{"id":1262,"date":"2012-09-06T20:56:06","date_gmt":"2012-09-06T20:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/"},"modified":"2014-02-02T08:11:54","modified_gmt":"2014-02-02T08:11:54","slug":"january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/","title":{"rendered":"The Christian and Carnality"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0John Flavel, a fifteenth century Puritan wrote, \u201cCarnal men rejoice carnally and spiritual men rejoice spiritually.\u201d<\/span>1<\/sup><\/span> The human nature seems to have the ability to sanctify itself, whether right or wrong.\u00a0 The Corinthians were especially good at it, even \u201cglorying\u201d in their toleration of sin (1 Cor. 5:6).\u00a0 Paul was hindered in writing to them, \u201cAnd I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ\u201d (1 Cor. 3:1).\u00a0 To Paul the word \u201cspiritual\u201d means to be a believer. <\/span>Pneumatikos<\/span>, \u201cspiritual,\u201d used twice in the concluding verses of chapter two, means to have the Spirit.\u00a0 He is the spiritual man as opposed to the natural man.\u00a0 The spiritual man has the mind of Christ.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCarnal\u201d in 3:1 is a unique form of the word.\u00a0 The normal word is <\/span>sarkikos, <\/span>from <\/span>sarx<\/span>, the flesh, as in 3:3.\u00a0 This refers to the old nature that everyone has and which can rear its ugly head at any time.\u00a0 But in 3:1 we have <\/span>sarkinos<\/span>, a rare form of the word which, in the only other place it occurs, refers to the \u201cfleshly tables of the heart\u201d (2 Cor. 3:3).\u00a0 In the context in which Paul is using it, D.A. Carson says, \u201c<\/span>sarkinos <\/span>means \u2018made of flesh, or \u2018composed of flesh,\u2019 (and thus refers to those who are acting as if they did not have the Spirit, but are merely human, \u2018fleshly\u2019).\u201d<\/span>2<\/sup><\/span> John MacArthur says, \u201c<\/span>sarkinos <\/span>is literally \u2018fleshly ones.\u2019\u00a0 In this context it refers to man\u2019s fallen humanness, his Adamic self\u2014his bodily desires that manifest rebelliousness toward God, his glorying in himself, and his proneness to sin . . . . When a Christian sins, he is being practically unspiritual, living on the same practical level as an unbeliever.\u00a0 Consequently Paul is compelled to speak to the Corinthian believers as if they were unbelievers.\u201d<\/span>3 <\/sup><\/span> Or, as Carson concludes, They were acting like pagans!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Not that they were actually unbelievers for they were \u201cbabes in Christ\u201d (vs. 1) and walked merely \u201c<\/span>as <\/span>men\u201d (vs. 3).\u00a0 But the defining marks of the flesh were upon them, \u201cenvying, and strife, and divisions\u201d (vs. 3).\u00a0 As Vance Havner wrote, \u201cPoor Demas is usually fired at aplenty by the evangelists, and he deserves it; but do not use up all your ammunition, my brother, on cards and dancing; save a generous portion for \u2018strife, envying, and divisions,\u2019 the Bible-certified marks of carnality.\u201d<\/span>4<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When a believer lets his \u201cflesh\u201d control him, he is walking as one who only has the flesh and not also the Spirit.\u00a0 But believers have both and often do walk in the flesh rather than in the Spirit, that is, they are <\/span>sarkikos<\/span>, carnal.\u00a0 This should not be a pattern of the Christian life.\u00a0 The Christian has the Spirit and should walk in Him because the fruit of the Spirit is much more powerful than the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).\u00a0 We are all susceptible to carnality because we can\u2019t rid ourselves of the flesh until resurrection day.\u00a0 However, Scripture has harsh words for such believers, to the point of questioning such faith, if it continues to walk after the flesh with little or no remorse (Rom. 8:9; 1 John 4:3, Jude 19).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, believers have a great advantage in the world.\u00a0 We have lived both ways:\u00a0 in the flesh (unsaved) and in the Spirit (saved).\u00a0 We have known life without the Spirit and can compare it to life in the Spirit.\u00a0 Unbelievers have known only life in the flesh.\u00a0 So when the world tells us that we just don\u2019t understand, it is actually they who don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 How can they?\u00a0 They have only lived half of life whereas we have experienced both sides.\u00a0 No true believer despises the spiritual life.\u00a0 Unbelievers \u201cdo despite unto the Spirit of grace\u201d (Heb. 10:29) but those who possess the Spirit cringe at carnality and desire a richer, fuller walk in the Spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Non-Christians can pretend<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Though the natural man does not have the Spirit of God, he is enough of an image bearer of God to be religious.\u00a0 The false teachers in Corinth could speak about another Jesus with another spirit and create another gospel (2 Cor. 11:4).\u00a0 A lost person may truly long for a heavenly life or may even be afraid of hell if there really is one.\u00a0 A belief in God is not unusual for the lost though we know that there is no true understanding of God except through faith in Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:21). <\/span><\/p>\n

