1 Corinthians 2:14

[Carbon]

But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

How is this possible? Why would Paul write and teach such a thing? Does the natural man (the unregenerate) really not accept the things of the Spirit, and are they foolish? If so, in what way? And can these things really only be understood only by the Spirit?
Is this why Jesus said, . . . . “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

So, considering 1 Cor 2:14,
Paul teaches that there is an inability of the natural man (one who is unregenerated) to accept and understand the things of the Spirit (seems a universal statement).
The foolishness of the things of God, according to the scripture, is due to the fact that they are spiritually appraised. And as we know, "the natural man is not a spiritual man." So, obviously, there is a problem here.
Now, no one says the natural man cannot understand the basic things of the gospel. for example, the command to believe, repent, etc... But to understand how the word understand is used in this passage is important to understand what Paul is teaching. That is, - the natural man cannot accept and embrace spiritual things because he himself is not spiritually alive.

And, Reformed theology holds that the natural man is blind to spiritual values and that the sinful heart of man, so far from being disposed to yield itself in loving trust to God, is at enmity towards God. It is impossible that the external call by itself should produce faith in the heart of the natural man. The natural man cannot exercise saving faith since he cannot see the kingdom of God and its treasures, and much less can he appreciate the same. He must receive faith as a gift of God. This faith, however, is not communicated to man after a mechanical fashion. The Holy Spirit, by regeneration, creates in man a capacity for believing the gospel message.

 

[Carbon]

But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

How is this possible? Why would Paul write and teach such a thing? Does the natural man (the unregenerate) really not accept the things of the Spirit, and are they foolish? If so, in what way? And can these things really only be understood only by the Spirit?
Is this why Jesus said, . . . . “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

So, considering 1 Cor 2:14,
Paul teaches that there is an inability of the natural man (one who is unregenerated) to accept and understand the things of the Spirit (seems a universal statement).
The foolishness of the things of God, according to the scripture, is due to the fact that they are spiritually appraised. And as we know, "the natural man is not a spiritual man." So, obviously, there is a problem here.
Now, no one says the natural man cannot understand the basic things of the gospel. for example, the command to believe, repent, etc... But to understand how the word understand is used in this passage is important to understand what Paul is teaching. That is, - the natural man cannot accept and embrace spiritual things because he himself is not spiritually alive.

And, Reformed theology holds that the natural man is blind to spiritual values and that the sinful heart of man, so far from being disposed to yield itself in loving trust to God, is at enmity towards God. It is impossible that the external call by itself should produce faith in the heart of the natural man. The natural man cannot exercise saving faith since he cannot see the kingdom of God and its treasures, and much less can he appreciate the same. He must receive faith as a gift of God. This faith, however, is not communicated to man after a mechanical fashion. The Holy Spirit, by regeneration, creates in man a capacity for believing the gospel message.

There has been a lot of talk concerning this. I also noticed that if we let these discussions go unchecked, the Arminians often begin to argue a strawman.
I have heard Arminians argue that Calvinists believe that a totally depraved person is spiritually dead. By "spiritually dead," they mean the elimination of all human ability to understand or respond to God, not just a separation from God.

But this is not the Reformed position. Again, the spiritual dead person does not mean the elimination of all human ability to understand or respond to God. The unregenerate man is fully capable of understanding the facts of the gospel (I've witnessed it), but he is simply not capable, due to the corruption and enmity of submitting himself to the gospel.

So, the Reformed position is that man cannot understand and embrace the gospel nor respond in faith and repentance toward Christ without God first freeing him from sin and giving him spiritual life (regeneration).

 

[Carbon]

So, the Reformed position is that man cannot understand and embrace the gospel nor respond in faith and repentance toward Christ without God first freeing him from sin and giving him spiritual life (regeneration).

The Holy Spirit, in His regenerating activity, works below our (man's) consciousness on the very center of our (man's) being, so that our will is transformed in such a way that we turn away from sin and towards God and the good freely and gladly.