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Exploring writings that have impacted my faith, confronting the sacred cows of traditional unbiblical thinking, and pursuing fellowship in spirit and truth.
8 comments:
Yes.
The New Testament is full of warnings to Christians about the dangers of carnal living.
If these are meant for false professors, then either they are superfluos for true believers or else it is impossible to be certain of one's salvation.
Every Blessing in Christ
Matthew
Good points.
Thank again Matthew.
Carnal means motivated by the selfish flesh, does it not?
I know in a lot of circumstances, I am motivated this way, (I'm not proud of that) ... and I am a Christian, so I would say "yes."
hi Rose~,
Thanks for your honesty, yes we must daily choose to reckon the old man dead to sin and live righteously unto God.
Amen,
Jim
While faith alone does secure salvation for a true believer, there will be such an accompanying change of heart that the person will willing submit and sincerely try to obey God’s moral law and Biblical precepts. This obedience will not be perfect and at times can be so weak as to grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) and bring God’s discipline to bear (Heb. 12:7-10). However, a true believer will show signs of being in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. James points out in Chapter 2 that claiming to have faith without any resulting action is dead. John says the same thing in (1 John). Paul teaches it in (Romans 6) and also when he says…. You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). Paul in (Romans 8:5-17) gives more detail and states the principle very clearly in v. 12&13…. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. The Holy Bible gives no comfort to anyone that claims to have faith in Jesus Christ but has no Christian fruit in their lives. James gives us the bottom line by stating…. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says (James 1:22).
Jazzycat, thanks for your comments. I agree with the premise that we should not live carnal lives; in fact my question was not asking whether it is permissible but rather is it possible for christians to be carnal? I think the answer is fairly obvious, an emphatic yes!
You have raised some very good issues in this comment that many believers struggle with. In order to mature in the christian life we must understand the distinction between the saving grace of Christ alone for our justification and the responsibility of each believer to walk by the Spirit. God gives us grace each day according to the measure of our need. It is no longer a matter of attempting to keep any law but simply abiding in Christ, who has fulfilled all the law already. We must rest in His finished work.
If you wish to discuss any of these points in further detail, I would be more than happy to do so.
God bless,
Jim
Jim,
If by being carnal, you mean that a Christian sins or even falls into a season of sin, I would agree. However, if you mean that a person can profess Christ and not show any inclination or interest in being a disciple for the rest of his life, then that profession was quite simply a false profession.
Jazzycat
"However, if you mean that a person can profess Christ and not show any inclination or interest in being a disciple for the rest of his life..."
I would say this is almost exclusively a hypothetical condition that is used primarily to debate a theological point. I would never give assurance to a person who showed no sign of reality in their lives.
But the fact that a christian can be carnal tells me that we need to live soberly and godly; after all we shall give an account before the Judge of this Universe, not based on matters of salvation but rather on how we conducted our lives as believers.
Thanks for your input,
Jim
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