Are You a Carnal Christian?

   I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 
   

   What's a carnal Christian? Is it even possible to be a Christian and remain carnal? Carnality implies a life led by the demands of the flesh rather than a life led by the Spirit. Most new Christians retain some amount of carnality. Over time, as they marinate in the Word and spend time in prayer, they grow continuously more spiritual and become less carnal. The possibility of returning to carnal thinking and carnal living always exists if we lose the disciplines of prayer and bible study.

 

   Redpath wrote -- “The carnal Christian is a child of God, born again and on his way to heaven, but he is traveling third class.” 

 

   This implies that the people Paul is addressing are born again Christians. He calls them "brothers" and "babes in Christ". This implies that they are born again, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, but are still leading lives dominated by their flesh. They are saved, but stuck in the lowest possible level of freedom in Christ in a perpetual battle with their spiritual immaturity. Paul inquires of them -- are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 

 

   Here's a vivid depiction of carnal Christianity. Notice that the state of being, either natural, carnal or spiritual is determined by the position of Christ.

 

 

   If you find yourself in depiction 1, you are not a Christian. Give your heart to God today. Repent your sin, ask Jesus to enter your heart, and find a good biblical church where you can grow and prosper in Christ.

 

   If you find yourself in depiction 3, Praise the Lord. You are walking as the Lord would have you walk.

 

   But if depiction 2 best describes your life, Christ is in your life but you are still seated on the throne, you are best described as a carnal Christian. Most Christians find an occasional day when this best describes them, but if it generally describes your life, how can you transition to depiction 3? The answer is so simple that many remain stuck in carnality, unable to see it. Ask yourself these simple questions.

 

   1 - How is my prayer life? Most carnal Christians have virtually no prayer life. At the end of the Azuza Street Revival that initiated the Pentecostal movement over a century ago, a final prophecy was given describing a falling away that would become apparent in our days -- An over emphasis on praise to a God they no longer pray to. The good news is that if your heart is cut by the truth this prophecy exposes in your life there is a simple and immediate solution -- take time to pray. Prioritize prayer. It will may begin as a task, but will quickly become your favorite time. Sit with the Lord in prayer until you become vividly aware of His Presence.

 

   2 - Who is seated on the throne of my life? Part two of that same prophecy says -- An overemphasis on the gifts of the Spirit rather than the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Saving power comes from Christ alone. No person can make any effort that bolsters their own salvation. However, submission to Christ is a daily choice. Is your heart submitted to the will of God today? Are you submitted the Lordship of Jesus Christ? 

 

   See, it is simple -- but not easy and certainly not automatic.

 

   Are you stuck in carnality? Find the fullness of freedom in Christ. Pray, read your bible, and relinquish your throne to Him.

 

 

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