“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto
spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.2 I have fed you
with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither
yet now are ye able.3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you
envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?4 For
while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not
carnal?” – 1 Cor 3: 1-4
“Are ye not Carnal?” As the Apostle Paul writes to the
Corinthians, the sorrow in his heart spills out onto the page. Not
sorrowing for their loss, no; but sorrowing for their state. There was
division, envying, and strife; one person saying “I of Paul” another saying “I
of Apollos.” They were boasting of their conversion and worse still, they
were ascribing the doctrine of Jesus to a man!
This being proof positive, right off the bat, that they were clearly
carnal. So, what is meant by this
rhetorical question “Are ye not carnal?”
How does it apply to us today?
The book of 1 Corinthians (specifically chapters 2-6) like
the story of Samson is a wonderful example of what not to do. Yet, with
the scriptures readily available to all men, we still find many falling into
the same trap as the Corinthian’s were ensnared in. The sum of which is
this; their focus was on self, and on the physical, natural things of this
life. A short list of the Corinthians short comings as set forth by the
scriptures is this: they were ascribing their salvation to a man, boasting of
his teachings rather than searching the scriptures and finding out what Christ
had in store for them. Furthermore, there was fornication among them, and
“brother was going to law against brother.” That is say one person in the
church taking another in the church to court; over some matter. Does this
not happen today? Someone will have a death in the family, and a
marvelous squabble will break out over that lost family member’s possessions.
Or a business transaction goes wrong between two persons in the church, and one
sues the other for the sum of money. Paul writes on the subject: “Why do
ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be
defrauded?” Clearly we begin to see the characteristics of one who is
carnal. A great amount of emphasis put on self, and on the natural,
physical things. Furthermore it is a complete unwillingness to abase
oneself, and perhaps the most disturbing of all, the inability to see past the
physical, therefore rendering oneself incapable to understand the
spiritual. Ask yourself: “What draws my attention?” “What governs
my life?” Is it yourself, another man, or something that is
tangible? Or perhaps, what drives you is something unseen; perhaps you
are serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Are ye yet carnal or spiritual?
Carnal, we know well what this is, and if still you are unsure, look around how
“men walk” (that is to say conduct their lives) that is carnal. So, what
is spiritual?
Spiritual is not the same as “spirituality”. There are many today who sit in classes, read
philosophy novels, meditate, etc. and this is considered a quest for greater
spirituality. But what saith the scriptures? That “God
is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
(John 4:24) The Bible says God is a
spirit, and we know through the scriptures that he is the creator and maker of
all things; therefore if any spiritual experience can be obtained it must be
obtained by him and through him.
Spirituality (in my opinion) is a trinket you add on to your current
lifestyle; spiritual is the overhaul of the lifestyle itself. It is a total yielding to the gospel of
Christ. It is a complete surrender of your
will and a total adhering to the will of God.
Spiritual or he/she who is spiritual is the opposite of carnal. In short, one who is spiritual is one who is
Christ-like, Bible-like, focused on heaven; one who is a pilgrim and stranger
here.
To be spiritual is to be Christ. However, we do not adopt Christ, his “ideals
and philosophies” are not an addition to our life; no, rather, he IS our life,
and if he is our life we cannot be our own.
This is why we cannot and should be carnal, because carnal is pride and
the exalting of self; which flies in the face of all that is Christ, and therefore
prevents us from being spiritual. One
must renounce their self, their pride, their will, their wishes, and plead for
Jesus in the person of the Holy Ghost, to come in and take the helm of their
whole life. He is not an addition to
life, but life itself. So, flee all
things carnal, and cleave to that which is spiritual.
“Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” -Matthew 16: 24
