Carnal Christians?

Paul wrote some words that are have been often misunderstood:

"But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. 3 For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-4, ESV)

This text is often misinterpreted to argue that a Christian can receive Jesus as Savior and not as Lord! A popular organization published a booklet on this whole subject that was illustrated by three pictures. The first one had a picture of a throne and self sat on the throne, a picture of an unbeliver. The second had a picture of self on the throne with Christ in the corner representing their understanding of a "carnal" Christian. And the third had Christ on the throne and self in the corner which represented the obedient Christian.

This theology teaches that a carnal Christian is a person who believed in Jesus for salvation, but doesn't let Him be Lord, and doesn't let Him run his life. But there is a major problem with this interpretation for hat isn't at all what Paul had in mind in 1Corinthians 3, not at all. These believers were actively worshipping, calling on Jesus’ name, possessed great spiritual gifts, and were wrestling with some deep theological and ethical issues. These believers were “worldly in three ways: 1) they were not growing in their understanding and application of the Word of God. 2) they were jealous and quarreling and 3) they had succumbed to being divisive, one group claiming to follow one man and another another.

Let me state it clearly. Carnality is not a permanent state of Christians who have not given Christ Lordship. Carnality is simply a momentary experience of the Believer who is disobedient to God. So it is not a state, it is simply a kind of behavior. And all Christians at any given moment, are either Carnal or Spiritual, depending on whether you functioning in the Spirit or in the flesh. If you are sitting there and the Spirit

There are really only two categories of people in this world: Christians and non-Christians. There is no such thing as a “carnal” or “worldy Christian” in the popular sense most Christians use it today, although there are Christians whose behavior at the time reflects worldliness rather than Christlikeness.

Does the Bible teach the popular carnal Christian view? The answer is clearly no.