Can a true Christian be carnal? In answering this question, let’s first define the term “carnal.” The word “carnal” is translated from the Greek word sarkikos, which literally means “fleshly.” This descriptive word is seen in the context of Christians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. In this passage, the apostle Paul is addressing the readers as “brethren,” a term he uses almost exclusively to refer to other Christians; he then goes on to describe them as “carnal.” Therefore, we can conclude that Christians can be carnal. The Bible is absolutely clear that no one is sinless (1 John 1:8). Every time we sin, we are acting carnally.
The key thing to understand is that while a Christian can be, for a time, carnal, a true Christian will not remain carnal for a lifetime. Some have abused the idea of a “carnal Christian” by saying that it is possible for people to come to faith in Christ and then proceed to live the rest of their lives in a completely carnal manner, with no evidence of being born again or a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Such a concept is completely unbiblical. James 2 makes it abundantly clear that genuine faith will always result in good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 declares that while we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, that salvation will result in works. Can a Christian, in a time of failure and/or rebellion, appear to be carnal? Yes. Will a true Christian remain carnal? No.
Since eternal security is a fact of Scripture, even the carnal Christian is still saved. Salvation cannot be lost, because salvation is a gift of God that He will not take away (see John 10:28; Romans 8:37-39; 1 John 5:13). Even in 1 Corinthians 3:15, the carnal Christian is assured of salvation: “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” The question is not whether a person who claims to be a Christian but lives carnally has lost his salvation, but whether that person was truly saved in the first place (1 John 2:19).
Christians who become carnal in their behavior can expect God to lovingly discipline them (Hebrews 12:5-11) so they can be restored to close fellowship with Him and be trained to obey Him. God’s desire in saving us is that we would progressively grow closer to the image of Christ (Romans 12:1-2), becoming increasingly spiritual and decreasingly carnal, a process known as sanctification. Until we are delivered from our sinful flesh, there will be outbreaks of carnality. For a genuine believer in Christ, though, these outbreaks of carnality will be the exception, not the rule.
Sin Nature - The sixty-six books of Scripture are God's unique and exclusive revelation to mankind. Through them, the solemn truths regarding mankind's fallen condition (and redemption) are progressively revealed. And, it is in the Apostle Paul's epistles that we receive the most detailed understanding regarding mankind's sin nature. For clarity however, we should seek to grasp this truth in context.
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 (NKJV)
The first man, Adam, received life directly from the Creator. But in the Fall (his pivotal disobedience), that animating life radically changed from one of obedience toward the Creator, to one of rebellion (sin) and every evil conceivable (sins).
Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God; for neither indeed can it be... Romans 8:7 (Darby)
Subsequently, Adam's life was passed to his sons and daughters, and in turn to every individual who has ever lived.
And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot [a son] in his own likeness, after his [Adam's] image, and named him Seth. Genesis 5:3 (NKJV)
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned... Romans 5:12 (NKJV)
Theologian Dr. L. S. Chafer defined sin nature as:
The "[t]ransmitted sin and its effects as manifest in a fallen nature, spiritual death, and depravity," received "mediately from Adam through physical generation." The nature of our life, beginning from conception in the womb, from fallen Adam is sinful. Our sin nature is not an entity, but rather the life we receive from the fallen Adam, the life present at conception in the womb, our congenital inheritance which has been past from Adam, generation to generation. This life's propensity or nature is that of "sin"--that which is wholly unlike the moral character of God. The three most common definitions are each inadequate because they limit sin to: a) violation of divine law, b) finiteness, or c) selfishness.
In this opening chapter we will trace our history in relation to the first Adam: the ruin we received from Adam by inheritance, and the remedy we received from God by the Cross. We cannot become what we already are in Christ, until we know what we were in Adam. Therefore it is important that we personalize the facts: this is my history!
Everything in Adam is the ground of sin and death; everything in the Lord Jesus is the ground of growth and life. Our responsibility is to keep off the old ground, and to live on the new ground--our position in Christ.
THE FIRST ADAM -- In order to know what we were in Adam we must discover what Adam was, since he is the head of the human race into which we were born. Thus we can understand the nature and condition of the life we inherited from him, the life that continues to indwell us as believers.
Adam sinned and entered death -- separated from God, the source of life. Through him we were born into sin, death, judgment, and condemnation. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men"(Romans 5:12). And death not only came into the world and the race, but it reigned as king. "By one man's offense death reigned by one.... Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation" (Romans 5:17,18).
