1 Corinthians 3:1
August 1, 2010 · Pastor Miles DeBenedictis
In this teaching
Teaching from 1 Corinthians 3:1, Pastor Miles examines the tragedy of spiritual immaturity—Christians who, though indwelt by the Spirit, remain carnal "babes in Christ." He calls believers to crucify the flesh, remove the trash of the world, and feed on the meat of God's Word so they grow into mature followers who demonstrate Christ to the world.
- A baby acting like a baby is a joy, but an adult acting like a baby is a tragedy—and that was the Corinthian church's spiritual condition.
- Scripture distinguishes the natural man, the spiritual man, and the carnal believer; the carnal Christian has the Spirit but is dominated by the flesh.
- Salvation includes being saved from sin's penalty (justification), presence (glorification), and an ongoing struggle against sin's power; absence of that struggle signals either being unsaved or carnal.
- Believers have a real choice to reject sin by walking in the Spirit, crucifying the flesh, and using the full armor of God.
- The difference between the "milk" and "meat" of the Word is depth of understanding; growth requires removing trash before receiving the implanted Word.
- Spiritual growth is the believer's own responsibility, not merely the result of weekly teaching; ministers are only instruments, and Christ alone is the proper focus.
Readable is a lightly edited reading copy; Verbatim stays close to the spoken words. The audio and video are the record of what was said.
But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him... And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat... For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?... For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (, condensed)
When grown believers still act like babies, the result isn't adorable—it's a tragedy God means to heal.
A Baby Acting Like a Baby—Versus an Adult Who Does
Two years ago, when I was given the opportunity to lead this fellowship as a senior pastor, my wife and I were expecting our first child. I've mentioned before that at the time I was more concerned about becoming a father than about becoming a pastor. Both are filled with responsibility, but fatherhood weighed heavily on me. Now Ethan is almost two, and Addison is six or seven months, and I can say without hesitation that I love being a dad. Children are a gift from the Lord. Amen? The Scriptures make that clear.
A baby that looks like a baby and acts like a baby is a wonderful joy. An adult who acts like a baby is a tragedy. The church at Corinth had exactly this problem. The adults there, in spiritual terms, were acting like babies. As we come to chapter 3, Paul addresses this very issue.
The Call to Maturity
It is the desire that every Christian grow to maturity. That is one of the primary missions of our church here at Calvary—that every believer would be equipped and grow to a mature place in their walk with the Lord. It ought to be the desire of every pastor, because it is part of the call of the minister. In , Paul says God ordained apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
Each of us is moved with compassion when we see someone handicapped by a mental or physical condition. But spiritual retardation should provoke a different response. It certainly did with Paul. When he heard of the carnal condition of the Corinthians, he was not moved with compassion—he was moved with concern and grief.
So he writes in verse 1, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual." It implies Paul wanted to write a letter of encouragement to a spirit-filled group of disciples, but he couldn't. He had to write a letter of rebuke. Most of this letter is filled with rebuke to a church that, though showing evidence of the Spirit's working, was filled with carnality. Notice he is gracious—"And I, brethren"—recognizing they were brothers in the Lord, yet speaking forthrightly that they were not where they should have been.
Are We Where We Ought to Be?
The author of Hebrews says the same to the Hebrew Christians in : when by reason of time they ought to be teachers, they still needed someone to teach them the first principles. The same problem was found at Corinth. This ought to make us consider whether we, sitting in this church in 2010, are where we ought to be in our walk with the Lord.
Years ago I was struggling with a basic form in martial arts, and my instructor said, "Miles, you are exactly where you should be for the amount of time and effort you put in." Though he meant martial arts, it rang true on a discipleship level. As you look at your life and I look at mine, we are exactly where we should be according to the time and effort we have put in. I emphasize effort, because some have been saved ten, twenty, even thirty years yet still struggle with the same life-dominating sins they struggled with the day before they prayed to receive Christ. They have put in time but not sought to walk as the Lord would call them. Essentially, they are still babes in Christ.
Natural, Spiritual, and Carnal
Back in 2:14–15, Paul described the different conditions of man. The natural man "receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him." That is the non-believer, not born again, without the indwelling Spirit—he doesn't even understand spiritual things. Then there is the spiritual man, renewed by the Holy Spirit, who has the mind of Christ (2:16). Because the Spirit dwells in him, he can do what God has called him to do, and as he walks in the Spirit, he glorifies the Lord.
Although the Corinthians had the indwelling Spirit, they were not walking in the Spirit. So Paul says, "Ye are carnal." They were cognizant of spiritual things, even dabbling in them, but they were dominated by the flesh. In a setting as large as ours, especially at second service, all three categories are present. Some are natural men—you don't know the Lord, much of Scripture confuses you. Some are spiritual—not because of amazing power but because of the indwelling Spirit. And unfortunately, some are carnal: babes in Christ who understand spiritual things yet remain dominated by the flesh.
The Danger of Staying a Babe
Every believer passes through a stage of being a babe in Christ—desiring to obey God yet finding the power of the flesh seems to dominate. But some stay there far too long. Many wonder if there's even such a thing as a "carnal Christian." I'll admit I don't like that label, because it provides a category where some feel content to stay. I've counseled people who confess, "I recognize I'm a carnal Christian, and I guess that's just how I'm going to be." God forbid that anyone be content there. I'd rather call such a person a babe in Christ—but we must not stay there.
says to be carnally minded is death; the carnal mind is at enmity with God, and they that are in the flesh cannot please God. We desire to please God, so if we continue in the flesh, we cannot. The result is a person who experiences some benefits of following Jesus, yet lives in a deflated, despairing Christian condition.
