SPIRITUAL OR CARNAL There are three states in which a man may be found. The unregenerate is still the natural man, not having the Spirit of God. The regenerate, who is still a babe in Christ, either lately converted or standing still, is the carnal man, giving way to the power of the flesh. The believer in whom the Spirit has obtained full supremacy is the spiritual man. “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 In the previous chapter the apostle had contrasted the believer as spiritual, with the unregenerate as the natural (or physical) man: the man of the Spirit with the man of the soul (1 Corinthians 2:14-15). Now he supplements that teaching. He tells the Corinthians that, though they have the Spirit, he cannot call them spiritual; that title belongs to those who have not only received the Spirit, but have yielded themselves to Him to possess and rule their whole life. Those who have not done this, in whom the power of the flesh is still more manifest than the Spirit, cannot be called spiritual, but fleshly or carnal. Many Christians remain carnal. God has not only called us to grow, but has provided all the conditions and powers needful for growth. And yet it is sadly true, that there are many Christians who, like the Corinthians, remain babes in Christ when they ought to be going on to perfection, “attaining unto a full-grown man.” In some cases the blame is almost more with the Church and its teaching than with the individuals themselves. When the preaching makes salvation seem to consist only in pardon and peace and the hope of heaven, or when, if a holy life is preached, the truth of Christ our sanctification, our sufficient strength to be holy, and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, is not taught clearly and in the power of the Spirit, growth can hardly be expected. Human and defective views of the gospel, as the power of God unto a present salvation in sanctification, are the cause of the error. In other cases the root of the error is to be found in the unwillingness of the Christian to deny self and crucify the flesh. The call of Jesus to every disciple is, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself.” The sin that proved that the Corinthians were carnal was their jealousy and strife. When Christians are not willing to give up the sin of selfishness and temper; when, whether in the home-relationship or in the wider circle of church and public life, they want to retain the liberty of giving way to, or excusing evil feelings, of pronouncing their own judgments, and speaking words that are not in perfect love, then they remain carnal. They grieve the Holy Spirit of God; they cannot have the testimony that they are pleasing to God.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 14:16:59 +0000
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