But the Bible says here, "He spoke of them as unto babes in Christ."
He says in verse 2, "I fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able
to bear it.
Neither yet now are ye able, for ye are yet carnal."
He's saying you're still carnal when you should have grown past the milk stage and gotten
into the strong meat.
He says, "You're yet carnal, for as there is among you envying and strife and divisions,
are you not carnal?"
How many times has he called them carnal so far?
Three times.
You're carnal, you're carnal, you're carnal.
But yet, a person like Paul Washer just says, "Well, there's no such thing as a carnal Christian."
But Paul's talking to these brethren and saying, "You're carnal, you're carnal, you're carnal."
People say, "Well, maybe they weren't really saved."
Okay, let's keep reading.
He says in verse four, "For while one saith, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,'
are you not carnal?"
Again.
He says in verse five, "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye
what?"
So these people believed.
He's calling them brethren.
He's saying they're like babes in Christ.
Now he says they've believed, and by the way, that's what you have to do to be saved.
"Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
It says, "Ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man.
I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."
Let me ask this.
What kind of increase did God give, a bunch of people who weren't really saved?
No.
If God gave this increase, if one planted and one watered and God gave the increase,
what's the increase?
He's talking about them.
They didn't minister by whom ye believed.
They planted.
You believed.
They watered.
You believed.
God gave the increase.
You're saved.
But you're carnal.
Carnal.
Okay?
Let's keep reading.
It says in verse number eight, "Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one.
And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
For we are laborers together with God.
Ye are God's husbandry.
Ye are God's building."
Is he saying to these people, "Hey, you don't belong to Christ.
You're not really saved.
You're not of God's people."
No, he's saying, "You're God's building.
You're God's husbandry.
But you're carnal.
You need to grow up.
You need to grow in grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Now let's go back to Romans chapter 7.
So I think we've established pretty clearly that it's very possible for Christians to
be carnal or fleshly or walking in the flesh.
Now does God want us to walk in the flesh?
Of course not.
But do we have the capability or the tendency to walk in the flesh?
And even if we've been saved for 5 years or 10 years, we could be stuck as babes in Christ?
And look, Paul rebuked others in Hebrews chapter 5 when he said, "For when for the time ye
ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles
of the oracles of God, 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
had their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
So again, he's telling them, you should be teachers, you should be mature spiritually,
but you're carnal.
You're still acting like a babe in Christ, you need to grow.