Are We Carnal Christians?

Are We Still Carnal Christians?

There are different categories of Christians in the Church which include the following:

The Antioch Christian (Acts 11:26)

The Sermon-proof Christian (Matthew 13:15)

The Compromising Christian (Exodus 8:23, 25 & 10:7)

The Mixed Multitude Christian (Exodus 12:38) (Numbers 11:1-4)

The Pharisee Christian (Matthew 5:20) (Matthew Ch.23)

The Carnal Christian (Romans Ch.8)

The carnal Christian is described in Romans Chapter 8. He is a Christian who is not growing in grace (Hebrews 5:12-14); who minds the things of the flesh and places them above the Spirit. A person who minds the things of the flesh, who walks in the flesh and is not walking in the Spirit cannot please God (Galatians 5:16).

He cannot please God because the flesh and the things of the flesh which he lives for are at enmity with the Spirit and the things of the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). A carnally minded Christian lives in rebellion and is not obeying God because his carnal mind is not subject to the laws of God, easily submits to sin (Romans 8:7).

A carnal Christian is like the natural man in 1 Corinthians 2:14 described as a person who lives under the control of his fleshly passions, which are the sensual and depraved part of man. He has no sense for spiritual values and has no delight for them. He counts it wisdom to live for the world and its carnal pleasures. Therefore, spiritual things are foolishness to him and he is spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-9).

TAKE NOTE, that all carnality is not sinful. Natural desires such as food, water, sleep and sex are carnal but are not sinful carnality. It is natural to have them but in moderation not to break God’s laws. They can become sinful carnality when we indulge in them to the point that God’s laws are broken.

A couple who are fully dressed for church and are ready to go, who suddenly change their minds and begin to undress for sex because one of them developed a sexual urge at that point; and ended up having sex first and going late to the service or eventually not going at all are carnal Christians. 

They are carnal Christians who cannot deny themselves their fleshly desires for a few hours to give attention to God and the things of the Spirit.

Jesus Christ preached self-denial (Matthew 8:34) and without self-denial, there is no victorious Christian life !  In 1 Corinthians 7:5, a couple can suspend sexual activities for a while in order to focus on the things of the Spirit which is self-denial.

  

Other characteristics of the carnal Christian include:

 

§  The works of the flesh have full rein in the lives of carnal Christians (Galatians 5:19-21)

§  They have obsession for various kinds of lusts such as sexual lusts – an obsessive sexual craving and an uncontrollable desire for sex. Other lusts are material lusts, fleshly lusts (Romans 13:14); youthful lusts (Titus 2:12); pleasure lusts (Titus 3:3) and monetary lust – an insatiable lust for money at any cost.

§  The Carnal Christian is a casual but not a committed Christian; he seeks for convenience and is not a covenanted Christian; he seeks for comfort and is not ready to carry his Cross and follow Christ, and prefers carnality above Christ-likeness. In essence, the carnal Christian is not ready to pay the relevant prices required in Mark 8:34-36 to follow Christ to the end.

§  The carnal Christian is delinquent in spiritual activities –cannot pray, cannot fast, cannot preach the gospel, cannot study the Word of God because they have no time for the things of the Spirit. Some Christians cannot fast for a single day because they cannot sacrifice food, water, sex and pleasures. 

Some cannot conduct a personal prayer vigil because they cannot sacrifice a few hours’ sleep. Many cannot have a prayer vigil even for once in a week either personal or church vigil. They always have readymade and convenient excuses to avoid it.

Carnal Christians can read the newspapers and junk gossip magazines, browse the net and watch television for many hours but cannot find the time to study their bible for an hour daily or read one chapter daily. They have been in the church for many years but have never for once read the whole bible from Genesis to Revelation. They cannot quote at least 52 verses in the Scripture off hand.

 A Christian should study the bible on daily basis, memorize at least a verse in a week and endeavor to read the whole Bible once in a year. He should be able to devote at least 10% of his daily 24 hours i.e. 2 hours & 30 minutes to the things of the Spirit – bible study, fellowship, prayers, evangelism, meditation etc. that are relevant to spiritual growth.

 The carnal Christian cannot devote 10% of his time for God but has abundant time to devote to the vanities of life that have no eternal values.

§  The Carnal Christian is not a disciple and eternity with Christ is for committed disciples. Because he is not experiencing spiritual development, he is still spiritually dead and walking in spiritual darkness. He is not serving God in Spirit and in Truth, thereby making his spirituality to be a false one.

§  The carnal Christian is a lukewarm person, neither hot nor cold that God has promised to spue out of His mouth (Revelations 3:15-16) and he is content to be lukewarm.

§  A carnal Christian has no power for self-denial, lacks self-discipline; lacks power to resist temptations; lacks power not to compromise; cannot resist his carnal appetites; cannot de-emphasize self and lacks the power for holy living.

§  The carnal Christian loves the world and is in infinite fellowship with it which makes him an enemy of God (James 4:4) (1 John 2:15-17). 

§  A carnal Christian delights in associating with the scornful that scoff at God’s Word and ridicule it (Psalm 1:1) (2 Peter 3:3-4). He is offended when he hears the Word of God rather than try to adjust his life by what he has heard. He is quick to condemn the speaker as having a ‘holier than thou attitude’ or accuse him of ‘judging others.’

§  Further, he is not abiding in Christ and cannot bear any fruit.

In conclusion, the carnal Christian is a counterfeit Christian who cannot make it to eternity with Christ in this state. Heaven is for those who are ready to take it by violence and by force (Matthew 11:12). 

One may be or call himself a Pastor, Bishop, Archbishop, Prophet or Evangelist and still be a carnal Christian. These titles do not make any one a Christian.

Are we still carnal Christians? 

If we are, the choice is ours to remain carnal or to come out of it. Remember that God can beckon on us to draw us closer to Him but He will never force anyone because He gave us the freewill power of choice.

We have a role to play in our salvation, to come out of carnal Christianity and become true worshippers in Spirit and in Truth. We need to repent afresh and be genuinely converted and grow to become a Christian in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and not merely a Christian in the church.

It is not by our power or might but by the Spirit of the Lord (Zechariah 4:6). We also need the power of prayer to come out of carnal Christianity.Then pray as follows:

Ø Lord, empower my spirit man to grow stronger and stronger and my flesh to become weaker and weaker in Jesus name.

Ø Lord Jesus, crucify my flesh.

Ø Anything in me that God the Father has not planted, that is drawing me to Hell, be rooted out by Holy Ghost Fire in Jesus name (Matthew 15:13)

Ø Pentecostal fire of God, fall on me as on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:8).

Ø Spirit of God, reveal to me the areas where I am failing and empower me to break away from them in Jesus name.

Ayodele Adegbulugbe.