The Carnal Man-1
I Corinthians 3:1-4: “And
I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as
to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now
you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you
are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you,
are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of
Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos;” are you not carnal?”
Here, Paul is talking to
members of the church! Yes, inside of the Corinthian church were carnally
minded members. You would think that carnally minded people were people who did
not profess God; but unfortunately, there are many carnal Christians filling
the pews every week.
Can you clearly see here
that the conditions for the description concerning this group are their
personal relationships with the Holy Spirit? In these verses, the apostle Paul
mentions four times that they are “carnal”, in their thoughts! What does carnal
mean again? It means: this person does not have a real relationship with God,
but rather a pretentious one. This person may think he or she is living by the
Holy Spirit, but not so. He or she isn’t
filled with the Holy Spirit or isn’t sufficiently filled with the Holy Spirit.
A person can be a member
for a short time or for many years and still be a carnal Christian. If to your
surprise you find that you are a carnal Christian at the moment, then don’t be
upset about it, but rather be glad, because you have the possibility of
changing it immediately. You will experience great joy through a life with the
Holy Ghost. I am convinced that most
carnal Christians are unknowingly in this condition and have a desire to
experience more in their faith.
Many carnal Christians
feel dissatisfaction, disappointment, purposelessness or are under constant
effort in their spiritual life. In many instances, they want to do differently,
but can’t figure out that they need the help of the Holy Spirit.
Some carnal church
members have gotten used to this condition or are satisfied with this
condition. They might say: “We are just sinners! We can’t do anything about it!
While other carnal Christians might be enthusiastic! They are glad that they
know Biblical truth. Carnal church members can be very active and even have
leading positions in the local church or even in the church administration.
They may even do a lot for God.
We shall complete the “Carnal
Man” next time.
