Carnal or Spiritual
‘Jf^HROUGHOUT the church of Christ there is a universal complaint of the feebleness of the Christian life, and there are tens of thousands of souls long-ingto know how to lead a better life. They find in God’s word promises of perfect peace, of a faith that overcomes the world, of a joy that is unspeakable, of a life of ever abidingcommunion with Christ, hidden in the hollow of God’s hand, and in the secret of his pavilion. But alas, thousands say they know not how to obtain it. Our meetings have just this one object: to try and find out what are the possibilities of the Christian life as God has revealed them in His word, what are the hindrances that keep the majority of believers out of that life, and what are the steps by which to come in and take possession.
I want to beg-in by calling your attention to what is always important at the outset of these conferences. There are two stag-es in the Christian life: the lower stag-e under the power of the flesh, and the stage of the true life in the power of the Spirit. Let me direct your attention to a passage in 1 Cor, 3: 1-4.
There you have the first sorted Christians, some are spiritual and some are carnal. And Paul says he finds it of the utmost importance, when he teaches people, to find out which of the two they are; for if he g-ave what is food to the spiritual to the carnal it would not do them any good. “I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.” You are in Christ, you are real Christians, but alas, you are feeble Christians, just like infants. “I have fed you with milk and not with meat. “There are some truths that are just like milk, suitable for carnal Christians; other truths of God’s word, deep spiritual truths, are for spiritual people.” For hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able for ye are yet carnal.” There you have the word “carnal” again. He says plainly,! want you to know that you are carnal, believers, but carnal believers, “For,” here comes the proof, “For whereas there is among- you envying and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” He asks them to answer the question. The word “carnal” comes from the Latin word meaning “flesh.” If you do the works of the flesh this proves you are carnal, you walk as men do, not as children of God do, who lead a heavenly life. “One says I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” For the fourth time you have the word “carnal” and for the second time the very pointed question for them to answer” Tell me, are ye not
carnal?”
By the help of God I shall speak to you upon these two points.
/. What it is to be not Spiritual but Carnal. 2. The Way From Carnal to Spiritual.
I. NOT SPIRITUAL BUT CARNAL.
1. You are not spiritual but carnal, the apostle says. I am desirous that everyone as we g-o alongtry himself and answer the question, “Am I still carnal, or am I by the grace of God spiritual?” You know a doctor cannot do you any g-ood unless there is first a thorough diagnosis of the case. He asks a number of questions, examines your lungs and heart, finds out what is wrong and prescribes the needful remedy. Until you find out what is wrong all the preaching of the most heavenly truths will do you no good. People must be brought to the realizing of their carnal state ere the knowledge of the spiritual life can be any real benefit.
“Oh God, we pray Thee, reveal the mystery of the Divine truth; the mystery of our own hearts, and the carnal state; the mystery of the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual life. We pray Thee now to come in and teach us. Give us grace to say, ‘Lord search me, and if I am carnal, oh, discover it today, and open up to me the way into the spiritual life, to live as a spiritual man. God grant it.”
I think if we look carefully at this passage we shall find four principal marks of the carnal state.
1. It is a state of protracted infancy If I had here today a beautiful little child six months old with its chubby hands and feet, you would say “What a perfect child,” but if in three years’ time we found that the child had not grown an inch we
4 THK SPIRITUAI. I<1FE.
should conclude that something was the matter. If in another three years we again found no growth, we should at once say there is some terrible disease in that child that prevents its growth, for where there is health there is growth. That is now what Paul says to the Corinthians. You are young Christians, babes in Christ. At first a Christian may be carnal for he is young and does not know what sin is, but when a man has been a Christian for sometime, say after six months, a year or three years, or even ten years, and he does not grow, but remains at the same place where he started from as a babe, there is something the matter; there is some terrible disease; that disease is the carnal mind. A Christian when under the power of the flesh is in a state of protracted infancy. You find it said in the epistle to the Hebrews that when after they had been so long Christians they ought to be teachers, helping others, they still had to be fed with milk and were not able to take the meat of the full grown man. This is a state of protracted infancy and it is the state of the greater part of the Christian church. How many there are who will testify that the best time was the first three months after conversion; and after that they began to go back; they lost their joy and alas, they have never had such joy since then. They havelosttheir first love. At that time they used to conquer sin, but now it has the mastery. What are the marks of a babe? One is the babe cannot help himself, he has got to be helped by others. The other, he cannot help anyone else. Look at a baby in a house, you have got to have mother or sister or nurse to take care of him. A little baby needs always to be helped and cared for. That is the way with many Christians. They go to church, to prayer-meeting-s, conferences, and are ever seeking help from others. A little infant six months old cannot help another; so there are Christians who cannot really help others by their spiritual experience. Dear friends let us take this first mark of carnal state, test ourselves, and if there be no healthy growth let us bow before God in shame.
