The Road to Maturity in Christ II

The Road to Maturity in Christ II

1 Corinthians 3:1–4

Theme: The Christian journey leads to maturity in the Word, discernment, and righteous decision-making.

Relevance: God designed the Christian life to grow continuously into obedience dominated by His Spirit and will.

Introduction: Much like a normal family, everybody helps the new baby grow and mature, so in the family of God we must encourage spiritual maturity.

Message:

I.               “Walk as Men” (1 Cor. 3:3).

II.               “Ye are Yet Carnal” (1 Cor 3:1, 3).

A.   These are Carnal Believers

                                                   i.     Carnal is a believer who is still dominated by their fallen nature

1.    Paul begins by saying that the Corinthians are…not only made of flesh but dominated by the flesh. It means human nature apart from God, that part of men and women, both mental and physical, which provides a point of entry for sin. So, the fault that Paul finds with the Corinthians is…that they have allowed this lower side of their nature to dominate all their outlook and all their actions.^[1]

2.    The believers were still in a carnal or fleshly state of soul. This was evidenced by the fact that there was envy and strife among them. Such behavior is characteristic of the men of this world, but not of those who are led by the Spirit of God.^[2]

3.    As a result they were still worldly (v. 3). Instead of mature behavior characterized by humility and concern for others—obedience to God—the Corinthians were infantile, self-centered, and therefore divisive (v. 4; cf. 1:12).^[3]

                                                 ii.     The immature Christian lives for the things of the flesh and has little interest in the things of the Spirit. Some believers are immature because they have been saved recently, but that is not what Paul is addressing here.

                                               iii.     The carnal Christian is the one who hasn’t grown up spiritually, and it is evident that he lacks spiritual discernment—not because he doesn’t have the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, but because he is not growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. Again this is a consequence of his relationship to the Word of God. That is so important to see. This unnatural man, this carnal Christian, is a babe in Christ. He has an ability but no desire. A baby has the potential to become a learned man, but he has to start out by drinking milk. Paul carries this figure of speech over to the spiritual level.^[4]

B.   They Still have a Secular Mindset

                                                   i.     Saved People Still Motivated by Godless Ideas and Values.

                                                 ii.     This sectarian spirit was evidence that some of the spiritually gifted believers in the Corinthian church were carnal … behaving like mere men (1Cor. 3:3, 4). When there exists carnal behavior (such as “envy, strife, and divisions”), carnality (relying on the basic nature of the weak, sinful, human flesh) must be the cause. (W. W. Wiersbe)

                                               iii.     They wanted lives of exaltation (4:8) without lives of humiliation (4:9–13) because they did not understand that “Christ … crucified” was a message concerned not only with justification but also with sanctification (cf. Phil. 2:1–8). This misunderstanding was at the root of their disunity (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10; 3:4), which error Paul wanted to correct.^[5]

                                               iv.     It is often expressed in a weak and frustrated Christian accompanied by a poor prayer life, not studying the Bible, and limited Christian fellowship. A carnal life-style increases our vulnerability to temptation and sin.—W. W. 

Conclusion:

The Christian must drive forward focusing on maturity in the Word, discernment, and righteous decision-making pursuant of God’s plan. God literally designed us to grow continuously into a lifestyle of obedience dominated increasingly by His Spirit and will.

Some need to be saved today. Stop putting it off and trust Christ as your Savior and Lord now.

Some need to make the choice to pursue spiritual development and progress. Stop faking actual divine advancements; refuse to be like the Pharisees any longer. Study the Word, use God-given discernment, and make decisions that reflect God’s rule in your life.

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^[1] William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians, 3rd ed., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 35–36.

^[2] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1754.

^[3] David K. Lowery, “1 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 511.

^[4] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Epistles (1 Corinthians), electronic ed., vol. 44 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 41.

^[5] David K. Lowery, “1 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 511.