The Nature of Salvation and the Ongoing Struggle
This raises an important issue about the nature of salvation. Every Christian is thankful to be saved from the penalty of sin. says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way." Each of us deserves judgment, but God laid upon Jesus all our guilt and shame on the cross, so we are justified, saved from sin's penalty. We are also looking forward to being saved from the presence of sin—when corruption puts on incorruption and we are glorified.
But being saved from sin's penalty and presence does not mean our struggle with sin has ended. It is the justified Christian who now recognizes the struggle. Sin no longer reigns in the Christian, but it remains and must be dealt with. Because of Christ's work, we now have the ability in Him to be victorious—more than conquerors ()—yet in this life a battle rages between the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Book of Common Prayer petitions, "From fornication, and from all other deadly sin, and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil, spare us, good Lord."
If you do not experience that conflict, it is for one of two reasons: either you are not saved and don't realize the conflict exists, or you are carnal and have given in, figuring, "This is just how it's going to be." That is not the abundant life Jesus desires for us.
The Devil's Bargains and Our Choice
The devil cunningly uses the things of this world to tempt us at the level of the flesh. He says, "If you'd just lighten up on these Christian things, you could have a good life. If you weren't so scrupulous about honesty, I could make you rich. If you weren't so concerned about fidelity, I could give you relationships that would knock your socks off. If you weren't so concerned about purity, I could take you places you wouldn't believe." The devil isn't going away, and the world will be around a while longer. So if we're to be victorious, we must crucify our old wicked flesh and use the full armor of God in —especially the shield of faith, which quenches the fiery darts of the wicked one.
The battle is real. Some of you are experiencing great victory; others are defeated in the flesh. But you cannot say, "The devil made me do it," because every sin is an inside job. That excuse is at least a cop-out and at most a lie. says, "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." When temptation is set before us, we make a choice whether to follow sin or to renounce it, reject the devil, draw near to God, and watch him flee.
The natural man, without the abiding Spirit, has no choice—he's a slave to sin. But you and I have a choice. Like Moses in , who "chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." There is pleasure in sin—but it is temporary. We choose: enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, which draw us away from the Lord's fellowship, or suffer in the flesh and crucify it to enjoy the abundant life Christ gives. If you're not enjoying that abundant life today, it's not because He withholds it; it's because your sin hinders you.
Walk in the Spirit
puts it plainly: "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh... that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law." It's that simple. Walk in the flesh and we sin; walk in the Spirit and we glorify God. By the power of God's Spirit we must daily—sometimes minute by minute—reject sin and walk in holiness. We are not saved by holiness, but because we are saved we ought to walk in it, so that the world might see what it really is to follow Jesus.
What's the most common complaint unbelievers have about the church? That it's full of hypocrites—and often rightly so. We speak against tobacco and alcohol while being filled with gluttony, greed, and all kinds of things.
Milk and Meat
Paul continues in verse 2: "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." It is right to give the new believer the milk of the Word. Peter says in to "desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." But Paul distinguishes milk from meat. Meat is not new doctrine—it is a fuller, deeper understanding of already-established doctrine.
Here's an example. The week after you became a Christian, you tried to tell a friend or coworker, and all you could stumble out was, "I once was lost, and now I see." That's true—you were lost and blind, but now you're found and you see. But after walking with the Lord and sitting under the Word, you recognize salvation is far deeper—it speaks of justification, sanctification, and glorification: saved from the penalty of sin, being saved from its power, and one day saved from its presence. Meat is where we dig more deeply into God's Word.
Paul says, in effect, "When I first came, I fed you milk, and that was right. But I want to take you on to meat, and you're not able to bear it." At least four, probably six, years had passed since he first shared the gospel at Corinth, and he says, "You're still not ready."
The Evidence of Carnality
Some at Corinth might have objected: "What evidence do you give? We're leading church services, having communion, experiencing the gifts, speaking in tongues, prophesying. How can you say we're not ready for solid food?" Paul answers in verse 3: "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?"
All sorts of good things were going on, but they were spiritual baby Hueys. For all intents and purposes, they were playing church—getting drunk at communion, coveting one another's positions and gifts, full of envy, division, and strife. Babies in the nursery are adorable; an adult in diapers with a pacifier is a tragedy. Elapsing time does not equal maturity. Occupying a seat for ten or twenty years does not make you an elder or mature in Christ.
The word Paul uses for carnal is the Greek sarkikos—fleshly, characterized by the flesh. It speaks of one who ought to walk differently but does not, who, though Spirit-filled, is controlled by the instinctive animal appetites of the natural man. We who can discern spiritual things recognize that God created man distinct from animals, in His image, breathing into him the breath of life and giving him a spirit to commune with God. The natural man thinks man is merely the highest evolved creature, and so he just fulfills instinctive, fleshly appetites. When someone cuts him off on the freeway, he instinctively reacts. When someone cuts off a Christian—well, I won't go further.
More Than Mere Men
Notice Paul says "ye walk as men," not "ye are mere men." The implication is that they were not mere men. The Christian is born again by the Spirit of God, has the indwelling Spirit, has the mind of Christ and God's Word written on his heart, with God's power flowing through his life so that he can and should do what pleases God. When we don't, it's because we've decided not to—not because we're unable.
