“I
will search for faithful people to be my companions. Only those who are above
reproach will be allowed to serve me.” - Psalm
101: 6
There are three types of
Church attendees: Spiritual, Carnal and the Unsaved. There are clear
differences between them, however. An authentic, spiritual Christian will hear
the Word of God, believe it and obey it. They immediately start to bear fruit:
some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty fold. This is the doer of the Word.
They delight in the life-giving Words of the gospel. They continue producing
fruit in greater and greater quantities as they mature in the Lord throughout
their lives.
True Believers will grow at
different rates in their spiritual maturity, but they will not remain carnal
babes all of their life (1 Corinthians 3:1). Some may be slower at grasping the concept of living as an Authentic
Christian, but they will gradually grow into the stature of the fullness of
Christ (Ephesians 4:13). The
Bible makes it crystal clear that authentic faith in Jesus Christ will produce
a life of good works in a Christian Believer (James 2: 14-26; Ephesians
2: 8-10). They may fall into temptation
and sin now and then, but they do not live in a sinful lifestyle.
On the other hand, if we
practice willful sin after we received the knowledge of the Truth, there is no
more sacrifice for our sin (Hebrews 10:26; Luke 8:5f). The Bible calls these willful sinners Apostates (Jeremiah
5:23). Some Apostates actually believe they are Born Again, because they
said a prayer and attend church. These people give Christians a bad name by
their hypocritical behavior. They never really experienced the power of the
gospel in a life-changing way. They
are not Born Again, and they are not a new creation (2
Corinthians 5:17). They participate in
religious activities, which make them feel closer to God and His Saints; but
they are not truly saved (1 John 2: 19; Matthew 7:21; 25:1-13; John 3:3; 2
Timothy 3:5).
Sometimes, it is hard to
differentiate between an Apostate and a Carnal Christian. Only God knows for sure if someone is a Believer or
an Unbeliever. Since eternal security is a fact of Scripture, the Carnal
Christian is still saved. Salvation cannot be lost, because salvation is a gift
from God that He will never take away (John 3:16-18; 5:24; Ephesians
4:30). However, these carnal Christians live as babies according to the
elementary teachings of the Word and in rebellion to God (Hebrews 5:13-14).
The Greek word for carnal is sarkikos, which
literally means “fleshly.” Paul considers them Believers, because he calls them
brethren, but he describes them as “carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3, 3:15; John
10: 28; Romans 8: 37-39; 1 John 5:13). No one is without sin (1 John
1:8-9). Every time we sin we are
allowing the flesh to control our behavior rather than the Spirit of God.
Authentic Christians may fall into temptation and sin. However, Carnal
Christians sin regularly and actually disregard many of the Ten Commandments.
Those who continue to live
in rebellion to God’s Word will justify their fleshly, unscriptural behavior
and try to entice others to join them in their sin. They hang out at bars, and
sometimes even drink or do drugs. Some are mean and inconsiderate. They cuss,
watch R- and X-rated movies, covet worldly goods, gossip and may even be
unfaithful to their mate. If we hang around with carnal Christians or the
unsaved who profess to be saved, we may be swayed to partake in their sin (Genesis
39:7-12; Psalm 26:5, 50:18; Proverbs 1:10, 4:23, 6:27, 13:20, 16:29, 22:3;
Matthew 5:8; 6:13; 18:8,9; Romans 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:33; 1 Timothy 6:21; 1
Peter 4:3,4;).
God constantly calls the
unsaved to believe and surrender their life to Him. Carnal Christians
continually receive correction from our Heavenly Father (Hebrews
12: 5-11). He is attempting to call us
all to repentance from these dead works (Hebrews 6:1) and to allow Him to conform us to the image of His
Son (Romans 12:1-2). As we surrender
our life to God, we will exhibit more spirituality and less carnality through
the sanctifying process of the Holy Spirit within us.
As Authentic Christians, we
treat unsaved people and Carnal Christians with God’s love and nurture; but we
should not hang out with them on a regular basis. Instead, we who are spiritual
should gently exhort those who are walking in ungodly behavior by sharing God’s
truth with them (Galatians 6:1). We
should rise up to live as examples of a Believer (1 Timothy 4:12) and to be teachers of the solid food of the Word (Heb.
5:12-14).
Prayer:
Father God, please search my heart and know me. Try me and see if there is any wicked way in me. Then, lead me in Your everlasting way (Psalm 139:23). Helps us to be examples of Your Truth to unbelievers and Carnal Christians, so they will see our good works and Glorify You (Matthew 5:16).
Thought for the Day:
As we align our self with
the truth of God’s Word, we live authentic Christian lives.