First Corinthians 2:14 says, “But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God...and he is not able to know them.” This word speaks clearly and thoroughly concerning the condition of the soul as to the things of the Spirit of God. The soul “does not receive” the things of the Spirit of God and “is not able to know them.” The soul does not desire the things of the Spirit of God, nor can it receive them. Even if it wants to, it cannot, because it is not able to know or understand them. The nature of the soul is not in accord with the things of the Spirit of God. Therefore, it neither wants nor receives the things of God. Moreover, it also has no ability to know the things of God. Therefore, as to the things of the Spirit of God, a man living by the soul has no feeling, no interest, and no desire; neither does he seek them, receive them, or even understand them. For this reason God must deliver us from the soul so that we do not live by the soul. Then He can make us love, understand, and receive the things of His Spirit.
We must be clear concerning the impotence of the soul in spiritual things and regard it as an important matter. The soul does not receive the things of the Spirit of God and neither can it know them. A brother or sister who lives by the soul can be very good, well-behaved, and virtuous, but he or she definitely cannot know spiritual things and may not even thirst for spiritual things. I have met many such brothers and sisters. They are very careful in their conduct, and their behavior may be said to be faultless, yet they cannot understand spiritual things, and they do not seek them. They evaluate themselves and others by the standard of human morality, good and evil, right or wrong, and in all matters they are short of the consciousness and insight of the Spirit of God. It may be that they are clear in their mind and strong in their intellect, but they are not enlightened in their spirit, and the consciousness of their spirit is insensitive. You may call them good Christians, but you cannot call them spiritual Christians. As far as their conduct is concerned, they are really good. They know how to behave and how to handle things; they are intelligent and alert, diligent and thorough. But as soon as they touch the things of the Spirit of God, they are lost. It is as if they were wood or stone, with no consciousness or understanding faculty at all. Moreover, toward spiritual things they are often cold in heart; they are not only slow in understanding but also slothful in seeking.
Hence, good Christians are not necessarily spiritual Christians. Spiritual Christians are not merely good in their behavior; they live in the spirit, having the sense of the spirit, understanding spiritual things, knowing the ways of God from within, and having proficiency in spiritual things. Goodness and spirituality are very different. Many brothers and sisters are good, but they are not spiritual; they are good, but they do not live in the spirit. You touch goodness in them, but you do not touch the spirit. You see the virtues of man in them, but you do not smell the savor of God. From a certain standpoint they do not seem to be fleshly, yet they definitely are soulish. Though they do not give rein to the flesh, they also do not live in the spirit. Though they do not live in sin, yet they live in themselves. Though they do not approve of sinful things, they also do not thirst after spiritual things. Though they do not sin according to the flesh, they live by the self, which is the soul. The soul is the source of their life and the medium of their living. They are soulish people, living in the soul and by the soul. Therefore, they do not desire spiritual things, neither can they understand them.