When Carnality Has Found a Way In Part 1

by Stephanie Mayberry

NOTE: This is part 1 of a two-part post. The link to Part 2 is at the end of this post.

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 8:6

Carnality is a form of spiritual immaturity that is often thought to be a characteristic of people who are new to the faith. The truth is, people who have been living for God for years can hold on to vestiges of carnality or begin to turn back and slip into carnality.

The enemy is always looking for ways to draw us back to the world. If he can touch our flesh and spark a desire in us for those things, the attraction can be powerful. Many people do begin to slip back into those ways or they never really turn loose of those things to begin with.

This walk has no room for flesh. It is a walk of faith, of love, of selflessness, and of holiness. Serving the flesh separates us from faith and love. It makes you selfish and robs you of your holiness.

Let’s walk through the scripture here where Paul talks about spiritual maturity.

Worldliness

2 Corinthians 6:17 tells us to come out of the world and be separate from it. Although we live in the world, we are not supposed to be of the world. That is what worldliness is.

Worldliness is carnality. The following traits are characteristics of carnality.

Vanity of the Mind

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Ephesians 4:17

A carnal person walks in the vanity of their mind, meaning that there is an emptiness, moral depravity, and lack of profit in their thoughts and ideals. In other words, they are all caught up in their feelings, guided by emotions, and reject any prompting of the Holy Ghost.

The carnal person has their mind set on temporal things. They have problems with the sin of worry and prefer to trust people or themselves instead of God for their provision. While there is nothing wrong with trusting people or even yourself when you place that over trusting in God for your provision, it is idolatry and that is a sin.

Their mind is not set on the Kingdom of God and that is a sign of spiritual immaturity. Being spiritually mature means keeping your mind on God and the things of God regardless of what is happening in your life.

Some of it comes from a lack of understanding or ignorance of scripture, but it can also come from a preference or habit of being controlled by their own emotions. It is a very self-absorbed existence where they choose their own emotions over God Almighty and in the process, make themselves their own god.

Lack of Understanding of the Things of God

18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Ephesians 4:18

This lack of understanding can be due to spiritual blindness, lack of study, or not having or cultivating a relationship with God. In other words, they may lack understanding because they have not been taught or because they really don’t want to know.

In this verse, it indicates a willful ignorance that alienates them from God. They are separated from God because they refuse to submit to God. They may submit in some areas, but many people don’t want to give up their mind, imagination to His ways instead of their own. They want to maintain their own identity instead of finding their identity in Yehovah.

And that is the epitome of worldliness, carnality, self-worship.

A Blind Heart

18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Ephesians 4:18

A blind heart is a hardened heart. It is turned against the things of God and against the people of God. The blind heart is stony toward others and likes to hang on to hurts and offenses. While the mouth may claim to forgive, the hardened heart tells a different story.

The hard heart is very self-focused. It is only interested in the things of God until it is inconvenienced, or it has to sacrifice something. It is not capable of real love which makes it an enemy of God.

The hard heart will keep you ignorant of the things of God. It will prevent your growth. The hard heart says, “This is just how I am, how I am wired. I can’t change.” This is contrary to the Word of God. Still, they demonstrate through their own words and actions that they are still rooted in the world. This prevents them from being like Yeshua and walking as He walked. It keeps them from reflecting His nature.

They have no heart to grow in God, so they never grow spiritually or only grow to a certain point – usually where they reach a crossroads that requires them to lay down the last of the world, crucify their flesh, and live truly holy, truly separate from the world.

Does not Accept the Things of God

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Romans 8:7

The carnal mind is against God. It is not submitted to Him and it is impossible for it to be submitted to Him. It is actively hostile to God because it is not obedient.

The carnal mind is not capable of reflecting the nature of God. It may be able to put forth a facsimile, but it is not genuine and not sustainable because eventually self will win and God will be shoved into the background.