But, of course, this natural man cannot understand the things of God.\u00a0 They are foolishness to him precisely because they are spiritually discerned, or learned only by the entrance of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14).\u00a0 Therefore his interest in spiritual things is only for a season,\u00a0 even while the Spirit may be drawing him to a true faith in Christ (Heb. 6:4).\u00a0 He may find a way to be comfortable around true believers, especially carnal ones, and may never or seldom be asked to display any thought or action that would require the mind of Christ. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is not unusual if this natural man stays in the church.\u00a0 Either he is never convicted by anything he sees or hears and becomes calloused to the gospel, or, if he is, he will soon leave in a more hardened condition than when he came in.\u00a0 His time in the church is critical.\u00a0 No doubt many in this situation have mustered up a testimony of salvation and may even have been baptized and joined the church.\u00a0 If the church seldom presses the lost for a decision, he may never be exposed by his conscience and the Word of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sadder still is the fact that such hypocrites in the church help carnal believers to remain carnal.\u00a0 A little leaven leavens the whole lump (1 Cor. 5:6).\u00a0 Congregations may be full of hypocrites drawn in by worldly means who drag believers down to their level.\u00a0 The carnal believer has a knack for finding the hypocritical believer and settling down to a level of spirituality that is comfortable for both of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Christians can live carnally<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

This is a sad state of affairs but true.\u00a0 The church has forever tried to come up with a theology that would eliminate this category but it just doesn\u2019t wash.\u00a0 Christians sin.\u00a0 And sometimes they wallow in that sin for a while.\u00a0 The fornicator in 1 Cor. 5 had been in that state long enough and yet Paul admitted that he would be \u201csaved in the day of the Lord Jesus\u201d (1 Cor. 5:5).\u00a0 The one who loses all to wood, hay, and stubble at the Bema Seat of Christ will\u00a0 still be saved \u201cso as by fire\u201d (1 Cor. 3:15).\u00a0 But what a miserable life!\u00a0 It is better (for the conscience only, that is) to not have the Spirit and live without conviction than to have Him and be under conviction.\u00a0 There is no more miserable person in the world than this.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bible gives two outcomes for the carnal Christian.\u00a0 He may be severely chastised by God.\u00a0 \u201cKnow ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?\u00a0 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy [lit. \u201cjudge\u201d]; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are\u201d (1 Cor. 3:16-17). This judgment could even be a premature death.\u00a0 \u201cFor this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep\u201d (1 Cor. 11:30).\u00a0 These measures, however, can only be known for sure by God. <\/span><\/p>\n

A second outcome could be, and ought to be, repentance.\u00a0 The New Testament gives multiple examples of spiritual Christians recovering carnal Christians and bringing them back to fellowship with God.\u00a0 It may be in personal confrontation (Matt. 18:15-17); or prayer (Jas. 5:15); or preaching of the Word (2 Cor. 7:9-11).\u00a0 Paul was happy when the Corinthians repented.\u00a0 The sorrow of the world, of hypocrites, only works death, but godly sorrow works true repentance.\u00a0 \u201cIn all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter\u201d (2 Cor. 7:11). <\/span><\/p>\n

In the process of these two outcomes, the church may proceed with disciplinary action.\u00a0 If the man repents, the church must accept it as Christ accepts him.\u00a0 To demand a pound of flesh or even vengeance at that stage would be to become \u201cjudges of the law\u201d (James 4:11) and take upon themselves the place of condemnation where God has given grace and forgiveness.\u00a0 \u201cSufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many\u201d (2 Cor. 2:6).\u00a0 If a sinning brother or sister refuses repentance, they are to be put out of the assembly so that the carnality cannot affect others.\u00a0 In fact, Jesus says, he becomes \u201cas\u201d a lost man to us, because at that point we can no longer discern the difference between a hypocrite and a carnal Christian. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The spiritual man avoids carnality<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cHe that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.\u00a0 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ\u201d (1 Cor. 2:15-16).\u00a0 D.A. Carson writes,<\/span><\/p>\n

