Understanding Πνευματικός in First Corinthians: Paul’s Corrective Vision for Spirit Life

Many English Bible translations use the term “spiritual” to translate the Greek adjective πνευματικός. Some translations are exploring alternative ways to render πνευματικός in an attempt to be more specific about what it means, indicating the word “spiritual” may not be an adequate understanding of πνευματικός. Fifteen of twenty-six occurrences of πνευματικός in the New Testament occur in 1 Corinthians. The goal of this project is to ask, Why does Paul repeatedly use the term πνευματικός in 1 Corinthians? This project will clarify the context of 1 Corinthians and why Paul used the term πνευματικός the way he did, and will evaluate that use in light of the broader meaning of πνευματικός. I will argue that this adjective always means “pertaining to the πνεῦμα,” and in Paul’s letters the particular focus is almost always on the πνεῦμα of God, that is, in New Testament terms, the Holy Spirit. Paul’s usage of πνευματικός in 1 Corinthians is part of a corrective response to the distorted pneumatology of some in the Corinthian church. Paul’s vision is for an eschatological community of Christ, empowered by and living obediently to the Spirit in contrast to the schismatic, dysfunctional community that had arisen in Corinth during his absence.