padremike wrote:
Agreed. How could it be anything else?
Padremike, it is no reflection on Jesus Christ, no reflection on the Bible, no reflection on our Almighty Triune Godhead, -
just reaffirmation that God has given every man the free will to choose, and just as in the church congregation in Corinth in the 1st century (the ekklesia), there will always be Christians who make carnal decisions that, unfortunately, bring no glory to God.
The word “carnal” is translated from the Greek word sarkikos, which literally means “fleshly.” This descriptive word is seen in the context of Christians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. In this passage, the apostle Paul is addressing the readers as “brethren,” a term he uses almost exclusively to refer to other Christians; he then goes on to describe them as “carnal.” Therefore, we can conclude that Christians can be carnal. The Bible is absolutely clear that no one is sinless (1 John 1:8). Every time we sin, we are acting carnally.
Can a Christian, in a time of personal failure and/or rebellion, appear to be carnal? Yes.
Will a true Christian remain carnal? No.
Until we are delivered from our sinful flesh, by natural earthly death, or in the prophesied rapture, there will be outbreaks of carnality. For a genuine believer in Christ, though, these outbreaks of carnality will be the rare exception, not the rule.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (1 John 1:9-10).