of thinking and His way of thinking.
In Isa. 55: 8 and 9. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” In Job 37 and 38 God asks Job, Where were you “when I laid the foundations of the earth?. . .” Rom. 11:34, “For who hath know the mind of the Lord?” How dare we to believe that our thoughts are like God’s. Only one way we can have thoughts like God, and that is when God gives us His thoughts.
God maintains this separation between the natural and spiritual knowledge and wisdom. In Romans starting at 11:7 and finishing out the chapter we find that God has blinded all but the elect “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Vs. 7, 8, 10, 23 and 25).
To read more on this subject check out part II coming next week.
Also, pick up a copy of C. F Stanley’s book to assist you in your studies.
