We see in the first part of this Chapter --Paul is discussing the 3 Man ---
He discussed the Natural man and Spiritual man in the last Chapter and the Carnal Man is being discussed here ----
So the Carnal Man is a person who has the indwelling of the Holy spirit and are heaven bound but their minds have not been change to God's way of thinking -----so they live still thinking like this world ---they still live in the flesh -----
Verse 1 AMPC B
However, brethren, I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men], but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the
carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ
They are a Babe In Christ ------ and Pauls says he only fed them the milk of the Scriptures as they are not ready to have more knowledge than they can understand ----
This is so important to understand ---as the Believer who has Matured some ---needs to have the patience and gentleness and Agape needed to help this Carnal Christian move forward to mature in their Faith walk ------This New Christian is vulnerable to backsliding or worse renouncing their Faith altogether ---as Satan has full access to their thinking -----
verse 3
For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?
So we see here Paul is saying ---that as long as these desires and behaviours of the flesh are still present your actions are like what unbelievers who are in the world harbouring human worldly standards ---like saying I belong to Paul --I belong to Apollos ---which says your unchanged people ----
Paul is saying all we do is Plant and Water but it is God who makes the growth and increase
and he says anyone who builds upon this foundation will see increase
In verse 13 Paul lays out that the work and motives of each believer will be revealed on Judgment day ---
Paul asks --- can't you understand and discern that the Church is God's Temple and the Holy Spirit indwells permanently in you ---as a Church and individually ----
This is important here because believers actions and thoughts can actually grieve the Holy Spirit who dwells in believers ---and True Christians should never want to Grieve the Holy Spirit -- actions and thoughts should always want to please the Holy Spirit ----
Verse 17 and 18 is a stern warning to Believers ----hard to hear ---they speak for themselves
If anyone does hurt to God’s temple
or corrupts it]with false doctrines]
or destroys it, God will do hurt to him
and bring him to the corruption of death
and destroy him.
For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you the believing church and its individual believers are.
18 Let no person deceive himself. If anyone among you supposes that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [let him discard his worldly discernment and recognize himself as dull, stupid, and foolish, without true learning and scholarship], that he may become [really] wise.
So Pauls says the World's Wisdom is Foolish with God ----God knows the thoughts and reasonings of the humanly wise and how futile they are ------so let no one boast about what leader they have----- as you belong to Christ and Christ is God's ----
Paul --Preaching like it is ------and no holding back as to the results of preaching Bad doctrine and bad actions ==Paul does Not Preach to Please People ---He Preaches God's Truth as it is -----
To Many Preachers today are Afraid to Preach the Real Truth =====They Prefer to cater to what the People want to hear -----bad for the Soul and where your destined to be -----
Paul is such a great Example for Believers to follow in their Preaching ---- in my view