2. The carnal state is a state of sin and failure; no victory over sin. Paul writing to the Corinthians says, “There is among you envying, and strife, and divisions.” That was the work of the flesh and this was the great reason that he had to write to them the thirteenth chapter, because of their quarrelling. One exalted Paul, another thought Apollos was the more eloquent; another thought that Peter was older than either and better; they were divided into religious parties. They were just squabbling among themselves and got excited, and had strifes, divisions and envy. In Galatians, 5th chapter, you have envyings, strifes, etc. as the works of the flesh. Do we not find Christians who in some respects have a good measure of the grace of God and yet have never really conquered their temper, and so when another says a sharp thing to them they give a sharp reply? How many Christians there are who have never learned to love as God wants them to love, to love the unlovable. What is this but that they are j-et in the carnal state? In them the flesh has more power than the Spirit. Friends, until we confess with shame, I am carnal, we will not get into the life of the spiritual man.
May God search us, and reveal our true state. Let us say, what is it that hinders the brightness of my life? and you will g-et the answer from God. Two powers are striving for mastery over you, Spirit and flesh; and if the Spirit is not ruling you it is because the flesh is ruling. This is why a man gives way to pride, self-conceit, worldliness, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. It is nothing but that he is still in the carnal state. You know a thing always gets its name from what is its most prominent characteristic. A spiritual man gets his name from the fact that the Spirit triumphs, rules in his life, even though there may still be somewhat of the flesh. You cannot be in intercourse with him without feeling that the Spirit is leading, guiding and controling. He is called spiritual because spirituality is his chief characteristic. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of the Holy Ghost that dwelleth in you.” There was somewhat of the Spirit in them, but they had allowed the flesh to rule. The question comes to us, as a voice from heaven, ’ ‘Are ye not carnal?” That worldliness, that unfaithfulness, that neglect of God’s word. It is but the mark of one thing — you are carnal, you have not given yourself over wholly to live the spiritual life. 3. The third mark of the carnal state. Along with this carnal state there may be found a great deal of spiritual gift. This is a very solemn thought. You know how this is illustrated in the case of the Corinthians. In the 1st chapter Paul says, “I thank God “that in everything ye are enriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge.”
There were spiritual gifts among- the Corinthians: g-ifts of prophecy, tong-ues, and many other gifts most remarkable. Indeed the gift of tongues was so remarkable that Paul had to check and warn them to be careful in their use of this gift. And yet Paul writes the whole epistle with the one idea, that they were full of quarrelling, pride, selfishness, etc. A man may have a spiritual gift of preaching or be able to speak with power, and yet his private life may be filled with pride until the world says, “we don’t believe in that man.” Where is his humility? A man may be an evangelist and lead hundreds to Christ and yet you will hear it said “How full of self.” The world says “I don’t believe in that man he is too full of himself.” Can it be that a man who is a powerful man in the service of God can be carnal? It can be. That is what we want to make plain. A man may claim the baptism of the Holy Spirit and get it as a Spirit of power and a Spirit of zeal, and yet that man may be terribly lacking in the graces of a holy life — in humility, gentleness, tenderness, before God and man, in that meekness of the Lamb of God which is the chief grace of the Christian life. Look at the Corinthians; they had spiritual gifts of prophecy, tongues, etc., yet they were unwilling to be subject one to the other, there was strife as to who should speak first. Don’t think that the carnal state is the state of a man in whom there is no good. A man may be a preacher, evangelist, sabbath school teacher, organizer, and yet, alas, God may say to that man, “Are you not carnal?” Does he not do as much good in the end? No. He may help another to the Christian life but the Christian life he helps him to is such a mixed one that it is feeble and does not stand. The man whose inner life is under the rule of the Spirit, who is himself spiritual, will beg-et really spiritual children; he will impart the life of God in power. Being- able to exercise spiritual gifts is no neccessary proof that we are not carnal.
4. The carnal state bring-s an incapacity for receiving- spiritual truth. Just note how distinctly Paul says this in writing* to the Corinthians. In the first and second chapters he had been speakingabout himself, Christ having- sent him to preach the cross, not with human wisdom but in the power of the Spirit. Then in the third chapter he speaks about the church, and he turns to them and says, I have received the mystery of God but I cannot tell you. Why not? Were the Corinthians very stupid? No, they were great seekers after wisdom, they prided themselves upon their knowledg-e. In the passage that I read a short time ago you will remember it said they were “enriched in all knowledge.” They were a cultured, thoughtful people. The wisdom of the world was beautiful in their eyes, and yet Paul said, all your wisdom will not help you. If I were to speak spiritual truth you would take it into a carnal mind and intellect and it would be an injury to you. There is a terrible mistake made right at this point very often. Paul says, before I can write to them I must settle it in my mind that they are carnal people. I must let them know that they are carnal and bring them to the point of realizing that they are carnal. How often in the church of Christ we preach to people who are carnal, deep spiritual truths; we clothe our thoughts in beautiful words and illustrations; they say “What a beautiful sermon” and practically it does them very little g-ood. Was not the sermon true? Was not the truth of the Bible in it? Yes, but you preached spiritual truth to carnal people. Friends, as long- as the Christian is carnal don’t g-ive him spiritual truth. You must bring- him to the point where he recognizes that he is carnal. The carnal state is incapable of receiving spiritual truth.
