A Christian Can Be Just Like An Unbeliever
Some of the believers in the church Paul established in Corinth remained in a perpetual state of sin, controlled by their sin nature. They were what the Bible calls “fleshly” or “carnal” believers (1 Corinthians 3:1). Some were steeped in paganism when they believed in Jesus Christ. They had a hard time walking away from their pagan manner of life. Some were involved in immoral activities. Others were falling for the legalism of the Judaizers as a way of living the spiritual life. The Corinthian believers were involved in all kinds of vices and sins and were living their lives just like unbelievers.
Even though they were prone to all types of sins, make no mistake they were believers in Jesus Christ. They had responded to the gospel message Paul had communicated to them, and they had personally believed in Jesus Christ as Savior. That meant that they were in the family of God. They were “sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). They had eternal life—not temporary life, not conditional life, and not probationary life—but eternal life. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
So, what was the problem with these Corinthians? Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 3:1, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.” “Flesh” is the Greek Word, sarkinos, and it refers to the sin nature. These believers were ignoring the command in Ephesians 5:18 to “be filled with the Holy Spirit” and instead were being controlled by their sin nature.
God the Holy Spirit has two ministries in the life of the believer:
- The indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit that makes our body a temple for the indwelling of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19 compared with Colossians 1:27). God the Holy Spirit indwells our body at the moment of salvation and never leaves us. The indwelling of the Spirit is permanent. That is why we are never commanded to be indwelled by the Spirit. It is a grace gift given at salvation. There is no need to pray for God to give us the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. We will always have the Holy Spirit.
- The filling ministry of the Holy Spirit, which provides the power for the Christian life. We lose the filling of the Holy Spirit every time we sin. We recover the filling of the Holy Spirit when we name our sin privately to God the Father. 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, He (God the Father) is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
As believers, especially new believers, we can’t just tell ourselves not to sin. We need some spiritual muscle to help us resist the temptations of the sin nature and Satan. We get that spiritual muscle by “growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). We must renovate our thinking. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” “Perfect” refers to the mature spiritual life.
As unbelievers, we are totally conformed to this world, meaning we view life from the same perspective as the world, which Satan rules (John 12:31). We have no knowledge of God, His grace, His Word, or His plan and purpose for our lives. As new believers, we just know we are saved because we believed in Jesus Christ. We must grow up spiritually. That is a progression that must begin after salvation, and it never ends.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:1 that these believers are népios in the Greek. They are “babes in Christ.” They are spiritual babies. They need nourishment and training. We all do. The daily learning of God's Word provides spiritual nourishment, growth and encouragement. You don’t need to run to a friend or your pastor for encouragement. You can build up your own storehouse of the Word of God in your soul. That is your strength. In fact, there is no greater power than the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12).
Many in the Corinthian church did not do that. They had other priorities. They did not have time for Bible teaching. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:2-3.
VS 2 “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,”
VS 3 “for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?”
When Paul says they are still "fleshly", that means they refused to use the grace procedure of 1 John 1:9. They did not name their sins to God the Father, and so they remained out of fellowship with God without the filling of the Holy Spirit. That means they had created their own power outage in their soul. They are still believers. They never lose their salvation, but they have left themselves without the power of the Holy Spirit, which is required to learn God’s Word and to grow up spiritually.
Paul ends with a rhetorical question demanding a YES answer. “Are you not walking like mere men?” He is saying, “Is your way of life not like that of an unbeliever?” Yet Romans 6:4 tells us that we should “walk in newness of life.” Newness of life means progressing in the spiritual life through the filling of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God implanted in the soul.
The only way to get the sin nature under control is by growing spiritually, by growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, by obedience to the many mandates of Scripture (2 Peter 3:18). The only way to walk in newness of life is to begin thinking the way Christ thought (Philippians 2:5; 1 Corinthians 2:16b). If we do not, we will think like an unbeliever and live our lives like an unbeliever, and our lives will never be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. How tragic!
That does not have to be you. All that is required is daily nourishment of the soul. Partake of the daily bread of God’s Word. Find a good Bible teacher, learn, and then apply what you have learned. It is that simple. If you do that, you will not be mistaken for an unbeliever. Instead, your life will have meaning and purpose, and when you face adversity and suffering, you will be a testimony to the power of the gospel and the power of the Word of God.