Uncleanness

19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Ephesians 4:19

Uncleanness can be in word, deed, or thought. The carnal person may be physically unclean or have unclean thoughts. But understand that uncleanness is more than sexual depravity, although that is a common feature. It is also gravitating to things that are not clean or not pure. Hoarding, cussing, engaging in pornography, ruminating thoughts, all those things that are contrary to the spirit of God are unclean and that is what the carnal person focuses on, even perverting the Word to suit his or her own agenda.

Greed

19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Ephesians 4:19

The other part of this, which is an extension of uncleanness is greediness. Greed is not necessarily wanting more and more and more of material things, it also means that you choose to be discontented with God’s provision for you. You are not content with what He has given you and you allow it to make you depressed and angry.

Greed is ungratefulness and selfishness. It leads to jealousy, envy, and covetousness. You look around and decide that what God has provided for you is not enough. You refuse to allow Him to be God over your life so YOU take control so you can pursue material, worldly, and carnal things.

Greed is the opposite of the selfless, giving, loving nature of God that we are supposed to reflect when we are spiritually mature.

Lack of Conviction or Losing Sensitivity to Sin

If there were things that once convicted you but don’t anymore or if there were things that you knew were wrong but now they don’t feel so wrong, that is a sign that you are regressing into carnality and becoming spiritually immature. It means that you are rejecting the voice and prompting of the Holy Spirit and you have turned your ear from Him for so long that you can’t hear His voice any longer. You no longer are able to feel when the Holy Spirit convicts you.

When that happens, it typically leads to giving yourself over to sin. You are no longer making any attempt to overcome sin or a temptation and claim victory over it. Instead, you just give yourself over to it. You don’t really care about how it affects others, how it affects your witness, or the consequences that come with it. You just want what YOU want.

Regressing from What You Have Learned

20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Ephesians 4:20-24

There are two parts to this so I will address them separately. The first is regressing from what you have learned.

If you have studied and learned true holiness and once pursued it but now it isn’t as important to you, you may be regressing. If you are moving away from the things of God that you learned and picking up more ways of the world, that is a good indication that you are in a carnal state.

God doesn’t want weekend warriors or part-time believers. He requires us to devote ourselves to Him full-time and always move forward, and always grow. If your prayer life is lacking or you aren’t getting in the word like you once did that is definitely movement toward carnality. But if you are putting down the things you once knew to be the things of God, abandoning them, or putting them on the back burner, you are definitely slipping into carnality.

Return to the Old Self or Never Put it Away

20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Ephesians 4:20-24

If you find that you are returning to your old self or that you never really put it away, you are slipping into carnality. Do you find some of your old ways creeping in? Maybe you are saying things or thinking things that the “old you” once said or thought, but you stopped when you began walking with God.

Maybe you have returned to old activities or behaviors that are of the world, things that you once laid down when you began to walk with God.

If you have, scripture says that you have a carnal mind.

Failure to Grow Spiritually

If you have a mindset on God, you will grow continuously because it will be your nature to pray and study and seek to have the nature of God and reflect it.

When your mind is not set on God, the things of the world will have more appeal. It will be easier to miss Sabbath and you will find yourself choosing other things over keeping Sabbath and gathering with the body. And you will feel no conviction for it.

You will slip into old ways and not feel any conviction.

Your spiritual growth will stall and you will begin to get stagnant, stunted, numb, apathetic, and indifferent. You might confess with your mouth, but your actions and attitudes will tell a different story.

Try to Draw Others into Carnality

13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it a pleasure to riot in the daytime. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
2 Peter 2:13-16

The carnal person will often try to draw others into their carnality. It may be tempting those pursuing holiness to engage in an activity that is sinful, or something that is not necessarily a sin, but not appropriate for someone who is walking with God.

They may try to cause division in the body or influence the attitudes of others trying to walk in holiness to make them have a carnal mind instead of the mind of God. They will often get angry when they are unable to control those people. They may find ways to psychologically punish them because they won’t do what they want.

Go to When Carnality Has Found a Way In Part 2