What does the Bible teach about carnality in the Christian life?
Carnality is temporal death - separation from fellowship with God. Every time we as Christians give in to temptation and sin, we enter temporal death. It is not a loss of salvation but a loss of fellowship. Carnality is the opposite pole from spirituality, and Scripture describes the pair in several ways: filled by means of the Spirit versus controlled by the old sin nature; in the Spirit versus in the flesh; the energy of the Spirit versus the energy of the flesh; in fellowship versus out of fellowship. The remedy is confession and correction, and the danger is delay. When we sin we can always get back on track by confession. But the longer we refuse to confess, the farther adrift we go, and the harder it becomes to turn away from the distractions and entanglements that are so attractive to the natural man. Carnality left unchecked by confession leads into the more dangerous and destructive state of spiritual retreat, or reversion. At any given moment, a believer is either one hundred percent filled by the Spirit and therefore spiritual, or not filled at all and therefore carnal (1 Cor. 3:1–4; Gal. 5:16–17; 6:1).
Also asked, more loosely
Source: The Basics The Basics — Carnality (canonical doctrine) · Read this lesson in the book →
What this answer is about
Related questions
- What does the Bible teach about the soul, including its strengths and weaknesses, and how it relates to spiritual warfare and the filling of the Holy Spirit?Ephesians 4:17-19 · The Basics
- How can we live the Christian life and apply the Word of God to our daily lives?Ephesians 4:17-19 · The Basics
- What is spiritual retreat/reversion?Ephesians 4:17-19 · The Basics · Lesson 3–2: The Danger—Spiritual Retreat/Reversion
- What are the seven steps of reversion?Ephesians 4:17-19 · The Basics · Lesson 3–2: The Danger—Spiritual Retreat/Reversion
- What are the seven steps from spiritual retreat to recovery?Ephesians 4:17-19 · The Basics · Lesson 3–2: The Danger—Spiritual Retreat/Reversion
- Describe the sin of Ahithophel and its results.Ephesians 4:17-19 · The Basics · Lesson 3–2: The Danger—Spiritual Retreat/Reversion
- Were the adultery and murder committed by David any less serious than the sins of Ahithophel? Why did God’s treatment of the two men differ?Ephesians 4:17-19 · The Basics · Lesson 3–2: The Danger—Spiritual Retreat/Reversion
- How could Hushai remain loyal to David? Where did he learn this kind of loyalty?Ephesians 4:17-19 · The Basics · Lesson 3–2: The Danger—Spiritual Retreat/Reversion
See also
- What is the nature of sin?Same lesson · The Basics
- What does the Bible teach about freedom?Same lesson · The Basics
- What is the spiritual significance of letting God do great things in our lives?Same lesson · The Basics
- What does the Bible teach about death?Same lesson · The Basics
- What is the spiritual life?Same lesson · The Basics
- What is the role of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life?Same lesson · The Basics
Scripture this answer rests on
Where this is taught in the book
Lesson 2–3: The Commission—Evangelism
Lesson 1–4: The Power—The Holy Spirit
Scripture is not BTBM’s to license: the references above link to Blue Letter Bible (NASB95), and the verse text shown on this page is served by BLB under their own license and terms.
