The carnally religious Christian makes mistakes just like the Pharisees of old
John 6:63 – It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
1 Corinthians 3 – And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and [a]behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
Prov 19:21 – There are many plans in a man’s heart,
Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel-that will stand.
Jeremiah 17:5-6
5 Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his [a]strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Disciple of God
A true follower of Christ rests not on his or her carnal intellect inherited from the Garden of Eden’s fall, but by their spirit united as one with the Holy Spirit attuned to know God’s heart on matters. Such a one is on the narrow way that leads to life, led by the hand by Jesus Christ Himself.
John 10: – 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.
Romans 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Spiritual or carnal?
Jesus Christ spoke kindly to many people, but He reserved His harshest criticism for those with religious flesh. Those were the Pharisees and Sadducees but many a Christian or those who suppose themselves in Christ have repeated the same mistakes in kind.
It is evident that flesh – aided and abetted by demons of religion – has dominated the discourse and practice of those who name Christ through the last two millennia.
But God never speaks by His Spirit to say mutually contradictory things. He does not “bear witness” or give His “peace in the heart” for error. He never says light is darkness or darkness is light. The Old Testament and New Testament do not contradict themselves. So whether by reading the Bible or by sensing in one’s self, God is the Spirit of truth and is committed to us knowing the real truth, not our presumption or fallible understanding.
But Jesus said be on guard.
Matt 7 – 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
As it is, history has countless examples of people named for Christ who come down on different sides and speak unkindly to one another and find no peace between themselves. They have been known to often contradict one another, war and fight, insult and accuse, murder or wish rebuke or destruction on their opponents and more.
The works of the flesh (Gal 5:20) include “hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, …”
Of course the scriptures do speak of people being in error and contending for the faith and correcting and rebuking, but it takes one united with God to “be angry and sin not,” or otherwise correct with “grace seasoned with salt,” or as God otherwise would lead.
God is highly invested in the people of His name to grow and become spiritual. Life depends on it.
The gospel is first for the Lord’s service, not ours.
A working definition of “spiritual” is when the soul of the natural man is quieted and brought under dominion by the Spirit united with the new made-alive human spirit. A person with “self-control” is one whose spirit rules his being, not his natural mind inherited from the old creation.
Many a person in Christ may have heard this but there is a deception and sticky quicksand to be on guard for. Understanding a truth is not the same as possessing the substance of it. Indeed, it can lead one to a false sense that maybe they have learned a lesson to be spiritual and listen for and advocate God’s true counsel, or way, and avoid the pitfalls of the flesh, but that person may yet utterly fail.
Jeremiah said one who makes flesh his strength shall be as a shrub in the desert and not “see.” There is blindness that comes upon such a one, and the prophet actually says their heart departed from the Lord.
Jesus said those in Him could do greater works than Him. Stephen showed just how powerfully the potential is for one yielded to the true Holy Spirit –
Acts 6 – 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
By a person’s fruit shall you know what spirit is in back of their words and actions. Jesus spoke of “what manner of spirit” a person is of.
Conditions of heart are required to find the narrow way which leads to life. These include keeping the commands of Christ in His grace, becoming as a little child, loving God and neighbor as one’s self, counting the cost, carrying the cross, forsaking all, (Luke 14:26-33) desiring to do God’s will, having the Spirit bring us to this state of being in truth.
But like the Jews before them, many a Christian has bypassed these requirements and served, learned about, spoken about and prayed to God with their carnal intellect.
This is called the religious intellect, and it is encouraged by Satan – seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1).
Characteristics of the carnal religious intellect can include quick leaps to conclusion and assumptions, pride in its many forms – desiring to be right or righteous, etc. to satisfy one’s self (internal pride) – or desiring to be seen as right so others may think well of you (external motive of pride/vanity).
Or one may just hate to be shown to be wrong, so they argue, debate, etc. and this also may be a motive rooted in pride.
Some among the carnally religious may also enjoy a good debate, a good scrap – with pride and self-serving at the root of all such motives.
For example, a person may hope to gain a reputation as one who is smarter than others; that even he may gain a following, and think he serves Christ.
Some people, like an attorney, argue to win, and not to discover the truth or heart of God on a matter.
This has been at the heart of many a strident defender of the faith through ages.
Some people have a root of bitterness that makes them easily lapse into being cantankerous or cynical or speaking with a harsh edge. Many have given ground to demons that reinforce their iniquities and speak into them justification for their wrong feelings.
Some people may even rail against certain sins which they themselves wrestle with – including sexual sins such as adultery or homosexuality.
But is it the still small voice of the Spirit which guides people when they get worked up? Or their own nature born of Adam?
Debate or argumentation between two such people tainted by a witches brew of iniquities is a recipe for making more smoke than fire; yielding more darkness than light – while they blindly claim to contend over light.
The flesh is so useless, and subject to blindness (Jer 17:6) it may even kill and think it offers God service.
John 16:2 – 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
The carnally religious may wish other intangible and tangible benefits that come along with their “faith” or contention for it.
Or they may simply be blundering and impolite and ignorant, not moved by the control of the wisdom that is from above.
Maybe they have little love for themselves, or too much self-love. Either is possible, but both are hindrances to the Spirit and may quench His operation in us to bear fruit.
Or maybe such a person may have no great love for his fellow man and quickly enter into a spirit of contempt and hatred – such poison may be always present in them and ready to gush forth like filthy water upon the first “idiot” or “heretic” etc. they deem deserving to bestow their contempt and unkind words.
Prov 12:18 – There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
The internet is full of this spirit – people who do not hesitate to violate so many laws of the kingdom of God and somehow feel satisfied they are right or better or what have you.
Actually, among those of the Christian world, this spirit is ancient which falsely supposes to “earnestly contend” for the faith in the strength and from the cesspool of flesh and not the wellspring of the true Spirit. The Catholics did it, and so did the Protestants.
What is the solution?
Repent. Seek God for deliverance, that He shine His light on our heart, and give us of His Spirit’s power so that we may hope to abide in Him in spirit and truth.
Man is so incredibly fallible, but the cost has been monumental.
