WHY LIVE A TEMPORAL, CARNAL LIFE? (PART 2).
TEXT
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. ... For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 verse 1 divides all Christians into two categories: the spiritual and the carnal. The spiritual Christian is one in whom the Holy Spirit dwells in his spirit and controls his entire being. The Bible also uses the term "flesh" to describe the carnal Christian. He's one who has been born anew and has God’s life, but instead of overcoming his flesh, he is overcome by the flesh instead. He's one whose spirit has been quickened, but who still follows his soul and body unto sin.
Should a Christian remain in a carnal state long after being born again, he hinders God’s salvation from realizing its full potential and manifestation. Only when he is growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord, and his life is constantly governed by the Spirit, can salvation be wholly wrought in him. .
The carnal Christian is widely agreed to be a babe in Christ. We must note that there's a huge difference between the babe in Christ and the newly born babe. "Carnal" literally means "of the five senses," or "sensual". Carnal mindedness is allowing your mind to be dominated by the five senses, ie, what you can see, taste, hear, smell, and feel. You are carnally minded when your thoughts center primarily on the physical realm. This is the bane of many Children of God.
Paul's letter to the Corinthian Church from which we took our Scripture reading for today was written to born again, Spirit filled believers. His grouse with them was that they had remained underdeveloped in the faith. We have to understand that the Corinthian Church was a Spirit filled Church, but was not mature in the Lord.
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ." (1st Corinthians chapter 3 verse 1)
The problem with them was that they were "carnal" or "fleshly" in conduct. Their lives were in effect governed by their physical senses. Notwithstanding that they were born again, the Church at Corinth remained largely "body ruled" or “fleshly” in conduct, walking after the order of natural, ordinary or mere men (see 1st Corinthians chapter 3 verse 3)
It will amaze you to know that the Corinthian Church was a very spiritual Church, but notwithstanding, they remained body ruled, sensual and fleshly in conduct. In that state, they abode in death and missed out on God's life and peace. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8 verse 6 that "to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
But brethren, there's a way out of carnality. One way is to grow out of it. In this regard, Apostle Peter gave us the way forward. He counseled believers to "Desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby." (see 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 2; see also 1st Corinthians chapter 3 verse 2). Let God's Word dwell in you richly until it becomes overwhelmingly part of you and strong enough to chart the course of your life.
The second way out of carnality is to focus on spiritual things. According to Romans chapter 8 verse 5, what you focus on determines whether you are in the spirit or not.
"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Another way of saying this is that you "seek" or "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (see Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 and 2) This is the test to prove if you are in the spirit or you are carnal. So therefore, it's basically your choice whether or not you are going to live a temporal, carnal life or otherwise.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, I have chosen to live my life focused on spiritual things rather than on temporal, carnal things.