Monday, January 14, 2008

Carnal, Immature Christians

3) There are carnal, immature Christians.

1 Corinthians 3:1-4 tells us:

1 ¶ 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 behaving like mere men?
4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?

These immature Christians attend church and listen to the Bible, yet they are not considered spiritually mature.

Why are they immature?
1) They can't handle difficult doctrine.
2) They have internal strife
3) They act like mere men.
4) They are followers of men.

There is a teaching that when a person accepts Christ, he immediately
becomes an immature Christian. If he turns back or refuses to grow, he
becomes a carnal Christian. However, I cannot find any Biblical
justification for belief. 1 Corinthians 3:1 shows that a carnal Christian and a baby Christian are the same thing.

Unlike tares, immature Christians really are saved. In verse 4, Paul quotes some as saying "I am of Paul." The Greek for "I am" is "Ego eime," which is used as the Greek translation for the Old Testament Name of God "YHWH." Jesus used the phrase several times to refer to Himself. It shows emphasis on the person, and perhaps pride. Paul goes on to explain that God uses different people to do different tasks, and that anything good in either him or Apollos came from God. This would help explain their immaturity: they might have been rejecting the work of God if it came through someone they didn't like.