The problems at Corinth weren't from lack of understanding, ability, or good teaching. Paul was a master builder and laid a strong foundation. It was a spiritual problem: they allowed fleshly things to remain instead of reckoning them dead, and the spiritual things were crowded out.
Remove the Trash First
Paul's counsel is the same pattern seen throughout the New Testament: remove the trash so new life can come. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, torn down by Nebuchadnezzar in the sixth century B.C., he found a city full of trash. The first thing was to clean it out and rebuild the walls before new growth could come.
shows the same pattern: "Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." When you're yelling out the car window, none of God's righteousness is there—it's all you. "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." Underline souls. You must remove the trash before you can receive the implanted Word that saves your soul.
This is a put-off, put-on passage, just as in . Paul speaks to justified believers on their way to glory, but right now we need to be saved at the soul level. That's what means—"be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Our minds must be transformed so we can display to the world what God intends. And we must be doers, not hearers only. Hearing the Word taught is not the same as doing it.
Growth Is Your Responsibility
If you think you'll become a spiritually mature adult in Christ by coming here an hour and a half a week, it will not happen. You cannot imbibe the world's mentality day after day, flirt with the devil, dilly-dally with moral filth all week, and expect a single worship hour to undo it. Peter says the same in : "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Lay aside the junk first, then desire the milk. If you don't do the weeding by the power of God's Spirit and a decision of your will, you can't plant the good seed and you won't see growth. Fill yourself with the world's trash all week, and welcome to adult spiritual diapers and the disappointed Christian life.
Are you experiencing the abundant life Christ promised in , or are you being robbed by the enemy, who comes to steal, kill, and destroy? The pastors here can labor all week to prepare a great meal of the Word, but if you think you'll grow to maturity by being spoon-fed, it won't happen. Hopefully the Word taught here will stir you, like it did the Bereans, to search these things out yourself. Growth is your deal. I can't make you grow—Pastor Richard, Pastor Mark, Pastor Josh can't make you grow—just as a farmer can't make the seed grow. He provides good conditions, but it must be good seed on good soil.
In our society we blame teachers when students fail; a child brings home a D, and parents call the school rather than chastise the child. But says we must "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." On the day of Christ Jesus you won't be able to say, "It's Pastor Miles' fault."
Correcting the Perspective
Verse 4: "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" Here Paul defines the problem—they were still worldly, filled with jealous divisions that led to contention. The inward heart attitude was jealousy; the outward manifestation was quarreling. The life of an infant is almost totally self-centered—and these were spiritual infants. They had the wrong focus, so Paul gives them the right perspective.
Verses 5–11: "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed... I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase... For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building... I have laid the foundation... but let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Division in the church always stems from wrong preoccupations—focus on yourself or on others. Gain the right perspective—the Lord—and things come into line. Whatever any of us is enabled to do in the church is an undeserved gift from God's hand: the one teaching from this pulpit, the one in youth or children's ministry, the one sweeping the parking lot. They have received grace from God and been gifted to do it. Paul says he and Apollos are ministers "by whom you believed," not "in whom you believed." All they did was point to Jesus, and God gave the increase. The work is God's; He gives the work and fashions the gifts. Different workers receive different gifts for different tasks, but it's all God's work, and we are one in Christ.
Instruments in God's Hands
The workers are merely instruments. When Yo-Yo Ma plays a wonderful concert and receives a standing ovation, no one carries his cello out for everyone to applaud the instrument. If I took his cello, I'd struggle to hold it or sustain a single note. It's not the instrument. Paul and Apollos were united in God's work, so the Corinthians ought not to be divided over the workers.
"Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." Notice: You are God's—His possession. This is not my church. You are not my disciples—thank God. This is not my pulpit. This is God's church, and you are disciples of Christ; He is our focus. God has graciously allowed me to serve in this capacity for now, but it's His work, and being able to do it is according to His grace—the same grace by which Paul, Apollos, Pastor Mark, Eric, Richard, and all our leaders serve. Every one of us serves at the pleasure of the Lord because of His grace.
A Demonstration the World Can See
God has called us to be examples of Him in this world. If our lives are dominated by trash and sin, the world rightly looks at those labeled Christians—Christ-like—and calls us hypocrites. So we must change. The world needs to see a proper demonstration of the power of God in God's people, especially in Southern California, where God's Word and churches are abundant. As Richard would say, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a church in Escondido, and you can't drive without seeing a fish on the back of a car.
But when was the last time your unbelieving family, coworkers, and friends saw a proper demonstration of honesty, integrity, self-control, joy, and love—the fruit of the Spirit—and said, "I don't see that anywhere else"? Would to God that would be the testimony of our lives. And it will only happen if we do what Scripture says: crucify the flesh.
Paul boils it down in . If you have a problem with lying, stop lying and tell the truth. If you have a problem with anger, don't do that. If you have a problem with stealing, stop, get a job, and give to those in need. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying." If you speak in a dirty way, apply the theology of Thumper: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Even a fool is thought wise when he keeps his mouth shut, says Proverbs. Would to God that the people of this city and county would see a demonstration of the power of God in and through His followers. Amen.
Closing Prayer
Father, I know that Your Word can be hard sometimes. Your Word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword; it cuts deep and divides between joint and marrow, soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. I know that even now the enemy is sowing discord in the hearts of some here, whispering, "I didn't like that message. It ticked me off." Lord, I pray that You would bind the work of the enemy, and that we would receive with meekness Your implanted Word, which is able to transform our thinking. Transform us, I pray, Lord, that people would see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. For we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it, and neither yet are you now able. For you are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and walk as mere men? For while one says, "I am of Paul," and another says, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, and Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
So then neither is he that plants anything, neither is he that waters, but God that gives the increase. Now he that plants and he that waters are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are laborers together with God. You are God's husbandry. You are God's building.
