Many Christians love to point
out the sins of sexual immorality, theft, abortion and drunkenness in others.
They think that God is pleased with them because they do not commit such sins.
However, many of them are full of carnality, living very carnal and worldly
lives as evident in their mindset, thinking, attitudes and outlook on life -
and they do not even know how carnal they are.
The truth is that many Christians live outwardly respectable lives, lives where one has never been involved in sexual immorality, drunkenness, abortion, or theft. However, their lifestyle demonstrates that they are full of the love of self, love of pleasure and the love of mammon. Indeed, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 has prophecised about such vile people:
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
(2 Timothy 3:1-5)
The vast majority of professing Christians are in debt. The vast majority of professing Christians have no problem with charging usury. The vast majority of professing Christians who are married are practicing birth control or contraception. Many professing Christians think that they are nothing wrong with engaging in marital sexual relations purely for pleasure, as if using marriage as a canopy for lust is justified. Many professing Christians think that divorce is justified where one person has made one unhappy, upset or angry, instead of seeking to forgive the other party.
Many professing Christians believe in the false doctrines of "rights", "liberty" and "equality", swallowing the worldly doctrines of liberalism, and treating it as normal and acceptable. Many professing Christians think that there is nothing wrong with following their own dreams, ambitions, visions and plans, and try to make God fit His Will into their dreams, ambition, visions and plans, rather than fit into His Will, Purpose and Plan for them.
All such beliefs and practices are worldly and carnal. Such beliefs and practices should make a true Servant of Christ feel extremely uncomfortable and uneasy because they are not right. What makes a person feel uncomfortable and uneasy reveals what they truly oppose in their hearts.
The other side of the coin is that many of these professing Christians feel uncomfortable and uneasy towards the non-sinful actions of others, just because they do not agree with it and think that anyone who is different from them is wrong on that basis, it challenges their pride, or goes against their personal desires or agenda. That is also carnality. It is carnal to think that people are sinful, unrighteous, unholy or wrong, simply because they are different from oneself with respect to that which is not sinful.
For example, to think that a person who does not attend your Bible study group is sinful, just because she does not attend the group you attend, is carnality. Treating a person as sinning just because of his hairstyle is one that you feel is too fashionable for you, is carnality. Regarding a person as unholy because he takes on a role in ministry that you personally think is inappropriate for him for which there is no Scriptural basis for the objection, is carnality. Treating a person as less righteous because he or she is not married, just because you feel uncomfortable about him or her being unmarried, and for which there is no Scripture imperative that he or she must marry, or proof that it is God's Will for him or her to do so, is carnality. Feeling uncomfortable at someone because she is working in a job which you believe she has no place in, for which there is no Scriptural objection, is carnality.
Indeed, carnality is very subtle. It does not necessarily manifest in a liberal attitude of openly doing what one wants and doing it. It can and does manifest in an attitude of despising, hating or disapproving of someone's action just because they challenge, disagree or question one's own actions, for which there is no Scriptural basis for one's objection.
Carnality is the pursue of one's own self-will. This includes disapproving of the non-sinful actions of others, just because such actions make one personally feel uncomfortable, uneasy or discomfort. Such is a very subtle form of self-will that masquerades as righteousness when it it not. True righteousness does not only hate the things God hates, and only love the things God loves. It only hates the things God hates and does not hate the things God does not hate, such as a Biblically sound Bible study group, a more fashionable hairstyle that may be too fashionable for some, being in a ministry position which the Word has never prohibited a person to hold, or to be unmarried. To hate the things which God does not hate and be filled with such disdain towards people who do such things is legalism.
Legalism is the most wicked form of carnality. It is not only subtle, but absolutely perverse. Legalism is perverse because it is to use the Law of God unlawfully, to justify one's own self-will. That is what makes legalism so vile, wicked and abominable. It is the attempt to use the Law of God to justify the desires of one's flesh, all while trying to maintain a false appearance of righteousness and lawfulness before God.
The only difference between those who use the Law of God to justify and legitimise the pursuit of the desires of their flesh, and those who totally disregard it, is that the former attempts to use the loopholes of the Law of God to justify the desires of his flesh, by minimising it, while the latter does not even bother with trying to do so but just brazenly pursues the desires of his flesh. Both are wicked, evil, carnal people in the sight of God.
Legalism is the root of all carnality that has a form of godliness (2 Timothy 3:5), where the Law of God is used and followed, not out of love for God, but in an attempt to justify oneself before God, while still seeking one's own self-will. Such so-called 'holiness' is false holiness. Carnality is a sin that is leading many professing Christians to Hell. For without holiness, no one shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
Repent, repent, repent. Turn to Jesus Christ.
