A Carnal Christian....Is there such a thing????

[MrVersatile48]

Having now read page 2, I thank God for how well that article fits

& just have time to post this timely one:-



The Danger of Complacency
David Rosales
Dear Friend in Christ:

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God?? (1 Thess. 1:2-4).

In reading the above scripture, would the Apostle Paul be able to say these words to you? Without a doubt, it is a glorious tribute to the believers in Thessalonica who had suffered great persecution to follow Jesus Christ. Thessalonica was a large harbor city that was filled with corruption and idol worship. It was not an easy place to live as a Christian. Yet, these new believers were not only holding on tight, but were living out their faith in the midst of persecution.

Paul wanted to encourage these believers in the midst of their difficult circumstances.

It is such a blessing to have people thank God for you in their prayers! The apostle Paul recognized the tremendous work that God had done in this young church, and was thankful for these believers living in Thessalonica. Paul commended the church for their faith and the works that came from it. This church LIVED out their faith! They didn't say one thing and then live another way...rather, their actions demonstrated their faith. Paul also commended this group of believers for their genuine love for one another, and for their hard work which was always motivated by their love for the Lord. Finally, Paul was thankful for their patience - because they continued on in their faith despite the terrible persecution they were experiencing. The church understood they were God's elect - called by Jesus Christ to be a part of God's family and destined for eternal life with the Lord!

This church was thriving - their faith was a witness to all the communities surrounding them. When you read Foxes Book of Martyrs you see a common theme throughout the centuries of Christianity - the more the church was persecuted the more it thrived and the greater it's impact!

When we look at our world today we see the Christian church standing strong in places where Christianity is outlawed and driven underground. But sadly, when we look at the church here in America, we too often see a compromising, mediocre, and complacent group of believers. I wonder, would the Apostle Paul say the same thing to us, here in the United States, as he did to the church in Thessalonica?

God has blessed us abundantly in this country. We have had great freedom to share the Gospel, and great resources to know about and draw nearer to God - Christian bookstores, Christian radio stations, and many bible-believing and bible-teaching churches to attend. The Bible tells us that to whom much is given, much more will be required. (Luke 12:48) Why, with all that we have, are we far too often complacent in our work of faith, labor of love and patience of hope?

How about your life today...have you grown complacent or somewhat lazy in your walk with the Lord? It is my prayer for you this month that you will be focused and steadfast in your race so that you will be one of those believers that someone is thankful for...that you can place your name in the above scripture and be encouraged - just as Paul encouraged the Christians in Thessalonica.

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I know nobody perfect except Jesus - 'we shall be like Him when we see Him face to face'

Any time we are aware we've hurt the Lord, don't delay in repenting, asking His forgiveness & re-filling with His Spirit

We need the Saviour because we are sinners, saved only by the sheer grace of God, thru faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice - as in John 3, Romans 3, Galatians 2:15-16, Ephesians 2:8-9, etc

We are born again as 'babes in Christ'

He wants us all to grow to maturity

& that always involves trials, etc - as in James 1:2-4, 2 Cor 1:2-4 & 2 Peter 1:2-4 etc

Must go!

Ian

 

[jgredline]

Wow
This thread really grew. I will see if I can get through these post. I will read them in order and see what stands out to me the most. I scanned the threads and I see a few misunderstandings and some on my part as well.

If I may interject my 2-cents to stir the pot a little, what exactly do we mean when we say "carnal Christian"? Because we by one definition might fit the criteria (since we still sin), while by another couldn't possibly fit it (because we are not dominated by sin, not slave to the flesh, and carnality is not our nature). Paul said that it was no longer him who sinned but his flesh in him, making a distinction between the real "him" and his flesh which is not our defining nature (because we have died to the flesh).

This is exactly what I was thinking after my last post...These are very good observations shark and from scanning the post, this is the heart of the issue.

Now I have a difficult question which I fear there is no quick answer to: Are babes in Christ really saved? Now I am inclined to say yes when I see "in Christ" but almost the whole book of 1 John says that those who are God's will no longer live a lifestyle of sin. So this either means that they are not saved or they will inevitably persevere to a point past their "carnality" (of which Paul does not equate with all Christians, but only with these so-called "babes"). So which one is it? Either is quite an admission. Does anyone have something they can throw back at me on this?

Yep, Another good point and observation.....Understand when John says that Christians will no longer sin he is speaking of habitual sin, living a life of sin...I will add more to this in a little while... as I am pressed for time right now.

 

[jgredline]

Personally, my opinion of a carnal Christian, is one who abuses the grace that God has given him. He lives with the attitude "I can do anything I want, and still go to heaven when I die."

Sorry Little Angel
But I would have to disagree with you here. This is type of Person who John Describes in his letter ''1 john''...I believe that this is where the OSAS gets a bad rap from....According to 1ST John, this is not a saved person, but according to the person he is saved and this is an E ticket to do what he wants, thus he is decieving himself.....Now we can't judge the heart, only God can do that, but we can sure judge the outside....

 

[jgredline]

Hi J,

The reason I posted Peter is to bring to light the fact that many would misunderstand Paul and his words. Maybe that's the reason why Paul seems to contradict himself in the passage you quoted.

I thought there would be more Scripture posted for us to discuss, so if I may:

Jer 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Jer 2:20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.
Jer 2:21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?


Hey, I'm just moderating. :wink:

Thanks Vic
I was thinking in particluar of Jer 2:19 when I started the OP...I WILL come back to it in a sec...

 

[jgredline]

Lovely
Your post is excellent...Thank you for taking the time.
At lunch time I will read id again add some comments.
blessings, javier

 

[Vic C.]

Thanks Vic
I was thinking in particluar of Jer 2:19 when I started the OP...I WILL come back to it in a sec...

No prob, J.

Sidenote: remember we were discussing the meaning of the word apostasia and I noted it appeared in other places in the Septuagint? Jeremiah 2:19 is one of those places.

http://www.zhubert.com/bible?source=gre ... iah+2%3A19

and here

Apostosia

Hover the mouse over any Greek word in the text. Notice how the lexical form and complete parsing comes up. Click on the word, and you will switch to a "Word Details" page, showing word frequency and much more statistical data of how often that word (or forms of it) appear in the Scripture.

 

[lovely]

Ian,

Complacency is such a good way to put it. This reminds me of Judges. The Lord bless you.

 

[jgredline]

No prob, J.

Sidenote: remember we were discussing the meaning of the word apostosia and I noted it appeared in other places in the Septuagint? Jeremiah 2:19 is one of those places.

http://www.zhubert.com/bible?source=gre ... iah+2%3A19

and here

Apostosia

Hover the mouse over any Greek word in the text. Notice how the lexical form and complete parsing comes up. Click on the word, and you will switch to a "Word Details" page, showing word frequency and much more statistical data of how often that word (or forms of it) appear in the Scripture.

Thanks Vic.
I have never seen that website before. What a cool site...I will have to pass it on to the folks in grammatical Greek class.It is also interesting that it uses LXX instead of the Hebrew. I will have to compare the two

 

[Gabbylittleangel]

Ian,

Complacency is such a good way to put it. This reminds me of Judges. The Lord bless you.

Complacency. That is the word I would use. A carnal Christian is a complacent Christian.