This is another way of saying that we have received the Spirit of God (vv.11-12) and have therefore understood something of God\u2019s wisdom, the wisdom of the cross.\u00a0 That sets us apart from the world.\u00a0 And therefore implicitly the world will not understand <\/span>us <\/span>either.\u00a0 So Paul is using this quotation form Isaiah 40 to support his claim in the preceding verse: \u201cThe spiritual man . . . Is not subject to any man\u2019s judgment.\u201d\u00a0 He does not mean that Christians have nothing to learn from non-Christians, or that Christians are always above correction and rebuke (even from those who are not believers).\u00a0 He means rather, that the mind of Christ is alien to the unbeliever, and insofar as we have the mind of Christ we will be alien to the unbeliever as well.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The believer has every tool necessary to avoid carnality.\u00a0 He has the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, the fellowship of other believers in the local church, and the intercession of Christ as he prays for forgiveness on a daily basis.\u00a0 The believer is painfully aware of his old nature.\u00a0 He fights it every day, or as Paul instructed, he \u201cmortifies\u201d it (Col.3:5; Rom. 8:13).\u00a0 He has learned to have patience with others who are struggling with the flesh because he knows his own struggles are of the same stuff even if they are a lesser degree.\u00a0 Another man\u2019s idolatry is the same kind of thing as his own covetousness (Eph. 5:5).\u00a0 Another man\u2019s murder is the same kind of thing as his own hatred (1 John 3:15).\u00a0 Another man\u2019s adultery is the same kind of thing as his own lust (Matt. 5:28).<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet, the spiritual man can only tolerate the presence of carnality for so long.\u00a0 If it cannot be sufficiently dealt with, he will have to remove himself from its presence, even if that means removing himself from carnal brothers in Christ (2 Thes. 3:14-15).\u00a0 There are multiple reasons for this.\u00a0 The power of the Spirit is hindered where there is ongoing carnality; a parent\u2019s children are at risk if carnality is an influence on them; there may be temptations that are uncomely for a Christian to be around; worship is greatly hindered by unrepentant carnality; prayer is hindered where there is carnality.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The local church and carnality<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Carnality can easily grow where believers become more attached to an organization than to the principles of the organization.\u00a0 Believers can be more attached to the buildings or the programs or even the history of the church than to the very doctrines that the church teaches.\u00a0 The mega-church movement has certainly not been exempt from carnality.\u00a0 In fact, it has fed itself on carnal methodologies in order to become large.\u00a0 It may only be a show with a stage and applause rather than the soul-searching work of the Holy Spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Small churches may have an advantage of not offering worldly programs (but maybe not).\u00a0 But small churches can fall into cliques and coteries that exclude new people or refuse to extend brotherly kindness to someone who is not just like them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Often a group in a church of any size can demand more loyalty than even Christ.\u00a0 This was the Corinthian problem of factionalism.\u00a0 Sometimes a personality or officer of the church or even a pastor can be followed rather than biblical principle. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yet in all of these, the local church is God\u2019s perfect organization to deal with carnality and for the believer to be able to grow.\u00a0 The local church, designed according to the New Testament, is the perfect size, the perfect mix of people, the perfect type of leadership, with the perfect Head and Word, to grow believers into the likeness of Christ. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

When carnality demands a choice<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Believers have always had to make choices about staying or leaving.\u00a0 This may be in the context of a whole church tradition such as the dissenters in England leaving the state church, or the local churches of a denomination that has gone liberal, or just a family leaving a church that has become worldly and carnal.\u00a0 Sometimes it is the tough choice of a single person separating from friends who pull that person down rather than build him up.\u00a0 Carnality becomes a powerful deterrent for a spiritual believer.<\/span><\/p>\n

There have been those who have offered choices in critical times.\u00a0 In 1869 Charles Hodge wrote in The Princeton Review<\/span>6<\/sup><\/span> that a minister may only have three choices when he disagrees with the church\u2019s ruling:\u00a0 Actively concur in, passively submit to, or peaceably withdraw from.\u00a0 Similarly, Kevin Bauder says there are \u201cthree wretched choices\u201d that can be made when believers find themselves in a compromising situation: walk away, stay and submit, or stay and create trouble.<\/span>7<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I would offer two choices. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

