A Carnal Christian
To be carnal is to be ruled by the flesh. So, can a person be ruled by the flesh also be a Christian? The answer is yes. Read this verse again. Notice that Paul called the Corinthians carnal, but he also called them brethren. You don't call someone brother if they aren't family.
I've had this conversation with people before who got offended at the term 'carnal Christian'. They didn't realize that their position was carnal, even though they thought they were spiritual.
Verse 3 of this chapter explains this further. It says when division, envy, or strife arises, you are carnal, not spiritual. So what is the conclusion of this? We are all works in progress. We strive to be Spirit-led in every area, but that just doesn't happen. We all bounce back and forth between spiritual and carnal depending on what we are doing.
Each of us has areas of perfect surrender to the Spirit while hanging on to natural ways in other areas. One area I have nailed pretty well is envy. I don't compete or compare myself to others. I'm running my own race, and I'm comfortable with who I am. I don't try to make anyone like me, and I don't try to make myself like anyone else. To this end, I'm very careful how I use this ministry. I endeavor to present the word and let you draw your own conclusions.
By Rick “Papa” Wilson