Carnality: Why do some Christians act like unbelievers?
Isn’t it possible for “true” Christians to do this? Some people don’t think so! Some people will tell you that if you’re really saved, born again, converted or whatever, your practices will be completely changed forever. But what do the Scriptures tell us? For instance, what can we learn about this from the ones called “saints” who lived in the city of Corinth in the apostle Paul’s lifetime. Doesn’t the Bible clearly tell us they were a very sinful but saved people? We’ll begin this study by looking at what the Scriptures tell us about the spiritual condition of these people.
1 Corinthians 1:1-2
1 Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s: [Emphasis added]
The first thing we need to note about verse two is that the phrase “to be” saints isn’t in the original Greek text of the passage. These people were at that time already saints. Please note what Paul says to these people he speaks of as “sanctified” and called “saints.”
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
1 And I, brethren [fellow believers], could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal [SARKIKOS = ones having the nature of flesh and living under the control of their sinful nature], even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat [solid food]: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
He then tells us why and states the evidence of it.
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? [Emphasis added]
That last phrase clearly states that they were dominated by their sinful nature and were living just like you would expect unbelievers to live. They were saved but one wouldn’t think so by looking at their actions.
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians [one of his longest] then includes one rebuke for their sinfulness right after another. You can hardly name a sin these saints were not guilty of committing. Can we rightfully say that if they really were Christians, they wouldn’t have been doing such things? To hear some churchgoers talk about it, you wouldn’t think the Bible included such about these “saints,” these “born-again” believers in Corinth. I’ve even met churchgoers who foolishly claim there’s no such thing as a “carnal” Christian. Note what else Paul says about these carnal “saints” in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 3:9
9 For WE [as believers] are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry [GEORGION = tilled land], ye are God’s building. [Emphasis added]
There was no end to the sinfulness of these Corinthian saints. Paul even cites a case of incest.
1 Corinthians 5:1-5
1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
2 And ye are puffed up [arrogant], and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. [Emphasis added]
When Paul rebuked them for their fornicating practices, note what else he tells them—
1 Corinthians 6:16-20
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication [STOP fornicating]. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price [speaking of their redemption as believers]: therefore glorify God in your body [only believers can do this], and in your spirit, which are God’s. [Emphasis added]
Again, clearly these fornicating Corinthians were saved, born-again, brethren, children of God or whatever you want to call them as believers.
Now, let’s address our question— Why do Christians act like unbelievers? The simple but correct answer is— because they can! A sin cannot be named that a Christian can’t commit. And if you want to bring up the “unforgiveable” sin of blasphemy, please read my article about it.
Blasphemy: Is this a sin for which you cannot be forgiven?
The most important thing for us all to note here is that God has provided complete forgiveness for us of all our sins. I often make reference to this important fact on this website because we all need to know and appreciate the forgiveness God has provided for us through Christ’s complete payment for all our sins—past, present, and future. Just remember that they were ALL in the future when Christ died for them. We should work to demonstrate our appreciation for this that He did for us by our obedience to His Word in Scripture.
1 John 2:1-2
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And IF any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
The word “IF” in this verse is the Greek word EAN which is in what is called the third-class condition, meaning maybe we will and maybe we won’t but we probably will. It is called the more probably future condition. This means we don’t have to sin; we always have the option not to sin. But I’ve never known a Christian who didn’t sin and I’m sure you haven’t either.
2 And he [Jesus Christ] is the propitiation [the One who satisfied the just demands for payment] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. [Emphasis added]
The apostle Paul tells us much the same.
1 Timothy 2:5-6
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. [Emphasis added]
We just need to believe this and choose to avoid living in the depression of guilt over the sins we know we’ve committed. Our course now needs to be one where we strive for obedience to God and the avoidance of sin in the future. This is why we’ve been exhorted to not quench the work of the Spirit of God in our lives. This, of course, is something we may or may not do. But if Christians didn’t do this, there wouldn’t even be the need for such a command.