Let us note three basic aspects of our relationship to the representative man. (1) Our position of sin (Adam-source); (2) our nature of sin (Adam-nature); (3) our personal sins (Adam-practice). To know the facts concerning the position and condition of our old life in Adam is to possess a vital key to spiritual growth. Ignorance or neglect here means certain defeat throughout one's Christian life.
Our Position of Sin -- Because of our fallen progenitor each of us was born into a doomed humanity. As David wrote, "In sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalms 51:5). In Adam, we were declared to be "dead in trespasses and sins," because "in Adam all die" (Ephesians 2:1; I Corinthians 15:22). The result of our position in Adam, our source, is that we are dead unto God, and alive unto sin.
Our Nature of Sin-- Our position of sin resulted in a sinful being, or life, and therefore the propensity of that life is sinful. In Adam, we are "by nature the children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3). In this condition we are natural, fleshly, carnal, separated from God. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them" (I Corinthians 2:14).
This fallen nature never changes, much less improves. "That which is born of flesh is flesh" (John 3:6). The Adamic nature is self-centered (the sin of sins), therefore totally against God and that irreparably. "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.... Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither, indeed, can be. So, then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God." "I am carnal [in Adam], sold under sin" (Romans 8:5, 7; 7:14, ASV).
Our Personal Sins -- The natural product of a sinful nature is sins. The practical result of our congenital condition is stated in Scripture: "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). We grew up to be sinners in practice, and that by choice, hence we were desperately in need of a Savior.
If by careful study of the above, we allow the Holy Spirit to impress us with the awful truth concerning our history in Adam, we will be better able to appreciate the wonderful remedy our Father has provided.
THE CONDEMNED ADAM -- We must continue to think in terms of our personal history. Now we want to see exactly what our Father did to rectify this terrible relationship and condition.
Our Position of Sin -- God did not forgive the principle of Satan-injected sin that dealt the death-blow to the human race through Adam. He does not forgive sin any more than He forgives Satan. On the Cross, in the person of His Son, our Father once and forever dealt with the principle of sin, thereby canceling our position of sin.
"For He hath made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us." "God sending His own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the [His] flesh" (II Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:3). Far from being forgiven, sin was judged and condemned in death.
Our Nature of Sin -- Our sinful life and nature were not forgiven, but likewise were taken into the judgment-death of the Cross. All that we inherited from Adam suffered this same fate. "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him" (Romans 6:6, ASV). Had it been possible for God to forgive our old nature, it could then have been restored, or reinstated.
Our Personal Sins -- Our sins were forgiven -- past, present, and future -- by His shed Blood on Calvary. "Who His own self bore our sins in His own body upon the tree." "Having made peace through the Blood of His Cross." "Unto Him that loveth us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood" (I Peter 2:24; Colossians 1:20; Revelation 1:5).
ADAM RELATIONSHIP TERMINATED -- At last we can see ourselves at the very end of our history in Adam. On the one hand we look at the Cross, and on the other hand we look into the Tomb. We might ask a few questions as to God's wonderful work in severing us from Adam.
Why? -- "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Representative Adam sinned, therefore everything Adamic was condemned to death.
When and Where? -- All of God's dealings with sin were accomplished in and by His Son, on the Cross of Calvary.
How? -- On the Cross the Lord Jesus was identified with our sin, and our sinful nature, our "old man" being thus condemned and crucified with Him. At the same time, in His substitutionary work of redemption, He paid the penalty of our sins.
Thus His death on our behalf completely freed us, as individual believers, from Adam and all Adamic penalties and consequences. This enabled God to justly include us in Christ's death unto sin. "We have been planted together in the likeness of His death.... For in that He died, He died unto sin once" (Romans 6:5, 10).
Having by His death borne the condemnation of sin and paid all its penalties, our Lord Jesus died unto, out from, the realm and responsibilities of sin. Stripped of our relationship to Adam by and in that death -- we having died in Christ unto the old -- we can now see ourselves in His Tomb, ready to be identified with Him in His resurrection life and divine nature.
Let us prayerfully think through these truths concerning our history in Adam, going over them until the Holy Spirit makes the picture clear.
The first step to my becoming free of the old man in daily experience is to know that I was separated once for all from that life by crucifixion and burial. The ultimate in deliverance -- death.
