"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
To be carnal simply means to be worldly. When the focus of a Christian is on the material things of this world, and he emphasizes the physical, emotional and intellectual more than the spiritual, such a Christian is referred to as being carnal. Man is naturally carnal, but a major purpose of salvation through Christ Jesus is to rescue us from our bondage to carnality so that we can be free to experience and enjoy the spiritual nature of God, and also be able to worship God in spirit and in truth.
The signs of carnality are listed for us in the Bible. These are inability to tolerate deeper spiritual truths that demands total consecration, abundant display of the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21, and focus on man rather than God. In summary, the carnal Christian is the immature Christian. He belongs to the group who are ever learning but are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. The danger of such a lifestyle is that we risk the displeasure of God. Indeed, being carnal puts you at risk of not making it to the kingdom of God. At the end of the day, you find out that you have only played church all your Christian life and wasted your time.
The multiplication of carnal Christians and the growing materialism in today's church should be a source of concern to all well-meaning Christians, especially because it portends great danger to the advancement of God's kingdom on earth. A carnalised Christianity is of no value, neither to the church nor to the world. It yields no profit to God nor does it bring any eternal gains to the carnal believer. It is time to quit the carnal Christian life.
Getting out of carnality would require deepening your spiritual roots. There are three principal instruments for accomplishing this. First, the word of God, which must be read and meditated upon on a daily basis. Jesus affirmed that the spiritual life is lived on the basis of every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Secondly, the spiritual life is built through selfless prayers that focus more on consecration to the will of God and intercession for the advancement of the kingdom of God. When your prayer life is all about your selfish desires and what God must do for you, you are indirectly feeding the carnal man in you.
Finally, there must be a constant readiness to fellowship with Christians who are not carnal. Indeed, it has to be emphasized that in getting out of carnality and in order to insulate yourself from same, the company you keep is of primary importance. You need to ensure, for instance, that the church you attend and your circle of friends do not feed the carnal man in you. You should be careful to avoid any Christian assembly whose focus is centred on materialism and carnal accomplishments. Conforming to the image of Christ should be the primary and secondary focus of Christians and the church.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
To be carnal simply means to be worldly. When the focus of a Christian is on the material things of this world, and he emphasizes the physical, emotional and intellectual more than the spiritual, such a Christian is referred to as being carnal. Man is naturally carnal, but a major purpose of salvation through Christ Jesus is to rescue us from our bondage to carnality so that we can be free to experience and enjoy the spiritual nature of God, and also be able to worship God in spirit and in truth.
The signs of carnality are listed for us in the Bible. These are inability to tolerate deeper spiritual truths that demands total consecration, abundant display of the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21, and focus on man rather than God. In summary, the carnal Christian is the immature Christian. He belongs to the group who are ever learning but are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. The danger of such a lifestyle is that we risk the displeasure of God. Indeed, being carnal puts you at risk of not making it to the kingdom of God. At the end of the day, you find out that you have only played church all your Christian life and wasted your time.
The multiplication of carnal Christians and the growing materialism in today's church should be a source of concern to all well-meaning Christians, especially because it portends great danger to the advancement of God's kingdom on earth. A carnalised Christianity is of no value, neither to the church nor to the world. It yields no profit to God nor does it bring any eternal gains to the carnal believer. It is time to quit the carnal Christian life.
Getting out of carnality would require deepening your spiritual roots. There are three principal instruments for accomplishing this. First, the word of God, which must be read and meditated upon on a daily basis. Jesus affirmed that the spiritual life is lived on the basis of every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Secondly, the spiritual life is built through selfless prayers that focus more on consecration to the will of God and intercession for the advancement of the kingdom of God. When your prayer life is all about your selfish desires and what God must do for you, you are indirectly feeding the carnal man in you.
Finally, there must be a constant readiness to fellowship with Christians who are not carnal. Indeed, it has to be emphasized that in getting out of carnality and in order to insulate yourself from same, the company you keep is of primary importance. You need to ensure, for instance, that the church you attend and your circle of friends do not feed the carnal man in you. You should be careful to avoid any Christian assembly whose focus is centred on materialism and carnal accomplishments. Conforming to the image of Christ should be the primary and secondary focus of Christians and the church.
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