Spiritual or Carnal?

1Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? (1 Corinthians 3)

Thoughts: The Corinthians believed, and had spiritual gifts, but they did not focus on the Spirit.  In Romans 8:9 Paul tells us "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." There is little doubt these folks had Christ, but the Spirit was dormant.  The Spirit keeps popping out in spiritual gifts, but was being quenched by their immorality and divisiveness.  What this tells us is that just because someone is a Christian it doesn't mean they do not have more growing to do- or that they are somehow made perfect.  Becoming a Christian is not the same as being perfected in heaven.  Paul was saying, we must be fed a little bit at a time until we can handle the growth that should take place.  The Corinthians were called worldly (carnal- KJV) not because they were all doing terrible things- but that they were divisive, jealous, and quarrelsome.  In the American church we often value right belief in every way as opposed to loving each other.  Similarly, people who talk about spiritual gifts to the destruction and detriment of the church, are not in step with the spirit.  We need the grace (charis) of patience in right belief, the grace of spiritual gifts (charismata), and the grace to turn away from the flesh and toward the Spirit.  We are called to not just have spiritual gifts, but to be filled with the Spirit.  Paul writes to those who are sanctified and calling on the name of Jesus (1 Coir. 1:2).  They are made holy because they have the Holy Spirit in them (1 Cor. 3:16), and this is evident when they come together for worship.  But they had a problem coming together.  In the American Church, we have a problem coming together- and thus we quench the Spirit.  The more we stay away from worship  and the more divisive we become, the more carnal we become.  Yes, it is possible for Christians- even those who have the Spirit- to be carnal and ignore the Spirit.  To be filled with the Spirit especially means to be filled with the greatest gift of all- love (1 Cor. 13:1).  I am convinced that a great part of being a Christian is loving the unlovable- those who are hard to love.  I am also convinced that most of us are hard to love.  Our sinfulness and carnality get in the way.  But when we are filled with the Spirit we love freely and learn to love the unlovable (as Christ loves us).  

Prayer: Lord, help me to love others and to live in step with your Spirit.