Living Springs Press, l971
With the "new birth" comes new life, the very life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is the old life gone or changed? No. The born-again Christian has two sources of life within, each inherently different. Christian sanctification, the experience of progressively becoming more "like" Christ, is the process of the new life emerging and the old life from Adam, progressively being supressed. Romans chapter 7 chronicles the Apostle Paul's struggle to live under law, with two sources of life within. His experience was designed to teach him (and us) an important lesson. Law gives strength to the Adamic nature, and for the new nature (life from Christ), law is unnecessary. Redemption is the recovery of the man, not the destruction of the man. And when the Lord Jesus in us is brought to the place He is aiming for, there will not be an atom [figurative speaking] of the old life [which flows from the first Adam] left, but the MAN will be left--glorified in union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our history in the Last Adam, our risen Lord Jesus, begins on the only basis for resurrection life--death. Our relationship to the first Adam rendered us dead in sin, but our death with Christ made us dead unto (in relation to) sin--the one condition for newness of life.
IN CHRIST BURIED -- There, in the Tomb, we must see ourselves as dead unto Adam, but not yet alive in Christ. Our individual identity has not changed, but our relationship to the fleshly Adam has, thank God! "We were buried therefore with Him." "In whom ye were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ [on the Cross]; having been buried with Him" (Romans 6:4, ASV; Colossians 2:11, 12, ASV).
Death, our ruin, has been made the very means of our triumph over it. "Death is swallowed up in victory.... Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 15:54, 57).
IN CHRIST RISEN -- His death and burial having done its liberating work on our behalf, we can now begin to look up -- from death unto Adam fallen, to birth into Christ risen. When the Lord Jesus Christ burst the bonds of death, He took us with Him in His glorious resurrection life.
"Just as Christ was raised from among the dead by the Father's glorious power, we also should live an entirely new life. For since we have become one with Him by sharing in His death, we shall also be one with Him by sharing in His resurrection" (Romans 6:4, 5, Wey.). Now, safely and forever on resurrection ground in Him, we can study (1) our new position of life; (2) our new nature of righteousness; and (3) our new walk of fruitfulness.
OUR NEW POSITION OF LIFE -- Whereas our old position in the first Adam rendered us dead unto God and alive unto sin, our new position in the risen Last Adam renders us alive unto God and dead unto sin. "For ye died,and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3, ASV). Formerly our Judge, now by means of His Son's death and resurrection He is free to be our Father, and we His sons. "Beloved, now are we the children of God." "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (I John 3:2; Galatians 4:6).
OUR NEW NATURE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS -- In our co-resurrection with Christ our Father gave us a new life with a new nature which can only bring forth righteousness. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (I Peter 1:3).
The old life is not changed, but exchanged for that which is altogether new. Paul's clearest description of this is given in II Corinthians 5:17 and 18: "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ."
Our Father sees each of us as completely new in His Son. We have been forever freed from our relationship to the first Adam with its reign of sin and death. And He wants us to see ourselves from His point of view--new creations in Christ Jesus!
It might be helpful for us to consider further the fact that in this death-to-life transition our personal identity is kept intact. We remain the same individual while acquiring a new position, life, and nature in the risen Lord Jesus. The Father maintains the identity of each believer throughout the process of the Cross, the Tomb, and the Resurrection.
"And you, that were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight.... And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 1:21, 22; 2:13).
In Christ Ascended -- Being identified with the Lord Jesus in His death unto sin and His resurrection into life, we are also in Him in His ascended life at the Father's right hand. Born from above, we are to abide above.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath made us alive together with Christ (by grace ye are saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).
OUR NEW WALK OF FRUITFULNESS -- As newly created believers, we are in the Lord Jesus in the heavenlies, while at the same time we are in the Spirit of Christ here on earth. The Comforter is our environment in this sin-cursed world. "But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you" (Romans 8:9). He it is who ministers the life of the Lord Jesus in us as our new life, and who develops the characteristics of that life in and through our new nature.
On the one hand, He applies the finished work of the Cross to the life of the flesh within. "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). On the other hand, He causes the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our new life. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22, 23).
A close look at Galatians 2:20 may further clarify the distinction between what we were in the first Adam, and who we now are in the Last Adam. "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself up for me" (Galatians 2:20, ASV).
There are vital distinctions here the, when seen, make a world of difference. (1) I, the old man in Adam, have been crucified with Christ; (2) it is no longer the old I that lives, but Christ lives in me, the new creation; (3) the life which I, the new man, now live in the flesh (body), I the new man live in faith; (4) this faith is in the Son of God, who loved me as a lost individual and gave Himself up for me , a sinner.
The oft-quoted words, "Not I, but Christ," tend to give the believer the impression that he as a person is crucified, and out of the picture, and now there is only Christ as his new life. He is wont to feel that he must somehow get himself out of the way, that Christ may be all. Granted, the old self must go down--but the new self must grow up.
