They both should fear hell! This may be a very unpopular post due to the huge movement of the “carnal” Christian, who by every standard of scripture is a “non-believing” Christian. This doctrine does the local church and those who live the “carnal Christian” life a great harm. It gives them assurance that they shouldn’t have and it weakens the sanctification and ongoing pursuit of practical holiness in the local church. It has no bearing on the Universal Church, because she is made up of the regenerate and have no fear of hell, because of the finished work of her husband, namely Jesus the Christ. However, those who live in opposition to God’s word as a lifestyle must only be assured of one thing, that they are ENEMIES of God, never given a new heart, and that the wrath of God remains upon them. My good buddy Tyris and I have been spending some time studying the book of Hebrews and the book has proven to be a book of warnings. The warnings start in Chapter 2 and work their way out throughout the rest of the book. Hitting high points in Chapter 6 and Chapter 10, lets look at Chapter 10:
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
These are common verses used by Armenians to reject the Doctrine of Eternal Security. I can see how Armenians have such a huge problem with this doctrine. OSAS has become a foundation to defend the very dangerous teaching of Carnal Christianity! I believe however that the Armenians have it wrong. They are under the assumption that the individual described here are the regenerate of God. I disagree. The true mark of a Christian is one who perseveres, grows in holiness, loves the body, and lives a life of repentance and brokenness before his Master! But that is a different argument. I want to dialogue with those who hold to this carnal Christian position.
The writer makes it clear that those who deliberately sin after understanding the gospel have only one thing to expect “JUDGMENT AND A FURY OF CONSUMING FIRE”. These individuals are put in the same category as an adversary (enemy). The true believer is called a child and in John 5:24 Christ makes clear that “they will never come under judgment”. Listen to me carefully, the carnal Christian is the person, who wants nothing to do with Christ as it comes to his life, he only wants a “get out of hell free” card or what we call Fire Insurance. The only problem is they don’t want to pay the premium. Relationship, reproof, admonishment, discipline, and obedience are far off. He wants to take God on his own terms and God does not bargain! This individual makes a mockery of Christ and his accomplished work on the cross. It is hard for me to read 1 John, Galatians 5, Ephesians 3-4, Colossians 4, Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 5, 2 Thessalonians 1, Revelation and James and not get a clear view that God will deal with those who enjoy disobeying him. How someone can say “well they believe the gospel, but they just don’t want to make him Lord” is very puzzling to me. In Romans 6 Paul says:
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I think this comes from a very bad view of Romans 7. Most believe Romans 7 to be the life of a Christian struggling with sin. I disagree with this wholeheartedly. The language in Romans 6 as it relates to freedom and Romans 8 as it relates to not being under the flesh, seems to be clear that Paul is not talking about someone who is a believer, but one trying to live by the law through his own power (the whole argument of Paul from 3-8). But that is also another blog. What I am saying is this. There is not a lick of evidence of a carnal Christian in scripture. Paul tells the Corinthians to examine themselves and he warns the others that those who live in opposition to obedience will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 1 John scores the winning run with a Grand Slam in which the Apostle clarifies what the marks of a true Christian are. I pray that you will read the verses provided and to approach the scripture without your theological presuppositions. The carnal Christian is a common view held among many great teachers, but one I believe is very misleading.
Final thoughts and Exhortaion
If you read this and your life is defined by rebellion against the commands of God, please know that judgment is on the horizon. If your heart is hard against the sweetness of God’s commands, or the commands of God are bitter upon your tongue, it is most likely that you have been given a new heart and that you are not of the family of God. If you teach this doctrine, please search the scriptures before you write me off. No Christian is going to live perfectly but those who have been born again, pursue holiness with reckless abandon! Carrying our cross becomes a daily pursuit and a love for the world becomes hate. God has given us His Spirit and the Spirit is not powerless in our lives. He comes to do more than seal us; He also comes to conform us. There are many warnings in scripture and this one rings loud throughout its pages. I believe the picture above is false teaching based off the clear teaching of scripture. God bless.
4 comments:
Praise God for this brother Woods. This is something my wife and I having been searching the scriptures for lately.
Is it possible to be defined as a carnal Christian if you have fallen off for many years and have come back to the Lord? I say no according to the bible, but there are people we know that have made their stance that there is such a thing. The scripture Luke 15 is used to support their long length of supposedly backsliding. By the Word it makes no sense how you can backslide in lets say homosexuality for several years and come back to the Lord Jesus Christ. The question would be were you ever born again in the first place?
My wife took a fall (so to speak) when I met her. She left me so we wouldn't get married and started hanging in the clubs. I had to trust the Lord Jesus Christ because I had never seen anything like this before. But a month later we were making plans again to get married. She testified to me that even in her so called backslidden state, she hated being in the club. She still had the desire to do God's will. People and professing Christians would tell her to leave the club because it was not were a "woman like her" belonged. I am thankful to God He got out her out. The point is it was not 3 years she was in the club. I am asking, if she was 3 years in there, is she a carnal Christian? Thank you and may grace of Christ Jesus be with you.
Yes, sir. I can say that until earlier this year, I believed that a Christian could lose their salvation. I had rejected OSAS on the basis of Hebrews 6:1-8 and Hebrews 10:26-29. I still don't like the phrase OSAS because, as you say, it is deceptive for those who have "raised a hand" or "prayed a prayer" but have no evidence of a life that is change.
I did not understand that TRUE believers were kept by Christ's power. I was under the impression that my part of the salvation equation was half when it is actually ZERO!
He does the work, and how grateful I am that he does for I continue to fail, yet believe (trust in, rely on, adhere to) Him.
Busy week bro, didn't get a chance to read this until now. It is an execllent estimation of the carnal christian and how they are trying to fit into the fold without a surrendered life. Good job bro, marvelous!!!
Good words, Brother Lionel! Paul talks about Christian liberty, but Christian liberty should NEVER be used to justify unrighteousness. As such, we should seek God's judgment on us now for our sanctification that we may grow as a stalk of wheat lest we be judged later and found to be a tare.
I fell off when I was a young adult, but God was faithful to bring me back. He sent brothers to me in the desert (literally and figuratively) to guide me to crack a Bible open and study it with them.
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