01/28/2018
You read your Bible, you teach Sunday school, or you might even preach sermons, but does this make you spiritual? Are you a spiritual Christian, or are you a carnal Christian at heart? So many who follow Jesus Christ do so motivated by a worldly desire; they seek Him with their minds, and intellect... much more than relationship, and meekness, not with a spiritual inclination. Which are you, and do you even know?
“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:24-25 ESV
As humans we seek answers, and solutions to problems. It is easy to apply this nature to our faith and seek God in ways other than through a relationship, and in Spirit and Truth. We look for the formula of faith, or the recipe for salvation. So many of us place ourselves right back under the law because we find it easier to understand, and it demands no relationship that requires us to delve into the vaporous realm of such things as love, and faith... these virtues are so enigmatic, and challenging. Yet in relationship is how we are told to approach God and Jesus Christ.
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
Romans 13:14 ESV
So often we become newspaper reporters of faith; we are really good at telling ourselves and others what it looks like, and how it behaves, but completely lost when it comes to the emotion that lies at its heart. We can tell you that there was a three car pileup on the interstate, but not that a woman was heartbroken and searching for her child when she pulled, with eyes full of tears, in front of someone.
“With the carnal Christian, there may be the appearance of virtue and zeal for God and His service, but it is for the most part a manifestation of human power.” - Andrew Murray
As carnal Christians we seek out the formulas and facts of what a believer is, and conform to them, but neglect, for the most part, what it feels like to love, rest, have joy, or any of the other vaporous attributes of a relationship with God. We place our emphasis on attending church each Sunday, church growth, church finances, community service, reading the Bible once a year, or any number of measurable things, but much less on quiet conversations in prayer, worshipping in love, feeling the filling of the Holy Spirit, or smelling the incense of heaven with raised hands.
“With the Spiritual Christian, on the other hand, there is a complete submission to the leading of the Spirit, a sense of personal weakness and total dependence on the work of Christ - it is a life of abiding fellowship with Christ brought into being by the Spirit.” - Andrew Murray
Even pastors are not immune to being carnal in their approach to faith. They lean on the wisdom of years of commentary study, and teach the roadmap of faith, but have never walked the way that the lines on the map represent. They can tell you what village lies ahead by looking at the map, but not what it smells like, or the welcome you will receive there. Like any believer they can employ their human nature to a spiritual vocation, and miss the fullness of the experience.
Do you know which you are? Do you answer quickly that you are spiritual and not carnal? Well stop for a moment and reflect upon your response. You may have no spiritual life to which you can compare your own. Remember, our nature is to be carnal, so most of those who surround us are probably that way. Instead, look to Jesus, and not at what He did, but at the way He did those things, His humble nature, and how He behaved. Is this how we are to living our lives as Christians?
Today is Sunday, and in a few minutes I will dress and go to church. As you do this, are you doing so with an anticipation of worship, or are you wondering if Tom or Jane will be there... or maybe you are going this morning because someone would put you down for not making it if you didn’t. Be honest with yourself because God already knows your heart. Then look at your reflection in the mirror and either say “I am a Spiritual Christian”, or “I am a carnal Christian,” or maybe a little of both. Then pull out the map you have been using, and actually begin to walk.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit, and the spiritual understanding He leads us into. Thank you Father for Jesus who is not only my redeemer, but my example of spirituality, and demonstrates for me how I should be in relationship with you. Help me Father as I approach my faith with an open heart, and a true desire for your presence in my life. I realize that I have a carnal nature Lord, but give me the strength to overcome it and to put down the cookbook of faith and religion so that you can teach me the taste of your excellence, and the smell of true worship. I praise your name Holy Father because I know you in my heart, and feel your breath upon me. I know your touch personally, and praise you for your kindness and goodness. I love you Merciful Father, and long for your presence each morning when I rise... be with me always in Spirit and truth.
Rich Forbes