It is true that He is our risen life, but it is also true that His is the life and nature or our newly created life. "For to me to live is Christ." "Christ, who is our life" (Philippians 1:21; Colossians 3:4). We are not to become lost in Him, but He is to be found in us. "That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh" (II Corinthians 4:11). He lives in me, not instead of me; He is the source and motivation of my Christian life.
I am to realize and rest in the fact that it is my being, my personality, which is enlifted by the human-divine life and nature of the Lord Jesus. I am the same person, but with a new life in union with His life. By the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit I will grow in grace and increasingly be conformed to His image.
Living Springs Press, 1971
Q. Does having two natures automatically make the Christian "schizophrenic."
An. Absolutely not. First, I believe your use of the psychological term is inaccurate relative to the subject at hand. Schizophrenia is defined as "a psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling and thought--as in hallucinations and delusions." None of this is true of the born-again believer. Paul's discussion, in Romans 7:7-25, is of the internal conflict he is having over his own behavior. Having inappropriately placed himself "under law" as a rule of life, he discovered that a "law of sin," is associated with the life he inherited from Adam. Under law, the Adamic life is empowered to violate both his conscience and override his volition. No so-called 'free will' here!
...I am carnal, sold [as a slave] under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. Romans 7:14,15 (NKJV)
Some modern-day, psychiatric professionals might rightfully consider the Apostle Paul's internal struggle some form of pathology ("something abnormal" - Merriam-Webster); however, so did the Apostle Paul! With a heightened sense of moral conscience, Paul did not consider his experience a permanent or acceptable condition--i.e., status quo for the Christian life; rather, he sought and found deliverance!
O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:24,25 (NKJV)
https://www.withchrist.org/glossary.htm
Carnality, Spirituality, and Fellowship with God – 1 Corinthians 3:1–3
In recent years the question, “What exactly is a ‘carnal Christian?’” has come under sharp debate. While some say that while Christians do sin, their lives are never dominated by sin. For instance, in a recent book one author devotes a fair amount of attention to debunk what he calls “the myth of the carnal Christian.”1
Nevertheless, did not the apostle Paul make it clear that there is such a thing as a carnal Christian when he wrote:
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ…For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere [natural] men? (1 Cor 3:1, 3)
The previously cited author inadvertently admits the existence of the carnal Christian when, commenting on these verses he writes, “Clearly Paul was accusing the Corinthians of behaving like non-Christians” (p. 126). It seems that in the author’s opinion a Christian can behave like a non- Christian; however, he can not be dominated by sin. If one follows this logic to its ultimate end, the line between a Christian and a non-Christian becomes quite blurred.
Conceptions Concerning Carnality
Whether true or false, there are many conceptions of how carnality manifests itself. The following is a sample of some of them. One might say that…
…only unbelievers can be carnal.
To this we must say no. Believers can be, and are at times, carnal as well.
…carnality is apatternorlifestyleof sinful behavior that corresponds to the way the unsaved live.
Yes, a carnal person is one who is indeed dominated by sin.
…it takes time to move from carnality to spirituality.
“He who is spiritual” (1 Cor 2:15) is a person who ismature(1 Cor 2:6). To achieve maturity in the Christian life certainly takes time.
…all new believers are carnal.
Yes, because new Christians are “babes in Christ” and babies are immature.
…carnal believers are not committed to serving Christ.
No, some believers are indeed committed to Christ, and yet are carnal. We will discuss this in more detail in a moment.
…carnal believers are necessarily out of fellowship with God.
No, a believer can be carnal and yet still be in fellowship with God. This will be discussed in more detail later as well.
Carnality and Fellowship with God
Spiritual maturity is not simultaneous with new birth. However,four or five yearsafter their spiritual births, the Corinthian believers were rebuked by Paul for their carnality because they werestillbabes in Christ.
Most would agree that new believers can be in fellowship with God. It logically follows then that carnal believers can be in fellowship with God. The alternative would be to say that only mature believers are in fellowship with God—which cannot be sustained in Scripture.
According to First John, the condition of fellowship with God is “walking in the light” (1 John 1:7). Some mistakenly characterize walking in the light as a sinless walk. Yet this concept does not square with Scripture since as we walk in the light “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). According to this verse those walking in the light may sin repeatedly (note the phrase, “all sin”). As is evident from the context, walking in the light is walking openly and honestly before God. This honest walk before God includes confessing our sins as God brings them to our attention (1 John 1:9). Therefore, if a new believer is honest with God when he realizes he has sinned, then he is in fellowship with God, although he is still carnal and immature.
