Are there "Carnal Christians"?

Yes, there are carnal Christians. Babes in Christ still think and act as men, and tend to think of God and Christ in those terms. They may not be involved in immorality, but they are carnal nonetheless.

1 Cor. 3

 

Carnal minds = death

The answer is no

 

Christians experience seasons in which they are under the control of the carnal nature, but the proponents of the carnal christian doctrine go way beyond that. I don't believe a born-again believer can live a lifetime in service to Satan, but CC says it is so. I don't believe that the Holy Spirit can fail in bringing forth fruit in a person in whom He resides, but CC says it is so.

 

1 Corinthians 3

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

2I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Envying, strife etc...are similar to a child having a fit when it doesn't get what it wants.

T
This verse is often used as an excuse to explain away a christian committing adultery, fornication, etc...I haven't decided whether a Christian can or can't commit these sins but imo, this verse doesn't apply to these adult (Man) type sins.

 

Canadyjd:

You forgot to return to your misunderstanding of the carnal Christian issue you raised in the LS and Eternal Security thread. This, however, is an acceptable substitute for you to deal with the reality of “carnal” Christians.

My original statement was misconstrued by you through placing carnal and Christian within quotation marks, The misconstrue appears this way, ...the phrase "carnal Christians"? My comments appear this way, "carnal" Christians.

The statement "carnal Christian" was referenced, written and used by John MacArthur and appears in his Revised and Expanded edition of TGATJ on page 135. It appears you did not read that book by MacArthur and did not carefully read my comment.

Does the Apostle Paul address “carnal” Christians? If one were to read the New Testament with discernment, he would note…

Who is the Letter to the Corinthians addressed to?

Any one who says Paul is not speaking of “carnal” Christians in the church, is just as likely to say that there is no biblical proof for the Triune God because the word “Trinity” does not appear in Scripture.

Next I'll show how LS advocates deal with the reality of the “carnal” Christian.

LM

 

Walter J. Chantry, a Lordship advocate, wrote:

In the light of 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, it is hard to believe that the “carnal Christian” is an invention of modern-day evangelicals. The Apostle Paul addresses the “brethren” at Corinth. The “brethren” are believers, and Paul calls them “carnal.” Not every believer in the church at Corinth was carnal, but certainly there were enough “carnal” Christians to warrant the stern rebukes from the Apostle Paul in his first epistle to them.

On the "carnal" Christian John MacArthur says,

While it may be commonplace for “Christians to live like unbelievers,” it certainly should not be “normal” for any Christian. The “carnal Christian” is not a category “devised” by “contemporary theologians.” It is a category of believers (“brethren”) identified in the Word of God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, by the Apostle Paul.

Walter Chantry and John MacArthur must ignore the clear teaching of Scripture to arrive at the conclusion that the “carnal” Christian has been “devised,” invented, or fabricated only in recent times.


LM

 

It's a great article, very educational. Didn't affect my beliefs except it added to it.

Imo, the bolded portion below (your link/article) sums up what a Carnal Chistian is



"as", is used in this verse. He is not setting forth the theology of the walk of the believer or the principle that governs that walk, as in Romans 8 and Galatians 5. We have previously declared the fact that though the principle of government is changed from the natural-carnal to the spiritual at regeneration, there is not a complete elimination of carnal tendencies and outbreaking carnal acts. The process of sanctification reduces both such tendencies and such acts, until in the mature state of growth both can be so checked as to be scarcely discernible to the eye of man. The apostle is deploring here the arrested process of sanctification rather than dealing with the governing principle of the believer's walk. The New Testament does not teach "carnal Christians," but is full of the tragedy of Christians reverting to carnality. There is a great difference. A person walking along an ice-covered side-walk may slip and slide and frequently fall, but the principle that governs, is a forward movement in an upright position, not a backward slide in a prone position.

 

Canadyjd:

Thanks for having, just a moment ago, (9:12pm) returning to the LS & Eternal Life thread and apologizing for misconstruing my comments there


LM

 

I'll read the article tomorrow. But the parts of it you quoted are excellent. I had the chance to hear and meet Iain Murray, one of the founders of Banner of Truth. He is truly a great man of God. And he signed all my books by him. :laugh:

 

What is the Meaning of the Word “Carnal”?

The word carnal (or carnality) in the New Testament is the translation of the Greek adjective σαρκικος (sarkikos) or one of its two cognates, σαρκινος (sarkinos) or σαρχ (sarx), which mean fleshly and flesh respectively. (The only exception to this usage is I Corinthians 3:4, where the word for man (ανθρωπο) is translated carnal.) Sarkikos has the basic idea of pertaining to flesh.

The word carnal occurs twelve times in the New Testament. Every time it is used as an adjective to describe a person (rather than something impersonal like mind, things, or commandments), it speaks of a Christian.

 

No I haven't read the article, and the parts you've quoted are nothing I haven't heard before.

The question was, are there carnal christians? The Scriptures are clear, babes in Christ are yet carnal in their thinking, but they're Christians nonetheless.

Now, whether they may remain that way or not is another discussion altogether.

 

I found your leading post most interesting thus my statement;
The Bible says a man born of God cannot sin. I have met many that claim to be saved yet everyone of them sin sooner or later. I sin my self I'm no better. I don't like it and I try not to but literally sometimes it seems the more I try not to sin ,the more I sin. Paul wrote;
1Co 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

And then again;
1Co 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

It would seem that man cannot sin if He is in Christ. Because Christ is the end of the Law;
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
I believe that since I am saved that it isn't my righteousness that counts anyway. It's the righteousness I wear which isn't my own. I have yet to meet the man who can stand before God in his own righteousness.
MB