The Carnal Christian and Spiritual Christian

Understanding the Carnal Christian

Let’s look at this term critically. Who is a carnal Christian? Apostle Paul addressed the Corinthian believers as “carnal” in his letter, and he uses some characteristics to qualify their carnality:

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
2 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;
3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

From this passage, we can see the following:

1. He addressed them as “babes” in Christ
2. He fed them milk
3. They were engaged in constant quarrels and there was lack of unity among them

Babies behave foolishly. This is because they are not mature, and they don’t know right from wrong. They don’t like solid food; hence they thrive on milk.

Also, children quarrel over insignificant things. However, adults would not quarrel over such things because they are trivial things which don’t deserve their energy in a quarrel. Children behave according to their nature, the inbuilt sinful human nature which they acquired from birth. So, it is safe to say that they live according to the flesh, which is this sinful nature.

So, who is a carnal Christian? A carnal Christian is one who lives according to the flesh, one who is soul-inclined in their thoughts and actions.

What is the flesh? The flesh is the self, the original and default human nature a man is born with. We say a carnal believer is soul-inclined: they follow their human nature in thinking and action. They hardly follow the Holy Spirit and the word of God.

Apostle Paul, in writing to the Romans, throws more light on how the carnal mind operates:

Romans 8:5-8
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

From this passage, it is clear that carnality is a dangerous place to be for a Christian. Here are the characteristics of a carnal Christian.

Characteristics of a carnal Christian

1. A carnal Christian is controlled by feelings –

Romans 8:5
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

This person relies so much on their feelings in their day-to-day activities. They are not disciplined to ignore their feelings, but rather pattern their lives based on how they feel. Such people are very unstable in character, because once their feelings evaporate, their actions will change. They can love you one minute, and hate you the other minute, all depending on how they feel towards you.

Do you notice this pattern in your life?

• Engages in works of the flesh –

Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

A carnal Christian finds it easy to engage in these “works of the flesh” because they find it satisfying to their flesh (the human nature). They haven’t yet learned to deny themselves and reject and renounce such lifestyles.

In fact, they may even enjoy and crave such pleasures. They may hide to commit such sins. In church, they are seen as faithful, but they lead double lives.

• Dependent on milk rather than solid food –

1 Corinthians 3:2
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;

A carnal Christian has not yet grown beyond the basic teaching about God and what it means to follow Jesus. They are offended when they hear some teachings because it goes against their behavior and expectations. It makes them feel bad, because they have not yet learned how to keep their feelings aside and do the will of God.

Most of the time, the preacher will not expose them to that type of messages because it may cause them to leave. Ultimately, they need to hear such messages because it is necessary for their spiritual growth.

• Lacks deep understanding / application of God’s word –

Hebrews 5:12-13
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

The carnal Christian has not yet understood the teachings they receive, even after being in Church for years. They are ever learning, but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. This is because their understanding is not quickened by the Holy Spirit due to their inability to yield to Him.

Many times, Jesus asked His disciples, “Are you yet without understanding?”. Even though He spoke in parables most of the time, like the parable of the sower, yet He always explained His parables to His disciples.

But when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, Peter stood up and preached for the first time, resulting to a great harvest of souls. The Holy Spirit quickened his understanding, and everything Jesus had been telling them made sense to him, enabling him to explain in his message to the hearers.

• Lack of steadfastness, struggles between living for God and living for self –

James 1:6-8
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

A carnal Christian always struggles with living for God and is hardly constant in their faith. They cannot maintain their stand for God, and they easily compromise because they have not yet yielded to the Holy Spirit to empower them to be able to live for God.

• The old man is very much alive and in charge of his life –

Ephesians 4:22
that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts…

Romans 6:6
knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

The old man (the human nature we are all born with) is very much alive in the carnal Christian. They never act or live in a Christ-like manner, but according to their human nature. They give all sorts of excuses like, “I’m a man you know”, “I’m an African man”, “I’m human after all”.

Such excuses are meant to massage their ego and make excuse for their sinful lifestyle.

Consequences of a carnal lifestyle

There are consequences for living carnally minded, and it is not pretty. It is a slippery slope which leads to destruction, no matter how much that person is dedicated to the church.

Here are some of them:

1. Stunted spiritual growth –

Hebrews 5:12-13
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

2 Timothy 3:7
always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

A carnal lifestyle surely leads to stunted spiritual growth. The believer may be an adult physically, but spiritually they are still babies. This is because their spirit is malnourished, weak, and subdued by the flesh (human nature).

They don’t eat the word of God by themselves, unless someone feeds them with it. This means that they don’t have personal time to study God’s word in order to grow by it, for man shall not live by bread alone, but by the word of God.

• Weak testimony –
• Ineffective witness due to inconsistent lifestyle: this person cannot witness for Christ because their lifestyle contradicts the teachings of Christ. This is because a person will most likely speak against what he is not engaged in. However, a person living a double life will not speak against what they are indulging in.
• Damages the reputation of the church: because of the lifestyle of this person, non-church members will speak reproachfully of the church, and will not likely even think of joining the church because according to them, “I’m better than some of them”.

• Lack of peace and joy –

Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Because of the indulgence in works of the flesh and other sins, the carnal Christian lacks joy and peace which comes from intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit. They have not yet learned how to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit, hence the lack of peace and joy, because the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:7).

• Inner conflict and lack of spiritual fruit –

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

The carnal Christian is not bearing spiritual fruit because the flesh is their master, not their spirit. There is inner conflict because of this, since their conscience accuses or excuses them for their lifestyle.

• Death (physical and spiritual) –

Romans 8:13
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

1 Corinthians 6:7-10
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?
8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Living the carnal lifestyle consistently without renouncing it leads to death, as the scriptures above declare. There are 2 aspects, physical and spiritual death.