There is a difference between maturity in the Christian life and fellowship with God. Even immature believers can be in fellowship with God. We err if we equate fellowship with God to spirituality and maturity. Believers in fellowship with God are open and honest before Him, though they vary greatly in their maturity. Commitment to Christlikeness is not a ticket to instant maturity. Indeed, there is a great amount of room for growth for even the most mature believer. If we ever think we have arrived, “we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Spiritual growth occurs as we, under the teaching of God’s Word confess our sins to the Lord and He moves us to greater and greater maturity and Christlikeness.
Spirituality and Fellowship with God
Just as it takes time to move from carnality to spirituality, so it takes time to make the return trip. For example, let’s say that John, a spiritual person, tells a lie. At that point he is then out of fellowship with God, since he sinned willfully. However, the fact that John is out of fellowship does not mean that he has suddenly started living just like the unsaved live. Now if John were to remain out of fellowship for an extended period of time, he would in fact fall into carnality.
Backsliding may indeed be a slippery slope. However, it is a slope and not a cliff. People rarely, if ever, move immediately from spirituality to carnality. The journey is filled with many bad thoughts, words, and deeds. A spiritual person has a number of opportunities to change direction before it is too late.
Peter and Barnabus, for example, did not become carnal when they withdrew from the Gentiles and were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel (Gal 2:11-14). They were corrected by Paul and continued to be spiritual men.
Practical Applications of These Truths
How can a clearer understanding of biblical carnality and spirituality help us on a practical level? Does it really matter how we actually live the Christian life? Yes, it makes a big difference in several areas.
IT ENCOURAGES GROWTH TO MATURITY
New believers should be encouraged to grow to maturity. A mature Christian is one who has had “their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb 5:14). In other words maturation is a process, not an instantaneous event. It occurs over time as God transforms a believer by renewing his mind through the Scriptures (Rom 12:2, “Be transformedby the renewing of your minds; compare Eph 4:22-24). If a new believer mistakenly thinks he is already mature, it hinders him greatly since he doesn’t understand his need to grow.
IT REMOVES A HINDRANCE TO OUR GROWTH
If we think that we become carnal the moment we sin, then we become like a human yo-yo, bouncing back and forth between carnality and spirituality. In fact, since we are unaware of many—if not most—of our sins (1 John 1:9), we could never be sure when we were “spiritual.” Needless to say, this can cause great discouragement and hinder growth. Rather than prompting a person to holiness, it makes holiness more difficult, especially for the sensitive or perfectionistic person. His many setbacks can easily dishearten him.
IT KEEPS THE HOPE OF RULING WITH CHRIST ALIVE
In order to rule with Christ we must persevere in the confession of our faith in Christ: “If we endure, we will reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will deny us” (2 Tim 2:12; compare also Heb 10:23, “let us hold fast our confession of hope to the end”).
This doesn’t mean that only mature Christians can reign. A babe in Christ who is walking in fellowship and confessing Christ, will reign should Christ return and find him in that state.
What it means is that onlyconfessingChristians will rule. The Christian who stops confessing Christ (Heb 10:23) and ceases to attend church (Heb 10:23), will not reign should he die or the Rapture occur while he was in that condition.
Some believers fear that if Christ returned before they had a chance to confess a newly committed sin, they would miss out on ruling with Him. This can lead to deleterious introspection and even a doubting of God’s fairness. A proper understanding of the issues in spirituality, carnality, and fellowship with God removes these doubts and fears.
IT ENCOURAGES THE MATURE BELIEVERS TO PRESS ON FOR FURTHER GROWTH
Maturity is not all or nothing. Once a person has become spiritual, he has plenty of room for growth. The more a person grows, the more he distances himself from carnality. Therefore, the aim of the Christian life is to please God more and more.
Conclusion
Early in my Christian life I thought that I went out of fellowship with God dozens of times each day—and that continual confession was the only way to keep these times at a minimum. I didn’t realize that the Holy Spirit would reveal sin to me and that God never asked me to try to discover every sin in my life. Knowing that God merely asks me to be honest with Him has had a liberating effect on my walk. It is much more personal, and much less mechanical.
It is good to know that advancing from a babe in Christ to a mature believer is not some arduous task that only one Christian in a thousand can ever hope to achieve. It is great to know that God produces maturity in all believers who are abiding in Christ and in His Word.
1(MacArthur, Faith Works, pp. 124–27; see also pp. 94–98, 116–121, 127–38)
Bob Wilkin is Executive Director of Grace Evangelical Society and co-host of Grace in Focus Radio. He lives in Highland Village, TX with his wife, Sharon. His latest book is Turn and Live: The Power of Repentance.
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