Carnal Christians?

[Carbon]

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

What is Paul teaching here?

So, is Paul teaching there are two classes of Christians. the carnal and the spiritual?

 

[Carbon]

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

What is Paul teaching here?

So, is Paul teaching there are two classes of Christians. the carnal and the spiritual?

Here are some good passages which may help with this subject.

Romans ch 6, 7.
Romans 8:1-11
James 1:21-27
1 John 1
1 John 2:3-17; 3:1-9.

 

[makesends]

By the language, he is not calling them carnal, but only that he has to talk to them as if they were carnal. It could also be that he means, there, 'carnal in behavior', though not necessarily as themselves carnal.

I've heard several teachers/preachers/theologians (not sure just who) saying there is no such thing as a carnal believer. I have to say, they have a point, if Romans 8 and so many other places speaking of the difference between the mind of flesh and the mind of spirit, are necessarily grouping regenerated vs lost. If the regenerated are not "of the flesh" then "Carnal Believer" is self-contradictory. But yes, there are many of us who by our own judgement think ourselves idiots for thinking we can live according to the flesh and still be ok.

Probably worth mentioning that Paul talks to some as to babes, not mature, and that is not entirely an unrelated subject, I don't think.

 

[Carbon]

By the language, he is not calling them carnal, but only that he has to talk to them as if they were carnal. It could also be that he means, there, 'carnal in behavior', though not necessarily as themselves carnal.

Agreed.

I've heard several teachers/preachers/theologians (not sure just who) saying there is no such thing as a carnal believer. I have to say, they have a point, if Romans 8 and so many other places speaking of the difference between the mind of flesh and the mind of spirit, are necessarily grouping regenerated vs lost. If the regenerated are not "of the flesh" then "Carnal Believer" is self-contradictory. But yes, there are many of us who by our own judgement think ourselves idiots for thinking we can live according to the flesh and still be ok.

Probably worth mentioning that Paul talks to some as to babes, not mature, and that is not entirely an unrelated subject, I don't think.

Amen!

 

[prism]

Define 'carnal Christian'.

 

[Carbon]

Define 'carnal Christian'.

Good question. I cannot

 

[Carbon]

@prism

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

Paul is not saying that these Christians are continuing to live in sin as if they were "natural" men, unbelievers, but that they are thinking carnally and worldly instead of spiritually.

Some Christians are more spiritual, more conformed to Christ's image, than others. Other Christians, however, struggle with worldlyness and thus are carnal compared to their more spiritual brothers. Such were those in Corinth.

 

[makesends]

@prism

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

Paul is not saying that these Christians are continuing to live in sin as if they were "natural" men, unbelievers, but that they are thinking carnally and worldly instead of spiritually.

Some Christians are more spiritual, more conformed to Christ's image, than others. Other Christians, however, struggle with worldlyness and thus are carnal compared to their more spiritual brothers. Such were those in Corinth.

Agreed. And honestly, in my assessment, we all fit that to some degree. We are presuming of the integrity and ability of our thought as valid and substantive. But yes, those who are regenerated admit to a higher authority than self, not only in motivation of will, and in ontology of any fact but in reasoning about any fact. We don't know much.

But there is a lot in Scripture to say about not only habits in thinking but habits in behavior to which we should attend. It is scary, what we allow ourselves, and just as scary to realize what God allows us to think. We are idiots, but will be measured by our own precepts.

 

[Mr GLee]

Define 'carnal Christian'.

Christian sinners. Believers. . . living in a body of death (no power)

All have sinned and daily continue to fall short of the glory of God.

A theophany Melchedik could not take away sin of the flesh

Romans 8: For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh