Carnal and Spiritual Christians

Re: dan8486 http://www.youtube.com/user/dan8486 responding to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGWvAtxmUXA

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Originally Posted by dan8486

Bro...read verse 9 in Romans 8. It says this: "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." That doesn't sound like Paul was making a point about carnal Christians in verses 7 and 8. He's not reading into the text, he's reading the next verse in the text, something that you failed to do obviously.

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James White is reading into the text his idol of Total depravity.

Verse 8 is simply looking back upon the fact I am saved. Verse 7 is simply saying if you prefer the flesh you can't please God.

A Christian can be carnal. Just because a Christian is born-again doesn't mean he can never sin.

Paul expresses this condition Christians at Corinth: "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ" (1 Cor. 3.1).

A carnal Christian can live like the unsaved who set their mind on the flesh. If you don't realize this, you will have to fall to realize this experientially because you don't accept the reality of it.

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Originally Posted by dan8486

Your response failed to address what I said. Verses 6-9 clearly are making a distinction b/w saved and the reprobate. It's plain as can be, how can you not see that? Your response said some things about the carnal Christian but failed to deal with any of the text in Romans 8.

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Your thinking is messed up. Paul is imploring you not to live by the flesh if you are saved possessing the Spirit.

Verses 6 to 9 is not only making a distinction between the saved and unsaved, but also between the fleshly Christian and the Christian walking in the Spirit. Don't limit these verses like you do, that's shallow. You are only seeing what you want to see because you are a Calvinist who is going to Hell.

Alas, I am repeating myself from the previous post, falling on deaf ears.

Romans 8 says speaking to brothers and sisters in Christ "If your sinful nature controls your mind" (v.6) or "if the Holy Spirit controls your mind" (v.6). The Holy Spirit can't control the mind of the unsaved. So this passage is talking about Christians who live carnally like the unsaved and Christians abiding in the Spirit.

Christians can still sin by their sinful nature: "For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will" (v.7). If you could not, you would never sin, but you do sin. You're a Calvinist. That's a great sin.

Whether saved or unsaved, "That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God" (v.8).

So Paul is saying live by that Spirit you have in you if you are saved: "But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you" (v.9a) in contrast to those who are unsaved who do not have the Spirit: "And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all" (v.9b) who can't live by the Spirit because they refuse the cross of salvation. Whereas Christians can live carnally (1 Cor. 3.1) like the unsaved (thus, losing rewards to reign during the 1000 years), the unsaved can't live like the saved with the Holy Spirit, because they don't have the Holy Spirit in them. They don't have God's life.

So live like a Christian should live: "Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God" (v.10).

James White, the Calvinist, whom you follow is not a child of God. He is going to Hell.