The natural man

[jerry ralph]

To see a World in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

WILLIAM BLAKE

“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 KJV)

“The natural man. This is man living under the control of the fleshly passions, the sensual and depraved part of man in contrast with the rational part. He is the animal man as opposed to the spiritual man. He has no sense of spiritual values and no relish for them. He counts it the highest wisdom to live for this world and carnal pleasures. Spiritual things are foolishness to him. He cannot see the supreme excellence due to animal appetites and being spiritually dead.”
FINIS DAKE…………..The Dake Bible, page 177

The natural man, “He cannot see the supreme excellence (in living spiritually…JRE) due to animal appetites.” Exactly what did Finis Dake mean by animal appetites? Ever tried to take a bone away from a dog that was enjoying grinding away at it? They will bit you! That is an example of an animal appetite. How about if you put two dog dishes of food out for two dogs, and they will wolf it down in a big hurry. When the first one gets finished he will go over and try and eat the other dog’s food also. That is an animal appetite. If a horse happens to get into the grain bin they will eat until they founder themselves becoming sick. That is an animal appetite. When you put fish food in an aquarium they will immediately come to the surface and scoop up all they can. Some will even fight each other for the food. That is an animal appetite. Human beings are born with a natural side of us that will act in many ways just as animals do. Without a spiritual experience in our lives we will fight, founder, and fulfill the lusts of animal appetites. I praise God for the Holy Spirit and the gift of discernment. Even though at times my animal instincts speak louder than then spirit man, The Spirit still is there with words like, “That’s enough,” Don’t go there,” “Better not do that,” and “That is not healthy.”The natural man is pretty much all about himself, and if he does help someone else it is for personal gain, to feel superior, or to boost his pride. Today I understand that this kind of animal thinking is what led me to thirty years of misery due to alcohol and drugs. I thank God for a spiritual awakening that came only after years of struggle and personal defeat. Today there are little things in my life that have so much more meaning that some of my greatest natural-man experiences. Today I desire the little loving things that God gives me. God has done for me what I could not do for myself………….JRE