First choice:\u00a0 accept carnality<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some believers will accept or tolerate carnality by being in open rebellion against God.\u00a0 They don\u2019t seem to care what others think or what the Scripture says.\u00a0 This leaves question about their true spiritual condition.\u00a0 Some begin to redefine Christianity so that it condones carnality.\u00a0 MacArthur says, \u201cIt seems that most of the fads and misconceptions of the world find their way into the church.\u00a0 Worldly Christians continually try to find ways to justify their worldliness, if possible on the basis of Scripture.\u201d<\/span>8<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Some may become carnal or use carnal tactics to accomplish a certain task.\u00a0 For them, the end justifies the means.\u00a0 Others may continually tolerate carnality rather than take any action because that is easier, or resistance is said to be unloving, or they just don\u2019t see any danger to them or their family.\u00a0 They argue that we must live in the real world and that spirituality is not practically possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Second choice:\u00a0 resist carnality<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Of course, the first course of action is to deal with the carnality.\u00a0 This may be corporately as in a local church, or it may be directly with an offensive person.\u00a0 If this works, you have gained the good ground.\u00a0 Sometimes situations and circumstances allow it and sometimes they do not.\u00a0 A second course of action is to be belligerent or a co-belligerent with others.\u00a0 But this is not a real option for a spiritual believer.\u00a0 That generally becomes carnality itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

The only remaining solution when all attempts at reconciliation have failed is to separate from carnality.\u00a0 This remains a biblical command as well as the others.\u00a0 In the end, the spiritual believer must not let carnality affect him in his walk with the Lord. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Christian life on this earth isn\u2019t life in heaven.\u00a0 We live and deal with the old nature and yet must do all we can to honor the Lord in body and spirit which are God\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Notes:<\/span><\/address>\n
1. John Flavel, \u201cA Coronation Sermon,\u201d <\/span>Orations From Homer To McKinley<\/span>, vol. IV (New York:\u00a0 Collier & Son, 1902) 1599.<\/span><\/address>\n
2. D.A. Carson, <\/span>The Cross and Christian Ministry<\/span> .\u00a0 \u201cLeadership lessons from 1 Corinthians\u201d (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004) 73.<\/span><\/address>\n
3. John MacArthur, <\/span>First Corinthians<\/span> (Chicago:\u00a0 Moody Books, 1984) 70-71.<\/span><\/address>\n
4. Vance Havner, <\/span>Rest Awhile<\/span> (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1941) 48.<\/span><\/address>\n
5. Carson, 61.<\/span><\/address>\n
6. This work can be found online by searching for these three terms with the name Charles Hodge.\u00a0 It has been quoted recently by Carl Truman in an article titled, \u201cNo Country For Old Men\u201d on his blog \u201cReformation 21.\u201d<\/span><\/address>\n
7. Kevin Bauder, <\/span>Baptist Distinctives<\/span> (Schaumburg:\u00a0 RBP, 2012) 179.<\/span><\/address>\n
8. MacArthur, 253.<\/span><\/address>\n
\u00a0<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0John Flavel, a fifteenth century Puritan wrote, \u201cCarnal men rejoice carnally and spiritual men rejoice spiritually.\u201d1 The human nature seems to have the ability to sanctify itself, whether right or wrong.\u00a0 The Corinthians were especially good at it, even \u201cglorying\u201d in their toleration of sin (1 Cor. 5:6).\u00a0 Paul was hindered in writing to them, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[167,164],"class_list":["post-1262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-christian-living-cross-discipleship","tag-legalism-license-liberty"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Christian and Carnality - Aletheia Baptist Ministries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Christian and Carnality - Aletheia Baptist Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0John Flavel, a fifteenth century Puritan wrote, \u201cCarnal men rejoice carnally and spiritual men rejoice spiritually.\u201d1 The human nature seems to have the ability to sanctify itself, whether right or wrong.\u00a0 The Corinthians were especially good at it, even \u201cglorying\u201d in their toleration of sin (1 Cor. 5:6).\u00a0 Paul was hindered in writing to them, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Aletheia Baptist Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AletheiaBaptist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-09-06T20:56:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-02-02T08:11:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Book-Reviews-1024x1024.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rick Shrader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rick Shrader\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rick Shrader\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#\/schema\/person\/588b75c574dc86d40cf5fb13774181b2\"},\"headline\":\"The Christian and Carnality\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-09-06T20:56:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-02-02T08:11:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/\"},\"wordCount\":2715,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Christian Living \/ Cross \/ Discipleship\",\"Legalism \/ License \/ Liberty\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aletheiabaptistministries.org\/Blog\/january-qthe-christian-and-carnalityq\/\",\"name\":\"The Christian and Carnality - 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