II. FROM CARNAL TO SPIRITUAL.
Paul did not want the Corinthians to rest in the carnal state. No! He wanted them to pass from carnal to spiritual. That is what we need too. And the question comes, how are we to get from the one to the other? Note four of the principal steps.
1. The believer must be convicted, and brought to the confession of his being in the carnal state. You know that before a sinner can be converted he must be convicted of sin; he must know and confess his transgressions, and his lost estate. Just so, believers must see that they are in a wrong state; before they can get into the spiritual life they must be brought under conviction of the shame and evil of this carnal state. There is a great difference between conviction before conversion and this. Then, that which principally occupied the mind was the thought, “I am lost, I am under condemnation;” the great idea was the greatness of his transgressions, and the desire to have them pardoned. There were two things that he was not convicted of: that his nature is utterly sinful, the other that there are many hidden heart sins, that he has never known. This is the reason God bring-s a believer into what might be termed a second conviction. It is most needful that he be fully convicted of two thing’s: the utter impotence of the flesh to do any g“ood; the mig-hty power of the flesh to work evil. The flesh is ruling- him. He has the Spirit of God in him, and why does he yet do these thing-s? It is just the seventh of Romans, “I am strug-gling- to do rig-ht and I cannot.” Oh friends, it is when a man is broug-ht under conviction of the utter impotence of the flesh to do good, its helplessness, that he will understand why he lost his temper, and why pride comes up, and why he speaks wrong” words. The flesh takes him captive; the law of sin in him binds him hand and foot. Then comes those g“reat hidden sins that the world counts very little, which are seen to be works of the flesh. The Holy Spirit convicts of pride as being- of the flesh; unlovingthoughts toward wife, or child, or servant; self-pleasing- before God and man; and so he needs an entire deliverance, different from that at conversion. Then he was delivered from the curse of sin, now he wants deliverance from the power of sin. Many in the church of Christ will have to cry, “Woe is me, O wretched man that I am, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” It is simply because the flesh has power that you sin, you must find deliverance. And there is no deliverance but by becoming an entire spiritual man.
2nd step is that a man must be made to see and believe that the spiritual life is a possibility. A great many people will say in a creed that they believe in the Holy Ghost. They have no doubt about the existence of the Holy Ghost, and that He is the Third Person of the Blessed God-Head. They are orthodox on all these points; but, it is an intellectual belief. They practically do not believe in what the Holy Ghost can do in a believer every day of his life. A man must be broug-ht to see that there is a spiritual life within his reach; that there is a spiritual life which it is his duty to live; that there is a spiritual life he is in need of and may claim. There is a life in the Spirit. Note such expressions as “Walk in the Spirit,” “Live in the Spirit,” ‘* By the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body.” Just take the sixteen verses of the eig-hth chapter of Romans in which the Holy Spirit is mentioned, and a man must beg-in to see that God wants him to be a spiritual man. He cannot bear to have me carnal. God commands me to be spiritual and by the grace of God, just as certainly as Christ’s blood flowed for my sins, so Christ’s Spirit can lead me down into the place of absolute helplessness where He will live in me in His Divine power, and renew my whole nature into spiritual. Oh, take this step before I go further. Reach out at once and begin in a simple act of faith to obey God’s call. Say, “O God, a spiritual life is possible, I can become a spiritual man.” Let us begin and believe that the God who g-ave the Holy Spirit delights in nothing more than to give the Holy Spirit in each of us to live this life.
When a man is convicted of a carnal life and believes in the possibility of a spiritual life lie comes to the third step.
yd. Are you willing- to give up everything- to get the spiritual life? Then comes the time of struggling-. A great many delig-ht to read about the spiritual life, but that is not enough. I must buy. At what price? Give up all. You must sell all to buy the pearl of great price. Come with every sin and every folly, all temper, everything you love, your whole life, and place it in the possession of Christ. Die to everything and be fully given up to God. It is only in the vessel that is fully cleansed that the Holy Spirit can do His work. Here in Chicago the question is of ten asked, “Will a thing pay?” If it will pay men will undertake anything-. If there is one thing- that will pay it is to give up everything- for God — everything of the flesh — to become a truly spiritual man.
4th and last step. When a man says “I am willing” then he must come in faith and claim it. It is just faith over ag-ain. It is faith from beginning to end. When a man gives up all, he must look up at the Lord Jesus to whom the Father has given the Holy Spirit, claim the promise and believe that he receives it. Bow before God, the Holy One, in deep humility and submission; with faith in His promise. His power. His g-reat love. His near providence — God, who is a spirit and gives the Spirit, will, in the fellowship with Himself, make thee a spiritual man.
May God in His mercy open the eyes of all His people to discern the two states of carnal and spiritual. May He bring- all who are yet in the carnal state to full conviction and confession. And throug-h them may He bring- many to the acceptancy of the full spiritual life He has provided in Christ Jesus.