According to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds thereupon. But let every man take heed how he builds thereupon, for other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Father, as we look into your word, we pray for your presence by your Spirit. We pray, Lord, a prayer of thanksgiving, knowing that wherever two or more are gathered, there you are in their midst. We pray, Lord, that you would give us wisdom, understanding, and application from the passage before us. God, in the areas where we need you to, we ask that you would rebuke gently, as you always do. In the areas, Lord, where we need to change, I pray that you'd give us strength and power by your Spirit to walk in the light as you are in the light. For we ask it in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen.
You can be seated. Two years ago, when I was given the opportunity to lead this fellowship as a senior pastor, it was right at the same time that my wife and I were expecting our first child. I have mentioned before how, at that time, I was more concerned about becoming a father than becoming the pastor of the church. Both tasks are filled with responsibility, but there was something about becoming a father that weighed heavily upon me. Perhaps you dads here can relate to that feeling.
Now, Ethan is almost two; he'll be two in October. Addison is around six or seven months old. I can say now, without hesitation, that I love being a dad. It's a great blessing to watch your children. Children are a gift from the Lord. Amen? Amen. The Scriptures make that very clear. Watching your children grow, listening to them laugh and play, and enjoying the funny things they do—because they do quite a lot of funny things—is just a great blessing. It's very, very special. A baby that looks like a baby and acts like a baby is a wonderful joy. An adult who acts like a baby is a tragedy.
The church at Corinth had just this problem. The adults in the church at Corinth, in spiritual terms, were acting like babies. As we come to chapter 3, Paul addresses this particular issue. It is certainly the desire that every Christian would grow to maturity, and that is actually one of the primary focuses and missions of our church here at Calvary. We want every believer to be equipped and grow to a mature place in their walk with the Lord. Really, it ought to be the desire of every pastor, because that is part of the call of the pastor, of the minister.
In and 12, Paul says that God is the one who ordained apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The reason for that ordination is given in verse 12, where he says, "For the perfecting of the saints, or the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
I would venture to guess that each one of us is moved with compassion when we see someone who is handicapped by mental or physical retardation. However, the issue of spiritual retardation should not have the same effect. It certainly didn't with the Apostle Paul. When Paul heard about the carnal condition of the Corinthian believers, he was not moved with compassion.
He was moved rather with concern and grief. We read in verse 1 of , "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual." This seems to imply that Paul wanted to be able to write a letter of encouragement, a letter of exhortation to a spirit-filled group of disciples, but he couldn't. He had to write a letter of rebuke. Most of this letter is filled with rebuke to a church that, in many ways, although they had evidence of the Spirit of God working in them, was filled with carnality.
Now, he is at least a bit gracious in dealing with the Corinthians. He says at the beginning of verse 1, "And I, brethren." He recognized that they were brothers in the Lord, but he also speaks very forthrightly in addressing the fact that they were not where they should have been in their walk, in their journey with Christ. They were not in the place they should have been. Just as the author of the book of Hebrews says to the Hebrew Christians in , the same problem was found at Corinth.
This, of course, ought to immediately cause us to consider whether or not we, ourselves, sitting in this church in the year 2010, are where we ought to be in our walk with the Lord. I remember some years ago, I was struggling with a certain form in Taekwondo. I do martial arts. As I was struggling with one of these basic forms a number of years ago, I remember my instructor saying to me, "Miles, you are exactly where you should be for the amount of time and effort you put in." That rang so true with me at the moment. At that time, I had only been doing martial arts for a short period.
He said, "You're exactly where you should be for the amount of time and effort you put in." Although he was speaking about martial arts, it immediately resonated with me on a discipleship level, in our walk with the Lord. As you look at your life, as I look at my life, as it relates to our walk with the Lord today, we are exactly where we should be according to the amount of time and effort that we have put in.
But effort, I would emphasize, because there are some who sit in the chairs of a church that, although they've been saved for 10, 20, or maybe even 30 years, still struggle with the same life-dominating sins that they struggled with the day before they prayed to receive Christ.
And although they have put in a lot of time, they have not sought to walk in the way that the Lord would call them to walk. Essentially, they are still babes in Christ, as were many at the church in the city of Corinth. Paul says, "I could not speak to you as spiritual." Remember, there in verses 14 and 15 of chapter 2, Paul addressed the different conditions of man. He spoke about the spiritual man in verse 15: "He that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." He spoke of the natural man in verse 14: "But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned."
We see these two different conditions. There is the natural man, which is the non-believing individual, one who has not been born again by the Spirit of God and has not put their faith and confidence in Jesus Christ for salvation. They do not even understand the things of the Spirit. Then there is the spiritual man, that individual who has been renewed by the Holy Spirit and has the indwelling Spirit in their lives. We are told in verse 16 of chapter 2 that they also have the mind of Christ. This means that because of the Spirit of God dwelling in them, they can do the things that God has called them to. Because of the mind of Christ abiding in them, they know just what it is that God has called them to do. As they walk in the Spirit, the spiritual man will glorify the Lord.
However, although the Corinthians had the indwelling Holy Spirit, they were not living and walking in the Spirit. Therefore, Paul says, "You are carnal." They were living as babes in Christ. They were cognizant of spiritual things and even desiring and dabbling in things of the Spirit, but they were dominated by the things of the flesh.
