If you're a believer, if you're a Christian, and you're dating an unbeliever, why is it
that you're able to have such great fellowship with somebody who's an unbeliever?
It's because you're living in the flesh.
It's because you're not right with God.
It's because you're carnal.
That's right.
You see, when a person gets saved, the Bible says, "If any man be in Christ, he's a new
creature.
Old things are passed away.
Behold, all things are become new."
Now, that's an often abused verse, an often misunderstood verse, because the verse is
very clear.
It says, "All things have become new."
Now, people will try to use this verse to say, "Well, if somebody got saved, but they
didn't have any change in their life, then they didn't really get saved."
Now, wait a minute.
Is that what that verse said, that there will be some change?
No.
And yet, people will use this verse to preach their heresy that if salvation isn't followed
by works, then you're not really saved.
The devil has been trying to add works to salvation since Cain and Abel, between Ishmael
and Isaac, all throughout the Bible, all throughout history.
The devil wants you to trust your own works for salvation when the Bible says believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life, the Bible
says.
And so, note, this is not saying that there will be some change, come on, there's got
to be some change.
It didn't say some change, it said a brand new creature.
And so when you get saved, a new creature is created within you known as the new man,
the inward man, the spiritual man, but the natural man is still there.
The flesh is still there.
I mean when I win somebody the Lord, when I got saved for example, nothing about my
flesh changed.
All of a sudden I began to glow and all of a sudden, there was no difference in my physical
body.
Something changed inside, a new creature was created.
What happened to the old creature?
He's still there.
The old man is still there, that's why the Bible says that we have to die daily.
He said, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily
and follow me.
When it comes to living the Christian life, you're either walking in the flesh, or you're
walking in the spirit.
Now the flesh, the Bible says in Romans chapter 8 that the old man, the natural man, it says
the carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to the laws of God, neither
indeed can be.
So it's impossible for the old man to be subject to the laws of God.
So when you've got to save, God didn't change your old man, he didn't change the flesh,
he created a new creature.
So now you have the spirit and the flesh, the old man and the new man.
Now if you walk in the flesh, you will be the same as you were before you were saved
because the flesh did not change.
But if you put on the new man, the Bible says, then you'll not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
So when you see somebody who's living in sin, they can't be saved because they're living
in sin.
No, they're just probably in the flesh.
Now perhaps they're not saved, but perhaps they are truly saved.
They believed.
It's just that they're walking in the flesh.
Let me say it to you this way.
If a person can be dating an unbeliever, I mean spending all of his time going around
with an unbeliever, considering an unbeliever, it's because they're totally walking in the
flesh.
Otherwise they wouldn't even have fellowship.
I mean look down at the Bible.
It says, "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath
light with darkness, and what conquered hath Christ with Belial?"
And watch this.
"Oh, what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?"
Infidel is an unbeliever.
If you as a believer can sit down and enjoy hour upon hour meeting with and conversing
with and palling around with somebody who's not even saved, you are walking in the flesh.
You are a carnal Christian.
You are not filled with the Holy Spirit.
And the Bible says, "Be filled with the Spirit." You're not filled with the Spirit if you can
pile around with the world and pile around with unbelief.
I know Paul Washer says, I learned this from Brett Sherman, I know Paul Washer, who's ever
heard of Paul Washer? This heretic that's preaching all over and he's really popular
among Baptists and oh man, I can't believe that I named the name. Alexander, Hymenaeus,
Hermogenes, Philetus, Diatrophes, hey Paul named the names of the heretics of his day,
Paul named the names of the heretics of art. Paul Washer who believes that salvation is
by begging God, you have to beg God for days or weeks on end to be saved and you have to
turn away from all your sins and if you just believed in the past, no it has to continue
or I guess you lose your salvation is basically what he teaches, I don't care how he tries
to lie about it and disguise it, that's the truth. Paul Washer said this, there's no such
thing as a carnal Christian, that's his famous quote, there's no such thing, I'm going to
borrow some of your sermon, is that alright? What chapter was that in? First Corinthians
chapter three, go back to first Corinthians chapter three. This part of the sermon has
been sponsored in part by Brett. Anyway, he said there's no such thing as a carnal Christian,
there's no such thing as a fleshly, worldly Christian. Well let's see if the Bible agrees
with Paul Washer. It says in first Corinthians chapter three verse one, "and I brethren could
not speak," who's he talking to? The brethren, people that are saved, right? He said, "and
I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto
God, babes in Christ." So these are baby Christians, right? They're new believers. But he said
here, here's what you gotta understand, he's not talking to new believers. Here's what
you gotta, 'cause they'll say, "well, you know, when you first get saved, you might
be carnal, but you're gonna get past." He's not talking to new believers. He said, "I
had to talk to you as if newborn babes in Christ." Do you see that? They've been saved for a
long time. He says, "you're still a baby." He said in Hebrews chapter five, "for when
for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the
disciples of the oracles of Christ, and are become such as have need of milk and not of
strong meat. For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for
he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who
by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." But look,
keep reading. He said, "I've fed you with milk and not with meat. For hitherto ye were
not able to bear it. Neither yet now are ye able, for ye are yet eternal." He's saying
you're still, the word yet means still, you're still, years and years have gone by. You're
still a baby. You're still a little baby of a Christian. You're a carnal Christian. Put
that in your pipe and smoke it, Paul Washer. And it says, "For ye are yet carnal." Verse
3. He says it again. "For whereas there is among you envy and strife and divisions, are
ye not carnal?" Walk as men. So he says again, "You're carnal. You're carnal. You're carnal.
You're carnal." Paul Washer stands up and says, "There's no such thing as carnal."
Maybe it's because he preaches out of the New American Standard Verse, maybe it's because he doesn't have a King James Bible, maybe it's because he's not a real Baptist.
I don't know why. You figure out why. You tell me why. I don't know why he's preaching this kind of garbage.
But the point is, there is such thing as a carnal Christian, and if you're dating an unbeliever, you are one.
Believer, you are one. I'm not saying you can't become spiritual. Hey, why don't you mandate?
Why don't you get out the Bible and read it? Put away the TV, put away the radio, put away the hip-hop, put away the R&B,
play the rock and roll, play the god of this world, the television that's in your house,
pump in your mind with all its trash, and why don't you get a Bible, why don't you get out and sing the hymn, and be filled with unbelievers.
I mean, look, you're not going to be able to sit down hours and hours on end with somebody you've not even saved when you are filled with the Spirit of God.
So God's commanding us here. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
He's saying you must marry someone who is saved. You must marry someone who's a believer.
And so you shouldn't be dating people that aren't saved.