Carnal Christians

"But I, brothers, could not address you as a 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 3:1-3

Have you ever heard the term "Carnal Christian?" It, basically, refers to a Christian who sins. Given the fact that everybody sins, Christian or otherwise, this doesn't seem to be that big a deal, much less needing to create an identity out of it. However, some will say that "the key thing to understand is that while a Christian can be, for a time, carnal, a true Christian will not remain carnal for a lifetime." This gives the impression that Christians can eventually reach a point of sinlessness. This is absurd, to say the least, but it misses out on something else completely. This term seems to be only directed at somebody who is indulging their flesh. As Galatians 5:19-21 puts it, "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like." Nobody disagrees that these are sinful and should be avoided. However, I believe a "Carnal Christian" is something totally different. There are also "Carnal Christians" who focus on their flesh by spending their entire lives trying to restrain themselves from sinning. Whether you are indulging the flesh through the commission of sin or trying to restrain the flesh through a lifestyle of obedience and repentance to laws designed to modify your behavior, you are still being carnal. The Bible tells us that, "The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so (Romans 8:7)." Is your mind not "governed by the flesh" if it is focused on restraining it? Of course, it is. Now, don't get me wrong, sin is terrible and should be avoided at all costs, but focusing on ways to modify your behavior is not going to achieve that which people believe it will in the battle against sin. The Bible is clear that "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56)" and "For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14)." If you are trying to restrain your flesh through living a life under the law, you are only giving into the power of sin and allowing it to be your master! That doesn't sound like something designed to give you victory over sin, but rather to guarantee defeat and giving into carnality. In fact, the Apostle Paul said, "Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died (Romans 7:9)." Whatever law, rule, tenet, sacrament, ritual, or code you subject yourself to in order to achieve victory over sin, will only lead to more sin in your life.

Therefore, with that in mind, you can get a better picture of what Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 3. One of the byproducts of living a life under the law is comparison. We often treat others the way in which we believe God is treating us. Therefore, if we are under the law and believe that we must overcome sin through obedience to it, then we will lord over each other trying to keep each other "accountable" to it. What does that lead to? It leads to jealousy and strife among each other because the only thing being focused on is behavior; i.e. the flesh. That is why he referred to them as infants in Christ. After all, isn't it infants that are constantly being instructed how to behave,  being condemned for disobedience, and disciplined by the consequences of their behavior? Are not infants the ones needing to have some form of law in their life because they aren't mature enough to know right from wrong? Is it not infants who are always quarreling with each other, fighting with each other, and telling on each other in an effort to get on the good side of their parents? And, finally, isn't it infants who need milk and not solid food? Infants are the ones that need outside influence to teach them how to live. It is only when a person is mature that they are able to live in such a way that they no longer need the constant influence of laws and are able to eat solid food. This is an example of the presence and influence of the Holy Spirit in a Christian's life. When a person is living in a trusting and dependent relationship with the Holy Spirit, the outside influence of laws are no longer necessary. This is why the Bible tells us that it is the grace of God that "teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:11)." Grace is focusing on Jesus Christ and who you are in Him, what you have received as an inheritance of your faith, and resting in His finished work as the Holy Spirit teaches you to love others with the love you have received from God. That is why the Bible also says that "Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10)." Love diminishes sin in your life. Love does not cause jealousy and strife among believers. Love focuses on the Spirit of God, not on the flesh. Love leads you to behave in a spiritual way, not a human way. Love sets you free, it doesn't enslave you. Love means God is your master, not sin. Love makes you spiritual, not carnal. Love focuses on Jesus, not on your flesh. Love focuses on grace, not on the law.