My Carnal Behavior

The word “carnal” brings specific sins to my mind. When I hear the word I generally think of some sexual sin or desire. The word “carnal” is generally used in the New Testament to describe our flesh; so the sexual connotation of that word is not out of place. However today I was reading 1 Corinthians 3 and was intrigued by Paul’s description of carnality. He uses the words “envying and strife,”

This definition of carnality instantly caught my attention. Carnal behaviors are activities we engage in to serve our flesh. It’s fascinating to me when I read a verse that completely changes my view of a word. When I read about being carnal that’s what happened.

The Corinthian church was one that should have matured in Christ but had stunted growth. This was because they were indulging in their flesh. Paul points out their carnality by listing a few specific sins.

Envy

As we read through 1 Corinthians we see that as a church body they were jealous of each other’s gifts. They wanted to have the gifts they deemed superior instead of gladly accepting the gift the Holy Spirit had given each on individually. I think this could be a problem in our modern church as well. How often do jealousies run wild when someone is put in charge of a ministry?

Strife

The verses continue to detail a situation where the Corinthian church was arguing about who led them to the Lord, Paul or Apollos? Fighting over which person they were going to pledge their allegiance to. The focus should have been on God, the spiritual. Instead of fighting over who their allegiance should have been to, their focus should have on serving Christ. We cannot serve God and man.

In this passage we see that being carnal is when we live for our flesh. God is Spirit and He sent us the Holy Spirit. We must be mindful that we serve God and not our flesh. We are His temple.

In Old Testament times the people would go through painstaking rituals to purify and make the temple holy. They would not dare come to the Lord dirty or sinful. Yet as a church that is what the Corinthians were doing. They were coming to the Lord dirty and the Lord was not pleased. God is Holy. He makes Himself available to us at anytime but He requires holiness from us.

As we live our lives we must be mindful of the holiness of God. When we accept Christ he lives in us. Our temples should be holy and set apart. God cannot dwell in or reward a flesh minded temple.

This convicts me. I point a finger in my mind at those who choose to live in what often is considered the really bad sins like adultery and fornication. Yet scripture calls me carnal when I am jealous of another Christian or when I stir up fights. This sin might be easier to hide but is just as devastating to my spiritual condition. I encourage you today to think about your body as God’s temple. Let Him transform you so that you can be filled with His Spirit and your life will count for eternity.