Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The Carnal Christian Heresy

Hebrews 12:14 (New American Standard Bible)New American Standard Bible (NASB)Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
14(A)Pursue peace with all men, and the (B)sanctification without which no one will (C)see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14 (English Standard Version)English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
14(A) Strive for peace with everyone, and for the(B) holiness(C) without which no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14 (New King James Version)New King James Version (NKJV)Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

Question: Where would the so called "carnal Christian" stand here?

2 comments:

jazzycat said...

The carnal Christian stands in need of grace. He stands in need of regeneration. He stands in need of genuine faith. He stands in need of being indwelt and led by the Holy Spirit. In short, he stands in need of the same thing all unbelievers need.

mark pierson said...

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
-

To "Pursue", that is the call. As we are to pursue peace so are we to pursue holiness.

It comes down to the direction of the life and the regenerated nature of the believer. An athlete, one who truely is one to the core, will pursue fitness. It is his nature. Running, weight-lifting, practicing the moves, a careful diet - it is all his lifestyle. To have his routine interupted brings torment to his heart. Training is his life. He longs to be ready for the contest. He simply cannot have it any other way. It is his nature.

Now, think of the Spirit indwelt Christian. The pursuite of holiness is his new nature, as the pursuite of lust and pleasure was a part of the old nature. In his former days sin was what he lived for. Now it is different. Now he is a slave to God (Romans 6). The Spirit communicates all the benefits of Christ's crosswork to him, including writing God's law on the heart. Now the Spirit moves him to walk in God's ways, (Ezek. 36). For a professing Christian to continue to walk in fleshly ways all the time is to contradict the whole born from above experience.