Spiritual
The Meaning of Spiritual
The New Testament word for "spiritual" is the Greek pneumatikos, derived from pneuma (spirit). In its broadest sense, it describes anything that has the nature or quality of spirit as opposed to what is merely physical or material. However, the Bible uses the word in more specific and theologically rich ways. To be spiritual in the biblical sense is not simply to be interested in immaterial things but to be aligned with, empowered by, and responsive to the Holy Spirit of God.
Jesus declared that "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). This foundational statement establishes that the spiritual life is rooted in the character and activity of God himself.
Spiritual Versus Natural
Paul draws a sharp contrast between the spiritual person and the natural person. "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:14). The "natural" person here translates the Greek psuchikos, referring to someone governed by mere human instincts and reasoning rather than by the Spirit of God.
This contrast is not between intellect and emotion, or between body and soul, but between two fundamentally different orientations of life. The natural person operates within the limits of fallen human nature, while the spiritual person has been renewed and enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Paul further distinguishes the spiritual from the "fleshly" (sarkikos), addressing believers in Corinth who, though they had received the Spirit, were living according to worldly patterns: "Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly, mere infants in Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:1).
The Spiritual Person
A spiritual person, according to Paul, is someone who has been born again by the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, and who increasingly lives under the Spirit's guidance. "The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one" (1 Corinthians 2:15). This does not mean spiritual people are beyond correction, but that their discernment comes from a source that the world cannot evaluate or comprehend.
Paul describes the marks of spiritual maturity throughout his letters. The spiritual person bears the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Spiritual people restore fallen brothers gently (Galatians 6:1). They set their minds on what the Spirit desires rather than on what the flesh desires (Romans 8:5-6). The spiritual life is not passive but active, a daily walking in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).
Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Blessings
Paul uses the word "spiritual" extensively when discussing the gifts given to the church by the Holy Spirit. He introduces 1 Corinthians 12 with the phrase "Now about the gifts of the Spirit" (literally, "spiritual things"), and goes on to describe how the Spirit distributes various abilities for the common good of the church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). These spiritual gifts include teaching, prophecy, healing, tongues, and discernment, all empowered by the same Spirit.
Paul also speaks of "every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), indicating that the benefits of salvation are spiritual in nature, originating in the heavenly realm and communicated through the Spirit. He prays that believers would be filled with "the knowledge of God's will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives" (Colossians 1:9). Spiritual understanding is not merely intellectual knowledge but wisdom that transforms how one lives.
The Spiritual Body
One of the most striking uses of the word "spiritual" appears in Paul's discussion of the resurrection. He contrasts the present physical body with the future resurrection body: "It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:44). The spiritual body is not an immaterial or ghostly existence but a body fully animated and governed by the Spirit of God. Just as the present body is suited to the present age, the spiritual body will be perfectly suited to the age to come, imperishable, glorious, and powerful (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
This use of "spiritual" makes clear that the word does not mean "non-physical" but rather "Spirit-governed" and "Spirit-empowered." The resurrection body will be as real as the present body but transformed by the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual Warfare
Paul also uses "spiritual" to describe the unseen realities of the conflict believers face. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). Here "spiritual" refers to the nature of these hostile powers as beings of spirit rather than flesh. The weapons of this warfare are likewise spiritual: truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, the word of God, and prayer (Ephesians 6:13-18).
Biblical Context
The word 'spiritual' appears primarily in the Pauline letters. It is central to 1 Corinthians, where Paul discusses spiritual persons versus natural persons (1 Corinthians 2:14-15; 3:1), spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14), and the spiritual body of resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:44). In Romans 8, Paul contrasts the mind set on the Spirit with the mind set on the flesh. Ephesians uses the term for spiritual blessings (1:3), spiritual songs (5:19), and spiritual warfare (6:12). Peter describes believers as a spiritual house offering spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5). Colossians 1:9 speaks of spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Theological Significance
The biblical concept of 'spiritual' teaches that true spirituality is not human achievement but divine gift. It originates with the Holy Spirit and is received through faith in Christ. The contrast between spiritual and natural underscores that fallen humanity cannot access God's truth or live God's way without the Spirit's regenerating work. The concept also corrects the common misconception that 'spiritual' means 'immaterial' or 'otherworldly.' Biblical spirituality transforms the whole person, body, mind, and relationships, aligning every dimension of life with the purposes of God.
Historical Background
The Greek philosophical tradition used the term pneuma in various ways, from the Stoic concept of a divine rational principle pervading the universe to Platonic distinctions between material and immaterial realities. Paul's use of pneumatikos was shaped by the Old Testament understanding of God's Spirit (ruach) as the active, personal power of the living God rather than an impersonal cosmic force. The early church had to distinguish its understanding of spiritual life from both Greek dualism, which denigrated the physical world, and from pagan spiritual practices, which sought contact with spirits through divination and mystery rites.