1 CORINTHIANS 2:14 – ABOUT UNREGENERATE UNBELIEVERS, OR IMMATURE BELIEVERS?

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. – 1 Corinthians 2:14

Does this oft-cited prooftext teach that fallen mankind cannot even comprehend the Gospel message unless the Holy Spirit enters them to regenerate them with powerful, mysterious grace first?

Actually, in context the verse is talking about already-believers who are still worldly in their thinking. The next five verses following it makes this clear:

The NATURAL person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are SPIRITUALLY discerned. The SPIRITUAL person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. But I, BROTHERS, could not address you as SPIRITUAL people, but as people of the FLESH, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the FLESH. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the FLESH and behaving only in a HUMAN way? – 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, 3:1-3

Above posted by Josh Taylor