Language Studies

Greek Thoughts

NOUS - Part 4 - ὑπὸστασις (Strong's #5287)
Mind, thought, understanding, spiritual perception

This is the fourth part of our study of the word νοῦς (Strong's #3563) which has to do with the perceptive ability of the mind and is applied to the believer's spiritual perception. In the first three parts of our study, we focused on Paul's teaching that every believer is to be "continually being transformed through the renewing of his mind (νοῦς)..." (Romans 12:2). In Ephesians 4:17-24 Paul says the same thing in different words: "Therefore this I say, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk according as also the rest of the Gentiles are walking in the emptiness of their mind (νοῦς)," but "that you should be renewed in the spirit of your mind (νοῦς)…" He clarifies things further in 1 Corinthians 1:10 when he says that believers should be in the process of "being knit together in the same mind (νοῦς) and the same judgment." In this text, Paul is ministering to quarrelling Corinthian Christians telling them that their spiritual growth should be bringing them to unity through a shared perception of and judgment about spiritual matters. He says that their quarrelling is evidence that they are fleshly and functioning as immature Christians.

This week, while focusing on the word νοῦς, we explore how the believer develops spiritual perception. Our text is I Corinthians Chapter Two with special focus on verses14-16. Paul begins this chapter by presenting his own inability to minister from out of himself. He expresses his complete dependence on the ability of God's Spirit to give him spiritual perception and insight, as well as the capacity to minister. In verses 1-5, Paul presents three areas in which he was unable to minister to them from out of his human ability. These areas are marked out in the Greek text by the word καγὼ (Strong's #2504), "and I." In verses one and two, he tells the Corinthians that when he came to them, he did not come according to superiority of speech and wisdom, while proclaiming to them the mystery of God meaning that even before coming to Corinth, Paul had decided to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him having been crucified. Paul wasn't going to use programs or gimmickry to attract people to Christ. He was going to preach Christ and let God minister the message to people's hearts. In verses 3,4, Paul says that he came to them in weakness and fear, his speech and preaching not being persuasive with words of human wisdom, but in spirit and in power. In verse 5 he gives his reason for approaching them this way: "in order that your faith may not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." (Literal Translation) Paul wants those he is teaching to be established in the things of the Lord by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom and ingenuity. He understands that a person is only established in the Lord when drawn to Him by God's Spirit and wants to give the Corinthians that opportunity and example.

In verses 6-16, Paul teaches about the spiritual depravity of man and the ability of God's Spirit. He begins this section by making the statement that he speaks wisdom to those who are mature, not with the wisdom of the world, but wisdom in a mystery (vs. 7 & 8) which has been hidden from natural human perception, wisdom God predetermined for our glory, wisdom that not one of the rulers of the world has ever known. In verse 10, Paul quotes from Isaiah 64:4 to show that God pre-knew the depraved spiritual condition of man and addressed it through the prophets whom He used to show that the condition of the natural person is to be without the ability to perceive the things of the Lord since He cannot be perceived through the natural, human senses of seeing and hearing, or even with the human heart. Paul says God prepared these spiritual truths before for those who are loving Him. In verse 10, Paul states that God reveals these truths through the Spirit of God, who searches all the deep things of God; and that we, who are saved, have received the Spirit of God so that we might know the things freely given to us by God. Which things, Paul says, he speaks, not out of human wisdom, but things taught by the Holy Spirit.

At the end of verse 13, Paul makes a transition statement: "...interpreting spiritual things to spiritual people." The Greek word συγκρὶνω (Strong's #4793) used here means to "interpret." This same word is used in Genesis 40:8 to represent the "interpretation" of Joseph's dream. Paul is saying that the Holy Spirit ministers and reveals the spiritual things of God to spiritual people, that is — those who have been born of the Spirit of God.

