Are Carnal Christians on the Loose?
The phrase carnal Christians conjures up images of a disease similar to leprosy mentioned in the Bible. People were social outcasts hiding in the dark. If you’re carnal, are you obscured in a veil of secrecy or do real Christians haul you off to Timbuktu? The reality is that everyday Christians live carnal lives rather than spiritual ones. They may shine their halos frequently but don’t spend much if any time with Jesus. You might even call them backsliders.
To be honest, as much as I love Jesus I still falter and could easily fall into carnality.
Carnal Christians Have Been Around a While
Ever since Apostle Paul brought up the term among the Corinthians and the Romans, people compare the carnal mind vs. the spiritual mind.
I Corinthians 2:14 – 3:5 – But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
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. 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? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
Romans 8:6-7 – For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
Paul refers to the Corinthians as brethren so they aren’t lost in the world without a Savior. They just act like they never gave their hearts to Jesus.
What Are Carnal Christians?
Sadly, I am. Maybe not every day but more than I should be. My carnally-minded flesh sometimes screams louder than my spirit and my body lines up like pigs to the slaughter.
Loving Jesus when this body loves to sin isn’t easy. Except, I don’t stay there willingly. I pursue God and find my way back to the Holy Spirit in spite of what my flesh wants to do. That’s because growing up spiritually is a lifelong pursuit.
Galatians 5:17 – For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Paul points out a few causes of carnality. Envy and strife lead to divisions among Christians. He also says it’s because they can only consume tiny portions in the form of liquids (that’s my paraphrase). Big chunks of the spirit or spiritual food aren’t palatable. Carnal Christians simply choke on it.
Are Carnal Christians Saved?
Unbelievers and carnal Christians don’t appear much different to me on the outside. God sees their hearts though. Unbelievers don’t have the Holy Spirit or Christ. They essentially live as natural human beings without any spiritual anchor. Works of the flesh rule their lives and they’re blinded to the truth of the Gospel message.
Carnal Christians initially responded to the wooing of the Holy Spirit in order to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. After acknowledging Jesus into their heart, they tend to be slow in accepting their new nature and turning from old habits and mental outlooks. They aren’t onboard when it comes to crucifying fleshly deeds but they don’t renounce Christ. They normally don’t see the benefit of spiritual disciplines like reading the Bible and praying regularly. If they did, they would soon discover the benefits of faith and God’s mercy to overcome the battle between flesh and spirit. They’re normally miserable because they aren’t fulfilling their spiritual purpose.
So, how do Christians combat carnality in themselves and others?
Overcoming the Carnal Mind
Many years ago, I caught up with my best friend from grade school and beyond. We had lost touch but she confided that she had been having an affair for months. I listened to her story. Her pastor and husband had both asked her to stop but she was still knee-deep in sin. She was living carnally in full view and didn’t care what anyone else thought.
I even asked her point blank if she intended to stop the affair. She said she was in love with this man, but he did not intend to leave his wife. Red neon lights should have blinked on and off brightly at that point. To my knowledge, she still lives with her husband but I have no idea if she repented of sin. We live 4 hours from each other and I didn’t ask again. I prayed like the dickens though. My friend chose her old life and old sins over letting Christ subdue fleshly desires.
The circumcised heart no longer needs to look at God’s laws He wrote on stone. A heart change takes care of that. That same circumcised heart is filled to the brim with the compassion of Christ. satan continually tries to trip me up and he does the same with other Christians. So I understand when Christians fall. We become new creatures spiritually but our bodies still have a sinful nature.
Carnal Christians Can Overcome Carnaltiy
A spirit-led Christian knows taming the flesh takes work, lots of it. For me, I stay determined to “fight the good fight” and ask God to change and transform me. I renew my mind with the Word of God and stay proactive in the heat of battle.
Everything I write represents words on paper but the real test comes when I live “in the world but not of the world.” I don’t think Paul defined a second group of Christians. He focused on those who lived spiritual lives and those who didn’t. Without living under divine influence, every Christian retakes the old sinful nature and opposes God. Living carnally is a choice (not a good one).