1 Corinthians 3

 

Bible Passage: 1 Corinthians 3 

During my truthseeking days when I first read Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians, I felt his tone was a little too abrasive. He started off by confronting their condition, that they were still carnal believers, and provided evidence of their carnal behaviour.

Bible study sessions later revealed that Paul was writing to a very troubled church which existed in the midst of a very corrupt city and culture. Even within church walls, the world could so easily and quickly find its way into the church.

FLESHY VS FLESHLY

“For where there are envy, strife and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” – Verse 3

The period after I got baptized, it was difficult for me to accept that members who were once fervent could commit mortal sins or leave the church. Don’t they have the Holy Spirit? Don’t they know they are in the True Church? How different then are they from people of the world?

It has been nearly three years since my baptism and the path of holiness is indeed a difficult one to tread. Although we are children of God, we are also susceptible to temptations and desires of the flesh, because we are “fleshy”, made of flesh. No one is exempt from the devil’s attacks while he stalks the path of every believer, offering all kinds of enticements to lure him or her away from an obedient walk with God.

Paul clearly addressed the Corinth church members as brethren and said that they were babes in Christ, yet they were being criticized for their carnal behaviour. They were clearly thinking and acting according to the flesh – behaving in a “fleshly” manner.

Are we behaving in the same way as the Corinth church members then? Are we carnal Christians as well?

After receiving the grace of salvation through baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit, do we still consciously give way to our fleshly desires?

This reminds me of Romans 7 which speaks of the conflict between the indwelling of the Spirit and being mastered by the flesh.

“O wretched man that I am! “ Romans 7:24

The entire tone of this statement shows Paul’s desperation for deliverance. He is overwhelmed with a sense of his own powerlessness and sinfulness.

We must also come to the same place of desperation in order to find victory. We must be desperate for God to have mercy on us and help us.

Instead of combating temptation, we can be victorious if we avoid it like the plague and flee far away. While we are “fleshy”, we can overcome “fleshly” behaviour if we rely on God.

Jesus told His disciples to pray that they might not fall into temptation.

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” – Matthew 26:41

Therefore we have to always watch and pray that we remain firmly convicted of our beliefs and not allow ourselves to fall away.

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