1 Thessalonians 5:19
19 Quench not the Spirit. [Emphasis added]
A similar command is for us not to grieve the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. [Emphasis added]
The last part of that verse serves to assure us of the security of our salvation despite our failures in sinfulness. Both of these passages serve to remind us that we don’t have to sin; we CAN always choose to do otherwise. That serves to remind us of the meaning of the word responsible— response—able. This why we are held accountable to God for all our decisions. There’s going to be a day when every believer will be judged to determine the just rewards due to him for his faithfulness.
Romans 14:10
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. [Emphasis added]
This is a fundamental reason why so many people try to deny the existence of God—they do not want to be held accountable to Him or anyone. However, His judgment, His evaluation of us all is coming. For more information about this, please see my articles about it. Here are the links to two of them—
Rewards: For what will God wish to reward you in eternity?
Judgment: Who will be at the last one?
Therefore, again, what is the answer to our question— Why do some Christians act like unbelievers? Answer: It is because they’ve chosen to be that way. Despite all the false teaching concerning this all people have free will, the ability to choose. Again, they don’t have to be the way they are, but that’s the course they’ve chosen. As a part of that, they’ve chosen not to take all God’s warnings seriously. They’ve chosen to believe in some very foolish things.
So, what is the solution? How can a believer develop the ability to resist the temptations to sin that will surely come his way? I’ll answer this question in this article but if you want more details about it, please see my article about it on this website. Here’s the link to it—
Temptation: How can it be resisted?
There are no shortcuts to the avoidance of temptation. You’re going to have to become a serious student of God’s Word to enjoy any degree of success in resisting temptation. The best of all examples of this is found in the earthly life of our Lord and Savior. We are told that He in His earthly life was tempted just as we are. Here’s a promise about this that we all should learn and believe—
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. [Emphasis added]
Three temptations our Lord faced from Satan himself are recorded in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13. With each temptation it was His familiarity with the Scriptures that provided Him with the way to resist each one. It is no different for us. Only our knowledge and application of Scripture is what gives us the power to resist temptation from our own sinful nature, the people in the world, and Satan himself.
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. [Emphasis added]
Most of our temptations come from our own sinful nature. Because Satan is a creature he can only be in one place at a time. Therefore, he uses the wisdom he has to be in those places with those people where he thinks he can do the most to foster his agenda. That means he probably doesn’t even know your name or mine. However, Satan does have an army of other fallen angels who work with him to trip us up. So, don’t be so foolish as to be blaming Satan himself for your actions. The foolish things we do come primarily from the influences of the world and our own sinful nature.
If you want to learn more about Satan, you can go to my articles and videos about him. Here are the links to some—
Satan: What does he look like?
Satan: What are the basics about him?
Satan: What is his origin, name, and/or titles?
Satan: Can he blind people to the truth of the gospel?
#231-EP31 ~ Certain things we all need to know about Satan
Conclusion—
When we accept God’s gracious provision for our salvation, we should be motivated by it to serve Him any and every way we can. Concerning this, it’s the third verse of this passage we’ll note as especially important to this.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Yes, as God’s people we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. But it’s in this next verse that we see our mission.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained [PROETOIMAZO = prepared before] that we should walk in them. [Emphasis added]
It is the manner of life that we’re to live, a life that God prepared for us long before we became a part of this world. It was not predetermined that we’d accept Christ and be saved, but the manner of life God wishes for us, His people to live. We’re to become familiar with that by diligently studying the revelation of this through the writings of Scripture, especially those of the apostle Paul. All people today should heed the last recorded words of the apostle Peter concerning this. Christ has delayed His return to the Earth to establish His earthly kingdom that we might have this opportunity.
2 Peter 3:15-18
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. [Emphasis added]
I challenge all who read this to heed his command. By doing so you will avoid wasting your life living like an unbeliever. Please note also Paul’s last words to Titus about these same things. The importance of this can never be overstated.
Titus 2:11-15
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar [PERIOUSIOS = one’s own] people, zealous of good works.
15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. [Emphasis added]
Yes, as God’s people we belong to Him, and we need to learn to think and act like it.
