Wednesday, January 15, 2020
What Being Carnal Means
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6 nkjv)
When you come to Christ, there’s an initial surprise. There are a lot of things you didn’t know. You realize you’re not supposed to do certain things anymore, while you’re supposed do other things instead.
It’s an entirely new way of thinking and living. Everything changes.
You also discover that you’re in a battle, because the Christian life is not a playground; it’s a battleground. Conversion makes your heart a battlefield.
But then there are those who have known the Lord for a while and have stayed the same way. The Bible describes this kind of Christian as carnal. The term originates from the Greek word sarkikos, which means “fleshly.”
To be carnal is to live in a state of arrested spiritual development. The apostle Paul used this word when he wrote to the believers in Corinth, saying, “For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3 nkjv).
The good news is that we don’t have to be carnal if we don’t want to. If this is a description of you, if you feel a little like a spiritual baby and realize that you should know more and be doing more, you don’t have to stay that way.
Every believer will have moments of carnality. Even Paul described this kind of spiritual struggle in his life: “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. . . . Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:21, 24–25 nlt).
We’ll have moments of compromise, no doubt. But we don’t want to be carnal Christians.
Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of As It Is In Heaven by Greg Laurie
What is Heaven like? Who will be there? What will we do in Heaven? Can people in Heaven see us here on Earth? Will we know each other in Heaven? These questions and many more are answered by Pastor Greg Laurie in an insightful and inspiring new book. As It Is in Heaven will be sent to you in thanks for your gift to Harvest Ministries this month. Get your copy of As It Is in Heaven when you make a gift to Harvest Ministries today!
Was this resource helpful? Add Christianity.com as a trusted source for Biblical content.