In a setting as large as ours here on a Sunday morning, especially at Second Service, all three categories are found. There may be among us today some who are still in the category of the natural man. You do not know the Lord, do not have a relationship with Him, and do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Many of the things from the Scriptures confuse you and do not make sense; they are hard to discern. But then, in our midst, there are those who would be called spiritual. They are not spiritual because of their amazing power to do the things of God, but because of the indwelling Holy Spirit in them. Unfortunately,
There are also those in our midst today who would be called carnal. They have an understanding of the things of the Spirit because the Spirit of God dwells in them, but they are babes in Christ. The idea of babes in Christ is an interesting one because every single one of us has been at that stage. Every believer and follower of Jesus Christ goes through a period of time where they would be classified as a babe in Christ. They have a desire to obey God and to do the things that glorify Him. Yet, they find themselves unable to do so because the power of the flesh in their lives seems to dominate. Unfortunately, there are some who stay in that condition for far too long.
Many wonder if there is even such a thing as a carnal Christian. I will personally admit that I don't like the label "carnal Christian" because I think it provides a category wherein some people feel content to stay. I've counseled with some individuals over the years in ministry, and they will even confess openly, "I recognize I'm a carnal Christian, and I guess that's just the way I'm going to be." Far be it from the case! God forbid that anyone would ever be content to dwell in a place where they say, "I am a carnal Christian."
Again, I don't really care for the label "carnal Christian." I would much rather say that that individual is what we would call a babe in Christ. However, we ought not to stay in that place. Paul reveals in that to be carnally minded is death. The carnal mind is at enmity with God, and those who are of the flesh cannot please God. We have a desire to please God, so if we continue on in the flesh, we cannot please Him. What you find is a person who experiences some of the benefits of being a follower of Jesus, but they find themselves in a deflated, despairing Christian condition.
This whole discussion brings up an important issue regarding the nature of salvation. I don't think there's a Christian I know who is not thankful this morning for the fact that they have been saved from the penalty of sin. Are we not thankful today that we have been saved from the penalty of sin? The prophet Isaiah, in , says, "All we like sheep have gone astray."
We've turned everyone to his own way. Each one of us here today deserves the judgment and the punishment of the God that we've sinned against. But God laid upon Jesus all of my guilt and all of your shame there on the cross 2,000 years ago, so that we could be saved from the penalty of sin. He bore the punishment for our sin, and we have been justified.
Well, not only are we as Christians thankful that we've been justified this morning, but we are looking forward, are we not, to the day when we shall be saved from the presence of sin? When this corruption puts on incorruption, when this mortality puts on immortality, we will be glorified in the presence of the Lord. We're all looking forward to that day. He, there on the cross, dealt with our sin. The penalty for our sin is taken care of. In His resurrection, we receive the power to be raised with Him into newness of life as well. We shall be saved from the presence of sin in the future and be glorified.
However, the fact that we've been saved from the penalty of sin and that we will be saved from the presence of sin does not mean that our struggle with sin has ended. Really, it is the Christian who has been justified who now recognizes that there is such a struggle against sin. While sin no longer reigns in the Christian, it does remain, and it must be dealt with. Thus, there is a struggle. Because of the work of Christ, you and I, as spirit-filled Christians, now have the ability in Him to be victorious. Paul even says in that we can be more than conquerors in Christ over sin.
In this life, there is a battle going on between the world, the flesh, and the devil. If you came out of the Episcopal Church, you know the Book of Common Prayer. It is there in the Book of Common Prayer that one of the petitions states, "From fornication, and from all other deadly sin, and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil, spare us, good Lord." The Christian rightly cries out to God and says, "God, spare us from the world, the flesh, and the devil," because the Christian recognizes there is a conflict. But if this morning you do not see a conflict,
If you are not experiencing the conflict between the world, the flesh, and the devil, it's because of one of two possibilities. Either, one, you're not saved, and you don't even realize that there is such a conflict, or, number two, you're carnal. You've basically given in to the desires of your flesh, and you just kind of figure, well, I guess this is just the way it's going to be. Not so. At least, that's not the abundant life that Jesus desires for you and me to experience.
The devil, in cunning fashion, uses the things of this world to tempt us at the flesh level so that we would sin against God. The devil comes and says to you, he says to me, "If you would just lighten up on some of these Christian things, then you could really have a good life." He says, "If you weren't so scrupulous about honesty, I could help you become really rich. If you weren't so concerned about fidelity, I could help you to have some relationships that would just knock your socks off. If you weren't so concerned about purity, I could take you to some places that you wouldn't believe."
The devil isn't going away, and as far as I can tell, the world is going to be around a bit longer. Thus, if we're going to be victorious in this battle, we need to crucify our old, wicked flesh—the sin that remains—and we need to utilize the full armor of God described in through 18, especially the shield of faith, which will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. Otherwise, we will not be victorious, church. The battle is very real.
Some of you this morning are experiencing the great victory that we have in Christ, while others of you are extremely defeated in the area of the flesh. You cannot merely say, "The devil made me do it," because every sin is an inside job. "The devil made me do it" is at least a cop-out and, at most, a lie. The Apostle James, in , points this out when he says, "But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed." The enemy comes.
He dangles the temptations of this world before you and me. In that moment, when that temptation is before us, we make a choice: whether or not we are going to follow after the things of sin, or whether we are going to renounce those evil things, reject the devil, draw near to God, and the devil will flee from us. We have a choice to make at that very moment.