The truth is that many Christians live outwardly respectable lives, lives where one has never been involved in sexual immorality, drunkenness, abortion, or theft. However, their lifestyle demonstrates that they are full of the love of self, love of pleasure and the love of mammon. Indeed, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 has prophecised about such vile people:
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
(2 Timothy 3:1-5)
The vast majority of professing Christians are in debt. The vast majority of professing Christians have no problem with charging usury. The vast majority of professing Christians who are married are practicing birth control or contraception. Many professing Christians think that they are nothing wrong with engaging in marital sexual relations purely for pleasure, as if using marriage as a canopy for lust is justified. Many professing Christians think that divorce is justified where one person has made one unhappy, upset or angry, instead of seeking to forgive the other party.
Many professing Christians believe in the false doctrines of "rights", "liberty" and "equality", swallowing the worldly doctrines of liberalism, and treating it as normal and acceptable. Many professing Christians think that there is nothing wrong with following their own dreams, ambitions, visions and plans, and try to make God fit His Will into their dreams, ambition, visions and plans, rather than fit into His Will, Purpose and Plan for them.
All such beliefs and practices are worldly and carnal. Such beliefs and practices should make a true Servant of Christ feel extremely uncomfortable and uneasy because they are not right. What makes a person feel uncomfortable and uneasy reveals what they truly oppose in their hearts.
The other side of the coin is that many of these professing Christians feel uncomfortable and uneasy towards the non-sinful actions of others, just because they do not agree with it and think that anyone who is different from them is wrong on that basis, it challenges their pride, or goes against their personal desires or agenda. That is also carnality. It is carnal to think that people are sinful, unrighteous, unholy or wrong, simply because they are different from oneself with respect to that which is not sinful.
For example, to think that a person who does not attend your Bible study group is sinful, just because she does not attend the group you attend, is carnality. Treating a person as sinning just because of his hairstyle is one that you feel is too fashionable for you, is carnality. Regarding a person as unholy because he takes on a role in ministry that you personally think is inappropriate for him for which there is no Scriptural basis for the objection, is carnality. Treating a person as less righteous because he or she is not married, just because you feel uncomfortable about him or her being unmarried, and for which there is no Scripture imperative that he or she must marry, or proof that it is God's Will for him or her to do so, is carnality. Feeling uncomfortable at someone because she is working in a job which you believe she has no place in, for which there is no Scriptural objection, is carnality.
Indeed, carnality is very subtle. It does not necessarily manifest in a liberal attitude of openly doing what one wants and doing it. It can and does manifest in an attitude of despising, hating or disapproving of someone's action just because they challenge, disagree or question one's own actions, for which there is no Scriptural basis for one's objection.
Carnality is the pursue of one's own self-will. This includes disapproving of the non-sinful actions of others, just because such actions make one personally feel uncomfortable, uneasy or discomfort. Such is a very subtle form of self-will that masquerades as righteousness when it it not. True righteousness does not only hate the things God hates, and only love the things God loves. It only hates the things God hates and does not hate the things God does not hate, such as a Biblically sound Bible study group, a more fashionable hairstyle that may be too fashionable for some, being in a ministry position which the Word has never prohibited a person to hold, or to be unmarried. To hate the things which God does not hate and be filled with such disdain towards people who do such things is legalism.
Legalism is the most wicked form of carnality. It is not only subtle, but absolutely perverse. Legalism is perverse because it is to use the Law of God unlawfully, to justify one's own self-will. That is what makes legalism so vile, wicked and abominable. It is the attempt to use the Law of God to justify the desires of one's flesh, all while trying to maintain a false appearance of righteousness and lawfulness before God.
The only difference between those who use the Law of God to justify and legitimise the pursuit of the desires of their flesh, and those who totally disregard it, is that the former attempts to use the loopholes of the Law of God to justify the desires of his flesh, by minimising it, while the latter does not even bother with trying to do so but just brazenly pursues the desires of his flesh. Both are wicked, evil, carnal people in the sight of God.
Legalism is the root of all carnality that has a form of godliness (2 Timothy 3:5), where the Law of God is used and followed, not out of love for God, but in an attempt to justify oneself before God, while still seeking one's own self-will. Such so-called 'holiness' is false holiness. Carnality is a sin that is leading many professing Christians to Hell. For without holiness, no one shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
Repent, repent, repent. Turn to Jesus Christ.
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