This statement, "interpreting spiritual things to spiritual people" is now the basis for the explanation of the function of both the saved and unsaved. In 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 we read (Literal Translation):

14)

But the psychical man^F1 does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able^F2 to know them; because they are being spiritually discerned.^F3

Paul is teaching that a human being, functioning at his highest level, is psychical in function at best. Such a man, functioning according to his own intelligence, without the Spirit of God, does not have the ability or capacity to receive the spiritual things of God; because the spiritual things of God are "spiritually discerned," that is — it is necessary for the Spirit of God to reveal them to people.

15)

But on the one hand the spiritual man^F4 is discerning all things, but on the other hand he himself is being discerned by no one.

16)

For "who knew the mind (νοῦς) of the Lord, who will instruct Him?" But we ourselves have the mind (νοῦς) of Christ.

In verse 15, Paul is teaching that the spiritual man is saved and belongs to the Lord. As such, he has the spiritual ability to examine and understand the spiritual things of God. The statement, "...but he himself is discerned by no one" refers to the fact that the natural or psychical man is not able to examine or understand the spiritual man. Not only is the natural man unable to understand or discern the spiritual man, but, Paul says, no one has known the mind of the Lord. Paul closes his teaching on this subject by quoting from Isaiah 40:13. The word for mind is νοῦς, the perceptive abilities of the mind. Here νοῦς represents the "perceptions" of the Lord. No human being in his physical capacities is able to perceive and understand life the way the Lord does; however, the spiritual man has the mind (νοῦς) of Christ and is therefore able to perceive the spiritual things of God.

Paul has spent much time and effort emphasizing the fact that human beings have no capacity or ability to understand the spiritual things of the Lord. In Ephesians 2:7-8, Paul says that he became a servant of the Gospel by the grace of God and that this grace was given to him to proclaim among the Gentiles, "...the unsearchable riches of Christ." The Greek word translated "unsearchable" is ἀνεξιχνὶαστος (Strong's #421) and means "unable to be traced or searched." People, in the natural human condition, are not able to search or to investigate the things of the Lord. The Holy Spirit must reveal the spiritual things of the Lord. Only through His Spirit are we able to perceive the wisdom of the Lord in life. In Chapter Three, Paul encourages the Corinthians to spiritual growth so that they will reach a level of maturity wherein they are able to properly perceive the things of Christ.

Next week we will continue our study of νοῦς from Luke 24:44-48.

Footnotes:

F1: Most English translations translated ψυχικὸς as "Natural man." However, the Greek word for natural man is φυσικὸς. The Greek word used here is ψυχικὸς and means the function of man at his highest level without the Spirit of God. The Scriptural definition of a psychical man is found in Jude 19, "having not the Spirit." It is an adjective describing the appetites of the sensuous nature of the human being without the Spirit of God.

F2: The Greek word translated "is not able" is δὺναμαι ("Strong's #1410) and means "capacity" or "ability." It isn't that the psychical man "cannot" receive the things of the Spirit of God, but rather does not have the spiritual "ability" or "capacity" to receive them.

F3: The Greek word translated "discerned" here and twice in verse 15 is ἀνακρὶνω (Strong's #350). It is a judicial term that applies to a judge "examining" legal papers in order to arrive at a judgment. This is the same word used in Acts 17:11 to describe the Christians in Berea as "examining the Scriptures daily..." They were more noble-minded because they received what Paul had to say and examined the Scriptures like a judge would examine legal papers in order to come to the proper conclusion.

F4: The adjective πνευματικὸς (Strong's #4152) is translated "spiritual man." It is derived from πνεῦμα (Strong's #4151) which means "wind," or "spirit." Πνευματικὸς is known from around the Fourth or Fifth Centuries B.C. in classical Greek. It was mostly used to express "pertaining to the wind or breath." Christian literature uses πνευματικὸς to express "spiritual," or "pertaining to the spirit." Of the 24 times Paul used this word in the New Testament, 15 of them are used in I Corinthians. Paul uses the word in two ways: first he uses πνευματικὸς to describe someone who is saved as opposed to someone who does not have the Spirit of God (the ψυχικὸς of verse14). Paul also used πνευματικὸς to describe the mature believer in comparison with the σαρκικὸς (Strong's #4559), the "fleshly" man of 1 Corinthians 3:1.

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