The Danger of Carnality
Can Christians be carnal? Some say no; there’s no such thing as carnal Christians. So, if you are practicing carnality, you are not and cannot be a Christian.
But others say there are carnal Christians among us. They are those who have heard the Good News but are struggling to follow God and obey His commandments.
What carnal Christians do not realize is the danger they are in. Let us not forget what happened to the Israelites in the wilderness as Moses led them out of Egypt.
Bible Verse: Hebrews 4:11
“Let us, therefore, be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”
The book of Hebrews was written to warn the NT believers of the consequences of disobedience. Hebrews 4:11 emphasizes the accountability which comes to those who have heard the Word of God.
It records the examples of those in the wilderness with Moses, and those who entered Canaan with Joshua They received the same opportunity but not all of them listened and obeyed.
Saying No to God
Some Christians say it is impossible to say no to God. But the above-mentioned verse says the opposite. I believe God inspired this verse as evidence that anyone can say no to God. After all, God has given all of us the free will to obey or disobey. The triune God did not create robots who cannot choose to be selfish and rebel against their Creator.
It started in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. God specifically commanded Adam to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Adam failed as he chose to listen to his wife who gave him the fruit (Genesis 3:6).
Obviously, there are consequences to rebellion. As a result of their disobedience, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden (Genesis 3:24). Indeed, it is possible to say no to God and it’s a choice to do so.
Do not be deceived and believe the lie that we can never say no to God. The Bible warns us in many places that unbelief in our actions as Christians is still possible.
Do You Really Believe?
The entire Bible is the Life Manual to Christians. This means the Book of Hebrews was written to Christians, not unbelievers, that could act according to unbelief.
Just because people say they believe in something does not mean they live as they believe. People say they believe the Bible, but do they act like they base their actions upon it? Most people don’t. What’s worse is that they twist what the Word of God says to support their views and justify their actions.
Every circumstance we could ever face has principles in Scripture. That is the reason why Romans 1:17 says, “The just shall live by faith.” This expression emphasizes that true faith will demonstrate itself in actions. And true faith is not a single event, but a way of life – it endures.
Simply put, God does not just want our words, He wants our actions as well. God wants obedience to His word as John 14:15 says.
Closing Words
We must believe and obey God’s Word, whether we find it convenient or not. Cherry-picking scriptures is not an option for Christians. Either the Bible is God’s inspired Word for our life, or not. In the end, it’s the Word that will judge the disobedient.
Carnality is a choice to not follow God’s Word. Christians find rest and peace in obeying God’s Word as a contrast to the unbelief that the children of Israel exhibited when they feared going into the promised land.
Do not be a carnal Christian. Instead, commit to living by faith, obey God and enjoy His rest.
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Recommended Resource:
Carnal Corinth: A Proof of the Existence of Carnal Christians by Marty A. Cauley
The denial of the very existence of carnal Christians is common among those who deny eternal security.
A primary reason Carnal Corinth was written was to defend the doctrine of eternal security by biblically demonstrating that the category known as carnal Christians is an exegetical certainty.
Particular focus is given to the Corinthian epistles in this study. Even carnal Corinthian believers have unconditional security soteriologically. Fallacious arguments by pseudo Lordship Salvationists against so-called carnal security are discussed and refuted.
Along the way, certain misunderstandings about the nature of carnality are discussed. A frequently misunderstood passage, even among the author’s fellow Free Grace Salvationists, is found in 2 Corinthians 5:20.
The common assumption is that all believers are ambassadors of God’s grace and are involved in urging unbelievers to be reconciled to God.
The common assumption is challenged at length in Carnal Corinth. Even some Lordship Salvationists who deny eternal security acknowledge, correctly, that in the passage Paul is urging the carnal believers in Corinth to be reconciled to him and his apostolic associates.
The discussion of this apostolic “we” in this passage and throughout the Corinthian epistles leads to a discussion of the apostolic “us” in the infamous 1 John 2:19, a passage frequently used in the conditional security camp to claim that all true believers will (and must) persevere in the faith.
Carnal Corinth counters and expands upon the Free Grace counter to demonstrate a plausible pervasive use of the apostolic circle citations in the NT epistles.
Collateral studies include the nature of blamelessness in 1 Corinthians 1:8 and the nature of the Gospel.