First Corinthians 3 Part 1 Carnal Christians Do Not Please God

Immature Christians are carnally minded.

1 Corinthians 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 

Paul just finished giving us much needed insight into the ministry of the Spirit of God with the Word of God in our hearts.

He showed us that the Father has glorious things prepared to show us and that His own Spirit is our teacher, guide and instructor as we read and study the Bible.

There are deep things of God for us to learn with the mighty help of the Holy Spirit. 

However, we also noted that the more we strive to study the scriptures and walk closely with our Lord, we will face increasing opposition from various sources .

Paul showed us how the Spirit of God compares scripture with scripture to help us see the pictures of Christ in the Old Testament. 

This allows us to see the perfect fulfillment of those types in the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now, the apostle is returning to one of the problems that He must address at the church of Corinth.

The subject of carnality is connected with those who cause divisions within the church. Paul tells us that only a carnal Christian will engage in such detrimental activities as causing discord in God's church.

The word "carnal" refers to those who are under the control of their animal (natural man) appetites. 

Such Christians are governed by base human nature rather than being led by the Spirit of God.

Therefore, Paul could not speak with them about the wonderful, deep things God has prepared for those who love Him. 

This is because certain carnal Christians are busy creating divisions and causing schisms in the church at Corinth. 

They pursued a fleshly, worldly agenda instead of seeking first the kingdom of God. 

Paul calls carnal Christians "babes in Christ." They are not maturing in their faith and have made very little spiritual progress.

Spiritual progress is expected from all children of God, just as parents expect their children to make progress in obeying and submitting to their authority as God commands. 

Grounded and mature Christians must help babes to grow in their faith. 

Galatians 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 

Paul desired to come alongside the carnal Christians at Corinth, to help them see what they are doing displeases God. He wanted to help them get on the right path and to grow spiritually.

Paul is living out the same truth that he communicated to the churches in the province of Galatia. 

Those who have matured and made progress toward spiritual maturity in Christ, must come near to those who are falling behind or who are doing something that God does not want His children to do. 

Spiritually minded Christians must seek to restore errant Christians with the same spirit Jesus Christ exhibited, with meekness and lowliness. 

All Christians begin as babes in Christ the moment that the Spirit of God regenerated our heart. However, God expects us to grow spiritually so that we do not stay as a babe.

Jesus gave us the help we need to reach spiritual maturity.

Ephesians 4:11-14  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12)  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13)  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14)

  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 

Jesus Christ gave wonderful and gifted people to help His church grow and spread the gospel. 

He gave us the apostles and the eternal legacy of the truths the Spirit of God guided them to write. 

He gave us pastors and teachers in each local church. He gave us evangelists or missionaries who take the gospel into the world. 

He gave us His own Holy Spirit to live in us, to help us as we seek to grow in our faith. 

All of these gifts from the Lord Jesus Christ are meant to help us be more complete in Christ and to help us make spiritual progress in our walk with the Lord. 

A babe in Christ can be easily deceived by those who twist the truth into a lie. A babe in Christ lacks spiritual discernment to stand firmly against false teaching. 

This ongoing work of making spiritual progress will continue until the day the Lord takes us home to heaven. Then, we will receive the final perfection that Paul speaks of.

Failure to grow more mature in our faith will cause us to be like children, the babes that Paul says the carnal Christians are like.

A babe in Christ is tossed back and forth by every wind of false doctrine that they hear, for they are not grounded firmly in the truth of God's Word.

Those who are stagnant will spiritually regress. 

Hebrews 5:12-14  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13)  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14)  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 

The writer of Hebrews warns the people that God expects them to grow spiritually. 

Spiritual growth is needed so that a Christian can make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

These people had regressed to the point that they needed a teacher to once again instruct them in the basic truths of the gospel.

Thus, they became babes in Christ and were unskilful in the Word. They could not properly make disciples of Christ and teach them to obey His commands.

This is the very same problem that Paul is exposing at Corinth because he wants to help them get back on the right spiritual path.

A carnally minded Christian will live a hard life. 

Romans 8:6-8  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, neither indeed can be. 8)  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Why does Paul spend so much time and energy teaching us about our need to make spiritual progress? 

First, because our Father expects us to make progress and has given us all that we need to become mature Christians. 

Second, because being spiritually minded helps us live the very best and fullest life here until the Lord calls us home. 

To be carnally minded leads to a path of worldliness, pleasure seeking and sin. We know that the way of transgressors is a hard, difficult life. 

Our Father does not want any of His children to be carnally minded, because we will not grow and we will not live for His honor and glory. 

Those who remain babes in Christ run the risk of having carnal minds and they will suffer self inflicted heartache and sorrow because of it. 

Loving the world leads to carnality and a diminished view of God.

1 John 2:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16)  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17)  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. 

If our minds are preoccupied with carnal, fleshly things, then we are at enmity with God. 

John tells us not to love the world or the things in the world for this very same reason.

Worldliness clouds our vision such that we cannot see or appreciate the things of God. We do not see the need to grow by loving and serving God as we love and serve others.

Dedicate our lives to God, and renew our minds with His Word. 

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

God never points out our problems without providing the help that we need to correct our lives.

Paul was guided by the Holy Spirit to remind us that we must remember we are bought with a price and must glorify God in our bodies and spirit, which are His. 

We are ransomed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, God's perfect Lamb. 

We are born again by the good seed of God's Word and the ministry of His Spirit in us (See 1 Peter 1:13-25). 

Therefore, we must view our body as a habitation of God through His Spirit (See Ephesians 2:22). We must live a life marked by pursuing purity and piety.

We must diligently read and study the scriptures so that our minds are renewed by God's eternal truth. 

Colossians 3:1-2  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2)  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Jesus taught us to seek first the kingdom of God, making His work our priority. He will provide for our needs (See Matthew 6:33-34).

The Holy Spirit speaking through the apostle Paul, reminds us to seek those heavenly things above where Christ Jesus is enthroned with the Father. 

Our affections, desires, dreams must have a heavenly focus or else we will lapse into a state of carnal mindedness. 

May our Lord help us to understand and apply the valuable truth we learned in this post. 

Let us confess the sin of worldliness. 

Let us confess the sin of living a self centered life instead of a God centered life.

Let us recognize any carnality and confess this sin to our Lord, and seek His mighty help to get back on the path of spiritual growth. 

Bob