Some may ask, "What do you mean we have a choice?" Listen, the natural man, the person who does not have the abiding Holy Spirit, has no choice. They are a slave to sin. However, you and I have a choice not to sin. Just like Moses, in , there in the hall of faith, it says in that Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
I won't lie to you this morning; there is pleasure that can be found in sin, but it's for a season. It's temporary pleasure. As Christians, we have a choice to make. Will we go and enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, which draw us away from the presence of the Lord and away from fellowship with Him? Or will we choose to perhaps suffer in the flesh and crucify our flesh so that we might enjoy the abundant life that Christ gives?
If you are not enjoying the abundant life of Christ today, it is not because He is holding it back from you; it is because your sin is hindering you from your God. God desires you to enjoy that abundant life. A passage you all know well, which we studied some months ago, is in . It is very important in this area when Paul speaks about the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. He says in , "This I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. These are contrary to one another, so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. You see, it is just that simple. If you and I choose to walk in the flesh, we will live carnally and we will sin. If we walk in the Spirit, we have the ability to glorify God.
By the power of God's Holy Spirit given to us, we must daily, and sometimes on a minute-by-minute basis, denounce and reject sin. That means we might walk in holiness before God.
We are not saved by our holiness, but because we are saved, we ought to walk in holiness. Why? So that this world might see and know what it really is to be a follower of Jesus Christ. What's the most common thing that we hear from unbelievers about the church? What is their hindrance from the church? They often say that the church is full of hypocrites. And rightly so, because in many ways, although we speak against smoking cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and drinking alcohol, we are filled with gluttony, greed, and all kinds of other issues.
Paul says to the church at Corinth in verse 2 of chapter 3, "I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it; neither yet are you now able." It is actually right to give the new believer, the one we would call a babe in Christ, the milk of the Word. The Apostle Peter, in , says to the newborn Christian, "Desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby."
However, Paul makes a distinction between the milk of God's Word and the meat of God's Word, as does the author of the book of Hebrews. We have to wonder, what exactly is the difference between milk and meat? It is not that meat represents new doctrine; rather, it is a more full or deeper understanding of the already established doctrines.
Let me give you an example. The week after you first became a Christian, after you realized that you were now saved, do you remember when you went to a friend, family member, or co-worker to tell them about your salvation? They might have asked, "Well, tell me about this whole thing." You tried to explain, but you stumbled over your words, and all you could basically get out was, "I once was lost, and now I see." And you know what? That's true. You have been saved. You were lost; you were blind. But now you have been found, and you see.
After you have walked with the Lord for a period of time and have sat under the teaching of the Word of God, you begin to recognize that salvation—the doctrine of salvation—is much deeper than that initial understanding. You start to see that salvation speaks of justification, sanctification, and glorification. You realize that you have been saved from the penalty of sin, that you are being saved from the power of sin, and although you deal with sin...
And struggle with sin right now, I am being saved from its power in my life. The meat of the word is where we begin to more deeply dig into God's word and draw near to Him and the relationship that we have. Paul says to the church at Corinth, "When I first came to you, I fed you milk, and that's right. But I want to be able to take you on to meat, but you're not able to bear it. You're not ready for it."
When Paul first encountered the Christians there in Corinth, they did need milk. However, quite a bit of time has passed—at least four years and probably six years—since Paul shared the gospel with the believers there. He says, "You're still not ready." What is it that has hindered them?
There may have been some in the church at Corinth, when they were hearing this letter being read to them, who opposed Paul. They may have said, "Wait one minute, Paul. What evidence do you give that we're not ready for meat? We're following the Lord. We're leading church services. We're having times of communion and fellowship with the Lord. We're experiencing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We're speaking in tongues. We're prophesying. How can you possibly say we're not ready for solid food?"
Paul continues in verse three, "For you are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and walk as mere men?"
You see, there were all sorts of good things going on at the church at Corinth, but they were spiritually immature. For all intents and purposes, they were playing church. They were getting drunk at communion services. They were coveting the positions and the spiritual gifts of others within the fellowship. They were filled with envy, divisions, and strife. Paul says, "The evidence that I see leads me to believe that you are carnal. Are you not yet carnal and walk as mere men? You're walking just like natural men and not believers, although you have the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in your life."
Babies in the nursery are absolutely adorable, especially mine. An adult in diapers is a different story.
With a pacifier is a tragedy. Although they had been believers for a period of time, they were still carnal and fleshly. You see, elapsing time does not equal maturity. Just occupying a seat in a church for 10 or 20 years does not mean that you are an elder in the church or that you are mature in Christ or have any authority in Christ to lead, although God desires that you do so.
Now, the word that Paul uses for carnal is the Greek word "sarkikos." It means fleshly and is characterized by the flesh. It speaks of one who ought to walk differently but does not. It describes someone who, although spirit-filled, is controlled by the instinctive and fleshly animal appetites of the natural man.
We within the body of Christ, who can discern spiritual things, recognize that God created man separate from animals. He created them distinct and in His image. He breathed into them the breath of life and gave them a spirit with which they could commune with God the Father. However, the natural man thinks that man is just the highest form of all evolved creatures. In reality, the natural man, apart from Christ, is just that—fulfilling instinctive, fleshly, animal appetites.
When someone cuts them off on the freeway, what do they do? They instinctively react, and you can see it. But the Christian, when someone cuts us off on the freeway, what do we do? Unfortunately, I won't even go any further. Paul says, "You walk as men. You walk as mere men." Notice he does not say, "You are mere men." He just says, "You're walking as mere men." His clear implication is that they were not mere men.
But what exactly does it mean to be more than a mere man? The Christian is born again by the Spirit of God, born anew by God. Therefore, the Christian has the indwelling Holy Spirit, the mind of Christ, God's word written upon their hearts, and God's power flowing through their lives so that they can and should do the things.
That please God. We can and should do the things that please Him. When we don't, it's because we've made a decision not to, not because we're unable to.
You see, there was envying, strife, and divisions in Corinth. The lack of unity in the church was not due to a lack of understanding or ability. They had the ability; they had spiritual discernment. It wasn't because they didn't have good teaching or a wrong foundation. Paul was a master builder, and he built a strong foundation. It was a spiritual problem. They were fleshly and allowed fleshly things to remain in their lives. They didn't cut those things off or crucify them. They didn't reckon those things dead, and therefore, they were choosing to be overrun by the things of the flesh in their lives. The spiritual things had been crowded out.
Paul's counsel to them is the same counsel we see throughout the New Testament, often returning to the pattern or topic of removing the trash that new life can come. This is the very same thing that happened in the book of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah came to the city of Jerusalem, which had been torn down in the 6th century B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar and the armies of Babylon, he returned and found a city filled with trash. What was the first thing they had to do? They had to clean things out, build up the walls, and clean it out, or else they couldn't see new growth. This pattern is seen throughout the New Testament.
Turn in your Bibles to the book of James, right after the book of Hebrews. , beginning at verse 19. The apostle James says, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren," notice James is speaking to Christians. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. For the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God." In other words, when you're driving down the freeway and someone cuts you off, and you're yelling at them out the window and showing some sign language, there's none of God's righteousness there. It's not there; it's all you.
At that moment, the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God. Wherefore, what ought we to do? Well, in verse 21, we are instructed to lay apart all filthiness and all superfluity of naughtiness, or overflow of naughtiness, and to receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. Underline the word "souls" there. You have to remove the trash before you can receive the engrafted word that is able to save your souls.
But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. We may classify this passage as a put-off, put-on passage. James is saying to put off this stuff and put on that. Paul does the same thing in . Lay aside all the trash and receive the word of God, which is able to save your soul.
Now, he is speaking to saved individuals, those who have been justified by the grace of God. God has dealt with the penalty of sin. They are on their way to heaven, where they will be glorified. However, right here and now, we need to be saved at the soul level. What does that mean? It is the very same thing Paul addresses in , where he says in verse 2 that you need to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may be able to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
You see, our mind needs to be transformed so that we can display to this world what God intends us to be like. Here, he says the implanted word will save your souls. It will sanctify your soul, which is that area where your feelings, desires, affections, will, intellect, and emotions reside.
Then he says you need to be doers of the word, not hearers only. Hearing the word taught is not the same as doing or applying God's word. If you think that you are going to become a spiritually mature adult in Christ by coming here for an hour and a half a week, it will not happen. You cannot imbibe the world's mentality day after day, flirt with the devil, play with prevalent evil, and dilly-dally with moral filth, and expect that as a result of a worship experience for an hour and a half on a Sunday, all the hours in a day and all the days in a week of all the junk that you receive in this world will be negated.
You're not going to experience spiritual maturity if you're just living on one day a week, receiving God's word into your life from somebody else who's spoon-feeding it to you. Peter picks up the same idea in , which is one book to the right of James. In verse 1, he says, "Wherefore, laying aside all malice and guile and hypocrisies and envying and all evil speaking, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."
If today you are a Christian because you've tasted of the gracious goodness of God, then, as a newborn babe, desire God's clean and sincere milk so that you would grow. However, before you can do that, you must lay aside all the junk in your life. You need to reckon it dead and crucify it so that you will be able to receive the sincere milk of the word. If you don't do the weeding first, by the power of God's Spirit and by a decision of your will, you can't plant the good seed of God's word, and you will not see growth.
If you fill yourself with the trash of this world all week long—and the trash of this world is prevalent; you can't escape it outside—then you can't expect that one feeding of God's word for 45 minutes to an hour on a Sunday morning will combat all the junk of this world. If you think that, welcome to adult spiritual diapers and the disappointed Christian life.
Are there any disappointed Christians here today? You don't need to raise your hand, but just think about it for a moment. Are you experiencing today the abundant life that God promises?
Are you experiencing the abundant life that Christ promised in , or are you being robbed by the enemy? He has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy. The pastors of this church, as well as many others in our area, can labor all week long to prepare a great meal of the Word of God. However, if you think that you will grow to maturity by having that spoon-fed to you, it’s not going to happen.
Hopefully, the Word of God taught here on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night will challenge you and stir you up, just as it did the Bereans, to search these things out and get to know the Lord and His Word individually in your own life. We must get rid of the junk so that we can receive the good food of God's Word and grow. The reality is this: growth is your responsibility. I can't make you grow. Pastor Richard, Pastor Mark, and Pastor Josh cannot make you grow. Just like a farmer cannot make the seed grow, he can provide good conditions for growth, but ultimately, it has to be good seed on good soil for it to grow strong.
In our society, we have a tendency to blame teachers when students don't succeed. When a child comes home with a D or an F, parents are more likely to call the school and complain to the teacher than to chastise their child. However, Paul makes it very clear in , that we have to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. On the day of Christ Jesus, when you stand before the Lord, you won't be able to say, "Well, you know, it's Pastor Miles' fault." No, that excuse won't work.
In fact, Paul says in verse 4, "For while one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another says, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not carnal?" Right here, he defines the problem. The issue was that they were still worldly, filled with jealous divisions that led to contention. The inward heart attitude was one of jealousy, and the outward manifestation was one of quarreling. The life of an infant is almost totally self-centered and selfish, and here you had spiritual infants. Although they had the gifts of the Spirit and were having church services, Paul says, "Listen, you’re carnal."
Sarkikos. You're filled with the flesh and dominated by the animal instincts of the flesh. The problem is that you've got the wrong focus. Paul seeks to give them the right focus, the right perspective. The issue was a wrong focus, and he emphasizes the importance of having the proper perspective.
In verse 5, Paul asks, "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos?" They are merely ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then, neither is he that plants anything, nor is he that waters, but God that gives the increase. Now, he that plants and he that waters are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are laborers together with God, and you are God's husbandry, you are God's field, you are God's building.
According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds thereupon. But let every man take heed how he builds thereupon, for no other foundation can any man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
How does Paul address the carnal divisions in Corinth? By correcting the perspective. Division within the church always stems from wrong preoccupations and wrong focuses. What I mean by that is if you're focused upon yourself or upon others, it will breed division. If we gain a right perspective, then things begin to come in line, and the right perspective is the Lord.
Paul amplifies that perspective by showing that whatever any of us is enabled to do within the church is an undeserved gift from God's hand. The person teaching from this pulpit, the person teaching in the youth ministry or the children's ministry, or the person sweeping the parking lot or cleaning the rooms before the services on a Friday evening, they have received grace from God to do that, and God has gifted them to do those things. They are all part of God's work.
Paul says, "Who is Paul? Who is Apollos?" They are ministers by whom you believe, not in whom you believed. All we did was point you to Jesus, and God was the one who gave the increase. The work is God's work. God is the one who gives the work, and He fashions the gifts for the workers to do the work. Different workers are assigned different gifts to accomplish different tasks.
Within the body of Christ, it is ultimately God's work. We are one in Christ, and He is the one who gives the increase. Ultimately, He is the one who gives the right reward. Therefore, the workers are merely instruments; we are instruments in God's hands.
When Yo-Yo Ma, the great cellist, plays a wonderful concert and there is a standing ovation at the end of it, it is because he is a master cellist. They do not have someone bring the cello out there and everyone goes, "Whoa, what a wonderful instrument! Yay!" If I got up there and took his cello, I would have a hard time even holding the thing and sustaining a single good note. So, it is not the instrument; the instrument is nothing but laborers together with God.
Paul and Apollos were united in God's work, and therefore Paul says we ought not to be divided over the workers, saying, "I am of Paul" or "I am of Apollos." You are God's field. You are God's building. Notice those three words: you are God's, meaning you are His possession. This is not my church; you are not my disciples. Thank God this is not my pulpit. This is God's church, and you are disciples of Christ. He is to be our focus.
For this time, God has graciously allowed me to serve in the capacity that He has called me to here, but it is His work. We are His workers, and being able to do that work is according to God's grace. What Paul did in Corinth was because of God's grace. What Apollos did in Corinth was because of God's grace. What I do, what Pastor Mark does, what Eric does, what Richard does, and what all the pastors, elders, and leaders of this church do is because of God's grace. We serve at the pleasure of the Lord and because of His grace—every single one of us.
We need to recognize that God has called us to be examples of Him here in this world. If our lives are dominated by trash and sin, then the world rightly looks at those who are labeled Christians, that is, Christ-like, and says, "You're a hypocrite." Therefore, we have to change. The world needs to see a proper demonstration of the power of God.
and God's people, especially in a place like Southern California where God's word and the number of churches are abundant. You can't swing a dead cat, as Richard would say, without hitting a church in Escondido. It's hard to drive down the street without seeing a fish on the back of a car.
But when was the last time your unbelieving family members, coworkers, and the people you enjoy life with saw a proper demonstration of honesty, integrity, self-control, joy, love—the fruit of the Spirit? When was the last time they recognized it and said, "Man, I don't see that anywhere else"? Would to God that that would be the testimony of our lives. The only way that can happen is if we do what the Scripture says. The Scripture says to crucify your flesh.
Paul boils it down in . He says, "Hey, if you have a problem with lying, stop lying and tell the truth. If you have a problem with getting angry, don't do that. If you have a problem with stealing, stop stealing, get a job, and give to those who have need." That's what Paul says. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is useful for the edifying of the hearers.
If you have a problem speaking in a dirty way, I encourage you today to apply the theology of Thumper: if you ain't got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. And God will be glorified. Even a fool is thought wise, Proverbs says, when he keeps his mouth shut. Would to God that the people of this city, this county, would see a demonstration of the power of God in and through His followers. Amen?
Amen. Let's stand and pray. Father, I know that your word can be hard sometimes. Your word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts deep and divides between joint and marrow, soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. I know that even at this very moment, the enemy, the devil...
Sowing discord in the hearts of some here in this place, the enemy is speaking into the ears of some, saying, "I didn't like that message. That message bugged me. That ticked me off."
Lord, I pray that you would bind the work of the enemy and that we would receive with meekness your implanted word, which is able to transform our thinking. Transform us, I pray, Lord, that people would see our good works and glorify our Father, which is in heaven.
For we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you.
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